A while back I had reported that Closer Than You Know was named a finalist in the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards. This morning, I found out that I won!
That’s right, Closer Than You Know won the award in the women’s fiction, romance category!
I have to admit that I am absolutely in shock. I love this book. I wanted to write about a world I know by focusing on Charlie’s story as a professor at a small university and how things are thrown into disarray when a murderer sets his sights on her. And of course, there’s the romance between Brian, the detective investigating her case.
Writing this book meant a lot to me, but I had no idea that it would get this sort of recognition. I feel like I’m an okay writer, but I have worked hard to get here. I’ve taken classes, written several unpublished things, and let others critique my work so that I could lean and grow. And it’s paid off. WHICH IS CRAZY!
I’m hopeful that this award will play well into the query process and that I’ll be able to get both an agent and a publisher and that you all will get a chance to read it soon enough. My hope is that you’ll come to love Charlie and Brian just as much as I do.
Mindy Kinnaman 