Sci-Fi Novella Pale Face Wins International Firebird Book Award

West Jordan, Uta. — Speak Up Talk Radio announced the winners of the most recent International Firebird Book Awards. Amongst the winners was Utah author W.D. Kilpack III for his science-fiction Pale Face in the Novella category.

Kilpack said, "It's amazing to have someone recognize the value of my work. Whether it's a reader or winning an award, it's so incredibly gratifying. I hope I never lose this feeling of appreciation."

Pale Face centers around Hector Whitehorse, who was born on a New Mexico reservation, but educated in the white-man’s school, making him part of two worlds, but at home in neither. It only got worse when his entrapment went from a feeling to a reality: trapped between Earth and someplace else after a close encounter nearly costs him his life.

International best-selling author Dave Wolverton said Pale Face is "pretty darned good. I like it. I love how [Hector] sees the aliens and the white men in the same light. A nice, brutal, ironic twist ... this is good stuff."

Authors and publishers from around the world submitted their work to the International Firebird Book Awards. Two judges from a select panel of 25 judges read each book in its entirety, and independently score each entry. All judges commit to a set of standardized criteria that evaluates the quality of the writing as well as production aspects. Only entries with the highest of scores are awarded the coveted Firebird.

In a prepared statement, Patricia J. Rullo, founder of the Firebird Book Awards, said, "Our judging panel grew again and includes a diverse group who represent a cross-section of ages, cultural heritage, race, religion, gender, and experience. At Speak Up Talk Radio, the mission is to offer authors a welcome place to promote themselves and their books via book awards, podcast awards, radio interviews, audiobook production, voiceover marketing tools, and podcasting services."

This is the second award Kilpack has received for Pale Face. The first was Honorable Mention from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. These are two of the 23 book awards Kilpack has received, between Pale Face and his epic-fantasy series, The New Blood Saga, which is currently four books (of a planned eight). Pale Face was also recently part of an exclusive option agreement for development for the big screen.

V.J. Garske, author of The Raven Moonstone, said, "Pale Face pulled me in immediately. I loved the descriptive writing and the original plot. Hector grew up on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, where UFO sitings are common, although not readily believed, but his experience changes his life in ways one wouldn't imagine. I enjoyed the fast pace and believable struggle as he deals with trying to make sense of his life-changing experience. Close encounters of an original kind!"

Sinister Soup podcast co-founder, Clay Vermulm, said, "Bill [Kilpack] is a wonderful man who works extremely hard on his craft. Kilpack delivers a stunning blow to the belief that Indie-Fantasy is worth any less that its salt [with] well-crafted epic[s] with unique plot mechanisms, well-developed and believable characters, and a world grounded in the visceral and the real."

Author and screenwriter Jeff Bailey said that Kilpack "is an active author of novels, TV screenwriter, producer, and partner in a movie production company. I consider him to be one of the new breed of fast rising influencers in the publishing, television, and movie industries."

Kilpack is an award-winning and critically acclaimed internationally published writer, with works appearing in print, online, radio and television. He has been editor and/or publisher of 19 news and literary publications, both online and in print. He received both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Westminster University. As an undergrad, he double-majored in communication and philosophy, while completing the Honors Program. As a graduate student, he earned a master of professional communication with a writing emphasis. He was also a high-performing athlete, qualifying for international competition in Greco-Roman wrestling. For 25 years, he was a communication professor and a nationally recognized wrestling coach. He is happily married to his high-school sweetheart and is father to five children, as well as helping to raise five step-children. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he continues to live, consult and educate. For more information go to www.Kilpack.net.

The International Firebird Book Awards welcomes author submissions from all genres; mainstream, independent, and self-published are welcome. For more information.