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Jersey City based author, Qwantu Amaru's debut novel, One Blood, has been nominated for a global ebook award in the Horror, Thriller, and Paranormal categories. The One Blood book trailer has also been nominated for best book trailer of the year. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 12, 2012 - Jersey City, NJ - 3/12/12 – LOCAL AUTHOR'S BOOK NOMINATED FOR GLOBAL EBOOK AWARD Ebooks now have double-digit market share in the United States and this new dimension of books is on an impressive growth trajectory. Readers, faced with more choices of books and authors at lower prices than ever before, however, are having difficulty distinguishing between high quality novels and the rapidly growing number of hastily written, edited, and published books now littering the digital landscape. Increasingly, readers are turning to trusted sources like author communities such as Goodreads.com and/or Amazon reviews to identify the diamonds in the rough. It should be refreshing then, for readers to learn about One Blood by Qwantu Amaru. A 4.8 star reviewed horror novel about a voodoo curse tormenting a group of people unaware of their hidden connections. Not only does Jersey City based author Qwantu Amaru's debut novel only have 4 and 5 star reviews to its name, but the Kirkus Book Review recently designated One Blood as a critics choice novel of "remarkable merit". The latest good news for book and author is the nomination of One Blood for Global eBook Awards in the Horror, Thriller, and Paranormal categories. The One Blood book trailer has also been nominated for best book trailer of the year. While 85% of books sell less than 1,000 copies in their lifetime, One Blood was downloaded nearly 2,000 times in two days alone on Amazon.com in February 2012. Clearly, readers are detecting (and rewarding) the difference between Amaru's novel, which took 12 years to write, edit, and publish and the thousands of novels with cheap covers, bad writing, and little to no editing available for as little as .99 on Amazon.com these days. Qwantu Amaru has been writing since the age of 11. An avid reader, he always aspired to write suspenseful page turners and socially significant literature like those of his writing influences Richard Wright, Anne Rice, Harper Lee, Walter Mosley, Tananarive Due and Stephen King. Qwantu draws his inspiration from his modest upbringing in small towns and cities across the US. He has been a Jersey City resident since 2009. The Global Ebook Awards honor and bring attention to the future of book publishing: Ebooks. Now in its second year, the Awards are in 72 specific categories. They are open to all publishers large and small so that a winner is the best in its category not just the best of small or regionally-published ebooks. Most ebooks are also available as printed books as well. The awards ceremony will be in gorgeous Santa Barbara on August 18, 2012. See http://GlobalEbookAwards.com One Blood is available in ebook format for $3.99 and hard copy for $15.95 on Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/xBGC62. For more information on Qwantu Amaru and One Blood visit his website www.qwantuamaru.com, follow him on twitter @onebloodbook, join his fanpage: www.facebook.com/onebloodbook, or e-mail him at qwantuamaru@gmail.com # # #

Some of you may remember me; I made several posts in Thumper's Corner last month. Historical Novel reviews has just posted a great review of my novel about Moses Grandy and slavery in my area, and I'd like to share it with you. Historical Novel Review at http://www.historicalnovelreview.com …and Remember that I Am a Man – The Life of Moses Grandy by John Bushore is a superbly SHOWN story of a strong, humble being born as a Negro, and is an adept portrayal of his life from childhood until death. According to the author’s notes at the end of the novel, this book was written with several purposes in mind…and after a great deal of research. I didn’t have to read his narrative to know the purposes because I realized them during the reading of his book. Although I’ve long known about slavery and professed no accountability for it, this was an eye-opening experience. Everyone of us is most likely a descendent of someone who owned slaves and treated human beings as property. I’ve always considered the attitude young blacks carry as the excessive baggage of their ancestry, but I have a much better understanding of the bitterness that has transcended time. Mr. Bushore made Moses Grandy my new friend, and I took his treatment and betrayals very personally. As for the research, I thoroughly admire Mr. Bushore for doing his homework and knowing his subject so well. Talk about putting a reader in the character’s shoes…I walked as a slave through every page. I dripped with sweat at the back-breaking work, swatted bugs in the Dismal Swamp, and cried when my babies were sold. The few writing issues that jumped out at my editorial eye were minimal considering the power of the story, the emotions and the reality of Mr. Bushore’s descriptions. This story is definitely a keeper…if not on a shelf, then in the back of your mind so that never again in this country will we so devalue the worth of others simply because of the color of their skin. As a postscript to my review, the timing of reading about Moses was further enhanced by watching the TV program, “Who Do You Think You Are,” where three celebrities traced their roots back to slavery and were appalled at learning their own personal family history. I so wished I could have recommended they read Mr. Bushore’s novel. I missed that opportunity, but I can certainly make that suggestion to everyone who reads this. I’m definitely going to be looking for the companion novel, Boy In Chains which is a true story of the Great Dismal Swamp. Although listed as suitable for mid-grade students through young adults, I intend to share it with my grandson to help him learn there is no place for prejudice in his life. Mr. Bushore is a three-time recipient of the James Award and two of his stories are included in a university course. He’s a multi-genre author, with dozens of stories and poems in both e-book and print. You can view his website at http:www.johnbushore.com and find his books listed for sale on htpp://monkeyjohnbookstore.homestead.com. Please treat yourself. I’m so thankful that I picked this book to review, and I thank Mr. Bushore for the opportunity to examine my own values. Reviewed by Ginger Simpson http://www.misging.blogspot.com I'm glad (and proud) that I made someone re-evaluate their opinion about race relations. JohnB