I wrote an article in my last newsletter titled, Do You Feel Anxious When You Submit a Book for Review, which in turn was published by @PatriciaJRullo on the SpeakupTalk Radio.com blog, Blogatini, as a guest post.
Patricia shared the guest post on Instagram, and that's when I had the happiest news that my book, Where the Rain Falls, which I had submitted for the Firebird Book Awards had won (First Quarter 2023 Firebird Book Award)
Epic – Shobana Gomes
This book is very special to me. I began writing it in 2021. I suddenly thought of how the world was reeling in a pandemic situation and the subject of drought came to mind. As I was writing the book, the story unfolded like the flowing waters of the river. I couldn't wait to finish the chapters, always wondering how it would end. And, at the end of 2021, I sent it to a publication. The answer came back that they would not be accepting the book at that moment in time.
I kept it on file after that, every time the book was at the back of my mind. Usually, my stories are research-based so I thought maybe it needed more work on it and each time I edited it, it didn't seem right. There are stories told, led and written and mine was led by a higher hand so it was hard for me to edit it. So, I thought I would self-publish it. Maybe someday:)
However, I published it on Amazon in February this year, 2023. Then, as I was browsing through Google News a couple of days after that, I read about the Euphrates River drying up. I thought what a coincidence as I had written about the river drying up in my story and how a family survives the drought. It was like an encounter between the past and the present.
This book had some of the most awesome reviews on Amazon and reached the No.1 top-seller list under ancient and classical literature a couple of days after publication. Thank you, Patricia, and to all my readers who have made it even more special for me to know that it has touched you somehow.
-shobana-
Writing Tips from President Ronnie Smith of Writer's Relief:
Here are the most common problems many writers have when trying to make submissions.
There are pink roses blooming in the garden of a house where an aged woman who is ill lives. She was as gorgeous as the flower during her he...
The Faction Revolution Modules 1-3 (A revolutionary method of storytelling)
Fiction writing, the traditional way, can feel too distant, while traditional non-fiction writing can feel too mundane, almost boring to the readers. This is where Faction is the bridge, providing the legitimacy of facts with an emotional touch to a narrative. In this module, we move beyond "contemporary storytelling" into "Truth+Fiction, a revolutionary storytelling method that has worked for me to tell my stories. An unquestionable approach to adding facts within a fiction genre will allow you to preserve a veritable record of human history within a framework that is easy to consume and imagine. Faction is a pragmatic approach to a world losing its grip on historical truth. It has turned into a connective arc that ensures history remains alive, vibrant, believable, and, most importantly, relevant to the people of tomorrow. It is another way of ensuring that historical events and other factual information are widely read and disseminated. GET YOUR COPY FOR $0.99 at Shobana Gomes' Bookstore: https://shobanagomesbookstore.blogspot.com/2026/05/a-free-copy-of-nature-poems-with-every.html and get a FREE copy of Nature Poems)
Children of War
From Skopje to India
Majaorie, the Albanian, starts a new life. Read about her intriguing story.
