The Art of Worship — Diary of a Fic Fiend - The Official Blog of Author Kilby Blades

"The Art of Worship" Just Won 1st Place in the Erotic Short Category of the 2018 International Digital Awards!

I’m honestly not sure what they put in the water in Oklahoma. All I know is that OKRWA loves them some Kilby Blades. This week I was notified that the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America have named “The Art of Worship” 1st Place Winner in its Erotic Short Story category in its International Digital Awards!

Unlike OKRWA’s National Reader’s Choice Awards, the focus of the IDAs is novels or short works that are available ONLY in digital or print-on-demand format. My unconfirmed suspicion is that this award is intended to level the playing field for indie authors.

Awards and AccoladesKilby BladesNovember 23, 2018The Art of WorshipComment

Four Books. Four Awards. And an Amazing time in Denver at RWA 2018!

It's hard to even know how to begin this article. My experience at RWA this year is a lot different from my first year in Orlando in 2017. Not knowing anything about anything that first year, I blindly followed the advice of my book bestie, L.G. O'Connor. I signed up too late to have secured appointments with agents and editors, and, either way, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go traditional. But I was sick of sitting at home in my bathrobe, writing and swilling coffee. It seemed a good opportunity to get out of the house. So I went. I attended workshops. I had, literally, no place to be. I met other authors. I visited the overwhelming swag room. And I watched nominees walk across the stage to accept RITA Awards.

Praised as "Feminist Fiction" by IndieReader, "The Art of Worship" Won its 2018 Discovery Award

We talk a lot, in romance, about empowering our heroines. So much of what I read still misses the mark. Typical romances still make heroes better at nearly everything, compared to heroines. Heroes tend to have more prestigious jobs, are more likely to be self-made if they're wealthy, tend to have more grit, wit, foresight and problem-solving skills. They're more comfortable sexually and are generally in better harmony with their bodies. This is ludicrous. Men are insecure (duh). Men have body image issues. Men worry about sexual performance. They have money problems and, contrary to what the romance genre would have you believe, they're not all rich.

Awards and AccoladesKilby BladesJune 2, 2018The Art of Worship, Feminist FictionComment

"The Art of Worship" is a Finalist in the Passionate Plume Contest!

I never talk about my novel, The Art of Worship, without admitting that it's super weird. Most romance stories are boy meets girl (or girl meets girl or boy meets werewolf--you know what I mean). It's full of really fuzzy love and really funny sex, but it's just not a typical romance. Trust me when I tell you that I do not look back at all of my books as volumes that I can read again and again. But I can read The Art of Worship 100,000 times and never get tired of it.

With that said, it's a bit of a love-hate kind of read. Reviewers love, love, love it, but its plot is so weird that, in contests, it's done just okay. I am thrilled to announce that

Awards and AccoladesKilby BladesMay 31, 2018The Art of WorshipComment

"The Art of Worship" is a Holt Medallion Finalist for Best Novella; "Snapdragon" is a Finalist for Best Erotic Romance and Best First Book!

In the dumbest of all first world problems, I was starting to get worried. I've received more amazing accolades for Snapdragon than I ever could have hoped. But Snapdragon wasn't the only book I released this past year--it was one of three, and one of two that I've put my hat in for contests. Up until now, The Art of Worship (which I actually think is a better book) hasn't gotten any love. I am thrilled to announce that at least a few people had the courage to upvote my novella The Art o Worship. It's got a plot that I've never seen anywhere in the romance world before…

Awards and AccoladesKilby BladesMay 6, 2018Snapdragon, The Art of WorshipComment

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