Two Special Announcements
Will you indulge me?
I’m interrupting my regular thoughts on creativity, the state of our nation and world, and pics of my pets to bring you two special announcements!
“Here’s How You Do It”
Last week, Denver’s Westword published its annual “Best of Denver” edition. Each year, Westword—an indie newspaper that focuses on news and culture—puts together an extensive list of their recommendations in numerous categories.
I was thrilled to learn that Westword named Anyone But Her as “Best Nationally Published Novel” in this year’s list!
About the novel, Westword said, “If you’re going to write a novel that uses Denver as its setting, here’s how you do it…Not only is it a treat to turn these pages on the merits of their own suspenseful mystery, it’s also a blast to feel the atmosphere of old Denver drift out of each scene. Swanson’s work is loved on a national level, so it’s great to see her give a nod to her hometown’s rich, weird vibe.”
I love being recognized by Westword, a publication that I adore. Oh, and fun fact…Westword comes up in Anyone But Her when Suzanne, the main character, opens her women-centered arts consignment shop on East Colfax in the same space where 25 years earlier, her mother, Alex, ran an indie record store (and where Alex, not incidentally, was murdered). In the novel, Westword interviews Suzanne about her shop’s grand opening—a scenario that I like to think could have happened.
Thanks, Westword, both for the nod and for indulging me in including Westword in Anyone But Her.
Nice, But What’s the Other Thing?
The good news for Anyone But Her continued last week, when I learned that the novel is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in the Thriller category!
The selection committee calls Anyone But Her “a psychological, edge-of-your-seat thriller set in Denver with twist you won’t see coming!”
Anyone But Her is in amazing company in the Thriller category, with fellow finalists The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson and If You Lie by Caleb Stephens.
The awards ceremony takes place July 26th—stay tuned!
Great, But What Does This Mean?
Here’s the thing. When I decided to indie publish Anyone But Her, I gave myself a single caveat: I would only publish the book if I believed its quality, in both content and presentation, was as good as my Big 5-pubbed novels.
As I’ve mentioned here previously, indie publishing is not for the faint of heart. I worked harder to get Anyone But Her into the world than I ever had to work on my trad-pubbed books.
But both the Westword nod and the Colorado Book Award kudos show me that it’s possible to independently publish a book with the same high quality as any traditionally published book.
And Here’s Where You Come In
Readers and friends, I can’t thank you enough for your encouragement and support over the years.
And now I’m asking for another favor. Most of you know I’m on hiatus from Meta apps, due to the political alignment of that company’s owner. This is incredibly frustrating, since Meta is where I’ve built my strongest connections. I’m sharing here on Substack, on Bluesky, and on LinkedIn—and slowly, engagement is building. But it’s not the same as what I had on Facebook and Instagram.
That’s where you come in. Whatever social media you’re using these days, please share my good news about both Westword and the Colorado Book Award. Please feel free to grab copies of the graphics above, and share widely! I truly appreciate it.
Okay, That’s It
Thanks for indulging me! Time to return to your regularly scheduled creativity, reading, and hopefully giving yourself lots of breaks from the news.
(My favorite break-but-still-online? The hashtag #birds on Bluesky. Nothing but pretty pictures of birds. Do yourself a favor and check it out.)
A quick PS: As a reminder, I’m presenting “Indie Publishing After Being Traditionally Published” for Mystery Writers of America, Rocky Mountain chapter, on Thursday, April 10. This event is open to the public. More info is here.
Congratulations, Cynthia. So well deserved!
Congratulations on these honors!