I’m thrilled to have won 2015 Georgia Author of the Year.

Finalists and winners were announced last weekend at the 51st annual award banquet of the Georgia Writers Association. This is the oldest literary award in the southeast.

The Award was open to Georgia residents who published a book in 2014. There were 116 nominees in 17 fiction and nonfiction categories. Luck Be A Chicken won the humor category.

It is not only humbling to receive such an incredible honor for my first book, but also important to my writing career. Important, hopefully, to gain traction in a crowded marketplace and open doors. It bestows esteemed validation upon my writing and pumps some extra petrol into the mental tank to spur me on in the constant quest for better writing.

The judge for the humor category, Patricia Cardona, of the English Department at Kennesaw State University, said the following in her review:

“I found in Luck Be A Chicken an authenticity in tone, description, and situational comedy that is seldom so charmingly displayed. The wit is reminiscent of (Mark) Twain. The writing captures the vernacular with spelling that lets the reader hear the dialect. The book is a must-read for all those who enjoyed the Jeff Foxworthy series, ‘You Might be a Redneck.’”

My thanks go out to:

– the Association for such a brilliant tradition

– my publisher, Deeds Publishing, for having confidence in me

– my wife, Maureen, also my editor and writing coach. The Award belongs to both of us

Last, but not least, thanks to each of you for your support. I hope you will help spread the word.

All Good Wishes,

Jameson