Lisa: We’re so pleased to welcome Ms. K’Anne Meinel to The Novel Approach today to chat a bit about the LesFic Bard Awards, an organization established to celebrate and recognize the best in Lesbian Literature.
Welcome, K’Anne, why don’t we begin by having you tell us a bit about yourself?
K’Anne: I’m a lesfic author, publisher, and promoter. I’ve been at this a while, I am publishing my own 94th novel next week, and I’ve published a like amount for other authors. I write mostly romance, drama, and murder now and again.
Lisa: What prompted you to organize this event, and who else has had a hand in getting the company up and running?
K’Anne: Myself and other lesbians saw and heard other events, even entered them. Many of the complaints were how ‘unfair’ the judging was. When it was suggested that they use blind judging, it was ignored. Then we heard other disturbing ‘rumors’ about the various awards, their habits, etc. from authors, promoters, even former judges. We felt the best way to ‘solve’ those complaints was to do it myself. Originally, I wanted to stay in the background and just administer it, anonymously. However, that didn’t work out and I wouldn’t have been able to use my immense following to my advantage to promote the awards. Furthermore, my lawyers recommended, and I am complying, that I would not be entering my own awards. I also do not judge any of the books. I will be coordinating the event, even doing a lot of the marketing. What surprised me, and really shouldn’t have, is the overwhelming support we have gotten from the community and those who are coming on to help promote the winners and the awards themselves.
Lisa: How are the judges selected, and how does the judging process work?
K’Anne: There is an application on file that they do have to fill out and myself and others go over it before they may or may not be accepted. Prior judges, certain professions, will always get priority. (See Attached)
Lisa: What are some of the guidelines and specifics the judges will be looking for in each book during the judging process?
K’Anne: This is just one of the many things we ask them to look for: Plot
Sequence of events should be driven by the characters and seem natural rather than artificially contrived.
The narrative should be complete, meaning there is a beginning, middle, and resolution (conflict, crisis, and resolution).
The resolution should seem believable rather than ‘neat’ or ‘happy’ or tied-up in a bow. Sometimes, endings are ‘fully’ unresolved on purpose.
The resolution should seem ‘real’ rather than ‘ideal’ or contrived by the writer.
Lisa: Will the awards be broken down by specific genres/sub-genres? If so, what categories will be included?
K’Anne: We actually have EIGHTEEN categories. When we started, we accidentally left off one, but fortunately our judges were able to take the extra one on and it hasn’t caused us any problems. Here is the list and definition of them all. Add the word Lesbian before each category and you have a good basis for the awards:
Anthology:
A published collection of poems or other writing by one or several authors.
Children/Young adults
Material written and produced for the information or entertainment of children and young adults up to age 18.
Drama
A story involving conflict or contrast of character.
Erotica
Stories intended to arouse sexual desire.
Fantasy
Any book that involves magic, witches, sorcerers, elves, dragons, or other mythical or fantastical creatures. The plot usually could not happen in what we consider the “real world,” and the story generally takes place on another planet or in an alternate universe or dimension from our own.
Fiction
Literature in the form of short stories and novels that describe imaginary events and people.
Graphic novel (BDSM)
Stories of people that practice bondage, discipline (or domination), submission (or sadism), or masochism in their sexual relationships.
Historical
Fictional stories set in the past, which will borrow characteristics from their time period and may include true events.
Memoir/Biography
Memoirs are historical accounts or biographies written from personal knowledge or using special sources. Biographies are stories written about someone else’s life.
Mystery
Mysteries are novels dealing with a puzzling crime, especially a murder, in which a detective or other professional solves a crime or series of crimes.
New author
A new author is someone that is new to lesbian literature and hasn’t published before. This would be their debut novel.
Nonfiction
Nonfiction is writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people. It can include biographies and history.
Poetry
Poetry is works in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas using distinctive style and rhythm.
Romance
In traditional literary terms, romance is a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings. The term romance has also been used for stories of mysterious adventures, not necessarily of heroes.
Science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, typically dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic science and technology, space flight, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life.
Horror
Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to, or has the capacity to, frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. Horror can feature supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, or vampires, or it can address more realistic psychological fears.
Studies
Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBT studies are the study of issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity, usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex people and cultures. For our purposes we are focusing on lesbian studies including bisexual, transgender, or intersex people and cultures.
Originally centered on LGBT history and literary theory, the field has expanded to include the academic study of issues raised in biology, sociology, anthropology, the history of science, philosophy, psychology, sexology, political science, ethics, and other fields by an examination of the identity, lives, history, and perception of queer people, or, in the case of our awards, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or intersex people.
Cover
Book covers will be judged based on the cover’s relationship to the story, it’s beauty, design, and significance.
Lisa: If an author were interested in submitting their work to you, how would they go about doing that, and what are some of the criteria you’re looking for?
K’Anne: On the website there are two ways to enter, you can fill out the form that is on there through a pdf, or you can download it and send it in. Either way, it’s unique how we have them leave OFF any mention of their name, the book title, identifying markers on the book itself so that the judges can judge the work fairly without knowing WHO the author is, the NAME of the book, or the WHO publishes it. It’s all about anonymity.
Lisa: When will the inaugural awards ceremony be, and how soon should authors have their work submitted in order to be considered?
K’Anne: We are accepting applications throughout the year for the 2018 awards year. They have until Midnight, Central Standard Time, on December 31, 2018 to enter their book(s). The awards should be announced/presented sometime by May, 2019.
Lisa: Thanks very much for stopping by to introduce yourself and the LesFic Bard Awards. It’s been a pleasure to chat with you.
Authors, you can find everything you need to know about submitting your work for consideration by visiting the LesFic Bard Awards website
The Awards
About the Author
K’Anne Meinel, pronounced Kay-Anne My-Null (in Europe) and My-Nell (in America), is an American author born and raised in Wisconsin. While she has lived in central and southern California, she always returns home to roost.
K’Anne professes to write books that she would like to read. Through her novels, novellas, and short stories, she has grown into a writer who is willing to expand her horizons. She fearlessly steps out of her comfort zone in order to allow the reader, through her words, to savor the experiences of her life.
Her first book SHIPS was written in 2003, but she re-wrote bits of it off and on for the next eight years before finally self-publishing it and being approached by a publisher. Short stories joined her ‘bill of fare’ in 2011 purely as a personal mind exercise. 2011 was also the beginning of a series of books which all include Malice in the title. This deliciously gripping series leaves the reader suspended, starving, and craving more. Today, with over ninety titles to her credit, K’Anne is truly an established author.
Several years ago, K’Anne created Shadoe Publishing to showcase her books under a publishing logo and house since many outlets will not accept independently self-published books. Shadoe Publishing removed that hurdle and also gave K’Anne the opportunity to utilize the business skills she had acquired over a twenty-five-year period while running companies for others.
Over the years, under K’Anne’s guidance, Shadoe Publishing has grown to market and showcase other new and upcoming authors. Since its inception, it has helped more than two dozen authors. K’Anne devotes her time and skills under the Shadoe Publishing brand to promoting her own and other’s works. K’Anne’s goal is not to be the biggest publisher of LGBT works, but to be the most supportive publisher and to be the most successful she can be in the unique atmosphere she has created for her authors.
In December 2017, K’Anne launched the Lesfic Bard Awards in the hopes of showcasing, marketing, and awarding deserving authors of lesbian literature.
K’Anne is the mistress of sarcasm and double entendre, with a wicked tongue-in-cheek sense of humor that many find addictive; she has a special way with words. Her descriptions paint visions in your mind and her words fuel your imagination. Named the lesbian Danielle Steel of her time, she has been featured in the Huffington Post for her detailed and gripping storylines. Befriend or ‘like’ her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter to keep up-to-date on her latest books, stories, and career. You are sure to find something you will enjoy. K’Anne also welcomes your email comments, suggestions, or advice – but don’t hold your breath waiting for her to put it into practice.
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply