SFR Galaxy Award Winner and Giveaway

I was writing away on a B-movie story by L.K. Hatchett, so engrossed with it that I wasn't checking my social media. At some point on Friday, I decided to take a break and what do I do when I'm taking a break from writing? Jump straight on social media, lol. It's such a time sink that I try to stay away from it, but fail.

I have two twitter accounts (one for each penname) and there was a message from Pippa Jay asking, "Have you checked your FB?" on my L.K. Hatchett account. Um, no...So I hop right on over to Facebook and there's this buzz about some sort of writing awards. People waiting and posting as each round of the awards was posted. Then I see it...Then I check the blogs, find websites I didn't know about...

And, OMG, it has taken several days of "Is this really happening?" for it to finally sink in.

'The Stranger,' my short story that was published in "Tales from the SFR Brigade," has won the "Outstanding Debut Story" in the 2014 SFR Galaxy Awards. I am so excited! I am now an award-winning author!

Here is the announcement: SFR Galaxy Awards: Round Four by Laurie A. Green.

This is what it says:

Outstanding Debut Story

 

The Stanger - Kyndra  Hatch (Tales from the SFR Brigade anthology)

There are so many things to love about this short--but very powerful--SFR, the first published work by debut author Kyndra Hatch. It takes place amid a terrible war with an alien species, centering on a battle worn soldier who has sacrificed everything for her cause. This tale of survival artfully blends high stakes, suspense, mystery, heartbreak, duty, and honor in a succinct mix that completely engages, and then delivers a twist that thoroughly satisfies. The Stranger is truly an outstanding debut effort by a "Next Generation" Science Fiction Romance author.

End announcement.

I am completely floored! This story has come a long way from the story that was initially rejected. Thanks to the SFRB Anthology team, I was given the chance to revise the story with advice from published authors. Thanks to my wonderful editor, Diane Dooley, I was given the chance to make it the best story it can be.

I am embarrassed to admit that I am such a newb I didn't even know what these awards were, but I will definitely know from now on. You may be wondering too, so here's a short blurb from the SFR Galaxy Awards website and the link with more information.

"The SFR Galaxy Awards is an annual, multi-award event for science fiction romance books. Launched in 2012 by bloggers Laurie A. Green of Spacefreighters Lounge and Heather Massey of The Galaxy Express, the goal of this event is to honor a variety of standout stories."

Read more here: SFR Galaxy Awards.


This award couldn't be more timely for a special giveaway of a rare print edition of "Tales from the SFR Brigade." Of course, I'm biased, but it's such a beautiful book!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Tales From The SFR Brigade

by J.C. Cassels

Giveaway ends February 14, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

If you're not looking for more paperbacks to clutter your space, or you're a completest and want to collect both, the e-book is always free: Tales from the SFR Brigade.

Why Triberr Scared Me

There are about 25 people who follow my blog. I'm pretty comfortable with that number. It's not intimidating and I know most of them.

Enter Triberr...

When Triberr first started, I jumped right in. I joined the SFR Brigade tribe, then started getting invites to others, all of which I joined. Next thing I know, there's a reach of about three million people.

Once that sank in, I froze up.

Three. Million. People.

Have three million people flocked to follow my blog? Not at all. Have millions come to read each of my blog posts? Nope. But it has resulted in more traffic and the potential is still there.

It scared me so much that I stopped posting much of anything on my blog. What if people don't like what I post? What if I say something stupid? Even scarier still, what if they find out about my stories, read them, and then post on their blogs about how much they hate them? What if, gasp, they find out I'm human?

The internet can be a wild, scary place.

When sharing other people's blog posts through Triberr, I started noticing that people are generally just being people. They post about what they want and no one belittles them for that. In fact, it attracts interest. That's what it is supposed to do, right? And for every ten or so people that love a story, there's going to be one hater. The whole world isn't going to start hating on every story they read.

So, here I am. It's a new year and I'm entering a new stage with my writing. I'm no longer going to allow myself to be frightened by Triberr, but embrace what it has to offer. I'm going to let it do what it's supposed to do and let myself write and post without intimidation or fear of what the exposure can bring.

Besides, I'm always sharing posts by others through Triberr, so why not give myself the opportunity for others to share more posts by me?

Go blog!