Today is a Good Day

Today is a good day. Today I get to announce that The Gateway Chronicles, my YA Fantasy series - a series I started writing back in 2008, started self-publishing in 2009, signed with the small press TWCS in 2011, and completed in 2014 - has earned the Seal of Approval from Literary Classics International Book Awards and Reviews. This is a story I spent seven years working on and dedicated countless hours of my life to. It's based on real-life experiences from my childhood, which makes it precious to me on a nostalgic and personal level, and it answered my first big question of: Can I do this? It's one thing to conceptualize a 6-book, multi-layered, Easter egg-filled epic tale in which the subplots advance the meta-narrative toward a fulfilling conclusion, and it's another thing entirely to execute that plan to completion. I don't say this (or announce the award) to brag, but just to say that it's true the disciplines of learning the crafts of writing and storytelling pay off in the long run. I don't need this award - really, I don't! You guys, my loyal readers and fans, have made all the hard work pay off already. But it really is nice to have the work validated in a new, official way. And something the award gives me that I can't get other ways is notoriety in the industry, and hopefully, a little more attention as I press on toward the goal of attaining an agent in the coming months. Onwards and upwards, as the saying goes! Thank you, thank you, to all of you who read my books, and thank you to Literary Classics for the Seal of Approval. (And hey, from now until the release of CRIMINAL on August 25th, I can say that all of my published works are award-winning books!)

*You can read or download the press release from Literary Classics on the News page HERE.