Award Winning Paranormal Romantic Suspense Author Registers October as International Paranormal Fiction Month and October 25-31 as Paranormal Book Week

Meet award-winning author, Melissa Alvarez, who writes paranormal romantic suspense under the nome de plume Ariana Dupré, and is the founder of New Age Dimensions, an independent publishing house. "Night Visions," the first book in The Visions Trilogy, is a finalist in ForeWord Magazines Book Of The Year Award in the Romance category, and has previously won Best Single Title Paranormal Romance of 2004 from Cataromance.com and Best Romance Novel of 2004 from Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

(PRWEB) April 18, 2005 -- When ForeWord Magazine announced the finalists in their 6th annual Book Of The Year Awards (BOTYA), Melissa Alvarez was delighted and honored to discover that her book, Night Visions, was a finalist in the romance category.

ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award was established to bring increased attention from librarians and booksellers to the literary achievements of independent publishers and their authors. A jury of librarians, booksellers and reviewers are selected to judge the categories for entry, and they select winners and finalists based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.

In ForeWords press release announcing the finalists, Alex Moore, ForeWords Managing Editor, and an integral part of the BOTYA team said that in some regards, arriving at the list of finalists can be as demanding as naming the award winners. "The quality of the submissions this year was just outstanding, which makes a difficult job even tougher," commented Moore, "What we saw across the board was a level of originality and accomplishment that has raised the bar for every aspect of BOTYA. It says a tremendous amount about what independent publishing is capable of and has accomplished, the recognition and credibility of these awards, and what it means to have reached this point."

Alvarez said that when she found out she was a finalist in ForeWords Book of the Year Award she decided to do something special for everyone who is a fan of paranormal elements in fiction. After an exhaustive search on the Internet for a holiday or website dedicated solely to this type of event, she realized that one didnt exist. So, she registered a new holiday, International Paranormal Fiction Month, in the International Special Events Registry and set up a website at http://parafm.com. Then, while brainstorming with New Age Dimensions Senior Editor Mimi Riser, the idea for Paranormal Book Week was born to encompass all literature, including nonfiction that has paranormal elements or a basis in the paranormal, as an accompaniment to International Paranormal Fiction Month. Alvarez registered this event as well.

If you like your literature to make you think something went bump in the night, or keep you awake after youve turned the last page and turned off the light, or maybe you just like to consider the what if" of the paranormal through literature, then Melissa Alvarez invites you to join her during International Paranormal Fiction Month and Paranormal Book Week. Whether youre Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Sylvia Browne or a reader that lives down the street, we invite you to stop by and participate in these holidays dedicated to the paranormal in literature.

A special program is being planned for the announcement of winners and Editors Choice Prizes in conjunction with BookExpo America on Friday, June 3 at 3pm. Alvarez says that regardless of the outcome, being a finalist in this award has sparked her to create something that she hopes will flourish in the years to come -- International Paranormal Fiction Month and Paranormal Book Week -- two events within one website that specializes in supporting paranormal elements in all genres of fiction and in nonfiction literature. Alvarez said it is an honor to be associated with this award and she will always be proud of this accomplishment.

Interested in Night Visions? Heres a blurb about Ariana Dupres award winning title:

The Visions Trilogy
Two hundred years ago, Mary Slayton witnessed the murder of her husband Theodore. Pregnant and overcome with grief, Mary revenged Theodore's murder with a curse cast by the local gypsy witch. With her emotions in turmoil, Mary extends the curse to include everyone who ever hurt Theodore in life. Now the souls of several families are bound to the Earth for the next 200 years and their descendants are denied true love. There are three in the future, gifted by the gypsy witch with special paranormal abilities, who can break the curse. But if the three fail to find true love and unite as one family, the doomed souls will walk the earth for eternity.

Night Visions
In Night Visions, dreams do come true - that's the problem. Angelina Benton's observer dreams always come true but she's never watched herself in a dream until now. The day Jared Maxwell walks into The Variety Vine, her nightly attacker becomes reality. Thrown together in the renovation of the Slayton Homestead she tries to protect her heart but still falls in love with the rugged real estate developer despite her fear of him. When she discovers she may be one of three destined to break a curse, she must overcome her suspicions and trust the man of her dreams to fulfill her destiny.

Jared Maxwell never believed in love at first sight until he met Angelina Benton. But why did she stare at him in utter terror? Determined to uncover the reasons behind her fears, Jared sets out to gain her trust and win her love. When strange things start happening to Angie during the renovation, he realizes her life is in danger. Can he protect her and still keep his secret?

Night Visions (ISBN 1-59611-015-5, $14.99) is available from Ingram, Baker & Taylor and New Age Dimensions Distribution (954-345-5867) in the USA and from Gardners and Bertrams in the UK.

Author Melissa Alvarez is available for interviews or radio and television shows. Contact her at 954-345-5867 or via email at melissa @ parafm.com (without the spaces).

Visit the following websites for more information discussed in this article:

http://parafm.com International Paranormal Fiction Month and Paranormal Book Week.

http://www.forewordmagazine.com/botya/ for a complete searchable list of the BOTYA finalists.

http://melissaalvarez.com to learn more about Melissa and her books.

http://newagedimensionspublishing.com Melissas publishing company where you can purchase Night Visions and other titles in eBook or print.

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