Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference Announces Finalists for 2014 Claymore Award
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) August 13, 2014 -- Killer Nashville is proud to present the Top 10 finalists for the 2014 Killer Nashville Claymore Award.
The award is given each year to the best first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript not currently under contract in the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres.
In six short years, the Killer Nashville Claymore Award has become one of the most widely recognized symbols of excellence in the publishing field. Over $1,500 in prizes are awarded, in addition to possible agent representation, a publishing contract, possible movie deals, and traditional advances.
“Killer Nashville is about helping authors of all genres,” Killer Nashville founder Clay Stafford said. “The Claymore Award is an extension of that. What better way to help authors than connecting them with reputable presses?”
Killer Nashville is a volunteer organization and receives no profit participation from any of their many success stories.
“It’s all about giving back,” Stafford says. And the Top 10 are not the only entries that will gain notice. Any manuscript of exceptional merit deemed ready for submission will be recommended by Killer Nashville to agents, editors, and publishers regardless of placement at the contest. Past A-list agencies to which entrants have been recommended include Anderson Literary Agency, Aponte Literary Agency, Corvisiero Literary Agency, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency, Fine Print Literary Agency, Folio Literary Management, G Agency, Inklings Literary Agency, International Creative Management, Knight Agency, Maria Carvainis Agency, Nancy Yost Literary Agency, Paradigm Agency, Sandra Dijkstra Agency, Seymour Agency, Speilburg Literary Agency, Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency, Talcott Notch Literary, and William Morris Agency and submissions to such respected presses as Five Star Mysteries, Kensington Books, Macmillan, Oceanview Publishing, Permanent Press, Prometheus Books, Seventh Street Books, St. Martin’s Press, Thomas & Mercer, among others.
The competition for 2014 was fierce, especially in the final round of the blind judging process, but ten manuscripts emerged victorious. The winner will be chosen from among them by Deni Dietz, acquiring editor of Five Star Mysteries. The winner will be announced at the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference Guest of Honor Dinner & Awards Banquet on Saturday, August 23, 2014 at the Omni Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
The ten finalists are (in alphabetical order by name of author):
Dana Chamblee Carpenter, Bohemian Gospel
Ross Cavins, Barry Versus the Apocalypse
Nichole Christoff, The Kill Shot: Book 2
Philip Cioffari, Cold Eye of Danger
Steven Cooper, Desert Remains
Laine Cunningham, Break the Bow
Ronald Kidd, The Raven and Me
Rick Koster, Gris Gris Gumbo
Barbara Nickless,White Line Fever
Tim O'Brien, Twelve Bricks
Congratulations to these talented authors!
The Killer Nashville International Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference, held annually on the fourth full weekend in August, was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. The conference regularly draws attendees from as far away as Portmahomack, Scotland; Rome, Italy; and Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan.
For interviews or more information: http://www.KillerNashville.com, http://www.ClaymoreAward.com, contact(at)killernashville(dot)com, 615-599-4032.
Media Relations, Killer Nashville, http://www.ClaymoreAward.com, 615-599-4032, [email protected]
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