Blue Hydrangeas Wins IndieReCon's Best Indie Novel Award

There are a lot of book awards to be won, and as an indie author it's unlikely I'll win any of them.  The biggest and the best are off limits. No one knows my name.  I don't have the support of a big publishing house to push the nomination or pay the hefty entrance fees. So it is with great happiness that I announce "Blue Hydrangeas" has won IndieReCon's first ever Best Indie Novel Award.  The first thrill was in being nominated by a fan. And yes, once I knew I was in the running I did run a promotional campaign to spread the word, telling everyone in my social media world to vote for me.  So many people came to my support, casting votes, sharing the info and website with friends and family via email, Twitter, and Facebook. So many believe in this book, and take time to read it and write wonderful reviews, to contact me to let me know how much it means to them.  I am humbled by this experience.  I never thought I'd win a book award, and here it is.   Best part is the prize - a professional book cover design and professional e-book formatting for my next novel, "Swim Season."  It's funny -  I started on this journey alone, but over the last year I have met so many wonderful, talented people who have taught me so much, helped me when I needed it, and pushed me along.   What I've really learned is that indie doesn't mean alone.  Thanks to everyone who helped me get this far.  I look forward to the future of our journey. 

Blue Hydrangeas is Nominated for IndieRecon's Best Indie Novel and Best Indie Cover Awards

I'm excited to announce Blue Hydrangeas was recently nominated for its first awards: IndieReCon's Best Indie Novel and Best Adult Cover. The contest, part of IndieReCon's second free online writer's conference for independent authors and publishers, runs Monday, February 24 at 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m.Thursday, February 27th. Please vote here for Best Novel and here for Best Cover.

IndieReCon is an exciting conference that will reach independent authors and publishers around the world through blog and vlog posts, webinars, and live chats on Facebook, Twitter, and their website. It's an innovative way to run a conference and a great example of how the internet and social media drive indie publishing.

The contest is open to any book that was self-published or small-press published prior to 2014 in the categories Adult, Children, and Non-Fiction. All books are nominated by fans of the IndieReCon web site and fans and visitors vote on the entries. The books with the most votes win. Prizes will be awarded February 28.

IndieReCon presenters include keynote speakers Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath, who will host a 2-hour chat on "The Evolving Indie Industry and Standing out in the Pile." Representatives from Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, and Goodreads will offer programs on how to write fast, trying your hand at serials, working with other authors to maximize your marketing efforts, and much more. There are also giveaways, including two KOBO eReaders and e-books donated by conference presenters and attendees, including mine

Founded by indie authors S.R. Johannes and Ali Cross, the conference attracted more than 12,000 visitors last year, and this year's promises to attract many more. It runs Tuesday, February 25 through Thursday, February 27, from 10 am - 10pm EST times. Sponsors include The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), Kobo, Author Marketing Club, BiblioCrunch, IndieReader, Shelf Unbound, Author Ad Network, and The Indelibles.

A New Adventure: My Interview on The International Writers Association Podcast

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Robert J. Moore of the International Writers Association Podcast. We touched on many topics, including my childhood memories of visiting the public library and my unquenchable thirst for books. We also talked about my college days when I worked as a reporter for several New England newspapers and how this affected my future efforts to become a novelist.  And we discussed my attempts  to traditionally publish my first novel, Blue Hydrangeas, before going the indie route. To listen in, go to The International Writers Association Podcast Episode 42 - Marianne Sciucco.   I start at 22:32.