it's the fourth annual grunter awards for 2018 and the category today is - romance/adventure10/12/2018  Again, one of my favourite categories. It's a genre I often write in and also a genre I love to read. Yes, deep down, beneath this gruff exterior you see before you, I truly am a hopeless romantic and a believer that love can conquer all - but, can it? We shall see with some of these fine Romance/Adventure books nominated for this year's awards.
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 Today we look at the category of Non Fiction/Memoirs. There is such as wide variety of material to choose from in this category, ranging from Self-Help books through to harrowing tales of pain, angst and suffering, and then those inspirational tomes that help us see the world in a better light. This year, I've read some wonderful books in this category, so let's get to the nominations, without further ado.
 And now we come to one of the biggest categories every year, that of Murder/Mayhem. Some of my favourite indie authors write in this genre, so there is always something amazing and wonderful to choose from and this year is no exception. In fact, just choosing three finalists is a hard enough job in its own right, but here we go!
 "Laughter is the best medicine". That's what they say and they are absolutely right. So much of what we see today in the world around us and so much of what we read in novels is dark, scary, and downright depressing. When we come across a book that makes us smirk, giggle, laugh and even occasionally belly-laugh, we should cherish it. Writing good humour, though, is not an easy thing to do - trust me, I've tried and it is both taxing and hard to navigate. The three authors nominated in the humour category this year have all managed to find that fine line in humour between making us smile and offending us. I salute their talents.
 And, now we are up to my favourite genre - Historical Fiction!!!!
But wait, I hear you mumble, you've missed a category this year! What about Erotica? Where's the Erotica? Well, the simple truth is this - I haven't actually read any true erotica this year. I'm not sure if that means I've finally grown up, or perhaps it means I'm getting too old to enjoy the hot, steaminess of erotica. Probably the latter, but whatever, it has dropped off the Awards radar this year. The Historical Fiction genre encapsulates some of the most talented, indie writers in the Universe and this year, I've read some amazing historical fiction. Accordingly, as in some previous years, I've chosen four nominations for this title, instead of the usual three, but even then, some superb books have had to miss out. The nominations are:  Today we enter the world of fantasy, of make-believe and of creatures as yet unknown and unseen. This is certainly among my top genres to read and I have been lucky enough to read some absolute pearlers in this category this year. Choosing my favourite three was a difficult and painful task, but it's got to be done. So, here are the three nominations for the Fantasy Fiction category in this year's awards:
 Dystopian fiction is the type of fiction that brings our worst nightmares to life. What would happen if there was a catastrophic world even and civilisation had to start all over again? How thick is our veneer of humanity and civilisation? How will we react in difficult conditions - with humanity or with our primnitive survival instincts. These books always make for a good read and the three nominations in this category are no exception.
The nominations are:  What is contemporary literature, you may well ask? To be perfectly honest, I can't give you a definitive answer to that question, but for me, in these awards, it is books that fall between the cracks of the genre categories that I have set. They tend to be books that are much more philosophical than your average novel, or they tend to be books that tell a modern story of life and relationships (outside of straight romance). I have read some absolute stunners this year and I am excited to bring them to you.
The nominations in the category of Contemporary Literature are:  I'm particularly excited about this category because I have a strong belief in the importance of reading for children. I know I owe my late father a deep debt of gratitude for introducing us kids to books at an early age. Dad took us to the library virtually every Saturday morning and there we would immerse ourselves in the world of fantasy that is books. As a Grandfather of 12 grandkids, I try to pass on my love of reading to them, but with today's electronic distractions it sometimes feels like a losing battle, however, it is one I am determined to continue.
Reading develops an area of stimulation in a child's brain that visual cues do not and for this reason alone it is critical that children read and read often. I have been fortunate to read some stunning children's books this year and I happily give you the nominations for the Grunter's Children's Book of the Year. They are: it's that time again - the fourth annual grunter awards for excellence in indie publishing1/12/2018  Woo Hoo! It's my favourite time of year again - December! Yes, it's Christmas and yes, it's Hanukkah, and yes it's the holidays, but more important than that it is the time I take each year to pay tribute to the wonderful authors who have filled my year with excitement, with delight, and with the sheer pleasure of reading their wonderful works.
Each year, I seem to read more books than ever and the Grunters grow in popularity and stature. This year has been no exception and as of 30/11/2018, I have read 182 superb books, this twelve month period. This compares to 142 in 2017 and makes this, the fourth iteration of these awards, the 2018 Grunter Awards, the biggest and best ever. As always, remember these are my opinions only and if your book doesn't get a mention in these awards, it is no reflection on your book, it is merely a reflection on the breadth and depth of talent in the Indie Author industry and the sheer number of books I read. So, without further ado, let's get on with the very first awards for 2018. This category is for: Anthologies and Collections. The nominations are:  Today, I'm happily turning over my blog to a good friend of mine, Jill Hughes, whose recent debut novel Spirit of Prophecy is taking the indie book world by storm. A mixture of the paranormal, wicca, science fiction and a good old fashioned murder/mystery, Spirit of Prophecy is centred around the rarefied world of three-day-eventing. Jill would love to let you know some more about this incredibly popular form of equine competition. So, take it away Jill! In the equestrian world, the three-day event is seen, by many, to be the pinnacle of equine supremacy. Why would be this be so? Simply put, the three-day event tests all of the innate skills of the horse and of horsemanship by combining three equine events into a challenging series of obstacles that tests not only speed, endurance and courage, but also accuracy and temperament. It perfectly encapsulates all that makes horses and horse competitions so enthralling to both the equine community and the general public.
it's q & A time for this week's indie author of the week - the amazing angelique s anderson26/4/2018  angelique s anderson1. Where is your favorite place to write?
I really love waiting until everyone has gone to sleep, and the animals are tucked in so that I can write when it is absolutely silent. 2. Which book influenced you to become a writer? Honestly, I’ve been writing since I was about seven. It was a way to deal with my tumultuous childhood. I just didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until I tried everything else.   Every week for the next few weeks, I'll be introducing you to a number of amazingly talented Indie Authors, who absolutely deserve your respect and love. I'm hopeful that you'll give some of these wonderful author's books a try, because if there's one thing I've learnt since becoming an Indie author myself, there are some incredibly talented individuals out there, who deserve as much recognition as many of the legacy authors. So, please join me regularly as we celebrate: INDIE AUTHORS OF EXCELLENCE. And, first cab off the rank in this wonderful world of excellence is: ANGELIQUE S ANDERSON: A little bit later than originally planned, but you all know how it is - the best laid plans of mice and men and all that, but finally here we are, ready to award the SUPREME GRUNTER AWARD FOR 2017.
Now, remember, the supreme award will go to one of the category winners in the thirteen categories awarded, so before we go any further, perhaps we should recap on the amazing books that were category winners in the 2017 Grunters.  And so, after a long journey we arrive at the final category of this year's Grunter Awards - Young Adult. Now, deciding what is and isn't a Young Adult novel can be a tricky old business. In this case I've used two criteria to decide what fits in this category. Firstly, if an author calls it a Young Adult novel, then I'm pretty much inclined to believe him/her and I will place it in this category. Secondly, if I'm reading the book and it seems to be pitched toward Young Adults, then I'll slot it in here as well.
Anyway... that's the rationale, so here we go with the Young Adult Category.  Yay! Well, I'm back from an incredibly peaceful week in the sleepy, rural, village of Rizal, Occidental Mindoro, The Philippines and it is time to wrap up these wonderful 2017 iteration of the Grunter Awards for excellence in Indie Authors.
This category is one that I am genuinely in awe of the authors who write in this genre. As a kid, I grew up loving and reading Robert A Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke. Since then have always been fascinated by people who have the vision to see the future and more importantly to put it down on paper. I've read some super Sci/Fi this year, so without further ado here are the nominations for this year's Science Fiction Grunter.  And so we come to another one of the big categories in this year's Grunter Awards for Excellence in Indie Publishing - Romance/Adventure. Almost every book has a romantic interest, but here, in this category I've tried to refine the choices to those books that principally promote romance as the main theme of the story. Naturally, therefore, you'll probably find some Chick-Lit in here, but since I've become a big fan of quality Chick-Lit, I make no apologies for that. So, who made it this year and why? Let's find out, shall we?
 Today we enter the serious world of memoirs and "how-to" books. I've read a fair selection of them this year and some memoirs touched me deeply, while some "how to" books gave me great ideas and inspiration. Certainly, from my perspective, as a writer, I can understand how hard writing "How to" books can be. At what level of understanding do you pitch it? It can be very easy to overestimate your reader's understanding of the subject. Kudos to those who write in this category. Similarly, memoirs, especially the painful ones, although cathartic for the author, must also be very trying - reliving that pain as you put it on paper. An excellent category and some great nominees, so let's get into it.
 Today. we come to another of the big categories - Mystery/Mayhem. This category covers a wide variety of sin, but suffice it to say if the intent of your book is principally to outline and solve a mystery, or it involves a heap of violence, maiming and/or killing, there's a fairly good chance it ended up in this category. There have been some wonderful books I've read this year in this category, but here are the three that had the biggest impression on me.
 As a reader and especially as a professional reviewer, I am required to read all sorts of genres and that's a good thing, for me especially. The downside of that, though, is I do end up reading some pretty hard-hitting, violent and often depressing stories, especially some of the memoirs. It is lovely to occasionally come across a book that has no pretensions other than to be funny.
Writing humour is very difficult and I am in awe of the three nominees in this category. I only wish I had half their wit (although that could make me a half-wit, of course). Anyway, it is with great pleasure I present the nominees for this year's Grunter Awards in the Humour Category. |
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