A Shameless Plug for the Whitney Awards Auction

By Liz Adair

Last year, one of our ANWA sisters was a finalist in the running for a Whitney Award. Joyce DiPastena didn’t win a Whitney, but having been nominated and selected as a finalist certainly propelled her first novel to the (well diserved) notice of LDS readers of fiction.

When you heard about Joyce’s nomination, did you scratch your head and say, “What’s a Whitney Award? Never heard of the thing!”? That would have been most appropriate, because last year was the first year the Whitneys had been in existence.

These awards are sponsored by LDStorymakers, a writers’ guild for LDS writers. The intent is to honor excellence in LDS fiction, in both general and LDS markets.

The name Whitney was given to the award because of a quote by Orson F. Whitney:

We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares

of our own.God's ammunition is not

exhausted. His brightest spirits are held

in reserve for the latter times. In God's name

and by his help we will build up a literature

whose top shall touch heaven….

Awards are given in these categories:

• Romance/Women’s Fiction
• Suspense/Mystery
• Speculative Fiction
• Youth Fiction
• Historical
• General Fiction
• Best Novel of the Year
• Best Novel by a New Author
  

LDStorymakers is preparing for the 2009 Whitney Awards and is sponsoring an on-line auction as a fundraiser.

Click here to go to the WhitneyAuction Web Site.

This Auction will run for the month of November. You are invited to check the web site often, as new items are added every day. Think Christmas as you peruse the offerings. All items, including shipping, have been donated.

Also, be thinking about the books you have read that were published in 2008 that you would like to see honored by a Whitney, because anyone can nominate a book for consideration. Check out the process on the Whitney Award Web Site.