We are happy to present
Ink & Insights 2021
Top Ten winners
in the Apprentice category.
Please visit the writers' pages and the excerpts page to find out why these novels were the best.
#1 - Glory Land
by Pamela Howell
Read an excerpt of Glory Land
See Pamela's pages: Website
Comment from a judge: “This author has strong writing talent, and if the novelist pursues the book career, I would be surprised if it was not leading to great success.”
– LP Wirth
#2 - Anastasia's Song
by Sonja Griffing
Read an excerpt of Anistasia's Song
Visit Sonja's pages: Website
Comment from a judge:
You handle sexual tension expertly. the confusion between anger and sexual attraction is masterfully managed..."
-- Victoria Reeve
#3 - Blue Is Not a Colour
by Laura McNeil
Visit Laura on Twitter: @laurajanemcneil
Comment from a judge:
#4 - Just a Little Push
by Leslie Wibberley
Visit
Comment from a judge:
Tied with:
#4 - The House of Lust and
Candor
by Kyle Belote
Visit Kyle's Amazon page.
Comment from a judge: “The author knows their audience. I appreciate the grittier nature of this world, and the fact that the author knows when to push the audience's comfort level and when to back off.”
#5 - Guardians of Grace
by Nancy Pellowski
Visit
Comment from a judge:
#6 - Mermaid: A Novel
by Jessica Cushman
Visit
Comment from a judge:
Tied with:
#6 - Tiger Cate
by B.E. Jackson
Visit
Comment from a judge:
#7 - The Art of Falling In Love
by Carrie Clark
Visit Carrie's Instagram page.
Comment from a judge: "The writing technique is masterful. There (sic) voice, in particular, is superb, especially when we're in Lulu's head. The narrative flows beautifully."
--Rachel Hoff
#8 - Aftershocks
by Claire Jenkins
Visit Claire's Twitter page.
Comment from a judge: "Excellent balance of narrative, dialog, and action or movement scenes. I was pulled in right away due to your sense of pacing and gradually increasing tension."
-Denise Stern
#9 - The Disappearing
by Debbie Richardson
Comment from a judge: "Thanks for this journey. You've created one fascinating and real journey - two, actually! Plot was immaculate, logic feels all around sound, and I understood everything happening –and there are so many moving pieces, emotionally and literally! So kudos for tying it all together. Well done, honestly. I rarely find pieces that are so holistically solid."
Tied with:
#9 - Bandit and Blue
by Trevor Jones
Visit Trevor's Amazon page.
Comment from a judge: “At times, I was left wondering if the author was one of the published greats of modern times, submitting incognito.”
-- L.P. Wirth
#10 - Girls of the USO
by Nancy Cunningham
Visit Nancy's website.
Comment from a judge:
"The emphasis on the emotional aspects of these characters lives, the feeling of a fully fleshed out setting, and the streamlined fast-moving pace stick true to the chosen genre."
--Melody Q