Congratulations to the Winners of the 2021 Arizona Literary Awards in NONFICTION category

FIRST PLACE NONFICTION - Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier - by Jan Cleere

When the U.S. Army ordered troops into Arizona Territory in the 19th century to protect and defend the new settlements established there, some of the military men brought their wives and families, particularly officers who might be stationed in the west for years. Most of the women were from refined, eastern-bred families with little knowledge of the territory they were entering. Their letters, diaries, and journals from their years on army posts reveal untold hardships and challenges faced by families on the frontier. These women were bold, brave, and compassionate. They were an integral part of military posts that peppered the West and played an important role in civilizing the Arizona frontier. Combining the words of these women with original research tracing their movements from camp to camp over the years they spent in the West, this collection explores the tragedies and triumphs they experienced.

Author, historian, and lecturer Jan Cleere writes extensively about the people who first settled in the desert southwest. Always on the lookout for the stories of early pioneering women, her books reflect her love of the west and her knowledge of western history.

Her monthly column, "Western Women," appears in Tucson's Arizona Daily Star newspaper, and she is a presenter for the Arizona Humanities program Arizona Speaks. The Arizona Newspapers Association honored Jan for a series of historical profiles she wrote for Phoenix Woman Magazine, and the Nevada Women's History Project names her to its Roll of Honor for her significant contribution in the preservation of Nevada women's history. Her freelance work appears innational and regional publications.

SECOND PLACE - NONFICTION - ONE HUNDRED SIXTY ACRES OF DIRT - by Marsha Arzberger

One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt tells the tales of remarkable people―farmers, cowboys, pioneer women and schoolmarms and their journey dealing with rustlers, droughts, Apaches, and straying husbands. It is the story of how they persevered and survived.

It was their dream to own their own land. The pioneer families traveled a thousand miles to claim their homesteads in Arizona Territory. It is a beautiful country, but a tough life. Those who persevered met the challenges, raised their families, and prospered. Their determination was inspiring. They were strong and they left a legacy of courage. The histories came from personal journals and scrapbooks. One Hundred Sixty Acres of Dirt is a carefully researched historical account of these stories that are filled with the emotions and passions of the people that lived them: their daily lives, joys, and tragedies.

Marsha Arzberger flies her Cessna Skylane when she travels from the ranch near Willcox, Arizona. She is a rancher, a cowgirl, a retired Arizona State Senator, a former Dean of a Junior College, and an author. She has a Bachelor's degree and a master's degree. She was an elected State Senator for four terms and Senate Minority Leader. She and her late husband flew search and rescue for Civil Air Patrol. Marsha published a historical romance novel in 1982, switched careers, and then came back to writing.

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THIRD PLACE - NONFICTION - REMOVE TO PLAY by Lia Woodall

Lia Woodall (she/her) is an award-winning essayist who experiments with form to explore her experiences of twin loss to suicide and the roles played in her family of origin. Her hybrid chapbook Remove to Play (The Cupboard Pamphlet, 2020) was the 2019 contest winner. Words published or forthcoming in Best American Experimental Writing 2020 (digital edition), under the gum tree, Literal Latté, Sonora Review, Crack the Spine, The Rumpus, and South Loop Review. She has been recognized with Pushcart Prize nominations and as notables in The Best American Essays series. She currently lives in Phoenix on territories of the O'odham Jewed, Akimen O'odham (Upper Pima) and Hohokam Peoples, where she is at work on a collection-across-genre called "Leaving Twinbrook: A Memoir of Duality."

HONORABLE MENTION - NONFICTION - MY DOG IS MY RELATIONSHIP COACH - by Maureen Scanlon

Explore the answers to relationship questions no matter what stage of the love game you are in.

My Dog Is My Relationship Coach is a guide to relationships that takes its lead from the pets in our lives and the unconditional love they offer. In our search for love, companionship, and "the one"-as well as during our maintenance of a romantic relationship-we often lose sight of our true selves and what we deeply desire in a life partner.

This book will help you to see clearly what it takes to heal yourself, enhance your marriage or romantic relationships, and realize the whole person you were meant to be while in a relationship or searching for that perfect mate. With tips, examples, and anecdotes, this guide shares the meaning, clarity, and deep connections that enhance the journey of finding or loving "our person."

Author Maureen Scanlon, certified in life coaching, NLP practitioner training, is a relationship expert and spiritual coach who is passionate about teaching and guiding us to nurture our relationships. Through her books, workshops, and YouTube videos, Scanlon has found that following our furry friends' outlook on relationships adds warm and relatable clarity and inspiration to those who are stuck on the "relationship hamster wheel."

Maureen Scanlon is the founder and CEO of Maureen Scanlon Life Coaching. She is an author, relationship expert, motivational speaker, positive change integrator, and spiritual coach who has successfully helped many people, from experienced professionals to young adults, make positive changes to overcome past experiences and negative thinking. When Maureen is not working to change the world, you can find her at home relaxing in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband, Dennis, and her furry babies, Jade and Brodie. She is also the mother of three adult children and grandmother to three grandchildren whom she adores

Congratulations to the 2021 Arizona Literary Awards winners in the "OLDIE BUT GOLDIE" category

FIRST PLACE - OLDIE BUT GOLDIE - PARIS LAMB by Marcia Fine

The suspicious death of an esteemed professor thrusts biblical archaeologist, Michael Saunders, to the forefront of a rare antiquities auction. Coupled with an academic meeting in New York, he is beckoned from a Paris vacation to authenticate the priceless artifacts known as God's Gold. The objects, a candelabrum, silver trumpets and a sacrificial table, from Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem have traveled through the hands of barbarians and Vandals, to find their way into the Vatican for safe-keeping. Released onto the open market, world powers vie for the treasures. Impulsively, Michael returns with his Paris lamb to encounter the opposition. Michael's stance that the objects are authentic sparks confrontations with other archaeologists as well as a sinister cabal of Chinese investors. In defense of his research, his anger compounds what he feels about a revealed family secret. At the auction his life changes forever. A robust, satisfying read with a captivating love story that journeys from Paris to the Ivy League, New York, Miami and beyond.

Award-winning author and speaker Marcia Fine has written eight novels, including THE BLIND EYE—A Sephardic Journey, historical fiction chosen by the state library of Arizona for ONEBOOKAZ 2015. PAPER CHILDREN—An Immigrant’s Legacy has been a finalist for three national prizes. PARIS LAMB, her sixth novel, deals with anti-Semitism in the 1950s. She has also written the only satirical series about Scottsdale. Her novel, HIDDEN ONES—A Veil of Memories released in 2017, examines Sephardic Jews in Mexico during the Inquisition. With an interest in epigenetics she examines how trauma is passed on in families. Marcia has a BA from Florida State University and a Masters from Arizona State University.

SECOND PLACE - OLDIE BUT GOLDIE - JEWISH THIGHS ON BROADWAY by Penny Orloff

Based on her hilarious solo show, Penny Orloff's novel is populated by an oddball immigrant family, on-again-off-again lovers, diets from Hell, and a Rogue's Gallery from the Showbiz underworld; and every scene has readers laughing out loud.Abigail Paine, born Miriam Rosen, has been in love with Show Business since childhood, perpetually fantasizing herself as the Little Trouper Who Finds Stardom and True Love by the end of the movie. After a hundred shows and a hundred one-night stands, love and fame still elude her, and she'd rather suck a tailpipe than face another audition.Complicating her search for the Busby Berkeley ending is her primitive alter-ego ¿ The Beast. This creature can track, kill, dismember and devour an entire cheesecake; can kick the sh-- out of smaller muggers on the sidewalks of New York; and can't say no to recreational sex with a famous director on the Third Ring of the New York State Theater while a public tour is in progress.When Abigail finds love at long last, she is faced with an agonizing choice: Showbiz or The Guy. As she laments, 'Breaking into this Business is like breaking into Fort Knox; breaking out, we're talking Alcatraz.'

Penny Orloff, LA actor/dancer and author, relocated to NYC with a Julliard scholarship. She sang 20 roles for NYC Opera and played featured roles on Broadway. Her solo show, "Jewish thighs on Broadway," toured the US for 10 years. Her new show, "Songs and Stories from a Not-Quite-Kosher Life," awaits reopening of theatres. Author of "Art as Lifework, Life as Artwork" and "Who Would You Be If You Had Nothing to Bitch About?" she also published 3 stories for Chicken Soup for the Soul, served as arts journalist for 10 years, and has read Taro cards professionally for decades.

THIRD PLACE - OLDIE BUT GOLDIE - SYMBOLS OF THE GRID by Jeri Castronova

A mysterious golden disc is found under the Coliseum. A journal surfaces purportedly written by Mary Magdalene. A lost Orb is discovered in Glastonbury under the legendary site of the church built by Jesus himself. Dr. Sydney Grace stands poised at the center of an earth-shaking mystery. One step ahead of the horrific duo--the Vatican and the Sicilian mafia--her success could validate the Mayan prophecies and bring a fateful collapse to the Vatican.

Jeri Castronova, PhD, spiritual psychologist, award-winning author, healer, artist, and world traveler, trained in traditional clinical psychology and did a mid-career leap due to life-changing experiences in Egypt, Greece, Britain, Ireland, and Italy. With 30 years' experience in the healing arts, rebirthing the Divine Feminine, past life regression, and Egyptology, her fiction and nonfiction books bring new understanding of ancient wisdom, hidden history, the Emerald Tablets, and the Atlantean Mastery Game Board. Her inspiring, original lectures and workshops are presented at local and international conferences.

HONORABLE MENTION - OLDIE BUT GOLDIE - YOU WANT MY DOG TO GET A JOB? by Lynn Marie Lusch

This book series is about seven-year-old Lindsey, her family, friends and pets. The characters are consistent throughout the books, to help the reader establish a friendship with them. These short stories, some of which are mysteries, help the reader get involved in the life of this second grader. Incidents at school or home are shown from her perspective to enable the reader to relate to her. The positive ways shown to Lindsey by parents and teachers, will be examples to young readers.

In this story, Lindsey's second grade homework assignment is the best she's ever had! The whole class gets to imagine they have any kind of pet they want, and write a story about it. The catch is, the pet must come to life and have a job. Each student must explain what the job is, what they do, and where the job is located. They write a story using their imagination in ways they never have before. Every student amazes themselves with what they've created. This is a "must read" for any child that loves to make-believe, or for encouraging the development of their imagination. A dinosaur as a pet? Why not?

Lynn Marie Lusch has been an Arizona resident since 2005, living in Chandler with her husband Tim, and their dogs. She is the mother of two daughters, faithful student of the Positive Thinking philosophy, and believer in the Law of Attraction. It wasn't until she was in her thirties that she discovered these teachings. There was one question she always asked herself when introduced to a new book on these subjects: Why wasn't I taught this as a child? Lynn's children's book series contains messages of positive thinking by facing a problem or issue from a different standpoint, on a child's level.

Finalists of the Arizona Literary Contest 2021

Published Categories

Children’s Picture Book 

Stephanie Barton – Above The Clouds: What Really Happens In Heaven During A Thunderstorm? 

Judy L. Paris – Who Will Save The Desert? 

Sande Roberts – Blake’s Big Day 

Analynn Sardella – The Little White Lie 

Fiction Books

Dianne Ebertt Beeaff – On Tràigh Lar Beach 

Vali Benson – Blood And Silver 

Bill Coates – Needles Arizona 

Robert Marek – Desert Fountainhead: A Tale About The Borderlands 

Nonfiction Books

Marsha Arzberger – One Hundred Sixty Acres Of Dirt 

Jan Cleere – Military Wives In Arizona Territory 

Maureen Scanlon – My Dog is My Relationship 

Coach Lia Woodall – Remove to Play 

Juvenile/Young Adult 

Rico Austin – Boy To Successful Man 

Vali Benson – Blood And Silver 

Lynn Marie Lusch – Sally The Stray Puppy 

William Lynam – Shorty, The Alien Dog 

Oldie But Goldie 

Jeri Castronova – Symbols Of The Grid 

Marcia Fine – Paris Lamb 

Lynn Marie Lusch – You Want My Dog To Get A Job?

Penny Orloff – Jewish Thighs On Broadway 

 

Unpublished Categories

Novel 

Cherrie Anderson-Smith – The Long Now: Aldin 

Janet Crum – Delta Dawn 

John Hansen – The Mystery Of The Unseen Hand 

Todd Herzog– Walking Across Walden 

Poetry 

Lori DiGuardi – Church Of Summer Desire 

Marty Feess – The Adventure Of 1914 

Essay 

Terri Dunn – Hike 

Terri Dunn – A Summer Gift 

Jan Nichols – Rush 

Mark Walker – Ramon And Moritz: A Partnership On The Black Coast 

Short Story 

Rico Austin – Dog 

Mark Ford – The Dual On Granite Mountain 

T.J. Michael – Christmas At Topock Hobo Jungle 

Barb Renner – Escape 

 

This year’s contest was full of quality and competitive entries. We had seventy-two entries this year. The most popular category, Oldie But Goldie, had twenty-two entries and scoring was very tight: separation between the top 8 entries didn’t differ by more than a couple points. Congrats to finalists as well as entrants in that category. 

On November 6, 2021 we will announce the award winners at our awards banquet, at the Glendale Civic Center, with a buffet dinner, and a costumed theme "These Were The Days, My Friend" Anyone can attend. $50 ticket to the buffet, payable in advance. 

To register, contact ARIZONA.AUTHORS@YAHOO.COM 

Thanks to our judges and to our contest coordinator, Jane Ruby. Jane Ruby is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and short story writer. She was the Secretary and Literary Contest Director for the past three years and will continue to serve the Arizona Authors Association as the Literary Contest Director and as the new Treasurer.