Grace Recieves A Silver Medal Ippy Award– Finalist in Benjamin Franklin Best First Book Nonfiction
Grace: A Child's Intimate Journey Through Cancer And Recovery
It’s two days after Mother’s Day, and today, I am writing about my mom.
As I begin to type, I search for the words to begin what I want to say–and instead of words–tears come rushing like rainfall down my face. I love her. I love her so much.
My mom listens to me. She believes what I say. Without this gift she has given me, my cancer would not have been discovered until much, much later. I would have suffocated. But, my mom believed me when others did not.
And then… when my heart needed to give back in order to heal, guess who supported me every single step of the way?
Then, when I began writing as a way of healing, she looked forward to hearing what I had written. She believed it was something that could help others. She took all of those spiral notebooks with scribbles and she typed the 90,000 words I had written into book form. Have you ever typed 90,000 words?
It would have been easier to submit my story to a big publishing house at this point… but my mom’s Mama Bear instinct wouldn’t allow her to let someone else have the rights to my work. She says it belongs to me as long as I am a minor!
The next step has been an unbelievable amount of work for her, working to establish our publishing company, Happy Quail. Not many mothers and daughters have the opportunity to work together for a cause that both are passionate about. By establishing Happy Quail, we have been free to make decisions about publishing my book that will benefit children with cancer. Yes, the Quail is VERY Happy when we can do anything to help toward a cure!
My mom has worked so hard that Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery has been honored with the following Independent Publisher Awards:
From IBPA website:
“The IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards, which includes fifty-six categories recognizing excellence in both editorial and design, is regarded as one of the highest national honors in small and independent publishing. Winners will be announced at IBPA’s Publishing University, just prior to BookExpo America.”
2011 Benjamin Franklin Awards: The Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book (Nonfiction)
http://www.ibpa-online.org/pubresources/benfrank2011_finalist.aspx
Ippy Awards Silver Medalist Juv-Teen Young Adult Nonfiction #24
http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1442
The very, very best thing about these awards is that they will help children with cancer. Awareness is the first step toward giving hearts stepping up to help.
Mom, your giving heart will make a huge difference—beginning right now—in the lives of not only children with cancer, but others whose light has gone out for a bit.
Your love for me is lighting the world.
Coming out from school when my first books arrived!
Melinda Marchiano 