The first in my adult sci-fantasy series, “Birthright of Scars: Rising”, placed in two categories at the Book Fest Fall Awards in 2023.
It placed as a Winner in the Dystopian Fantasy category and received 2nd place in the Sci-Fi Military category.
The Book Fest is an international award that puts its submissions through multiple stages of review to ensure a thorough and fair judging process. The BookFest Bellwethers, comprised of editors, authors, and speakers, lend their expertise to the judging, making placement within the contest noteworthy.
This October marks ten months since the publication of “Birthright of Scars: Rising” and six months since the publication of its sequel, “Birthright of Scars: Choosing.”
In September “Birthright of Scars: Rising” was awarded Distinguished Favorite at the NYC Big Book Awards for the Sci-Fi category.
It has been an honor to have the eyes of industry peers on my work, and to have received approval from panels of judges in these established literary contests. I not only had high hopes for this particular story in contest, but truly believed in its potential to win hearts and acclaim.
I feel as though I’m sharing this part of the journey with my characters: Disrel and Ambrosia, much the same way a film director must share his glory with the talent of the actors. Without them, this story just wouldn’t be.
The Birthright of Scars duology may prove to be a timeless story. It seems to apply itself to whatever current issues we face, offering hope, comfort, and a shining light. The world is looking for heroes. Some look to the Marvel Cinematic universe, some to magical fae fantasy. But the Tourmaline Renegade is far from empowered. And yet he’s much more than your run-of-the-mill everyman.
He’s complex without being morally gray. He’s relatable and a kind of person we can all aspire to be more like. And I hope that readers will find the answers they seek in this story and its nuanced characters.
The Birthright of Scars duology is about much more than one masked man fighting to save his people from genocide and falling in love with his bounty hunter. And I am ever eager to see the interpretations and value readers glean from its depths. It calls me back to its pages again and again, offering new meaning and beautiful parallels that meet me right where I am at.
The series is available for purchase through Bookshop.org and other online book retailers.