To Be Named on a Shortlist for a Book Award is the Stuff of Dreams.....

**I’d love to read this letter to you - just hit play on the audio above and i’ll read it for you x

Today’s newsletter is a short one…I know…I know…can you believe it? I can’t either…..Let’s see will it actually be short…..(yes I do believe that is a cow jumping over the moon over there? haha)

I received some really brilliant news this week and I want to share it with you but we need to step back a little to then step forward….

On the 7th of the 7th of this year at 7pm (it was that magic ‘7’ day - if you’re into numerology like me), that I received word that my and Gran’s book has made the long list for a book award here in Ireland. It was amazing news and came just when I needed a reminder to keep going…..I remember being so grateful for that moment because as a creative, as an entrepreneur, as someone who was placing a lot of belief and hope on my own skills and talents to survive & possible thrive in my work life, this sign of recognition was huge and so welcome.

From that moment, I didn’t think I was going to hear anything further about it maybe mid Autumn regarding the short list but to my surprise and the best sort of surprise, I found out this week that me and Gran and our book have officially made it onto the shortlist for the prize.

This nomination falls into the category of the Non Fiction CAP Awards for Independent Authors - CAP stands for the The Carousel Aware Prize.

I was so shocked to open my email’s on Monday to see that me and Gran had made the shortlist for this fabulous book award that I had to reread the email about ten times. A combination of pure happiness and sadness collided as I read this amazing news. Tears flowed and I’ve been crying all week since. My thoughts of course are caught up in wishing Gran was here to share this moment with me. This is our story together and I guess I just miss her even more when something magical like this happens. It’s a really special moment for so many reasons.

1. It recognises the life of Ireland’s Oldest Lady & I love that the story of someone older is being lifted to the top. I genuinely feel that we do not recognise, appreciate or highlight enough of our older people. They offer so much to society and I will not shy away from the fact that I believe modern society is ageist in many ways and this recognition alone help highlight the importance of people who are older that us! I just think it is brilliant in so many ways!

   

2. It recognises that a life well lived gives hope, happiness and healing to many. The fact that this story has made its way to the final six spots in the award shortlist tells me that the judging panel have big hearts and are looking for books that carry longevity of positive consequence and I love that!

   

3. It of course recognises me as an author and that is a really big deal for me personally. This is I think even more valued as an independent self published author because there is no marketing team, no management team nor publicity team or any sort of official team when it comes to Lou. It’s me on my own making the calls, taking the risks, making the mistakes, picking myself back up and hoping i’m doing the right thing most of the time.

   

4. It also reminds all of us that even when you are doing something on your own that you can still be seen once you are working hard and trying your best! I am a grafter. I work really really hard. I never give up and this moment is a reminder for you and for me, to keep going! :) Ironically it ties in with the substack I wrote on Sunday night when I didn’t know the shortlist was going to be announced the next day :) Link to that letter is here and Tuesday’s letter is worth a look over if you need a little boost - linked here.

   

I am so honoured to be named with so many other fabulous authors in the field. I would be over the moon if we managed to win as I really feel the story of Granny Nancy has so much more to offer in the world. It is a story of hope, healing and so much light and I feel even though Granny is gone onto the next life, her legacy is very much in my hands and I promised her I’d do my best to continue her good work in keeping people looking up and feeling good about life.

A huge thanks to the Carousel Aware Prize committee for choosing our story to go forward to the shortlist and I genuinely could not express in words what this means to me. Often there are days I feel like giving up and often there are days when I’m not sure can I keep going or if I will ever ‘make it’ and then there are days like this when I know that I’m on the right path in my life and I just need to stay on track on believing that ‘what is for me, won’t pass me’. I do believe this news was a very loud sign from Gran telling me to keep going and to not give up Lou!!

To add to my signs from the lady herself, I opened Gran’s front door on Monday afternoon to let in some sunshine and air into the house. As I pulled her front door open, what flew in….. only a butterfly. It actually bounced off my face it was going that fast (I did indeed scream the house down haha ;))…that butterfly would have got a speeding ticket if she was in a car I said haha ;) Of course the butterfly knew exactly where she was going. It went straight into Gran’s kitchen and by the time I turned around, it had vanished somewhere within Gran’s home. To which I said out loud…. ‘Thanks Gran’.

No matter what happens further down the line, I will hold this moment in my heart forever as a reminder that when you think nobody sees you, someone is looking. And they believe in you! Even though you might not know it nor might you not believe it in that moment, someone somewhere is thinking about you! And maybe just maybe if you hold on long enough, if you fight till the end to believe in your gift, you might just see your name on an awards list.

On a final note, just to explain the set up for the awards as follows.

The shortlist features a diverse mix of exceptional writing from new and established writers across 4 categories, including fiction, non-fiction, anthologies & children.

The Carousel Aware Prize for Independently Published Authors (The CAP for Indies) aims to provide a platform to showcase the cream of Irish Self-Published authors, bringing them to the attention of book shops, distributors, and the media in Ireland and abroad, with all money raised going to the charity Aware. The award ceremony will take place in early November 2023.

For anyone who might not know Aware - they are a charity who work to bring awareness and support to anyone struggling with their mental health. This is without doubt the part of the prize that I admire most. I am a huge advocate in believing that the only way we can all help each other mind our mental health is by talking about it and talking to each other. This shortlist nomination really is very special on so many levels.

I’ll keep you updated closer to the time but for now, I’m just going to enjoy this moment. The tears will continue, the love will collide with the grief, but my heart is full of the good stuff and that is all I could ever wish for in this life.

Thank you so much for reading all the way down here and thanks a million for being a supportive of my work! You mean everything to me & please know I will never forget you being here from the start!

Love and light always,

Lou x

*If you might like to purchase a copy of this award nominated book you can head to my website linked here - www.livingandlaughingwithlou.com - & I will personally sign it and pop it in the post for you! Thank you so much in advance for your support!

*Another way to support my work and writing is to become a paid subscriber on Substack….I’m so grateful to those who have signed up in this way and I’d be thrilled if you might too join them on the paid substack advenure x

*Also to mention two markets I’ll be part of over the next two weeks in the poster below …….with lots more fun, messing and events on the way too!

I’d love if you left a comment below to let me know your thoughts, news or anything you would like to share with our community! xx