Waking for the change of year. . .

Well, well, here we are in the month of December, and I have once again found myself on the tail end of things.  I must apologize, because at the advent of this blog my intention was to post monthly, but it's rather obvious that this plan hasn't quite worked out.  As the saying goes, Life is what happens when you make plans, and Life has certainly stepped into me over the last few months.  Distractions have come in the form of some 'ups', and also as some 'downs'.  Most notable of the 'downs', and certainly something which I feel obligated to mention out of respect, was the loss of three close family members, each more unexpected and tragic in their departure from the world we know.  

In honor and memory to: 'Poppa' Joe, 'Unc' Kay-Werner, and Brendan, the three of you are in my thoughts every day.  

Now, if you care to bear with me, I'll try to rewind and highlight some of the 'ups'.

In the publishing world, awards are announced in two seasons, Fall and Spring.  So, as this Fall came along, I was very happy to come away with six national awards.  Adding to the National Indie Excellence Award I won in 2011, I am now honored to say that my two books, 'Remnant' and 'Oddities & Entities', are now the recipients of seven national literary awards - three for 'Remnant' and four for 'Oddities & Entities'.  This Fall I received three award nods from the 2012 Readers Favorite Book of the Year Awards, and another three nods from the 2012 USA Book News Best Book Awards.

So, there I am in Miami back in November with my books and the two Bronze medals I received in the Readers Favorite Awards.  This was an exciting day, because the night before the USA Book News Best Book Awards were announced for 2012, revealing another set of award nods.  To win even one award in either contest is a great honor, but to win three awards in each contest was something quite beyond all of my expectations.

When I set out on this crazy adventure to be an author, I had a few goals in mind.  One, and a perpetual goal, is to write stories that not only entertain but have literary quality.  Second, was to get published in the first place, something I achieved through short stories and then books.  Third, was to build critical acceptance of my writing through professional market reviews, and I've been fortunate to receive such acceptance.  Fourth, and perhaps the most dream-like of my goals, was to have some awards to set myself apart as a serious author.  Now, not that I take myself too seriously, because I really can't believe that's me holding two award winning books with my name on them, but after all the work it took to get to this point, I would like to at least pause for a moment of satisfaction.  

Ahh.  Okay, back to work.

For specifics on the awards, you can take a look at the new pages I added to this blog for my books.  While you peruse those pages, you might notice something else new as well - I had the pleasure of making book trailers for both books.  These, combined with a mobile version of my website that I put together, are part of the ongoing effort to expose my writing in as many ways possible.

Speaking of exposure, 2013 is going to mark my first serious endeavor to garner serious exposure for my books, and my writing in general.  Toward this goal I have several efforts loaded with excitement, and, as things move forward, I will either put up posts for appearances/blog stops, or perhaps add a page to this blog to keep things together.  As always, my main home on the web is my website, www.rolandallnach.com

Barring the end of the world as we know it in the next few days, I'm looking forward to what the future might bring in my publishing pursuits.  I've been working to get to the point where I feel I have something compelling to spur the interest of the larger reading world.  Between the reviews and awards, I think I'm getting to the point where I have the confidence to ask people to invest their time in my books.  To me, as an author, the commitment of readers is a matter of trust, and a matter of great responsibility.  It's something I take very seriously, and I hope my efforts translate to the page.

That's all for now.  Fare thee well, 2012, you were without doubt one of the more interesting orbits around the sun.  Happy holidays!