Women Writing the West (WWW) recently announced the 2016 WILLA Literary Award competition winners and finalists - including Pequot Lakes author Candace Simar - representing the best of 2015 published literature for women's or girls' stories set in the American West. WWW is the underwriter and annual presenter of this nationally recognized award.
Chosen by professional librarians, historians and university affiliated educators, the winning authors and their books will be honored Oct. 13-16 in Santa Fe, N.M., during the 22nd annual conference.
Simar's novel "Shelterbelts" (North Star Press, 2015) was recognized as a finalist in the historical category. Sandra Dallas received a finalist award in the same category for "The Last Midwife" (St. Martin's Press) and Cynthia Swanson's novel "The Bookseller" (HarperCollins) was awarded as the winner.
"Shelterbelts," Simar's fifth novel, is set in 1945 Otter Tail County, Minnesota, and is described as moving, hysterical and disturbing. "Shelterbelts" was also a finalist in the 2016 Midwest Book Awards.
"'Shelterbelts" is full of vivid writing and fierce characters with a passion for finding their place in the world despite the cruelties of war and the realities of living on the land. Like Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg Ohio," this book explores the secret yearnings of the heart that promise to connect us if we take the time to discover them in each other. Readers are going to fall in love with Simar's "Tolga Township!'" as reviewed by Jonis Agee, award-winning author of "The River Wife" and "The Weight of Dreams."
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Simar previously published the Spur-Award winning Abercrombie Trail Series, including "Abercrombie Trail," "Pomme de Terre," "Birdie" and "Blooming Prairie." In 2014, Five Star Cengage released the large print/hardcover versions of this series. In addition, she co-authored "Farm Girls," published by RiverPlace Press.
WWW is a nonprofit association of writers and other literature oriented professionals, writing and promoting the Women's West. Membership is open to any person worldwide who shares these interests.
