See the picture in this post? That's how I felt last night when I found out that Josh of Greedy Bug Book Reviews selected Beneath Angel's Wings as the No. 3 book on his top three YA LGBTQ books of 2013. Seriously, it felt like Fourth of July and Christmas all at once.
When I published Beneath Angel's Wings, all I really hoped for was that some people would find it, read it, and like it enough to recommend it to others. Without the time or budget to do a lot of marketing, and with the book being released pretty late in the year, I wasn't expecting any recognition. Having Josh review the book for the Greedy Bug Book Reviews site was in and of itself an unexpected boon, more than I had anticipated. But this? Making the top three books of the year? That was never even within the realm of possibility. Frankly, I am just deeply humbled and so, so grateful.
I won't quote Josh's entire post, but some of the things he said were just too nice for me not to re-post them here. In Josh's own words:
Beneath Angel’s Wings deals with teen suicide, the struggles of coming out and a young man’s transition to adulthood in a superb 219 pages; it leaves this reader desperate for further tales with these characters. I absolutely adored this book, and I give it my full endorsement as a must read for everyone aged 15 and over. I congratulate the author on their first foray into the world of YA LGBT books, and truly hope that there is more in the future...
Beneath Angel’s Wings deserves it’s place on this list because of the impact it made on me as a reader, with characters I truly care about recovering from the lowest points in their lives in order to make a positive impact in others.
Thank you so much to Josh and Greedy Bug Book Reviews first for taking a chance on a book written by a first-time self-published author and then for making me feel like a million bucks by including me with the other authors on this list! This unexpected honor will have me walking on air through the holiday season and beyond.
Click here to read the rest of Josh's post. And for what it's worth, while I haven't yet read the No. 2 book on the list, I have read Children of the Knight, which is in the top spot, and I heartily echo Josh's recommendation!
Congratulations to Michael J. Bowler and Matthew J. Metzger, the No. 1 and No. 2 authors on Josh's list, and to all author winners in the special categories. It's a thrill, honor, and absolute pleasure to have been included in this group.
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