R.C. Vielee: Award-Winning Author
Utopia Falling: A Darkness Rises, American Writing Awards 2023 Winner
Exciting news! On November 28th, Utopia Falling: A Darkness Rises, was announced as the winner of the 2023 American Writing Awards for best Fiction novel in the New Age category. It’s thrilling to have my debut book recognized for the quality of writing and for its compelling storyline. Congratulations to all the other 2023 American Writing Awards nominees, finalists, and category winners.
The organization’s website describes themselves as follows: “The AWA is an international writing competition that prides itself on providing a level playing field for authors across diverse publishing backgrounds. A panel of esteemed judges, known for their discerning taste and literary expertise, meticulously selected Winners and Finalist across an array of categories. The American Writing Awards are rapidly becoming one of the most sought-after literary contests in the country.”
Receiving the American Writing Award for best New Age Fiction is an honor and I am proud to be so recognized. For a new author, gaining credibility is often based on posted reviews. Awards, such as the AWA’s, recognizing Utopia Falling, adds a powerful voice to the discussion.
Prospective readers can be hesitant to try an untested product, but when people who have read the book post their thoughts about the story, a potential reader can get a sense of what others think, and decide if purchasing the book is worth taking a chance. Goodreads, BookBub, and Amazon are just a few of the familiar places readers seek out for the opinions of others. Online reviews not only have a tremendous impact on potential readers, but the number of reviews affects its placement on a bookseller’s website. Ending up on page three of any website doesn’t receive much traffic. One online book retailer declined to accept an add request because, although Utopia Falling is getting great reviews (click here to read them all), it didn’t meet the minimum number of posted reviews to be considered.
To all those who have already read the first book in the Utopia Falling Saga, I sincerely appreciate you for taking a chance on me as a new author. And, for those who’ve posted online reviews, you have my heartfelt thanks.
From start to finish, Utopia Falling: A Darkness Rises took a few years to complete. It underwent quite a few rewrites, and with the help of beta readers, a developmental editor, copy and line edits, along with a thorough proofread edit, I believe I delivered a quality book for your reading pleasure. Thankfully, the reviews it has received so far, along with the recognition from the American Writing Awards organization, all agree.
Stay tuned. Utopia Falling: A Darkness Rises is in the running for other book awards. As news of those award winners is posted, I hope to share even more good news with all of you.
