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This series will run from February 4-25

Author Host for this Series - Shelley Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.

Shelley is also a writer blessed with a very vivid imagination and lives with her very own hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary, paranormal and historical genres for publishers Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. You can learn more about Shelley and her books on her website and you might even find her lurking at Facebook or Twitter

Theme for this month - Paranormal Main Characters - Lissa Duncan (human with the ability to read minds) Jake Saxon (human with the ability to sense things through touch)

Prize - An eBook from Shelley's back list. Winner's Choice

Starting line: A shifter and a vamp walk into a bar...

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Cassiel Knight: Paranormal romance with kickass attitude. Crazily passionate about the writing industry, Cassiel Knight published a paranormal romance with Samhain Publishing and has a post-apocalypse novella coming in early 2012 from Lyrical Press. She writes paranormal romances with kick-assitude that blend archeology and mythology – just a few of her favorite things. When she’s not writing or doing writing-related things, Cassiel enjoys spending time with her patient and loving husband of over 20 years and thrives with the adorable companionship of her three Shih Tzus, Ginger, Abby and Chloe in the beautiful (and not THAT rainy) state of Oregon.

Book: Key of Solomon.- Relic Defender, Book 1

Trust no one…except the one who walks in the dark.

Anthropology PhD candidate Lexi Harrison never bares it all when she belly dances for a strip club crowd. She doesn’t have to—she’s that good. Every performance earns money toward her degree, and restores the sense of power that her painful childhood ripped away.

Something is different about tonight. A man whose silver gaze seems to touch her skin beneath her veils. When a rowdy customer crosses the line, he comes to her rescue with the speed of a falcon—complete with wings.

Mikos Tyomni has never seen anyone dance like Lexi. Trust his tormentor, Archangel Michael, to put him in close contact with the cause of his downfall: a mortal woman. Particularly this mortal woman. The Defender. He has only thirty days to win her trust before Hell’s deadliest demons attempt the mother of all prison breaks.

No matter how sexy the messenger is, Lexi’s career plans don’t include some crazy idea that she’s the last line of defense against the forces of evil. Until her university mentor’s murder leaves her holding the key to Hell. And fighting a losing battle against a passion forbidden by Heaven…

You can get your copy here: Kindle | Paperback | UK Paperback | UK Kindle | Nook | LuLu | Samhain | Kindle |

Cassiel is offering a $10 eBook voucher to be redeemed at Samhain Publishing or Lyrical Press.

Reader's Retreat - the book club with a difference! Here at Reader's Retreat the author of the book of the month joins in the chatter. Share your thoughts about what you loved and what you didn’t like about the book - with the author. Chat about what you've read, the genre…or anything you fancy…but more than anything have fun with fellow romance lovers and the writers who create the books. And prizes! Did we mention prizes? Each month the guest author offers a giveaway for one (or more!) lucky person who leaves a comment – Be in it to win it!

Talli Rolland: Chick Lit This Month's read is Build a Man Slave to the rich and the rude, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. When she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- Serenity knows she's got a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and she's ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, Serenity must decide how far she really will go for her dream job.

Start reading now…to take part in the group chat February 4-21. You can get your copy here: Kindle| UK Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Nook | Smashwords Talli is offering 3 eBooks as a prize.

Query Letters: Your Major Marketing Tool - from Agent to Publishing to Bestseller by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

March 3-10, 2012

Let's talk query letters. From the minute you go after a publisher writing a great query letter is your single most important marketing skill. One of the agents I interviewed for The Frugal Editor said that authors who follow templates religiously are doing themselves a disservice. She hints that if they can't let their voice come through in a letter, then why should she trust them to write a book. You'll learn the pet peeves of agents I interviewed and some techniques for making your letter stand out without resorting to kitschy or downright annoying tactics. Learn more about the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers.

Multi Award-Winning How To do It Frugally Series of Books and Booklets for Writers

The Frugal Book Promoter The Frugal Editor Booklet Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers Booklet The Great First Impression Book Proposal

Carolyn will be in forums daily at 1 pm EST / 12 pm Central / 10 am Pacific for questions

The Writer's Mind-Body Connection presented by Kara Lennox

April 16-29, 2012

We can all agree that caffeine wakes you up, a scary situation causes your body to produce adrenaline, and certain boring books put you to sleep. But the mind-body connection goes so much further than that. Research continues to prove just how closely our minds and bodies are connected, which has huge implications for writers. Are there foods you can eat to make you more creative? Will the time of day you work out affect the number of pages you write in a day? Can writing an emotional scene make you mad at your husband? Join author Kara Lennox for a fun and interesting two weeks, learning about the latest research and how you can apply it to your life to improve your writing (and maybe improve your life).

Kara Lennox (a.k.a. Karen Leabo) has been a student of meditation and yoga for decades. She has been long fascinated with the illusive and sometimes magical-seeming connections between mind and body, reading every book or piece of research she can get her hands on, particularly as they apply to creativity and productivity. Kara has written more than 60 contemporary romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette and Bantam Loveswept. Currently she is working on her next book in the Project Justice romantic suspense series, published by Harlequin Super Romance Since her first novel was released in 1989, her books frequently appear on romance bestseller lists. They have been translated into 18 languages and published in twenty-plus countries around the world. Kara's books have finaled in several romance industry contests including the National Readers' Choice Awards, the Holt Medallion competition, and the RITA. Her Harlequin American Romance PLAIN JANE'S PLAN won a Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice award.

Author Marketing and Branding- How to Stand Out in a Crowd

May 20-30

Are you deathly afraid of marketing and promotion? Well, you need to get over it, because your publisher most likely isn't going to fork over money and resources to publicize your book. And with so many great books out there, how will potential readers know about your book if you don't tell them yourself? In this course you will learn what branding is, what your platform is and how to develop it, including tips for book launches and signings, what should be on your website, how to put together author pages on sites like Amazon and Goodreads, and much more!

Cassandra Carr is a multi-published erotic romance writer with Ellora's Cave, Siren, and Loose Id who lives in Western New York with her husband, Inspiration, and her daughter, Too Cute for Words. When not writing she enjoys watching hockey and hanging out on Twitter. Cassandra's book Caught was recently named Best BDSM Book 2011 by LoveRomancesCafe. For more information about Cassandra, check out her website, "like" her Facebook fan page or follow her on Twitter.

We all love books and there are many MANY events that points out the excellence and achievements in this industry, but sometimes it is hard to find them. So we are working on gathering all of this information so you can find it in one place. If you know of something that isn't here, tell us!

 

ARIANA

The best cover in each category will win the ARIANA Best in Category award. The fifteen ARIANA winners will go on to compete for the QUASAR Best Cover of 2008 Award. The QUASAR and the ARIANA are engraved awards presented at the EPICon awards banquet. Awards are mailed to any winners not present.

Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The New Covey Awards

Cover Awards

Currently there are two Award Categories.

1. Most Eye-Catching Cover
   
2. Most Relevant Cover

What do these categories mean?

Most Eye-Catching Cover is simple. This is the Cover that would make you stop and pick up the novel for a closer look.

Most Relevant Cover refers to how relevant the Cover is in relation to the back cover blurb. In other words, does the cover reflect the idea of the novel?

Trailer Awards

The NEW Covey Trailer Awards are the same as The NEW Covey Awards but for Book Trailers (sometimes also called Book Peeks) instead of Book Covers.

The goal of The NEW Covey Trailer Awards is to recognize Book Trailers that would make you interested in the book, make you stop and perhaps visit the authors website to read the excerpt. Like The NEW Covey Awards, it is also a forum that provides additional exposure for new authors.

Each person who wins a NEW Covey Trailer Award will receive an icon and will be listed as an Award Recipient. The icon and a link can be posted on their website or blog to show the world that their Book Trailer rocks.

Trailer Awards Site

Bram Stoker Awards

Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987. While many members, including HWA's first President, Dean Koontz, had reservations about awards for writing -- since the point of HWA was for writers to cooperate for their mutual benefit, not to compete against one another -- the majority of members heavily favored presenting awards, both to recognize outstanding work in the horror field and to publicize HWA's activities.

To ameliorate the competitive nature of awards, the Stokers are given "for superior achievement," not for "best of the year," and the rules are deliberately designed to make ties fairly probable. The first awards were presented in 1988 (for works published in 1987), and they have been presented every year since. The award itself is an eight-inch replica of a fanciful haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

EPPIE Awards

The EPPIE Awards have been given annually since the first EPIC conference to recognize outstanding achievement in e-publishing.

The categories are judged by members of EPIC, all published authors. After the first round of judging, the works of the finalists are sent to another panel of judges, and winners in all eighteen categories are selected. The winners are announced at the EPIC conference's gala award ceremony at the annual EPICon Convention.

The Hammett Prize

IACW/NA awards THE HAMMETT PRIZE annually for literary excellence in the field of crime-writing, as reflected in a book published in the English language in the US and/or Canada. The winner receives a "Thin Man" trophy, designed by sculptor Peter Boiger.

James Beard/KitchenAid Award

The James Beard/KitchenAid Awards recognize the best books on culinary topics in categories including Cookbook of the Year, Wine and Spirits and Baking and Desserts. James Beard is recognized as the father of American gastronomy, and his restaurant awards are considered extremely prestigious.

Click on the sidebar to see winners from previous years. Past winners include "A Vineyard Garden" by Molly Chappellet and "A Mediterranean Feast" by Clifford A. Wright.

Man Booker Prize for Fiction

The Man Booker Prize promotes the finest in fiction by rewarding the very best book of the year. The prize is the world's most important literary award and has the power to transform the fortunes of authors and even publishers.

The Man Booker judges are selected from the country's finest critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize.  The winner of the Man Booker Prize receives £50,000 and both the winner and the shortlisted authors are guaranteed a worldwide readership plus a dramatic increase in book sales.

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Nobel Prize in Literature

The very first Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded in 1901 to the French poet and philosopher Sully Prudhomme, who in his poetry showed the "rare combination of the qualities of both heart and intellect". Over the years, the Nobel Prize in Literature has distinguished the works of authors from many different languages and cultural backgrounds. The prize has been awarded to unknown masters as well as authors acclaimed worldwide.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is a national prize which honors the best published works of fiction by American citizens in a calendar year. Three judges, chosen annually by the directors of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, select five books from among the more than 300 works submitted, making this the largest peer-juried award in the country. The winning writer and four finalists are honored at a ceremony held in Washington at the Folger Shakespeare Library in May.

Pulitzer Prize

The will of Joseph Pulitzer, a crusading newspaper journalist, provided for the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes. Since its inception in 1917, the prizes have recognized the best in journalism, letters, drama and music. Many consider it the most prestigious award a journalist or author can achieve.

QUASAR

Recognizing Excellence in E-book Covers

Rita Awards

The RITA Award. RITA awards are presented annually to the best published romance novels of the year. The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for the best in published romance fiction.

The Ruby Awards

The Ruby Award for Website Excellence is to encourage authors who are using the internet in positive and innovative ways to market their writing, and for community groups providing reviews, education, and other services for authors. It will be offered in four parts.

• Author - Author designed sites
• Design - Professionally designed sites (graphic will go to author and to designer)
• Simple - Simple free sites such as freewebs, geocities, etc.
• Community - Community sites providing reviews, education, or other services

Each award will be held for a one year period.

Prizes may include free featured author space, banner creation, author promos, marketing workshops, promo material, interviews, book promos,  advertising, and more.

After the conclusion of the nomination period (open to the public), a panel of judges will visit nominated sites and vote. An online presentation party will be held in a live chat format and the awards will be announced. Nominees will receive graphics to post on their sites, and the winners will receive recognition on sites sponsoring the event and awards (i.e., Coffee Time Romance, Romance Junkies, The Romance Studio, and AuthorMBA Blog have already expressed interest).

The Spur Awards

The Spur Awards, given annually for distinguished writing about the American West, are among the oldest and most prestigious in American literature. In 1953, when the awards were established by WWA, western fiction was a staple of American publishing. At the time awards were given to the best western novel, best historical novel, best juvenile, and best short story.

Since then the awards have been broadened to include other types of writing about the West. Today, Spurs are offered for the best western novel (short novel), best novel of the west (long novel), best original paperback novel, best short story, best short nonfiction. Also, best contemporary nonfiction, best biography, best history, best juvenile fiction and nonfiction, best TV or motion picture drama, best TV or motion picture documentary, and best first novel (called The Medicine Pipe Bearer's Award).