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Meridian Writes

Meridian Writes

Meridian Writes has been suspended for 2020-2021. Please check back for updates on our next award cycle. 

Supporting Local Authors

Meridian Writes is a program to highlight the talent and hard work of Meridian authors. Meridian Writes encourages authors who live in Meridian to submit one book they have published in the last five years to be considered for judging. Meridian Library District staff will choose three finalists from the submissions, and ask selected members of the Meridian community to choose a final winner.

Meridian Writes Award Winner           

    Competition Details

    Criteria for Consideration:

    • The book can be traditionally published or self-published, but must be complete and have an ISBN.
    • The book must be published within the last five years.
    • The author must live within Meridian City limits, or Meridian Library District boundaries.
    • Author must submit three copies of print book or a digital file in epub or pdf format, or a link for free download. Print books will not be returned but may be added to the library collection. 
    • One book per author.

    Timeline:

    • October 1st, 2018: Meridian Writes, Call for submissions. 
    • January 1st, 2019: Meridian Writes, Submission deadline
    • March 2019: Meridian Writes, Finalist Announced
    • April 2019:  Meridian Writes, Winner Announced
    • April 26-27, 2019: Idaho Writers Conference

    To Apply: 

    1. Submit this online application form between October 1st - January 1st, 2018. 
    2. Submit three copies of your physical book at any Meridian Library District location attention Megan Egbert, or follow submission guidelines listed in the form for digital submission
    3. You will receive confirmation once your application and submission is received.

    Awards

    Finalists:

    • Copies of print book added to collection with Meridian Writes Finalist medal on the cover, OR
    • Copy of digital book added to the online collection under Meridian Writes Finalist anthology (if possible)
    • Press release and website update with author information for the finalists
    • Invitation to Meridian Writes grand prize reveal where all finalists can sign and sell their books

    Grand Prize Winner

    • Everything listed above and:
    • Meridian Writes Medal added to print copy of book or noted on digital copy (if possible)
    • Free admission to the 2019 Idaho Writers Conference
    • Guest appearances and speaking events at Meridian Library District 

    Finalists

    2019 Finalists

    WINNER: Arcatraissa by Lacy Sheridan

    Website: https://www.lacysheridan.com/

    Cassie has never believed in magic. Whatever her ailing aunt claims, and whatever Cassie wants to believe, fairies aren't real. The old storybook is just a storybook, and the whispering in the garden is just the wind. Tae has spent all his life watching children grow up and stop believing in magic. Every companion he's ever had, lost to the human world. All but one. When Tae and Cassie's worlds collide, both are instantly enchanted. Swept away to the magic of the faery world, Cassie thinks she's living a dream. But with the kingdom on the edge of disaster and the shadow of her aunt's illness hanging over her family, what begins as a fairytale quickly becomes complicated. Maybe deadly.

    A Backpack, a Eurorail Pass, and Some Serious Baggage by Jennie Withers

    Website: https://jenniewithers.com/ 

    The rules are simple: 1)Be Worldly 2) No Guilt! 3) Discover the perfect pint of ale. Travelers, like writers, believe in the power of setting. Jen thinks of traveling Europe with fellow Mormon, Jeanne, and an Alaska Native named Bert, as an escape from her conservative upbringing and the pressures of conforming to a religion she does not believe in. The change of setting and culture allows Jen to have a raucous, guilt-free experience with her boisterous, silly, and hilarious friends.

     

    Jedidiah The Donor Dog Hero by Eva Bailey

    Website: http://www.donordoghero.com 

    In today's culture , many people have at least one dog in their homes. They become important members of the family.  When their dog is injured or ill, they seek treatment .  Many times this treatment requires a life saving blood transfusion. Thanks to the K9 Blood Donor Heroes like Jedidiah, their pets can receive a blood transfusion and be happily returned to their families.  This book helps readers of all ages to understand this procedure. And remember, humans are not the only creatures who may need a blood transfusion.

    2017 Finalists

    WINNER: Venators: Magic Unleashed by Devri Walls

    Website: www.DevriWalls.com
    Six years ago, Grey Malteer was attached by creatures he thought couldn't possibly exist. They repeated a word, calling him a name he'd never heard before...Venator. Since then, his life has been a hellhole of secrecy--hiding old pain alongside strange new abilities.

     

    Heart of Petra by Hilarey Johnson

    Website: www.Hilarey.com
    Twenty-year-old Leah Petra Jones calls out to God for an adventure, something more than life as the dutiful daughter of a worship pastor. Only, in a church filled with secrets, adventure already waits. At first sign of risk, she reneges--but it's too late. A handsome intern pastor helps the church transition right into a scheme where she is both prize and pawn. Petra learns that the most dangerous adventure3 can happen right in your own church.

    Mists of Garibaldi by Sherry Briscoe

    Website: www.SherryBriscoe.com
    Nothing is what it seems in the small coastal town of Garibaldi, Oregon. From dragons to ghosts, curses to murder, the nine stories of the Mists of Garibaldi will trap you in their web, and haunt you from the first word to the last.

    2016 Finalists

    WINNER: Gideon's Call by Peter Leavell

    Website: www.PeterLeavell.com
    Tad, a slave boy, comes of age as the Civil War intrudes on the tropical sea islands of South Carolina. But his desire to better himself is obstructed by the color of his skin, until Northern soldiers force the evacuation of white plantation owners, setting 10,000 slaves free in a single  day. A boy grows into a man facing the horrors of war and unimaginable prejudice to become the leader and deliverer of thousands of freed slaves.

    Changing Fate by Michelle Merrill

    Website: www.authorMichelleMerrill.com
    All Kate wants is to live. Her losing battle to cystic fibrosis forces her mom and her to move closer to the hospital. Kate's determination to isolate herself is difficult when cheerful optimist Giana insists on being Kate's friend. And her resolve falters even more when curly-haired Kyler captivates her with his sweet melodies. As her emotional walls collapse, Kate realizes the people she's been pushing away may be the ones giving her a reason to live. But it might be too late.

    The Wizard's Heir by Devri Walls

    Website: www.DevriWalls.com
    Tybolt's a Deviant, a hated race immune to direct magic in a world where Wizards ensure survival. But when he loses his entire family to a spell-made storm he joins an elite group of Wizard hunters, organized beneath the new non-magic wielding king.