2009 NEW ENGLAND BOOK FESTIVAL NAMES WINNERS

BOSTON (December 25, 2009) _ The 2009 New England Book Festival has named “Deathreats: The Life and Times of a Comic Book Rock Star/Drew Hayes” as the winner of its annual competition honoring the best books of the holiday season.

The book, published by Sirius Entertainment and edited by Mark C. Bellis, is a collection of essays taken from the work of Hayes, the late creator of “Poison Elves,” an underground comics sensation. In that tradition, the book is a combination of prefaces culled from the comics and other notes, but holds together as an outsider’s manifesto on publishing’s many travails and the creative life in general.

The deeply personal writing, stunning in its brutal honesty, serves as a fitting tribute to an under-recognized artist and all publishers who struggle to make their voices heard.

The competition’s runner-up and winner of the best book design is also a noteworthy outsider work. Author Ghlee Woodworth has been conducting cemetery tours in Newburyport, Massachusetts since 2006, taking over from her father. The research she invested to conduct the tours was turned into a book, "Tiptoe Through The Tombstones," that chronicles the lives of the deceased Oak Hill Cemetery residents, a look back that illuminates some of the lesser-known facts of daily living in the 19th century.

All of the competition submissions will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held at the Omni Hotel in Boston on January 16, 2010.

Others winners in the competition:

 

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

WINNER: Deathreats: The Life and Times of a Comic Book Rock Star – Edited by Mark C. Bellis  

RUNNER-UP: Tiptoe Through the Tombstones – Ghlee Woodworth

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
 
  • True Compass – Edward M. Kennedy
  • Antiques Roadshow Behind the Scenes – Marsha Bemko
  • Paul Newman: His Secret Life Exposed – Darwin Porter
  • Recarving Rushmore – Ivan Eland
  • Seahawk: Confessions of an Old Hockey Goalie – Bruce Valley
  • Beyond the Cold – Michael Kleiner
  • The Girl in the Italian Bakery – Kenneth Tingle
  • Courage to Heal – Paul Bernstein, MD


    • COMPILATIONS/ANTHOLOGIES:

    WINNER: A Box of Texas Chocolates – Various Authors

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:
     

  • Smoking: 201 Reasons to Quit – Muriel L. Crawford
  • Recompense: Streams, Summits and Reflections – Brian Irwin
  • Poems of Romance – William Roetzheim



    • NON-FICTION:

    WINNER: Empire of Liberty – Gordon S. Wood

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:
     
  • In The Name of God and Country – Michael Fellman
  • 1688 – Steve Pincus
  • Brain Drain – Charles F. Glassman, M.D.
  • Bourgeois Frontier – Jay Gitlin
  • The Patriots of Foxboro – Jay Carp
  • The Ice Cream Theory – Steff Deschenes
  • The Difference Between a Boy and a Man – Amy Modica Myers
  • The Hanging of Thomas Jeremiah – J. William Harris
  • Earth Heroes: Champions of the Oceans – Fran Hodgkins/Cris Arbo


    SPIRITUAL:

    WINNER: The Passion of Maryam – Loren Woodson

    RUNNER-UP: Whispers – Shirley Pieters Vogel

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:
     
  • The Parable of the Coal – Matthew H. Swan
  • Who Stole My Soul? - Vishwa Prakash
  • Yoga American Style – Prem Prakash
  • Strays – Jeanne Webster
  • Choosing Honor – Mary T. Ficalora


    HOW-TO:

    WINNER: Critical Conditions – Martine Ehrenclou

    RUNNER-UP: How To Mediate Like A Pro – Mary Greenwood

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:
     
  • The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing – Linda F. Radke
  • The Tao of Show Business – Dallas Travers
  • Inside The Minds of Car Dealers – Ray Lopez
  • Forever Home – Maura Furie
  • Who’s Sitting On Your Nest Egg? – Robin S. Davis
  • Not Intuitively Obvious – J. A. Rodriguez Jr.


    POETRY:

    WINNER: Rooms and Their Airs – Jody Gladding

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • Voyeur – Rich Murphy


    GENERAL FICTION:

    WINNER: The Lace Reader – Brunonia Barry

    RUNNER-UP: Dog On It – Spencer Quinn

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • Stardust – Joseph Kanon
  • Best Friends Forever – Jennifer Weiner
  • The King’s Grace – Anne Easter Smith
  • The Spirit of Antoinette – Michael Ramseur
  • The Waterman – Norris van den Berg
  • Handle With Care – Jodi Picoult
  • Once The Shore – Paul Yoon
  • Follow Me, David – Jonathan Russell
  • From Where The Rivers Come – Terin Tashi Miller
  • Shelter Me – Juliette Fay
  • Vargulf – Tim Garrity


    WILD CARD:

    WINNER: Satan’s Scourge – Lewis Putnam Turco

    RUNNER-UP: What Is Love? - James Robinson

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • How Big Is Your But? – James Robinson
  • What Color is Your Brain? – Sheila N. Glazov
  • Dear Sparkle: Advice From One Cat To Another (No Humans!) – Janiss Garza
  • Reign of Terror – J. Elizabeth Kraft
  • An Unfinished House – K. Patrick Malone


    CHILDREN’S:

    WINNER: Favor Johnson – Willem Lange/Bert Dodson

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • The Sad Mad Glad Book – Chuck Stump/Jim Strawn
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas – Gennady Spirin
  • Doggie Dreams – Maria Hoeffner/Stan Jaskiel
  • The Legend of Barknight – The McConnell Family
  • Curio A Shetland Sheepdog Meets The Cat – Jeanette A. Griver/Phyllis L. Milway
  • Bramble Bee – Joy Whitman/Stacy Evans
  • Baron Thinks Dogs Are People Too! – Laurie Dean/Kevin Collier
  • Herman the Jester and the ABC’s of Art – Rafael Filion


    PHOTOGRAPHY/ART:

    WINNER: Gattorno: A Cuban Painter for the World – Sean Poole

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • The Art of Everyday Joe – Michael Corbin


    GENRE-BASED

    WINNER: Pariah – Dave Zeltserman


    COOKBOOKS:

    WINNER: Fresh & Honest – Peter Davis/Alexandra Hall/Heath Robbins

    RUNNER-UP: Princess Tea – Janeen A. Sarlin/Noelle Shipley/Sheri Giblin

    HONORABLE MENTIONS:
     
  • 250 True Italian Pasta Dishes – John Coletta/Nancy Ross Ryan
  • Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures – Peter G. Rose
  • Classic Lebanese Cuisine – Chef Kamal Al-Faqih
  • Shortcuts to Gourmet Cooking and Family Favorites – Frances Schaffer
  • 400 Sensational Cookies – Linda J. Amendt


    SCIENCE FICTION:

    WINNER: The Adam Eradication – Richard R. Draude


    TEENAGE/YOUNG ADULT:

    WINNER: Tyler & His Solve-A-Matic Machine – Jennifer Bouani


    AUDIO/SPOKEN WORD:

    WINNER: The Giant Book of Poetry – William Roetzheim

    HONORABLE MENTION:
     
  • The Wheel of Nuldoid – Russ Woody


    UNPUBLISHED:

    WINNER: Hard Truths – Thomas Rice
     

     

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