35th Annual Book Awards Shortlists

Becoming Little Shell has been selected as one of five books shortlisted for the 2025 Reading the West Awards in the Memoir/Biography category. If you’re wondering what this is, here’s the lowdown:

More than 180 books were submitted for consideration in the 35th Annual Reading the West Book Awards. Independent booksellers across fourteen states read and reviewed all the books to choose their favorites. Now we’re asking you to help select the best of the best! Scroll through or click on the categories to see the shortlist titles. Cast your ballot by May 31, 2025. Winners will be announced June 12, 2025.

Here is some info on who is behind all of this in the first place:

Reading the West was conceived to celebrate the diversity, courage, tenacity, expertise, and indie spirit of the bookstores in the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association. Our goal is to bring bookstores, books, and readers together, to promote the best of our regional authors and stories, and to feature the passionate recommendations of our booksellers.

I have mixed feelings about awards and, especially, ones that demand writers wave their hands and holler, “Vote for me!” Which is exactly what I am doing here. Awards help sales, and sales are still what makes more books possible.² Not just for me, but for other writers too. So please consider voting; I voted for myself to see how much of a hassle it is and it really wasn’t. So I sure would appreciate if you took a few moments to cast a ballot in Becoming Little Shell’s direction! HERE IS THE LINK. I’ll probably mention it a time or two between now and the deadline at the end of the month but I’ll try not to be obnoxious about it.

The above is shared directly from Chris’ Substack which you can find here.

Sunday's Scrips: A Monthly Newsletter

Sunday’s Scrips: April 2025

Whatcha Up To?:

  • GetLit! is next week! (More Below).
  • My first part-time reporter article! (More Below).
  • Join us for Flashlights & Firelight Online Book Club 04/16/25 to discuss How to Stop Time.

GetLit! Festival

The GetLit! Festival is next weekend in Spokane, WA (a hop, skip, and jump from my home). I went last year and got to take a class with the amazing Carmen Maria Machado. This year, I’ll get to take a class with the awesome Maggie Smith! I cannot wait! Like, that chick outside of Mervyn’s with her face smooshed to the glass and her hands pulsing as she says, “open! open! open!” That’s me, but with the Festival.

Call Me Lois Lane

When you never intended to be a reporter but your local county has it going on, you sometimes get roped into covering an event you were already planning on attending – HA! I got to cover my first event for The Sanders County Ledger and you can read it here. A fun event for a great cause, I’m happy to support it in any way I can. And I’ve since been given a couple more assignments!

April Timed Writing Prompt Available Now!

Want a chance to have your work featured on my website, social media, and Patreon accounts? Become a supporter and you’ll have access to my monthly timed writing prompt. Send me your unedited, timed writing response for your chance to be featured! Find the April prompt here.

Flashlights & Firelight Online Book Club

Join us on Zoom April 16, 2025 at 6pm MT to discuss How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.

Monthly Book Talks!

Love to read but never know what to pick up? Check out my monthly videos for my local Thompson Falls Public Library here. Remember to Subscribe for free so you never miss one. Book talks: like book club, but shorter.

Readings

Did you know I occasionally remember to record readings of my published pieces. You can check out the latest one here. Be sure to Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one!

Please forward this to those you think may enjoy it. As always, thanks for joining me. I appreciate you’re here.

NOTE: Replies to this email go to a Patreon email server and not to me. You can email me directly at sunday (at) sundaydutro (dot) com

Sunday's Scrips: A Monthly Newsletter

Sunday’s Scrips: March 2025

Whatcha Up To?:

  • I won something in the Storm Cellar Flash Contest! (More Below).
  • Did you know I was once a woman of the night? (More Below).
  • Join us for Flashlights & Firelight Online Book Club 03/19/25 to discuss The Seed Keeper.

I WON!

What did I win? I don’t know! When will I find out? Search me! But the point is, I won! Woo hoo! Storm Cellar touts itself as the “literary journal of safety and danger;” I love that. Their flash contest was about “great and unexpected power.” I submitted three pieces, and have no idea which is a winner or of what, but damn, it feels good to be a flash star LOL Find out more about the contest here.

Woman of the Night

Do you read HerStry? I heart them, and they’ll be publishing a flash essay of mine in April that’s all about being a floozie (Julian Melodrama rocks!).

March Timed Writing Prompt Available Now!

Want a chance to have your work featured on my website, social media, and Patreon accounts? Become a supporter and you’ll have access to my monthly timed writing prompt. Send me your unedited, timed writing response for your chance to be featured! Find the March prompt here.

Flashlights & Firelight Online Book Club

Join us on Zoom March 19, 2025 at 6pm MT to discuss The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

Monthly Book Talks!

Love to read but never know what to pick up? Check out my monthly videos for my local Thompson Falls Public Library here. Remember to Subscribe for free so you never miss one. Book talks: like book club, but shorter.

Readings

Did you know I occasionally remember to record readings of my published pieces. You can check out the latest one here. Be sure to Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one!

Please forward this to those you think may enjoy it. As always, thanks for joining me. I appreciate you’re here.