Wednesday, July 2, 2014

IWSG - The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else


It’s the first Wednesday of the month, time for

I’ve been quite remiss for the last month or so, only dropping in for the IWSG when I clearly announced my return from a much-prolonged hiatus.  Seems habits are hard to break.  It’s more than that though.  It’s been rough for me lately.  Personal stuff.  My dad.  He has Alzheimer’s and had to be admitted to a care facility.  It’s for the best, especially for my mom, and I thought, hey, he deserves it; he’s treated everyone in his life like crap for as long as I can remember.  But…yeah…easier said than done.  My heart isn’t quite as hard as I thought it was.  Then bad went to worse, and he was hospitalized yesterday.  They think it’s a stroke.  Whatever it is, just like everything else, it’s not a solvable problem.  There’s no happily ever after to this story. 

And yet, every nugget of misery seems accompanied by a hint of happiness.  While I struggled with with my dad, I had some really good news come in.  My debut dark romantic thriller, The Mistaken, became a three-category finalist (best hero-heroine, best thriller, and best audiobook) in the eFestival of Words 2014 Best of the Independent eBook Awards.  It had to pass the peer nominations stage to get there, but now that it’s a finalist, it’s all up to public voting. 

And while you might have never heard of these awards before, winning, or even coming in second, can be very impactful.  My BFF, Lisa Regan, won in 2013 for Best Heroine and was the runner-up for Best Novel for her debut, Finding Claire Fletcher, and it’s gone on to be very successful, and Lisa now has a contract with Amazon Publishing’s Thomas and Mercer imprint.  This year, Lisa’s follow-up, Aberration, is a multi-category finalist, including Best Thriller, Best Villain, and I’ve Been Shameylaned (best twist).  How’s that for impressive? 

So I’m hopeful. Maybe something will come of this for me.  I could really, really REALLY use your help though.  The registration is a tad convoluted, not too bad, but the voting is super easy.  I’ll leave easy-to-follow instructions at the end to assist you should you want to vote.  Either way, I have a LOT of friends who’ve also finaled, many of whom you’ve heard of, like…

Alex J. Cavanaugh, Best Science Fiction, CassaStorm
Cassie Mae, Best YA & The Harvey Award, Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat friend
Michelle Kemper Brownlow, Best NA & Best Villain, In Too Deep
Michael Infinito, Best Horror, 12;19 & I’ve Been Shameylaned, In Blog We Trust
Carrie Butler, Best Series, The Nexus Series, & Best NA, Strength

And some you might not have heard of, but should definitely check out, like…

MK Harkins, Best NA, Best Sweet Romance, & Best Villain, Intentional
Julie A Richman, Best Romance, Searching for Moore
JB Hartnett, Best Erotica, Inky
Kristine Cayne, The Harvey Award, Deadly Addiction
Dana Mason, Best Romance & Best Mystery/Suspense, Dangerous Embrace & Best Hero, Precious Embrace

And before you think anyone has any category wrapped up, think again.  We’ve got two long months of public voting to endure, so each and every vote helps every single one of us.  I know I’d appreciate your vote if you have a moment.  Thanks in advance for your support!


Instructions to register and vote:
2. Click ‘Register’ and fill out the form.

3. Confirm your account: To pass validation, click on the survey question (typically a benign question about your car or income,) then type the revealed, easy CAPTCHA into ‘Your answer’.

4. Ignore the sponsor offers and click ‘Submit’. You are now registered and may login

5. After logging in, click best thriller  

6. Select 'The Mistaken, by Nancy S. Thompson’ then click 'Submit vote'. You’ll receive a confirmation.



25 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Someone else mentioned that it was tough to vote. I should've posted registration guidelines as well. (Not that my post today needed to be any longer...)
Wow, it could make a huge difference. Keep spreading the word. Send it out on Twitter - we can re-Tweet it for you.
And good luck to everyone!

Rhonda Albom said...

Sorry you are having a tough month with your dad, but congratulations on your nominations. And thanks for these voting tips :)

Chanzie said...

Sorry to hear about the bad news, it's ok to be softer than what you thought you 'should' be. Compassion is a gift.
Congrats on your nominations :) That is awesome.

Keep up the writing, if life gets hectic and you need a break - it will still be there when you get back :)

Chanzie @ Mean Who You Are.

Hart Johnson said...

Sorry to hear about your dad--family stuff can be so hard.

Congrats though, to you and all your blogger friends on all the award nominations! That's excellent! Best of luck to you!

JeffO said...

Sorry about your father, Nancy. Even when there's bad history, it's still family.

Big time congrats to you, however, and all the other nominees--I'll keep my fingers crossed for victory!

M Pax said...

Best of luck to you, Nancy! I'll be rooting for you.

Sorry about the rough time with your dad. Hugs.

Unknown said...

Sorry for your family problems, Nancy. It can be very hard to deal with aging parents. My mom died recently so I know.

Natalie Aguirre said...

So sorry about your dad. I know it must be very hard even if you don't have completely positive feelings for him. Take the time you need to be with you is my advice for you after losing my husband.

Congrats on the writing awards!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Of course it matters. Winning says the book is a winner, buy it! I know when my novel won for Canada West in the IPPY awards, sales went up. Anyway, enough of me, this is about you and Alex. I'm off to vote!

Tammy Theriault said...

even though I know you've gone through quite some hardship, you're also one of the most giving people of their time when time is of the essence. good luck in all the voting!! I'm rooting for ya like arsenial hall style! woot woot woot

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I'm sorry about your father. And no matter what they have done, they are still our parents and we will feel something.

Good luck with the awards.

Liza said...

Best wishes with your Dad. Good luck with the voting, two month feels like a long time.

Christine Rains said...

Good luck to you and to all the authors! And best wishes with your father.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Hey, congrats for your book getting to be a three-category finalist. That's so awesome!!
Best wishes for your father.

Robin said...

When the "difficult" people in our lives get sick and/or are dying... well, that is a real challenge. I think that the realization dawns that they will never get another chance to be better. This was it. And it was pretty bad. You are sad for them and for yourself. We want closure on our relationships. We want everyone to have a come to Jesus moment and realize they've been crappy to loved ones (you) and are sorry. When you don't get that, it sucks.

On the plus side, so happy on your nomination!!! That is wonderful news.

Fundy Blue said...

I'm so sorry that you are going through such a heart wrenching time in your life, Nancy. And I'm glad that you have had good and uplifting along with the sadness and difficulty of your father's illness. Sending you a big hug!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Good luck with the awards! You've got this.

I'm sorry about your dad. That's an awful situation to have to deal with.

Empty Nest Insider said...

I'm also sorry about your dad. Congrats on all of your nominations, and thanks for the voting tips!

Julie

Tyrean Martinson said...

I'm so sorry about your Dad and all that struggle.
At the same time, congrats on your book's nomination!
Praying you have a better month this month.

Unknown said...

I just wanted you to know that I purchased both The Mistaken and Leverage for my Kindle and loved them both! I posted reviews for them, also. Congratulations on two excellent novels!

Anonymous said...

Yay for the nominations and I wish you much success. I'm sorry about your dad and hope his situation gets better.

Doreen McGettigan said...

I am sorry about your father. I lost mine in February. There really I no happy ending you are so right.
I will go vote, good luck!
doreenmcgettigan.com

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