I am thrilled to share some exciting news from the world of Valla. My debut novel, Escala’s Wish, has been honored with three Incipere Awards! Never expect the book to be embraced so warmly by readers, reviewers, and judges. All I wanted was to write the type of story I would like to read.
That’s why being recognized by the judges and reviewers at the Incipere Awards is so satisfying.
It’s one thing to believe in your own characters and world-building, but it’s another thing entirely to have industry experts tell you, “This works. This is a story people want to read.”
To see Escala’s Wish resonate with others in such a big way is the best motivation I could ask for.
Writing is often a solitary journey, countless hours (actually, about 1,500) spent at the keyboard between legal briefs and board meetings, so receiving this kind of third-party validation is incredibly rewarding.
AWARDS
FIRST PLACE – ADVENTURE
FIRST PLACE- ADVENTURE (CLEAN)
SECOND PLACE – FANTASY (CLEAN)
Who is Entrada Publishing?
These awards are presented by Entrada Publishing, an organization that serves as a professional “entrance” (the literal meaning of entrada) for independent authors. They provide the infrastructure—from editorial services to distribution—that helps indie authors compete globally.
Having my work selected by their panel of judges across multiple categories is a testament to the professional standard we are striving for at Trash Panda Publishing.
What is “Incipere”?
The award’s name is quite fitting for where I am in my career as an author.
Incipere is a Latin verb meaning “to begin.”
In the literary tradition, the incipit represents the very first words of a manuscript. For me, these awards represent the successful “beginning” of the Tales of Valla series.
It’s a signal that the world I’ve built is catching fire from the very first page.
