The Storyteller Award for March 2010 - L. Diane Wolfe

The Storyteller Award for March 2010 goes to L. Diane Wolfe.

Wolfe is an incredible author. She writes the wonderful Circle of Friends series, a series of five interconnected young adult novels about real people living out real lives.

Her books have captured the hearts of many not only because they are well written, but because they feature such real people dealing with very touch situations. Wolfe isn’t afraid to tackle some very serious issues facing the youth of today including death, bereavement, guilt, abuse, alcoholism and other.

What’s more, she handles these issues with grace and aplomb. Her books never come off as preachy or saccharine and she never talks down to her audience. She writes from the heart and this shows on every page and in every word.

Each book also has a message threaded into its storyline. And when you discover that message, when you realize what Wolfe has been trying to say through her character, everything takes on a new and sharper light.

She is an amazing Storyteller. You can find out more about her here:

http://www.thecircleoffriends.net/

http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/

Storyteller Award for February 2010 - Sandy Lender

The Storyteller Award for February goes to Sandy Lender.

Fantasy author Sandy Lender is not only a Storyteller but a World Builder. She has created the world of Onweald, in which her first three books (Choices Meant for Gods, Choices Meant for Kings and What Choices We Made) are based.

What sets Sandy apart from other high fantasy writers is that she doesn’t just tell you that you’re reading a high fantasy work; she shows you. Never for one moment while you are reading her work do you doubt that Onweald and her characters exist. Never for one moment does her spell waver.

Most would find the task of world building enough and leave the story to chance. But Lender is an incredible professional. Not only has she built a world that is real, the characters that fill the world are real, living and breathing people.

Sandy Lender is indeed a Storyteller in her prime. You can find more about Sandy and her work at www.authorsandylender.com

Storyteller Award for January 2010 – Fiona Robyn

The Storyteller Award for January goes to Fiona Robyn.

Fiona is a consummate Storyteller. Not only is she an accomplished writer, but she is an accomplished novelist. Her third novel, titled Thaw, is available from SnowBooks.

Thaw achieves something that few writers can master. Thaw is a novel with a voice. It concerns a woman named Ruth and she has given herself three months of diary writing to decide whether or not she wants to commit suicide.

What begins as a gimmick quickly becomes a thoughtful, emotional, intimate novel that is powerful not just because of its subtlety, but because of its writing. Robyn deftly rides the edge between dark and light, depressing and humorous.

The novel is a sheer joy, as is the rest of Robyn’s writing. If ever there was a Storyteller, Robyn would be one.

You can learn more about Fiona here: http://www.fionarobyn.com/