Kilimanjaro a Book of the Year Awards Finalist

clip_image002My book Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill is a finalist for the 2012 Book of the Year Award in the Travel Essay category. The finalists were selected from 1300 entries covering 62 categories of books from independent and academic presses. These represent some of the best books produced by small publishing houses in 2012.

Over the next two months, a panel of sixty librarians and booksellers will judge and determine the winners. Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards, as well as Editor’s Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction, will be announced at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago on June 28, 2013, at The Pop Top Stage. Click here for a full list of the finalists.

Kilimanjaro is a travel essay that chronicles my attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. At forty years old and on the verge of a midlife crisis, I tried to change my life by climbing a mountain. This is my true story of facing Kilimanjaro and other challenges at middle age. The book, which features more than 60 photos from my trek, earned an honorable mention from the 2012 Global Ebook Awards.

Readers have called Kilimanjaro “life changing,” “inspirational,” “an epic journey of self-discovery,” and “a peek into someone’s personal travel journal.” It’s a book for anyone who feels over the hill and needs encouragement to make a life change in the face of difficult odds. It’s also for the casual climber, mountaineer, or hiker who is interested climbing one of the world’s tallest mountains. Filled with insights and advice for those who are contemplating their own Kilimanjaro climb, my book will put you on the mountain and inspire you to go over it.

Booksellers

Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill is available to purchase from these booksellers:

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Visit the Kilimanjaro web page for a complete list of booksellers.

About the Book of the Year Awards

ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was created to highlight the year’s most distinguished books from independent publishers. The awards announcement provides an additional publicity opportunity for publishers long after a book’s initial publication date. After months of perusing the list of submissions, librarians and booksellers eagerly anticipate this announcement of finalists—a valuable resource for discovering obscure titles from the world of indie publishing.

2011_12_29 Mike Kilimanjaro

Pick up your copy of Kilimanjaro today!

Reader Appreciation Awards World Adventurers

Thank you fellow literary colleague and friend Lada Ray for nominating me for the Reader Appreciation Award! I am honored to receive this recognition from a peer I greatly admire. Lada is my indispensable resource for all things Russia, feng shui, felines, New York, and international thrillers. What do these topics have in common? Visit Lada’s blog by clicking here and find out for yourself!

ABOUT THE AWARD

You may know from the One Lovely Blog Award and the Versatile Blogger Award I received that I love digging into the origins of blogger awards to discover what inspired their creation. I learned that The Reader Appreciation Award was created in November 2011 by blogger Jennifer Avventura, a Canadian living in Sardinia, Italy (her Italian surname is an assumed pseudonym). On her blog, which I am now following, she wrote:

“I’m giving an award to those that have made this past year of blogging worthwhile. You have kept me on my toes, left comments, advice and tons of encouragement. For this I am grateful. Thank you.” (Jennifer Avventura)

AWARD CRITERIA

Jennifer’s rules were a bit different than the ones I received. Here are her original instructions:

1. Award your top six bloggers who have commented the most.

2. Be thankful.

3. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me.

4. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.

5. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay too. Just admire it.

 

A few more rules passed on to me were:

1. Post seven interesting things about yourself.

2. Nominate five people who in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver.

3. Let them know about the nomination.

4. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.

5. Post the award logo.

READERS APPRECIATION LOGO

The first order of business is the award logo. I’ve posted the original daisy flower logo and a new one that I want to suggest as an alternative logo. Other blogger awards I’ve seen have more than one variation of the award logo, so I’m proposing one that’s a bit less flowery and may look more attractive on some blogs. A daisy on a post-apocalyptic, avant garde, or industrial blog may leave some readers askance, so I made a new alternative one with a metallic trophy. The blue, white and red lettering reflect the standard colors of competition ribbons.

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OTHER CRITERIA

It’s a tall order fulfilling ten different award obligations, so let me try an amalgamation and answer as many as I can.

1. Award your top six bloggers who have commented the most.

2. Nominate five people who in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver.

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.

These are similar and reflect how the award criteria have changed. Let me do this — I will award the top six bloggers who have commented the most on World Adventurers and in turn will post on their page the award with the link to the giver. Here are my nominees, great friends and colleagues who always post excellent comments on my blog (in alphabetical order):

David Cassidy (http://www.davidccassidy.com): David is a writer, photographer, and graphic designer. Check out “Blog Categories” to read his many posts about writing, photography, and his endearing support for other writers with book reviews and author interviews. I really appreciate his efforts to help fellow indie writers and must mention that his novel “Velvet Rain” about a mysterious drifter with godlike powers is on sale September 28-30.

Renee Craves Adventure (cravesadventure.wordpress.com): Renee writes lovely stories about the West and enjoying life to the fullest. I love her photos and enthusiasm! She recently started a new series called “Living the Big and Beautiful Life” that you might enjoy.

August McLaughlin (augustmclaughlin.wordpress.com): A wonderful, talented lady who shares her passion for writing through her blog and books. August has some of the best insights I’ve read on everyday life and success. I love her health tips and witty sense of humor.

Sheila Pierson (sheilapierson.wordpress.com): A writer who pens some of the most profound and inspiring poems and short stories that I’ve read. She has a gift for conveying emotion through her words and connecting with readers.

Russel Ray (russelrayphotos2.com): A photographer and blogger from Southern California who helps keep me grounded with reminders of the United States and words of wisdom from his grandmother, among other platitudes. A great melding of stories and photos.

The Tale Of My Heart (justsimplyinlove.wordpress.com): Although he doesn’t comment often, I know he’s there because he visits my blog and always leaves his “Like.” It’s an honor because his blog is popular, and for obvious reason — his poetry, prose, and imagery are genuine works of art.

4. Be thankful.

I am thankful for great readers like you who make blogging worth the effort. A special thanks goes to Lada Ray for her nomination and to Jennifer Avventura for creating the award.

5. You cannot award someone who has already been awarded. And you cannot give the award back to me.

True, but I can acknowledge Jennifer Avventura for creating the award. Her initiative has taken on a life of its own.

6. Don’t forget to tell the bloggers you’ve awarded.

7. Let them know about the nomination.

These are duplicates, methinks. I will if they don’t post a comment on my blog first!

8. If you don’t want to pass on this award, that’s okay too. Just admire it.

I’ll pass it on and admire it.

9. Post the award logo.

Done. Well, two actually.

10.  Post seven things about yourself.

Based on the original criteria, I don’t have to share seven more things about myself. That’s a relief! I would rather focus on the award giver and six recipients; seven things, one per person. After all, it’s an award to acknowledge the readers, not the blogger. Please visit their blogs and learn more about these intriguing people and their fascinating stories.

ONE MORE ROUND OF THANK YOUS

Thanks again, Lada and Jennifer!

 

buythumbM.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. His books are available as an e-book and in print on Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.

I Received the One Lovely Blog Award

one-lovely-blog-awardThe One Lovely Blog Award. What, another award for World Adventurers? I can’t believe it! Not one, but two writer/bloggers I admire nominated this blog for the OLB Award. Thank you very much! Words cannot express how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I’ll try.

A BIG, HEARTY ROUND OF THANK YOUS

A big THANK YOU goes to my colleague and lovely friend Lada Ray, who is one of my favorite bloggers and writers. After she received this prodigious honor, she nominated me for it in early June on the heels of receiving the Versatile Blogger Award (VBA) from me. While I can neither confirm nor deny it, this award may have had something to do with the fact that I adore her thriller Gold Train and amazing heroine, Jade Snow.

Another hearty THANK YOU goes to my enigmatic and witty friend R.M. Wilburn, who received the splendiferous OLB Award and then nominated me for one in mid-June. Whether it has anything to do with the fact that I nominated her for a VBA or think her book Magpie & Dilly is the best novel with that title in recorded history, I can’t be sure. Thank you, R.M. I’m convinced that your initials stand for Really Magnificent.

Whatever the reason, I thank you, Lada and R.M. I really appreciate this honor and am proud to call you colleagues and friends.

ABOUT THE AWARD

As I am wont to do, I did some research into the history of the One Lovely Blog Award. I gave up after an exhaustive Google search turned up nothing. As with the VBA, details about the OLB Award are rather sketchy and only its creator knows for sure. I did, however, find some lovely award badges online. I’m partial to the one with the heart because it reminds me of those “I HEART ___” souvenir T-shirts.

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AWARD CRITERIA

To receive this award, the blogger must share the following with their readers:

  1. Thank the person who honored them with this award and post their links;
  2. Nominate 15 other blogs for this honor; and
  3. Tell readers seven things about themselves.

AWARD NOMINEES

Here are my nominations for the One Lovely Blog Award, 15 quality blogs that I enjoy (in alphanumeric order). Many but not all are related to travel with some excellent commentary and travel photos.

  1. 3rd Culture Children – A Globe Trotting Family of 5 in the Foreign Service (3rdculturechildren.com)
  2. Letizia Argiolu (dutchgoesitalian.com)
  3. Double Barrelled Travel (double-barrelledtravel.com)
  4. Misti Debonno (mistidebonno.wordpress.com)
  5. Rebecca Humphries (beesbestlife.blogspot.com)
  6. Dmitrii Lezine – Travel Photography (sillymonkeyphoto.com)
  7. Ella Medler (ellamedler.wordpress.com)
  8. Mark Nguyen – Mark39dotcom – 101 Postcards to Myself (mark39.com)
  9. Our Boler – Enjoying the Outdoors as a Family (http://www.ourboler.com/)
  10. Alex Rambler (ramblertravel.com)
  11. ReadyClickAndGo (readyclickandgo.wordpress.com)
  12. Ruth – Bluebalu in Hong Kong (bluebalu.wordpress.com)
  13. Ana Silva – 1,001 Scribbles (1001scribbles.wordpress.com)
  14. Sophie – Interior Design & Trends (interiorstockholm.wordpress.com)
  15. Jason Sullivan – Different Outcomes (differentoutcomes.wordpress.com)

ABOUT ME

Not one to follow the crowd, I’m going to turn this around and ask you, dear reader, what would you like to know about me. I’ll answer the first seven questions I receive as best I can. Okay, let me have it. Let’s see if I made the right choice!

ONE MORE ROUND OF THANK YOUS

Thanks again, Lada and R.M. You’re the best!

thank you

 

buythumbM.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a collection of short stories called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. His books are available as an e-book and in print on Amazon.com and other booksellers. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.

For more books or stories by M.G. Edwards, visit his web site at www.mgedwards.com or his blog, World Adventurers. Contact him at me@mgedwards.com, on Facebook, on Google+, or @m_g_edwards on Twitter.

© 2012 Brilliance Press. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted without the written consent of the author.