Submission Opportunity from Tuscany Press

The 2013 Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction is now accepting manuscripts in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Short Story, and Young Adult Novel.

* What is the Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction?

It is a literary prize to promote writers and great undiscovered stories of Catholic fiction.

* What is Catholic fiction?

According to the Tuscany Press website, Catholic fiction is defined as "stories infused with the presence of God and faith — subtly, symbolically or deliberately.Think of Flannery O’Connor, Graham Greene, J.R.R. Tolkien and G.K. Chesterton and many others whose writings reflected the thoughts of the great writer Gerard Manley Hopkins: 'The world is charged with the grandeur of God.' This is the 'stuff' of literature that wins the Tuscany Prize.'"

There is an entry fee, but prize amounts have increased this year.

Deadline is June 30, 2013.

For complete submission guidelines, visit the Tuscany Press site.

Day 3 of Book Week - Spotlight on Young Adult Books

Today's weather for St. Peters: Chance of flurries, high 29 degrees.

It's not always easy to get pre-teens, teenagers or young adults to read, but when an author writes a series that captures their imaginations, the book's popularity spreads by word-of-mouth. Here are a few books I've read and reviewed (and my granddaughter and her friends have also read many of them):

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli is a thoughtful and moving book about families and friendships and what’s really important in life. A wonderful book intended for ages 10 and up (but I think teenage boys especially will also enjoy it) with an important message written by an award-winning author. You can read my entire review by clicking on the link above.

The Clique, Summer Series, by Lisi Harrison - Massie is the first installment followed by: Dylan, Alicia, Kristen and Claire. The series gives insight into what the "Pretty Committee" girls are like--shallow, yes, and focused on shoes and designer clothing. But each book in the series has a message--be proud of who you are, stand up for yourself, family is important, or be true to your friends--that resonates with teenage and pre-teen girls. If you click on the link above you can read my review of the entire series on Teenreads.com.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Controversial, yes; entertaining, you betcha; overly long, yes; well written, let's just say it's a very entertaining page-turner that appeals to young adults and adults alike. (I've seen mothers reading it in the carpool line.) It's the first in the series about a "good vampire" and a teenage girl who falls in love with him, and it has been made into a movie.

Tomorrow will spotlight fiction books.