reviews_and_ramblings | Rainbow Awards: And the award goes to...

It was a VERY LONG path to this day, sometime good (most of the time), sometime bad (not so much to ruin this experience). First of all a big thank to all the judges who helped me to arrive to this result:

Alan Chin, Aleksandr Voinov, Amie Love, Amos Lassen, Anna, Antonella, April, Arch, Benjamin, Bethann Korsmit, Bobby D. Whitney, Bobby Michaels, Brandi, Ciaran Llachlan Leavitt, Carey Parrish, Carol, Caroline, Cassandra Gold, Christopher, Craig Burke, Dakota Flint, Deanne, Debbie, Erotic Horizon, Eve, Eve Birch, Hayley, Heidi, Jane, Jay Hartman, Jem, Jenre, Jessica, Jessica Goeller, Joan Timberlake, Josh Aterovis, Josh Lanyon, Julie, Kayez, Kirsten, Kris, Lee Rowan, Lia, Lily, Lyne, Minami, Naijeria, Nem, Nicky, Pamela, Perpetua, Rbm00, Rose, Rosemary, Rosie, Ryan Field, Sandra, Shanghi, Sloan Parker, T.C. Blue, Tammy, Victor J. Banis, X.

And as always a big thank you to the Publishers which allow me and the judges to have all the books for the reading phase: Amber Quill Press, Aspen Mountain Press, Dancing Fools Press, Dreamspinner Press, Lethe Press, Loose Id, MLR Press, Noble Romance Publishing, P.D. Publishing, Phaze Books, Pink Petal Books, Prizm Books, QueerEdFiction, Samhain Publishing, Synergy Press, The Sofawolf Press, Torquere Books, Total-e-Bound, Zeitgeist Press, Zumaya Publications.

And now what all you are waiting, the winner of the 2009 Rainbow Awards. And the awards go to:

Best Overall Gay Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/887512.html
1-tie) Out of Position by Kyell Gold, The Sofawolf Press
1-tie) Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen, Lethe Press
2-tie) A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day, Lethe Press
2-tie) Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna, Dreamspinner Press
2-tie) L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown, MLR Press
3-tie) Aaron's Wait by Dorien Grey, Zumaya Publications
3-tie) Brushback by Jamie Scofield, Dancing Fools Press
3-tie) Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell, Samhain Publish

Best Overall Lesbian Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/887085.html
1) Barking at the Moon by Nene Adams, P.D. Publishing
2) Queer Wolf edited by James EM Rasmussen, QueerEdFiction
3) Blood and Mint Chocolates by Adrianne Brennan, Freya's Bower

Best Overall Bisexual / Transgender Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/886824.html
1) Holy Communion by Mykola Dementiuk, Synergy Press
2) Two Spirits by Walter L. Williams & Toby Johnson, Lethe Press
3) Complications by Cat Grant, Lyrical Press

Best Writing Style: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/886533.html
1) A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day, Lethe Press
2) Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen, Lethe Press
3) Angels of the Deep by Kirby Crow, MLR Press

Best Characters: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/886480.html
1) A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day, Lethe Press
2) Faith & Fidelity by Tere Michaels, Loose Id
3-tie) Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna, Dreamspinner Press
3-tie) L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown, MLR Press
3-tie) Out of Position by Kyell Gold, The Sofawolf Press
3-tie) Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen, Lethe Press

Best Setting: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/886127.html
1) False Colors by Alex Beecroft, Running Press
2) A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day, Lethe Press
3) Out of Position by Kyell Gold, The Sofawolf Press

Best Non Fiction Book: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/885934.html
1) The First Risk by Charles Jensen, Lethe Press
2) A Report from Winter by Wayne Courtois, Lethe Press
3) The Underwater Hospital by Jan Steckel, Zeitgeist Press

Best Paranormal / Horror Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/885752.html
1) Conflict in Blood by Ariel Tachna, Dreamspinner Press
2) The Rest of Our Lives by Dan Stone, Lethe Press
3) Immortality is the Suck by A.M. Riley, Loose Id

Best Mystery / Thriller Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/885484.html
1) L.A. Heat by P.A. Brown, MLR Press
2-tie) Aaron's Wait by Dorien Grey, Zumaya Publications
2-tie) Brushback by Jamie Scofield, Dancing Fools Press
3) The Bones of Summer by Anne Brooke, Dreamspinner Press

Best Historical Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/885163.html
1) Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen, Lethe Press
2) False Colors by Alex Beecroft, Running Press
3) Bee Among The Clover by Fae Sutherland & Marguerite Labbe, Dreamspinner Press

Best Futuristic Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/884788.html
1) A Strong and Sudden Thaw by R.W. Day, Lethe Press
2) My Fair Captain by J.L. Langley, Samhain Publishing
3) Hell Cop by Astrid Amara, Nicole Kimberling & Ginn Hale, Loose Id

Best Fantasy Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/884533.html
1) Out of Position by Kyell Gold, The Sofawolf Press
2) The Pauper’s Prize by Mark Alders, eXtasy Books
3) Northern Love by Nica Berry, Loose Id

Best Contemporary Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/884434.html
1) Collision Course by K.A. Mitchell, Samhain Publishing
2) A Note in the Margin by Isabelle Rowan, Dreamspinner Press
3) That´s what brothers do by Derekica Snake, Lulu Press

Best Coming of Age / Young Adult Novel: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/883980.html
1) Josef Jaeger by Jere' M. Fishback, Prizm Books
2) Holy Communion by Mykola Dementiuk, Synergy Press
3) The Way You Say My Name by Sara Bell, P.D. Publishing

Best Overall Cover: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/883914.html
1) Hemovore by Jordan Castillo Price - Cover Art by Kanaxa
2) Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux - Cover Art by Anne Cain
3) Flight by Nicki Bennett - Cover Art by Dan Skinner

ETA: the Best Characters, Best Setting and Best Writing Style awards were given computing the votes of those judges who decided to split the overall rating (from 1 to 30) in three different parameters. Not all the judges could or were able to do that, so that's maybe the reason you can't compare those categories with the others, they are not simple the splitting of the same ratings. And this is also the reason why those awards are also well deserved, they were given by judges who were very "hard" on their rates.