News

For Immediate Release

Posted: May 28, 2015 5/282015

Contact: Kristin Thiel
Telephone: 503-250-2670
Email: kristin@kristinthiel.com

Website: lookingforluke.com

First-Time Alaska Novelist Places in Three Book Awards

Homer, Alaska, May 28, 2015  –  Jean Hatfield’s first novel, The Glass Ball (Aleutika Press, 2014), recently placed in two national book contests and one international contest. One recognized her book’s outstanding description of Alaska, which figured heavily in this unique love story.

The Glass Ball placed as runner-up in the general fiction category of the 2015 San Francisco Book Festival; finalist in the regional fiction category of the 9th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards; and finalist in the chick lit/women’s lit category of the 2015 International Book Awards.

Each of these awards is impressive in its criteria and field of entrants.

Books submitted to the San Francisco Book Festival were judged by a panel of industry experts using the following criteria: general excellence and the author’s passion for telling a good story and the potential of the work to reach a wider audience.

The 9th Annual 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards is open to all English language books in print from small, medium, university, self and independent publishers. It 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 of presentation in addition to the writing.”

The 2015 International Book Awards brought in over 1,200 entries. Jeffrey Keen, president and CEO of USA Book News, which presents the International Book Awards, said, “The 2015 results represent a phenomenal mix of books from a wide array of publishers throughout the world.”

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Hatfield, Bremicker sign books Sunday

Posted: December 10, 2014 – 1:43pm
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By Toni Ross
For the Homer News

Jean Hatfield will be signing copies of her newly published work, “The Glass Ball,” at the Homer Bookstore this Sunday from 1-3 p.m.

Hatfield describes her novel as a love story that is both realistic and poignant. Set in Alaska, the main characters are Dana, a survivor of childhood trauma, and Luke, who helps Dana find healing.

What inspired the story? Hatfield said by email that she didn’t set out to write a book, but over the years kept hearing a similar narrative from friends or the news.

That narrative was the story of women who have experienced abuse.

“My admiration for these women and their courageous stories inspired me to write a novel describing what I learned about letting go of a traumatic past, healing and moving forward,” she said.

For nearly 30 of the 35 years she’s lived in Homer, Hatfield has been working on “The Glass Ball.” Because she wanted to keep the novel short — a little over 150 pages — she had to make every word count.

“I just kept rewriting and rewriting,” she said.

Hatfield has also created an online community on her website, lookingforluke.com, where people can share their “Luke” stories — memories of when someone or something helped them open to positive changes in their lives.

“The Glass Ball” is available at the Homer Bookstore, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Copies are $12.

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Bumppo Bremicker also will be at the Homer Bookstore on Sunday to sign copies of his new youth fiction book, “Everlasting and the Great Ocean.”

His first book in the series, “Everlasting and The Great River – Adventures of an Alaskan Dene Girl,” was published in 2013. Copies are $9.95.

Toni Ross is a Homer freelance writer.

One thought on “News”

  1. Helen Wilson says:
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    My husband & I both loved this book: the descriptions of beautiful Alaska, the story, the language, & the message that we each have the power within ourselves to make the best of our lives, despite all our individual traumas.

    Like

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