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Book Buzz – Awards
DARK SURF earns Honorable Mention in the 2017 New York Book Festival
The New York Book Festival recognized DARK SURF with an Honorable Mention in General Fiction in the 2017 awards program, which honors books worthy of further attention from the world’s publishing capitol.
Winners, Runners-Up and Honorable Mentions will be honored at a private awards ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan on July 15. Alas, I won’t be able to attend, but I’m stoked to be among the honorees!
Book Buzz – Awards
RISING receives Honorable Mention in the 2017 San Francisco Book Festival
The 2017 San Francisco Book Festival has awarded RISING an Honorable Mention in General Fiction. The annual festival honors the best books of the spring.
RISING is the second novel in the DARK SURF series. In 2016, DARK SURF was the Runner-Up in General Fiction in this festival.
Book Buzz – Awards
RISING is a winner in the National Indie Excellence Awards
The 11th Annual National Indie Excellence® Awards selected RISING as the winner in the “Regional Fiction: West” category. Here’s what they said: “Your book truly embodies the excellence that this award was created to celebrate, and we salute you and your fine work.”
The national award is open to recent English language books in print from small, medium, university, self and independent publishers. Established in 2007, the NIEA competition is judged by experts from all aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters.
Book Buzz – RISING review
RISING just earned a review rating of 5 out of 5 stars on Readers’ Favorite!
Check out what Readers’ Favorite reviewer Anne-Marie Reynolds had to say:
“Rising is Volume 2 of the Dark Surf Series by T.C. Zmak. When the Rogues attacked the Nomads, they bit off more than they could chew. Jake and Leilani are on their trail, chasing Dean to stop him before he can build up his clan once again, and to save Skylar from what could be the worse decision of her life. She doesn’t know what secrets Dean is hiding, what lies he has told her, and nobody could begin to guess what she will do if she finds out. For Jake and Leilani, the war is on and the bodies are beginning to mount up. But there is a new enemy in sight, one that threatens their very existence. Can Jake and Leilani stop Dean before it’s too late? Is Tristan truly gone for good?
“Rising (Dark Surf Volume 2) by T.C. Zmak is another fantastic story, a great sequel to Dark Surf. Although it starts where Dark Surf ended, there is still enough information provided for those who didn’t read the first book to know what it’s all about. Things get somewhat more complicated as the cast list grows and the story stretches along the coast. The story is every bit as good as the first part, perhaps a little deeper, and with those all-important twists and turns that keep a reader hooked. It is a fast-paced story, one of those that you just can’t put down, especially if you have read the first book in the series and need to know what happens. The character development continues as we learn more about the main characters and the new ones we meet along the way. This is another page turner and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes the vampire/paranormal genre. Please read book 1 first to get the best experience from this story. Really looking forward to book 3 now; I can’t wait.”
Thank you, Readers’ Favorite & Anne-Marie Reynolds!
Read the full review at: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/rising/1
You can find more reviews for RISING and DARK SURF at: http://www.darksurf.com/books/reviews
Book Buzz – Awards
DARK SURF and RISING take 2nd place in the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival’s Genre-Based Fiction and Sequels categories
The 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival selected DARK SURF as the Runner-Up in Genre-Based Fiction, and RISING as the Runner-Up in the Sequels category.
The Los Angeles Book Festival is an “annual competition honoring the best of the world publishing community.” It considers major publisher, independent publisher and self-published works in the following categories: general non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books, young adult, how-to, cookbooks, science fiction, business, wild card, compilations/anthologies, sequels (for books that are part of a series), photography/art, poetry, romance, and regional literature.
I’ve been invited to attend a private awards dinner in L.A. in April to celebrate with the other award winners!
BeachStyle
On my trip to Kauai in late February, something amazing happened. I no longer felt like a tourist! Kauai is one of my favorite places in the world, and it’s truly an author’s paradise. The scenery is breathtaking. The ocean is warm and inviting. Inspiration is everywhere—the sea, the land, the air, the flowers, the wildlife …
Here are a few highlights:
The Kalalau Trail is an 11-mile trail that leads from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach along the Na Pali Coast. This photo is near the beginning of the trail, hiking up the mountain and looking down upon Ke’e Beach.
Kalalau Trail
Ke’e Beach is the beach at the end of the road. The water here is truly magical.
Ke’e Beach
This misty shot of the Na Pali Coast, located on the northwest edge of Kauai, was taken aboard a Blue Dolphin Charters (excellent tour company!) snorkeling cruise. The cruise also featured a continental breakfast, lunch, drinks and plenty of wildlife. We saw humpback whales and lots of spinner dolphins. (Yes, they actually come out of the water and spin! So amazing to see up close!)
Na Pali Coast
Wailua Falls is a waterfall that feeds into the Wailua River, and it was featured in the opening credits of the Fantasy Island TV show.
Wailua Falls
Kauai sunrises are spectacular. The air is cool, and the sky and water are painted in pastels. It’s my favorite time of day to walk on the beach (though sunsets are pretty incredible, too).
Kapaa Sunrise
BeachStyle – beaches
Sparkle in the rain…
BeachStyle – beaches
Thank you for a great 2016! Happy New Year from the DARK SURF team! 
Book Buzz – DARK SURF news & goings-on
You’re invited to a Holiday Happy Hour & Book Signing!
When: Thursday, Dec. 8, 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Otter’s Den, 3166 Vista del Camino (next to Wells Fargo bank), Marina, Calif.
What:
- Light hors d’oeuvres
- A FREE drawing for an Amazon Fire Tablet
- Free bookmarks & bumper stickers
- No host bar
This is a great opportunity to pick up a copy of RISING or DARK SURF for yourself, or to do some holiday shopping and get signed/inscribed copies for family and friends. We’ll have special pricing on DARK SURF Graysuit t-shirts, too.
Already have the books? Just stop by for a drink and some fun!
Book Buzz – DARK SURF awards
DARK SURF and RISING win awards in 2016 Halloween Book Festival; RISING honored in 2016 Southern California Book Festival
DARK SURF and RISING nabbed two of the three Honorable Mentions in the Fantasy category of the 2016 Halloween Book Festival.
RISING was also awarded an Honorable Mention in the General Fiction category of the 2016 Southern California Book Festival, which honors the best books of the fall.
I’ve been invited to a private awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Nov. 19. I won’t be able to attend, however, because I’ll be at the awards ceremony for the Northern California Book Festival in Sonoma that night!
