Back in 1999, when I published my first novel, PINS, self-published books were not eligible. Things have changed since then. Book publishing has changed, of course. Economic hardships have forced a new independence in publishing, particularly for LGBT authors. It's great that Lambda Lit has expanded their categories to accommodate the growing diversity of titles.
With such literary powerhouses as Colm Tóibín, Paul Russell and Alan Hollinghurst in the Gay Fiction category, I doubt my small fourth novel would have made it. Of course, were I a betting man, I'd say that Jay Bell's Something Like Summer is the front-runner for Gay Romance. With more than 100 online reviews and a film deal in the works, it's definitely won an audience, and like mine, is apparently self-published as well. I look forward to reading it and my other "competition."
But the great thing is simply to be nominated. That may sound insincere when coming from some actor on a red carpet. But for me it's true. A nomination means lots of attention for all the finalists, and hopefully, an expanded readership. Even Entertainment Weekly posted about the Lammies.
Homocentric's Hank Henderson mentioned my book's nomination, among others. Thanks!
For Bay Area residents, a reading of Northern California Lambda Lit finalists will be held at the San Francisco Public Library, Tuesday, April 24. More on that later.
I'll be doing a live web radio interview with Nate Klarfled on Stonewall Live, April 12. 9pm EST, 6pm PST.
Here's Lambda Lit's mention. Here's the link to listen in, live, or later on as an archived version.
Congratulations! Richly deserved.
ReplyDelete