6th Annual Royal Dragonfly Book Award Winners Announced

CHANDLER, AZ (November, 2015) – Winners of the 2015 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced by Five Star Publications, Inc.  

 Slow Dancing with a Stranger by Meryl Comer has earned this year’s $300 Grand Prize as well as First Place designations in the Aging and General Nonfiction categories and Honorable Mention in the First-time Author category. An Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist and leading Alzheimer’s advocate, Comer has written a profoundly personal, unflinching account of her husband’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease that serves as a much-needed wake-up call to better understand and address a progressive and deadly affliction. When Comer’s husband Harvey Gralnick was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in 1996, she watched as the man who headed hematology and oncology research at the National Institutes of Health started to misplace important documents and forget clinical details that had once been cataloged encyclopedically in his mind. With harrowing honesty, she brings readers face to face with this devastating condition and its effects on its victims and those who care for them. Detailing the daily realities and overwhelming responsibilities of caregiving, Comer sheds intensive light on this national health crisis, using her personal experiences—the mistakes and the breakthroughs—to put a face to a misunderstood disease, while revealing the facts everyone needs to know.
 

Additional first-place winners include The Tiny Portrait by Heidi Carla, illustrated by Karla Cinquanta, which was also the $100 drawing winner; Bee in the Sea by Adam Reed, illustrated by Izzy Bean; American Mojo Lost and Found: Restoring Our Middle Class Before the World Blows by Peter D. Kiernan;   Ballerina Detective and the Missing Jeweled Tiara by Karen Rita Rautenberg; tNumbers!: Take the Dog Out by Lynne Dempsey, illustrated by Mandy Newham-Cobb; Nickerbacher, The Funniest Dragon by Terry John Barto, illustrated by Kim Sponaugle; Posie Pixie and the Pancakes by Sarah Hill, illustrated by Sarah Mauchline; Posie Pixie and the Snowstorm by Sarah Hill, illustrated by Sarah Mauchline; Hi My Name is Hanna and I'm Adopted by Angie Barton; Colors!: Take the Dog Out by Lynne Dempsey, illustrated by Mandy Newham-Cobb; Castle in Danger by Karen Rita Rautenberg; Simmer and Smoke: A Southern Tale of Grit and Spice by Peggy Lampman; Going to the Park by Elizabeth Gorcey, illustrated by Kajiah Jacobs; and Ashes and Asphalt by Trevor Halloway.

"We had a very tight competition this year and our judges definitely had their work cut out for them," says Linda F. Radke, president of Five Star Publications, Inc. “I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to all of our winner.

For complete winners list go to:

http://ift.tt/1PKWPrO

and click on "Winners." The next Royal Dragonfly Book Awards contest is already underway. The early bird deadline is August 1, 2016. Final deadline for submissions is October 1, 2016.
 

In addition to the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, Five Star Publications, Inc. also has two additional book contests: The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards and the Story Monster Approved! program. The early bird deadline for the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes outstanding children's literature, is March 1, 2016. The final deadline is May 1, 2016. For complete rules and submission forms for these contests, visit http://ift.tt/1PKWMMz and click on the contest of choice. Entrants who meet the early bird deadline are eligible for the Early Bird reward: a free e-copy of The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing or Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show written by Linda F. Radke.

The Story Monster Approved! program identifies quality children's books that have been kid-tested and judge-certified, making it easier for buyers to choose exceptional fiction and nonfiction books that parents will approve and youths will enthusiastically devour. Authors interested in having their books considered for the Story Monster Approved! designation should visit http://ift.tt/1PKWPI4 to download an entry form. There is no deadline to enter and books are judged as they are received.

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A memorable night at the ARIZONA LITERARY AWARDS BANQUET

Saturday November 7, 2016 was a special date for many authors and writers. The ARIZONA LITERARY AWARDS BANQUET, organized by the Arizona Authors Association and sponsored by the literary community, including Green Pieces Publishing and Barnes & Noble, took place at the Glendale Civic Center on Glenn Drive. Here are a few pictures and memorable moments for that enchanted evening.

The big winner of the evening was ARIZONA BOOK OF THE YEAR (sponsored by Green Pieces Publishing) recipient Tony Taylor for his novel THE DARKEST SIDE OF SATURN Odyssey of a Reluctant Prophet of Doom. Celebratory glass in one hand and award in the other, this is a happy winner. Find the book on Amazon HERE

Many other winners in poetry, short story, essay, unpublished novel, nonfiction, children's books and novels were awarded that night.

Nonfiction category winners, CAVE CREEK CANYON Revealing the Heart of Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains, edited by Wynne Brown and Reed Peters

 

Here is a group picture of all the winners and finalists present at the banquet.

Also a rare photo of the Arizona Authors Association board of Directors.

From left to right: Vijaya Schartz (Membership Director & Webmistress) - Ron Tobin (Secretary and Program Coordinator) - Cherie Lee (Newsletter Editor) - Toby Heathcotte (Outgoing President) - Nancy Brehm (High Country Liaison) - Lisa Aquilina (VP, Contest Coordinator, and new President as of January 1st) - Russel Azbill (Treasurer) - Missing is our Tucson Liaison, Jan Cleere could not attend this year.

This event is open to the public. A few local press members attended. We hope to see you next year, on the first Saturday of November. If you would like to enter the contest, or become a member, visit our website.

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