16th Annual Writer’s Digest International SELF-PUBLISHED Book Award Results

16th Annual Writer’s Digest
International SELF-PUBLISHED Book Award Results

Rita Dear received a Certificate of Participation
for Eutopian Destiny in the Mainstream/Literary Fiction category.

The Judge’s Rating - on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest were:Plot – 4
Grammar – 5
Character Development – 5
Cover Design – 4

The following are excerpts of the Judge’s commentary on Preacher Man:

Question to the Judge: “What did you like best about this book?”
Judge’s Response: “Congratulations on a lovely book. I most enjoyed your characterization skills. Joe is a wonderful hero, strong, caring, inventive, touched by spirit. You give him a large cast of characters with which to interact, and he manages the relationships with all of them with love and intelligence. I would love to read more about this character, but then I wonder how you could actually pull that off because of his development in this book? That is beside the point of course. Not a criticism. It merely shows my involvement with the character that I want to know what he does next.”
Question to the Judge: “How can the author improve this book?”
Judge’s Response: “If such a thing is possible, I felt you had too much plot, too many complications. I devoured the first half of the book, enjoyed it immensely. Your writing flows smoothly and draws the reader into the story.”¹..... “I see you have many more books either planned or completed. I also commend you for your goal of creating books that are compelling without being nasty. Congratulations on this first in the series. It’s a good start.”

¹ Author’s note: The Judge suggested a simpler plot and provided some examples. Since I could only submit one book, the Judge had no way of knowing that those multiple ‘complications’ resurface at various points in the rest of the series.

Midwest Book Review

This review originally appeared at Midwest Book Review

Preacher Man
Rita Dear
Eutopian Press
PO Box 116424, Carrollton, TX 75011
$20.00 www.amazon.com www.eutopiandestiny.com

Katherine Boyer
Reviewer

I bought this book when I met the author at the North Texas Book Festival in Denton, Texas. Rita is a retired accountant and avid fiction reader. When she found the current novels too graphic for her tastes, she challenged herself to write an exciting story without the graphic details. In my opinion, she succeeded. The little bad language there is in her books is not gratuitous and sex is held private between husband and wife.

Joe walked into Jack's office whistling the wedding march. Jack's unit had spent a year in El Paso helping the INS Border Patrol combat a significant surge in illegal activity. The traffic had slowed down to a normal level and management was sending the borrowed units back to their home offices.

"Better get your best suit pressed, Jack," he said. "You've got a bride to give away back in Boston."

He froze when he saw the somber look on Jack's face.
"We're not going back yet," Jack said. "You've been selected for a special undercover assignment."

"What assignment?" Joe asked.

"A highly organized group is smuggling young women into the country and selling them as sex slaves," Jack said.

So starts Rita Dear's Preacher Man, the first in the series that follows an undercover INS agent and his team as they investigate a sex slave smuggling ring in a small town in New Mexico. Each book leads to another investigative adventure in which the team uses stealth and cunning to bring it to a conclusion.

I recommend this series for some very thrilling reading. The detailed and intricate plot lines have excitement, suspense, romance and more; so much so that it makes you want to have the next book ready as soon as you finish the last page of the one in your hand.

You can check out Rita's other titles at www.eutopiandestiny.com.

Review from Ann & Don W

My wife and I have been introduced to a wonderful series of books by a local author, Rita Dear.
It is called the Eutopian Destiny Series and consists of 11 books for the whole series. The series is about a group of undercover Government agents that are led by one of them who is an actual minister. They start in a small rural town to investigate smuggling of women for the wrong purposes. In their investigation they find other illegal activities and it grows from there.
It is a fast moving story with the number of agents increasing and what they go through to remain undercover while arresting criminals. It is fast moving and very entertaining. We highly recommend this series as a delightful series to read.

Ann & Don W

Great Reader Review

I have been reading your book series "Eutopian Destiny."
As I told you before, I am not much of a book reader.  The last book I read took over a year for me to finish.  When I read the story line of your series "Eutopian Destiny" it sounded like something I would enjoy reading.  I began reading the first book "Preacher Man" and quickly knew I was hooked and would read all ten books.

I want to tell you about my Dad.  One afternoon my Mom called and said she had to tell me what Dad had done.  They were on an airplane back home from a short vacation.  Mom said she had fallen asleep while reading "Preacher Man" and awoke to find Dad reading her book.  Mom said she could not remember ever seeing him read a book, so she let him read on.  He read for the entire three hour flight - the next day and days following.  He read that book every moment he could.  He could not put it down.  Soon he called me.  He needed book two.  A week later, he needed book three.  He has been reading the series at an unbelievable pace.  Just today, I had to give up the book I was reading, number nine "The Round Up" so Dad could continue past me in reading the series. I know he will finish that book in a few days and be looking for number ten "Poetic Justice."

I have enjoyed reading the series and understand that you now have book eleven ready for us to enjoy.

Ronnie M