Well met, my friends—both new and old! We’ve come once again to a time of fantastical celebration… a battle of wits and heroism and villainy and flame… a time for bestowing honor upon only the most worthy of fantasy characters. Yes indeed… ’tis the dawn of the SIXTH ANNUAL SILMARIL AWARDS!
If you were here in my corner of the bloggerly woods last summer, you might remember I hosted the Most Epic Heroine award. Let me tell you, my house has never seen quite that many characters all at once before. One hundred forty-eight fair maidens and sword maidens and what-have-you were nominated, so you can imagine that was one MASSIVE slumber party in my backyard. It was a grand old time, and infinitely less inflammatory than the year I hosted Most Magnificent Dragon.
But this year! Ahh, this year it shall be a different story. Gone are the noble warrioresses… In their place comes a tide of none other than…
It’s that time again, my friends! The SIXTH annual Silmaril Awards is on its way! I, for one, really can’t believe we’ve been at this for six whole years now. Like… what?! Watching these awards grow over time, meeting other fantasy readers, and discovering a thousand book recommendations has been such a delight. And as the weather turns crisper and cooler, it’s time to dive into this Lord of the Rings-inspired event once again.
So. What are the Silmaril Awards? Simply put, it’s a fun online celebration of the BEST characters that fantasy books have to offer! You can think of it as a reader-voted Oscars for fictional characters—with each category being hosted by famous LOTR characters like Gandalf, Pippin, and Saruman.
Oh yes. You’re definitely in for an epic time.
For a quick look at the rules, I offer you the official website, silmarilawards.com. As for the awards schedule…
Nominations week // September 6 – 10
Voting week // September 13 – 17
Awards ceremonies // September 20 – October 1
This year, I’ll be hosting the MOST MISCHIEVOUS IMP category. You know what this means, right? In a matter of weeks, my house will be overrun by all manner of rakes and rascals… dozens, if not hundreds, of impish characters that YOU are going to nominate and I am going to have to feed and house for the better part of a month. Somebody help me.
This is a far cry from last year, when I hosted the heroine category and basically held a gigantic slumber party with the likes of Hermione Granger and Sophie Hatter.
So while I get a head-start on locking away my valuables and imp-proofing my house, go comb through your bookshelves and get those nomination ideas ready!
In the meantime, one of my fellow hosts Jenelle Schmidt shared a whimsical introduction to all of this year’s hosts HERE… which you definitely want to read if you’ve ever debated facing off with a hundred platypus-sized dragons or one dragon-sized platypus. (Clearly one of life’s big questions.)
Apparently the last time I shared a writing update with you here on the blog was… *checks* …in January. What?! OVER HALF A YEAR AGO? You might be wondering, “Did Tracey ever finish The Brightest Thread? Is she even writing at all anymore, or did she close her laptop and take up dragon taming instead?” Well, if you’ve been around Instagram, you probably know the answer to both of those questions… but only in part. (And it might be best to leave the dragon taming to Hiccup.)
I am here to give you the full story and tell you that YES, I finished The Brightest Thread, and YES, I’m writing something new!
Helloooo, my dear questers! I tried to keep this post concise, but my goodness, books and shows and things have a way of piling up over three months!* And I’ve found some new favorites that ABSOLUTELY deserve fangirling about. Here’s a few hints: Studio Ghibli. Time travel. We’re all mad here. Legendary war. Cinderella. Do these clues have anything to do with each other? NOPE. But since I can’t very well send gingersnaps through the screen to bribe you to keep reading, I’ve got to lay some kind of trail of crumbs for ya.
*…As I stop and reread the title, I’m realizing this post is almost a month late. Yikes! Forgive me!
Onward! I promise there’s no hungry witch’s oven at the end of this trail—just nerdy discussions!
