I had a wonderful start to this month becuase, on 3rd May, I won an Award! The Chill With a Book Awards are a wonderful initiative set up by writer Pauline Barclay to recognise and support quality work amongst indie writers. There are a few different Awards that can be won but I was thrilled to receive a Readers' Award.
Eight readers have read Bear With Me and evaluated it against the following:
Were the characters strong and engaging?
Was the book well written?
Did the story / plot have you turning the page to find out what happened next?
Was the ending satisfying?
Would you recommend to someone who reads this kind of story?
What a joy to know that these readers say "yes" to all of these, especially as Bear With Me is a personal favourite of mine. I think it's an incredibly powerful and emotional story yet is the book that's sold the least out of all my titles which always makes me feel a bit sorry for it. This Award was received in the week celebrating a year since its release, making it extra special.
I shouted all over social media on the day I won the Award yet it only struck me today I didn't do a blog post about it. Oops! So here it is.
All the winners for this month get reviewed and an overall Book of the Month is announced. At the time of writing, there are six books in possession of the Readers' Award although there may be more in contention for the Book of the Month during the final third of the month. There'll also be an Award for Cover of the Month. It must be very tough deciding which book wins either of these monthly Awards, especially as they represent massively varying genres and the covers are so incredibly different. Good luck to all those nominated so far. I was provided with some comments from the readers (not all will comment; the only requirement is to answer the questions) and, from these, I don't think I'll be winning the Book of the Month as most of the comments provided suggested that the readers woudln't normally choose a romance but could see why anyone who does pick that genre would like it. I'm flattered therefore that they still enjoyed it enough to answer "yes" to the questions.
I'll end this post with a huge thank you to Pauline and her team of readers for the support and inspiration you give to indie writers. If you would like to find out more about the Chill With a Book Awards, click here. And if you'd love to find out why Bear With Me was nominated, you can buy the Kindle edition here.
Have a great week.
Jessica xx
Bear With Me by Jessica Redland
Jemma has the job of her dreams as curator for the children’s section of a museum in London. She spends each day surrounded by the one thing she’s absolutely passionate about: teddy bears. When boyfriend, Scott, shows a genuine interest in her passion instead of laughing at her for “playing with teddies all day”, she knows he’s a keeper.
Returning home to the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay to celebrate her birthday, Jemma thinks she’s heading for her happy-ever-after when Scott unexpectedly proposes. So, a few days later, why isn’t he retuning her calls or responding to her texts?
Julie has always been a wonderful single mother to Jemma and her little brother, Sean. As owner of specialist teddy bear shop, Bear With Me, and the creative genius behind the successful range of Ju-Sea Bears, she inspires Jemma with her ability to balance a demanding career with home life. So why is the shop now in disarray and why is Sean so upset?
Sam thought he had his future all worked out. With a promising neurology career, a home, and a devoted fiancée, life was looking good. But now he’s all alone in a strange city, far from everyone and everything he cares about, struggling to rebuild the tatters of his life. Did he do the right thing by running away? What does the future hold and is he strong enough to face it?
Sometimes love finds us when we least expect it. But sometimes love leaves us, just as unexpectedly. When you’ve loved and lost, can you bear to let love in again?
Eight readers have read Bear With Me and evaluated it against the following:
All the winners for this month get reviewed and an overall Book of the Month is announced. At the time of writing, there are six books in possession of the Readers' Award although there may be more in contention for the Book of the Month during the final third of the month. There'll also be an Award for Cover of the Month. It must be very tough deciding which book wins either of these monthly Awards, especially as they represent massively varying genres and the covers are so incredibly different. Good luck to all those nominated so far. I was provided with some comments from the readers (not all will comment; the only requirement is to answer the questions) and, from these, I don't think I'll be winning the Book of the Month as most of the comments provided suggested that the readers woudln't normally choose a romance but could see why anyone who does pick that genre would like it. I'm flattered therefore that they still enjoyed it enough to answer "yes" to the questions.
Jemma has the job of her dreams as curator for the children’s section of a museum in London. She spends each day surrounded by the one thing she’s absolutely passionate about: teddy bears. When boyfriend, Scott, shows a genuine interest in her passion instead of laughing at her for “playing with teddies all day”, she knows he’s a keeper.