Austin Liti Limits Episode 13 with Kate Winkler Dawson is now available. Watch fellow writer Larry Brill interview Kate at BookPeople. Watch now over at the Austin Liti Limits website. Or watch right here:
Kate Winkler Dawson at Austin Liti Limits from Larry Brill on Vimeo.
Austin Liti Limits Episode 12 with Owen Egerton is now available. Watch fellow writer Larry Brill interview Owen at BookPeople. Owen's idea of happiness? A healthy level of discontent. LOL! Watch now over at the Austin Liti Limits website. Or watch right here:
In Episode 12, Owen Egerton sits down with writer Larry Brill for an interview.
Accepting my award for Adult Fiction at the award reception for the 2019 Texas Author Project, I spoke about my winning novel To Squeeze a Prairie Dog, about being an indie author, and the importance of local libraries. Filmed at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission on Feb 6, 2020. Video by James Grayson at Grace On Productions, LLC.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udyomqwySPw
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/390316999
Good Afternoon!
I would like to thank the Indie Author Project, Library Journal, and the librarians across Texas who chose my novel, To Squeeze a Prairie Dog, as the winner of this award. I would also like to thank the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for hosting this wonderful event.
Even though I am considered an indie author, it takes a team of professionals to help me publish quality books. I would like to thank the fine folks who helped me mold and polish To Squeeze a Prairie Dog into an award-winning novel. They are: Brandon Wood and Lori Hoadley for editing. Andrew Leeper for the cover design. And David Aretha at Yellow Bird Editors for proofreading. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to my novel.
I was initially interested in the Indie Author Project because of their commitment to connect libraries, their hardworking librarians, and their readers to the local writers in their communities, something that I immediately recognized had parallels with the Buy Local Movement. Many of you may be the beneficiaries of the Buy Local Movement, having fallen in love with your local farmers’ markets, independent bookstores, or artisan shows. If you’ve supported local businesses like Alamo Drafthouse or BookPeople or Waterloo Records, then you are part of this movement. With the Indie Author Project and community libraries, what they are telling readers, in essence, is to Read Local. There are hundreds, if not more, excellent indie writers in the State of Texas who are publishing novels, memoirs, history books, and more, that are of equal quality to what is being published by the Big 5 publishers in New York City. If you subscribe to the notion that quality books are only published by these Big 5 publishers, then you might as well say that quality food only comes from big corporations. If you have purchased excellent produce at a farmers’ market or eaten a delicious meal at a local cafe or sipped an exceptional craft beer brewed in your neck of Texas, then you know—without a doubt—that big corporations are not the only place to buy these types of products. Books of the highest quality are being published all across Texas by indie authors like me and Michelle Rene. The Indie Author Project, Library Journal, and libraries across Texas are leading the way in the discovery of these great writers through curated collections. That way, the patrons of libraries know that they are checking out books of high quality. Pretty amazing, if you ask me.
I am very pleased that my novel won this award. I am honored to represent the indie author, fiction writing community of this state which has a great tradition of storytelling. My novel, at its core, is about the friendship between a diverse cast of characters and the camaraderie they share while working in the trenches of state government. What is more appropriate to represent Texas, whose state motto just happens to be “Friendship,” than a novel about the friendship between a country bumpkin, an African-American matriarch, a middle-aged single mother, a manager with a propensity for mischief, and a gigantic young man of Mexican and Japanese descent? Their friendship is the glue that holds my novel together. I also wanted my novel to have a positive ending, and I’m pleased to see it resonate with so many people, which has sent that positivity back to me.
If you would indulge me just a little longer, I would like to talk about the two important women who inspired me to write this novel. I dedicated To Squeeze a Prairie Dog to these two amazing women.
First, there is Margaret Downs-Gamble. She was my English professor during my freshman and sophomore years at the University of Texas, right here in Austin. Before college, I was not enamored with literature. The only pages I burned through were either Marvel comic books or newspaper comic strips. But once I attended Margaret’s classes at U. T., I discovered that I loved great literature and, as it turned out, was quite good at analyzing it. To my parents’ utter surprise, I declared English as my major and never looked back. If someone ever wanted to retrace the steps I took as a writer that got me here today—standing behind a podium and accepting a book award—then those steps would lead back in time to Margaret Downs-Gamble’s classroom at U. T. That’s where my writing career began. And if any of you have had a teacher in your life that inspired you, then you will understand why I dedicated this novel to my teacher: Margaret Downs-Gamble.
Second, many of you may or may not know that most writers have an initial audience of one, that single person that they are hoping to impress with their new story. My audience of one for To Squeeze a Prairie Dog was my wife, Lori Hoadley. She was the one I wanted to impress, to make laugh, and to maybe even make cry a little. When I was first working on this novel, I gave her some vague tidbits about the story. I mentioned some of the characters and what their motivations were. But for the most part, I kept the story close to me. I wanted Lori to enjoy the story without preconceptions. I wanted her to discover the lives of J. D. Wiswall, Rita Jackson, Deborah Martinez, Brent Baker, and Conchino Gonzalez with fresh eyes. When she began reading my book, I was “chomping at the bit” as they say. I wanted her to love my story and love my cast of characters. So, when she finally came to me—a little teary-eyed, a little forlorn—because of what I did to one of my characters late in the story, I knew I achieved my goal of creating a story and cast that my wife loved, that she connected with, and that she cared about. And if Lori felt this way about my cast of misfits at the fictional state agency of the Texas Department of Unemployment and Benefits, then I knew that other readers would feel the same way. Thank you, Lori, for supporting me and being my editor and number one fan.
And thank you Indie Author Project, Library Journal, and the librarians of Texas for choosing my novel as the 2019 Texas Author Project winner for Adult Fiction. I’d like to end my time up here by sharing a statistic that was released recently by a December 2019 Gallup poll. According to the Americans' Reports of Leisure and Activities, “Going to a library” was the top leisure activity for Americans, outpacing “Going to a movie at a movie theater” by almost 2 to 1. Americans go to their library 10.5 times a year, which I find amazing. But we can do better. Let’s try to make it 12 times a year or more. So, be good to each other, read more books, and support your local library.
Thank you!
For Immediate Release
I'm pleased to announce that my book, To Squeeze a Prairie Dog: An American Novel, was selected as the Winner for Adult Fiction of the Texas Author Project in collaboration with Library Journal, IngramSpark, and Biblioboard. I am honored that my book is the Texas Winner for the Indie Author Project, a publishing community that includes public libraries, authors, curators, and readers working together to connect library patrons with great indie-published books.
A reception honoring all of this year's winners will be at the 2020 Public Library Association Conference in Nashville on Thursday, February 27th. The Library Journal Best of Books issue will feature a full-page promotional spread of all of this year's winners.
The official announcement from the Indie Author Project: https://indieauthorproject.com/iap-2019-contest-winners/
To Squeeze a Prairie Dog is a comic sendup of state government - an entertaining slice-of-life story that's humorous yet uplifting at the same time - about five under-appreciated bureaucrats who forge a bond of love and respect. It’s is an American, modern-day tale with working-class folks—part fable, part satire, and part comedy—revealing that camaraderie amongst kind-hearted friends wins the day over evil intentions. It is available in paperback, hardcover, eBook, and audiobook. Read more about To Squeeze a Prairie Dog here: https://scottsemegran.com/books/to-squeeze-a-prairie-dog.html
Library Journal is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice. It also reviews library-related materials and equipment. Each year since 2008, the Journal has assessed public libraries and awarded stars in their Star Libraries program. Its "Library Journal Book Review" does pre-publication reviews of several hundred popular and academic books each month. Library Journal has the highest circulation of any librarianship journal—approximately 100,000.
Biblioboard is an eBook lending platform for libraries created by BiblioLabs. Compared to Netflix by USA Today, the platform gives users instant access to library eBooks via web and mobile channels, enabling libraries to compete in an increasingly digital world. BiblioLabs, LLC is a hybrid software-media company focused on helping libraries stay relevant in the digital age by providing the best patron experience at a sustainable cost to the library. They provide community engagement tools for libraries to help them connect with their local creative community.
Scott Semegran is an award-winning writer of humorous fiction with a dose of heart. BlueInk Review described him best as “a gifted writer, with a wry sense of humor.” His latest book is a comic sendup of state government—an entertaining slice-of-life story that’s humorous yet uplifting at the same time—titled To Squeeze a Prairie Dog: An American Novel, which was the 2019 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Winner: Silver Medal for Fiction - Humor/Comedy and the 2019 Texas Author Project Winner for Adult Fiction. His previous novel, Sammie & Budgie, was the first place winner for Fiction in the 2018 Texas Authors Book Awards. His book BOYS was the 2018 IndieReader Discovery Awards winner for Short Stories. His other books include The Meteoric Rise of Simon Burchwood, The Spectacular Simon Burchwood, Modicum, and Mr. Grieves. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, four kids, two cats, and a dog. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in English.
Scott Semegran is one of the hosts of the web series Austin Liti Limits along with fellow award-winning writer Larry Brill.
Title: To Squeeze a Prairie Dog
Subtitle: An American Novel
Author: Scott Semegran
Publication Date: February 1, 2019
Publisher: Mutt Press
Category: Humorous Literary Fiction
ISBN: 978-0999717387
Paperback: 330 pages, 6" x 9" Black & White Interior on Cream Paper, Full-color Matte Cover, $15.99
Hardcover: $37.99
ISBN: 978-0359261024
Audiobook: $9.50
ISBN: 978-0999717394
Narrated by: Scott Semegran
eBook: $3.99
ISBN: 978-0578409924
Word Count: 84,100
Top Texas Indie Authors to be Honored at Texas State Library and Archives Commission - Indie Author Project
Top Texas Indie Authors to be Honored at Texas State Library and Archives Commission - Texas State Library and Archives Commission