Finalists Named in CWA’s Book Awards

Alas, The Good Thief did not make the cut, but a hearty congratulations to all the finalists!

Here’s the release from the Chicago Writer’s Association:

Nine books by Chicagoland authors have been named as finalists in the Chicago Writers Association’s 2^nd Annual Book of the Year Awards.

The finalists, chosen by CWA’s Book Awards Committee, will compete for four awards to be presented at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at The Book Cellar, 4736-38 Lincoln Ave., in Chicago’s Lincoln Square.

The winners, to be announced on or before Dec. 1, will be selected by last year’s winning authors: Krista August, James Finn Garner, Pamela Ferdinand and Christine Sneed.

“We are thrilled to have last year’s winning authors back to choose this year’s best books,” said Randy Richardson, CWA president. “I don’t envy them. They’ve really got their work cut out for them, because all of the books they’re judging are amazing books.”

The awards, divided into four categories (traditionally and non-traditionally published fiction and non-fiction), were open to books published in 2010 and the first half of 2011 and authored by CWA members. (Non-traditional is defined as self- and print-on-demand published.)

“I would like to thank the members of the Awards Committee – Barbara Barnett, Lisa Guidarini, Felicia Hazzard, and Juli Schatz – for putting in countless hours reading through the many entries we had this year in order to narrow the field to nine. They did not have an easy job.”

“The idea of the awards is to bring attention to books that are truly deserving,” Richardson said. “I applaud not just the finalists but all of those who entered the competition. They are all deserving of attention. Unfortunately, we can’t award all of them.”

The finalists are:

Traditional Fiction (Judge: James Finn Garner)

· Karen Doornebos – “Definitely Not Mr. Darcy”
· Libby Fischer Hellmann – “A Bitter Veil”
· Patricia McNair – “The Temple of Air”

Non-traditional Fiction (Judge: Christine Sneed)

· Renee James – “Coming Out Can Be Murder”
· Linda Lamberson – “Borrowed Heart”

Traditional Non-Fiction (Judge: Pamela Ferdinand)

· Richard C. Lindberg – “Whiskey Breakast: My Swedish Family, My American Life”
· Robert Rodi – “Seven Seasons in Siena”

Non-traditional Non-Fiction (Judge: Krista August)

· Sandi Adams – “Belly Button Bible Study”
· Kelly Farley and David DiCola – “Grieving Dads: To the Brink and Back”