Mississippi Author Wins Double Gold in Independent Publishing Competitions
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Contact: Charlsie Russell
(228) 864-1823/(228) 861-5662 (C)
E-mail: loblollywriter@aol.com
“Escape,” Charlsie Russell beckons her readers, “into Mississippi’s past.” Rife with ‘blood, guts, and glory’; fortified with suspense; and sweetened with romance, her newest release, Wolf Dawson, accomplished that for judges of the 2008 Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY) and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Indie). In both competitions, Ms. Russell’s second title garnered the gold for the Romance Category. Wolf Dawson also placed in the Historical Category of the Indie. Sweet victories for a writer who collected her share of rejections from traditional publishers before founding Loblolly Writer’s House in 2005 and publishing on her own. Ms. Russell is also typographer, cover designer, and sales representative for her company.
Publishing services company Jenkins Group Inc. hosts the IPPY, recognizing excellence in independent publishing. This year’s judges ferreted out 450 excellent books from almost 3200 entries in 64 national categories, 20 regional categories, and 10 “Outstanding Books of the Year.” Categories include fiction and non-fiction. Entries represented 49 states, the Virgin Islands, Canada, and 16 additional countries. “The quality of this year’s entries is totally amazing, and judging was difficult…,” said Jim Barnes of Jenkins Group when announcing the winners of the 12th annual contest, “we’ve tried to highlight the best of the best.”
The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group annually presents the Next Generation Indie Book Awards to recognize the top independently published books in 70 categories across the literary spectrum. Participants include small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
Wolf Dawson is both a passionate romance and a dark suspense pitting a one-time, dirt-poor Confederate soldier against the ragged remains of the aristocratic Seatons who shattered his family years before the War Between the States. No longer poor nor materially affected by the defeat that gutted the Seatons, Jeff Dawson returns to Adams County and purchases White Oak Glen, the Seaton’s ancestral home. In his shadow stalks the beastly spirit of Southern justice.
Burdened with a drunken brother and besieged with needy relatives, Juliet Seaton battles the excesses wrought by Federal tyranny for what remains of her family’s farm. Now, she faces a new menace in the form of a marauding wolf, which slaughters stock and wreaks havoc in the mind of her alcoholic brother. Jeff Dawson died in combat, Tucker Seaton warns his sister. The man occupying White Oak Glen is a ghost, who in the form of that vicious wolf seeks to destroy what is left of the Seatons.
But Juliet finds the handsome Jeff every inch a living, breathing man. His seductive touch weakens her resolve and blinds her to the danger he poses. Jeff, however, is no longer compelled to destroy the Seatons. They’ve destroyed themselves and left the vulnerable Juliet to his mercy.
Into this mix of fear and distrust comes a sadistic killer, and what this fiend kills is not Seaton livestock but Natchez’ young prostitutes. Neighbors whisper Jeff is the killer. With the countryside ablaze with suspicion, Jeff and Juliet overcome a lost generation’s hatred and set out to identify not only a killer but also the role of the spectral beast haunting White Oak Glen.
Wolf Dawson (ISBN: 978-0-9769824-1-8) is a 6X9 trade paperback retailing for $14.95. It is available in select independent bookstores and gift stores across the state. Interested readers can also purchase it online at Amazon.com.
Charlsie Russell is a proud descendent of generations of Southerners on both sides. She is a 1968 graduate of Rankin County’s Florence High School. Following graduation from Ole Miss in 1972, she received a commission in the United States Navy. She retired from the Navy in 1993 as a full commander in Naval Intelligence. She resides with her family in Gulfport, but she and her husband still own her granddaddy’s farm in Simpson County. Wolf Dawson is her second book. Her first novel, The Devil’s Bastard, is a 2007 IPPY Bronze Medal winner. To learn more about Charlsie Russell and Loblolly Writer’s House visit www.loblollywritershouse.com.
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