(Ed. note: Odile Sullivan-Tarazi sits on the board of Independent Publishers of New England (IPNE), a sister organization of BAIPA, where she chairs the book awards program. She’s sharing this story about one author’s experience with the 2023 Book Awards at IPNE.)
It was her first novel . . .
And the writing of it seized her. Morning after morning, she sat on the floor of her living room in the pre-dawn hush, the night sky glimmering in through the window, her dog asleep at her feet, writing furiously, ardently, relentlessly.
“The Wisdom of Winter story dropped into my head and wouldn’t let me go until I wrote it down,” Annie Seyler says. “I didn’t stop to ask myself if I was capable of writing or if the story mattered or if anyone would ever read it. I simply obeyed. I wrote and wrote and wrote until it let go of me. It was an extraordinary, life-altering experience.”
That’s certainly how the judges evaluating her work this past year felt, about the impact of her story. They called the novel “superbly paced, deeply introspective, thoughtful and thought-provoking . . . a book to be savored. A pure delight.” And they awarded it accordingly. The Wisdom of Winter shot to the top of the literary fiction category and went on to take IPNE’s 2023 Fiction Book of the Year award.
“I’m deeply touched,” Annie says. “IPNE’s recognition and validation inspires me to keep moving forward as an author, to venture outside my comfort zone, and to trust the journey. I’m so thankful for this encouragement.”
The greatest gift in writing the novel, she feels, is that it reunited her with herself. The greatest gift of the accolades that have followed, the readership she is gathering? Now she knows without a doubt that she’s a writer. She knows there will be more books.
And that’s what it’s all about.
Read more about Annie here. Read more about IPNE here. Submissions close April 20.
Questions? Get in touch through [email protected].
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Listen for Annie Seyler in conversation with Jennia D’Lima in an upcoming episode of the Writing & Editing podcast.
If you’re in New England in late April, meet Annie in person, along with six other highly acclaimed local authors, on Saturday, April 27, Indie Bookstore Day, at Bridgeside Books, 29 Stowe St. Suite 2, Waterbury, Vermont.