What a wonderful surprise to open my email this week and receive word that The Cardinal Club was chosen as a finalist for the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!

More times than I care to admit over the past year I’ve wondered, What if you released your first book, the book you’ve been wanting your whole life to write, right before a world wide pandemic shut that same world completely down. Did it really happen? And, like that infamous tree that falls in the forest when there’s no one there to hear it, would it make a sound? Well, apparently the answer was yes! This is actually the second award for my virgin memoir. Back in November, 2020, I was notified that The Cardinal Club earned a finalist nod for the IAN Book of the Year Award contest.

If I’m being honest, it’s been hard not to get discouraged over the past year. As an indie author, the marketing of my book came to a screeching halt. Months of preparations for book talks lay in a heap on my desk. Still, as the months dragged on, I began work on a new project. Now, just as the world begins to open up again, I am putting the finishing touches on my second book, Estrellas, Moments of Illumination Along the Camino de Santiago. While I am excited to share this new book with you, The Cardinal Club will always be my first born, the story of family and struggle, of conversations never had and making amends with what would never be.

In appreciation of this newest award, I’m giving away 2 copies of The Cardinal Club. To win, follow me on Instagram @mamasuzanna and comment and tag a friend who you think would enjoy reading this #awardwinning heart-filled story. I’ll mail a book out to each lucky follower and friend.