MotivAct Authors Receive National Acclaim from 8th Annual National Indie Excellence Book Awards
Worcester, MA (PRWEB) July 30, 2014 -- The 8th Annual 2014 National Indie Excellence Awards recently recognized "One Door Closes: Overcoming Adversity By Following Your Dreams," written by Tom Ingrassia and Jared Chrudimsky, in two categories--Motivational book and Personal Growth book--as a Finalist in this year's competition. "One Door Closes" placed second in both categories in the national competition, thus securing the Finalist Award.
The prestigious national award, based in Beverly Hills, CA, is open to all English language books in print from small, medium, university, self and independent publishers. "One Door Closes" was published by MotivAct Publishing, an imprint of Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing.
"One Door Closes" captures the inspirational, highly emotional stories of 16 people from all walks of life who have triumphed over seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve their goals. According to Ingrassia, "Through first-person accounts, these courageous survivors describe their personal approaches to living life with vision, courage, determination and passion. They share the wisdom they learned along the way--often the hard way--wisdom readers can use on their own journeys."
"Many are sharing their stories publicly for the first time," added Chrudimsky.
"What sets our book apart from so many other motivational books is the fact that, in addition to the inspirational stories, we also include 10 self-assessment tools that readers can use to design their own, personal blueprint for success. We also added a "dream journal"--blank pages that readers can use to record their thoughts and feelings throughout their journey. So the book is a 'call to action,' rather than being just a 'feel good' book," according to Chrudimsky.
"This truly is a book that is changing lives," says Ingrassia. "10 of the people profiled are what we like to call, 'ordinary people who have achieved the extraordinary.' And we have heard from so many readers who say they have been able to identify and benefit from these personal stories of triumph over tragedy."
Also profiled in the book are celebrities Scherrie Payne of The Supremes, June Monteiro of The Toys, and Mary Wilson--founding member of The Supremes (for whom Ingrassia worked for 5 years) who this year is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Supremes first Number One record. "Mary Wilson shares a very special message of healing and hope that forms the Epilogue of the book," says Ingrassia. "It was important for us to also include the 'famous' among the ordinary. It doesn't matter who you are or what your station in life is. We all face adversity at some time in our lives. Even celebrities encounter obstacles."
The authors also are committed to using proceeds from their book to benefit both local and national nonprofit organizations. To date, they have donated over $1000 from book sales to organizations including Angiosarcoma Awareness, Inc., Wesley United Methodist Church, and public libraries in Massachusetts and New York. They also made a donation to a special fund set up to assist former Supreme Cindy Birdsong with expenses related to medical care.
"We are very proud of what we have accomplished with 'One Door Closes.' We set out to write a book that would make a difference in people's lives--make a difference in the world. Winning the National Indie Excellence Award is validation that we have achieved that we have achieved our goal. Our goal now is to turn the book into a feature-length documentary film," said the authors.
The book has, in fact, opened many doors for the authors. They have been traveling throughout the country on a book tour since the book came out in October, 2013. They now are monthly contributing co-hosts on "January Jones Sharing Success Stories," which airs on iHeart Radio. In January, Ingrassia--who also is a music historian--was offered his own 3-hour, weekly show on WCUW 91.3FM in Worcester, MA--"The Motown Jukebox. Chrudimsky is in the process of expanding his Revitalize Massage Therapy business. "When you do things for love," says Ingrassia, "anything can happen...and it has! Both Jared and I are living, breathing proof that dreams DO come true!"
The National Indie Excellence Awards exist to help establish independent publishing as a strong and proud facet of the publishing industry. Recognizing authors who put their hearts and souls into their work, the National Indie Excellence Awards is proud to be a champion of self-publishers and small and independent presses that go the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Awarded since 2007, the National Indie Excellence Awards competition is judged by independent experts from all aspects of the indie book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers, and professional copywriters.
Winners and finalists are determined based on overall excellence in presentation, in addition to writing. This year, the competition was especially strong, with organizers having to extend the deadline for announcing winners and finalists to allow judges to review the higher than usual number of submissions.
"We are proud to announce the winners and finalists whose books truly embody the excellence that this award was created to celebrate, and we salute our authors for all their fine work," said national Indie Excellence Awards President and CEO, Ellen Reid.
To learn more about "One Door Closes: Overcoming Adversity By Following Your Dreams," visit The MotivAct Group.
Visit the National Indie Excellence Awards for more information about the awards.
Tom Ingrassia, The MotivAct Group, http://www.motivactgroup.com, +1 (508) 277-6022, [email protected]
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