NEWS RELEASE
JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA
March 8, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOUISIANA AUTHOR PROJECT HONORS THE
BEST OF LOCALLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
Author Event – Virtual
METAIRIE, LA – Three winners of the Louisiana Author Project – all from the New Orleans area - will discuss their books at 6 p.m., Monday, March 22, via video conference online. Visit www.jplibrary.net/adults for more details, including how join the discussion.
Jennifer Comeaux, author of a young adult, coming of age novel titled Gold Rush, is the winner of the third annual Indie Author Project’s 2020 Regional Contest – Young Adult. She represented the state of Louisiana and she registered her entry through the Jefferson Parish Library, which she patronizes.
Gold Rush features Liza Petrov, whose entire life has been about skating and winning her sport's top prize, Olympic gold. She's stayed sheltered inside her bubble, not daring to stray from her destined path. Until she meets Braden Patrick. He makes her heart flutter with possibility, and for the first time she gets a taste of a normal teenage life. She longs to have both the boy and the gold, but stepping outside her bubble comes with a price.
Jennifer Comeaux is a tax accountant by day, writer by night. She's a diehard figure skating fan and writes stories of romance set in the world of competitive skating. One of her favorite pastimes is traveling to competitions, where she says she experiences all the glitz and drama that inspire her writing.
Yvette Canoura, a writer who lives in Metairie, was chosen as the winner of the 2019 Louisiana Author Project for her romantic suspense book, Mediterranean Sunset, in the adult fiction category.
Canoura will discuss the writing process, writing advice that she uses, self-publishing an award-winning novel – including editing, cover design, and formatting, and marketing.
Canoura is an Associated Press award winning journalist who began her career at age 16 as a newspaper writer in Puerto Rico. She studied broadcasting at Loyola University in New Orleans and hosted her talk show, Voces Hispanas, on both WSMB and WTIX radio stations.
Richard Robbins is the author of Love, Loss and Lagniappe. It is the winner of the third annual Indie Author Project’s 2020 Regional Contest - Adult. He represented the state of Louisiana and he registered his entry through the New Orleans Public Library.
The novel focuses on Dr. Drew Coleman, a successful young eye doctor living in Uptown New Orleans. Having met and married his beautiful medical school classmate, Kate, the two settle happily into the routine of raising their two young daughters. Drew’s charmed life is soon shattered by devastating news, causing him to go on a ten-year transcontinental journey of self-discovery, during which he explores the nature of God and Man, the divine inspiration for many of New York’s landmarks and artistic treasures, and the relationship between the found and the lost souls passing on the street.
Indie Author Project
Local authors who have created works of adult and young adult fiction may submit them to the Louisiana Author Project Competition. The competition honors the top independently-published eBooks in the area.
For indie-published authors, the contest is an opportunity to elevate their careers and expand their readership. Along with the accolade of the award and its perks, being recognized by librarians creates credibility and visibility in the growing marketplace of digital content and indie-published books. Winning authors will reach new readers via the library, and can also leverage being an award-winning indie author for additional marketing opportunities.
Authors can submit their work at indieauthorproject.librariesshare.com/Louisiana. The submission deadline will be announced at some point this spring.
Winners in each category receive $500 as well as:
- Inclusion in Indie Louisiana, a digital collection of local authors on BiblioBoard Library
- Honors at the spring Independent Author Project reception
- Opportunities to promote the winning title at Louisiana public libraries
- Inclusion in a full page spread in Library Journal, one of the nation’s oldest trade publications for library news • Opportunities to earn royalties through the IAP Select collection
Each book submitted to the contest must be:
- Independently-published
- In the category of adult or young adult fiction
- Written by a Louisiana resident
- Available in either PDF or ePUB format
The Louisiana Author Project gives librarians a chance to engage with a growing group of fresh literary voices, and an opportunity to play an active role in the discovery and promotion of new works.
For more information regarding this event, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.
In accordance with provisions of the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, as amended, Jefferson Parish shall not discriminate against individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs or activities. If you require auxiliary aids or devices, or other reasonable accommodation under the ADA Amendments Act, please submit your request to the ADA Coordinator at least 48 hours in advance or as soon as practical. A 72-hour advanced notice is required to request Certified ASL interpreters. ADA Coordinator/Office of Citizens with Disabilities 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Suite 403, Elmwood, LA 70123, (504) 736-6086, ADA@jeffparish.net.
The Jefferson Parish Library system consists of 16 locations that stretch from the Lakeshore Branch on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain to the Grand Isle Branch just steps away from the Gulf of Mexico. The library system consists of two large regional libraries and seven branches on each side of the Mississippi River. The East Bank Regional Library (4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie) serves as library headquarters. The Jefferson Parish Library is the second largest system in the state of Louisiana. More than 200 employees work for the Jefferson Parish Library including librarians, administration and support staff. For more information, contact the library at (504) 838-1100 or www.jefferson.lib.la.us.
For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.JeffParish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.
###
|
Jefferson Parish Public Information Office 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002 Jefferson, LA 70123 |
JPALERT – SIGN UP TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY ALERTS |
Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO |
