Thursday, November 3, 2011

Great news + get a signed copy of Making Waves!

I mentioned yesterday that I have some big news I'm not allowed to share for another couple weeks.

Someone let the cat out of the bag early, so I figure since the news is already floating around, I might as well share it here. I haven't been given the official OK or anything, but it's always better to seek forgiveness later than ask permission now, right?

So here's the news: Making Waves has been nominated for "best contemporary romance" in the RT Book Reviews 2011 Reviewers' Choice Awards.

What does that mean? Well, as you might guess from the name, RT Book Reviews is a publication featuring mutation research and genetic toxicology.

Kidding.

Obviously they review books. About 3,000 books a year, or 250 a month. And one of those books happened to be Making Waves, in 4.5 star review that declared, "
This delightfully witty debut will have readers laughing out loud."

Getting that review back in July totally made my month, but the news that I've now been nominated for best contemporary romance among ALL THOSE FREAKIN' BOOKS?!?! Totally made my year. In her letter to the Sourcebooks publicist, the publisher of RT Book Reviews explained, "Our ace reviewers and editors have scoured 12 months’ worth of reviews to compile the best of the best for the annual RT Book Reviews Career Achievement and Reviewers’ Choice Awards. For the Reviewers’ Choice nominees, our star team selected only those novels that deeply resonated with them."

I'm a big fan of anything resonating deeply. Like really, REALLY deeply. Wait, what?

Anyway, I'm thrilled to be nominated. I'll find out in April whether I won, and there's a big awards presentation at the
RT Booklovers Convention that I'm kinda hoping someone offers to fly me to because my only experience in Chicago is getting stuck at the O'Hare airport and eating a lot of really bad pizza, and I'd kind of like to eat some good pizza and maybe even see where Sourcebooks is located, since their headquarters is somewhere near Chicago and I'm pretty sure I should celebrate this nomination by dancing naked on my editor's desk.

Or not.

Wait, how should I celebrate? Tell me! Leave a comment with your best celebratory suggestion, and I'll choose one winner to receive a signed copy of Making Waves.

I'm not promising to actually celebrate in the manner you suggest, but I'll give it some serious thought. Deep thought. Really, REALLY deep thought.

27 comments :

Linda G. said...

So very COOL! :D

I think after you dance naked on your editor's desk you should go to NY and dance naked on Michelle's desk (er, when her kids are out). Then maybe continue the Tawna's Dance Naked Celebratory Tour by stopping at bookstores along the way, and dancing naked in the Romance aisles.

(What? It would certainly get you publicity. *grin*)

Seriously, congratulations. :)

Anne Gallagher said...

Congratulations! That's such great news. And let me say how jealous I am.

As for celebrating, I think you need to re-enact the cheese doodle scene with your new Mr. Handsome.

Sarah W said...

Congratulations, Tawna! This is HUGE news!!

Do a wine country book tour, with cheese doodles!

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Congrats

I think a ride through downtown (insert favorite destination) on a Harley wearing nothing but body paint would be great marketing (and get my vote).

:OD

Jessica Lemmon said...

I think you should go Lady Gaga. Y'know, make a dress out of the pages of your book and stroll thru Chi-town while singing Alejandro...kinda perfect given the name of your hero, no? ;)

Delia said...

Stripper pole installation. It's the only way. No wait! A butt tattoo. Or maybe save the butt tattoo for the win. Though, you could always get another. One can never have too many butt tattoos.

Congratulations!!

LynnRush said...

That's freaking AWESOME!!! Congrats.

Lynnanne said...

Congratulations!

I suggest you make some of your own waves! If you can't find a sex-driven hot bod with a boat in a warm climate, maybe you know of someone of the opposite sex with a heated waterbed (without baffles, of course!)! It's great on the knees. *snicker*

Deborah Small said...

Woot! Congratulations, Tawna. May I suggest you take CZ and celebrate on a yacht somewhere hot, slow dancing under a silver moon, clothing and cheese doodles optional?

Whatever you do - have fun doing it! :)

Deb

Patrick Alan said...

If you win, I'll let you swim in my pool.

Michele Shaw said...

Amazing news! Whatever you do should involve chocolate and wine. Lots of chocolate and wine. Huge Congrats!

Michelle Wolfson said...

I couldn't even begin to compete with the wild celebration suggestions that you writers will come up with. But you know that in my own boring way, no one is more excited than I am. Except maybe you. Maybe.

Kimberly Sabatini said...

Congrats!!!! Well deserved. I LOVE Making Waves!!!! And I can't top Linda...so I say we go with that! :o)

abby mumford said...

tawna, congratulations! i can't say i'm surprised because this was one of my favorite books of 2011.

Unknown said...

Congratulations! Celebrate by letting me know if you're coming to Chicago, and I will bring pizza. I know a couple two, t'ree places.

Bria Quinlan said...

CONGRATS! So excited for you... and of course I loved the book so I"m not surprised :)

Crystal Posey said...

I am SO EXCITED for you! You are the second of my twitter people to be nominated. I've been dancing a lot since yesterday! I don't know how to begin to celebrate for such an honor, but there should definitely be dancing, pictures, and blogging!

CONGRATS!

Lindsay said...

Do what everyone does to celebrate anything; come to OMAHA.

Laina said...

SHOES. And chinese food. But most especially SHOES.

Taymalin said...

Do you have a bucket list? If you do, do one of the things on your bucket list. If not, take one of mine:

Skydiving. (Celebrate your nomination with extreme awesomeness!)

Bungee Jumping. (If skydiving is too scary. Oddly, I'm more afraid to try bungee jumping than skydiving.)

Go to Paris. (Maybe learn some French from some hot locals. Or, for a cheaper trip, go to Quebec. It is also full of hot, francophone locals. Learn a few French phases first. You know how people with accents are hot? Works in other languages too. Bonus points for dirty French phrases like "Tu me rends chaude" or "Je suis chaude")

Go to Drumheller Alberta aka Dinosaur Valley (um, maybe only good if you're a paleo-enthusiast like me.)

Go to Las Vegas(if you're not interested in gambling, wear a hot red dress and blow on people's dice for them. Best if you don't wait for the invitation. Just walk up to people playing craps and blow.)

Go diving with sharks. (Or, if you really want to live on the edge, swim with dolphins.)

Nicole Zoltack said...

Relax with a bottle of bubbly in a bubble bath. Just make sure no electronics are nearby!

Jen J. Danna said...

Absolutely awesome news and very well deserved! You must be thrilled!

And I like Linda's idea too. Fun and publicity all at once, how could it go wrong? :)

Neurotic Workaholic said...

Take a spa day and get a massage from a guy who looks like he could be on the cover of a romance novel.

TAWNA FENSKE said...

Thanks so much for all the congrats, guys! I'm loving all these celebratory suggestions! I'll refrain from commenting individually to everyone, since I guess I'm going to have to pick a winner somehow, and I don't want to be biased. Keep the comments coming though, and thanks!

Tawna

Squenn said...

I think champagne and new shoes are in order. You can never go wrong with new shoes!

Laurie Lamb said...

Congratulations!

Maybe you could adopt a marine animal like a sea turtle. You'd be "Making Waves" in a different way!

Claire Dawn said...

You are not a real traveller til you've gotten stuck at O'Hare. Will never figure out how they expect you to cross entire terminals in 30 minutes. Why do they even schedule flights like that? sigh.

Congrats on MAKING WAVES. It's my fave romance of the year. I'm sure it would still be even if I hadn't read only 1. :)