Amy Stilgenbauer

Writer. History nerd. I like words, painting, and plants. amystilgenbauer.wordpress.com Sideshow Available August 25 Abby Amaro wants to sing at La Scala Opera House, but she’s a good girl, and in 1957 good girls get married. Still, when she receives her first marriage proposal, she freezes, knowing the way her suitor makes her feel bodes trouble. When he won’t take no for an answer, she flees, joining up with a traveling carnival. Thanks to a burlesque trapeze artist and the world’s saddest clown, Abby bides her time and fits in until she can rejoin the world she knows. She doesn’t expect a sideshow strongwoman named Suprema, who captures her imagination. As the carnival makes its way across the Midwest, Abby learns much more than she had ever imagined—about herself, about her identity, and, most importantly, about love.

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At the end of the day yesterday, I got some wonderful news: Sideshow has been chosen as a Foreword Reviews’ prestigious Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards finalist/winner in the LGBT cat…

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Seven Interlude Press Titles Named 2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalists

Seven Interlude Press novels have been recognized as finalists in the 19th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

In all, Interlude Press books received a dozen nominations in five separate categories for the annual literary awards dedicated to independent publishing. They include five nominations for LGBT fiction and four nominations for Romance. Three books received multiple nominations.

Interlude Press nominees are:

The King and The Criminal by Charlotte Ashe (LGBT, Fantasy);

Black Dust by Lynn Charles (Romance);

Sweet by Alysia Constantine (LGBT, Romance);

Luchador by Erin Finnegan (LGBT, Multicultural, Romance);

Into the Blue by Pene Henson (Romance);

In the Present Tense by Carrie Pack (LGBT, Science Fiction); and

Sideshow by Amy Stilgenbauer (LGBT) 

The nominations are the second in two days for Interlude Press novels.

On Tuesday, authors C.B. Lee (Not Your Sidekick) and Pene Henson (Into the Blue) received nominations in the Lambda Literary Awards’ Young Adult and Romance categories, respectively.

“We are incredibly honored by the 14 Lambda Literary and Foreword INDIES award nominations announced this week. Less than three years after publishing our first book, Interlude Press has realized its editorial mission: to nurture extraordinary emerging authors and publish novels that not only feature LGBTQ characters, but break the mold and raise the bar in LGBTQ fiction.”

Foreword Reviews hosts its annual awards program each year in recognition of the best books from small, university, and indie publisher. Finalists represent the best books published in 2016, and submitted to Foreword Reviews for award consideration, and were narrowed down by Foreword’s editors from over 2,200 individual titles spread across 65 categories.

For complete lists of finalists, visit Foreword Reviews and Lambda Literary Review. 

“Choosing finalists for the INDIES is always the highlight of our year, but the choice was more difficult this time around due to the high quality of submissions,” said Victoria Sutherland, publisher of Foreword Reviews. “Each new book award season proves again how independent publishers are the real innovators in the industry.”

INDIES winners in each genre—along with Editor’s Choice winners, and Foreword’s INDIE Publisher of the Year—will be announced during the 2017 American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago on June 24, 2017.

Lambda Literary Award winners will be named at a ceremony June 12th at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.

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Historical Strongwomen

Fellow author and lovely person, Michelle Osgood (author of Better To Kiss You With) requested a further look into my archival research about historical Strongwoman. I couldn’t decide which o…

A look at some of the historical strongwomen who inspired Suprema’s character in Sideshow.

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Della Adamson, the Early Years

Sometimes, when suffering writer’s block, I like to put my mind on a different project to clear out my brain and let ideas percolate. One of the best ways for me to do that and still feel lik…

A short Flash Fiction piece about Della’s decision to join the carnival.

[interludepress]

4 ½ stars…This story was wonderful. I adored getting to see a side of the 1950s that’s different than we typically get to see in fiction. The small town Midwest and traveling carnival side of life is amazingly well written and brings you into that time period as if you’re living it with Abby and her family and friends.

Molly Lolly Reviews on Sideshow by Amy Stilgenbauer

Sideshow is available from the IP Web Store and your favorite book retailers.

(via interludepress)

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Making the Jump

I practically missed Labor Day because I was canning ~32 quarts of tomato sauce and salsa, a well over 12 hour endeavor. I’m still not ready to switch over into fall though...

More great stops along the Virtual Book Tour

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DSC_2391.JPG by Kat Sniffen

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Circuse Freakshow - Free Admittance by photographymontreal

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Barker at the grounds at the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC) by The Library of Congress Via Flickr: Delano, Jack,, photographer. Barker at the grounds at the Vermont state fair, Rutland 1941 Sept. 1 slide : color. Notes: Title from FSA or OWI agency caption. Transfer from U.S. Office of War Information, 1944. Subjects: Vermont State Fair--(1941 :--Rutland, Vt.) Fairs Midways United States--Vermont--Rutland Format: Slides--Color Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print Part Of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection 11671-3 (DLC) 93845501 General information about the FSA/OWI Color Photographs is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsac Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsac.1a33917 Call Number: LC-USF35-47

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Carnival by Fe Ilya

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Stopping by the Concession Stands

If you wander through the carnival you’ll end up with some pretty tasty treats, and today we continue Sideshow’s virtual book tour with some delicious stops:

Check out today’s tour stops and maybe stick around to make a funnel cake. 

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The Show Goes On

Sideshow continues to wind it’s way through the internet making marvelous stops along the way! Check out the lovely blogs that have hosted our little show: 8/29 Dawn’s Reading Nook Lov…

The Virtual Book Tour Continues!

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Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus - Big Top in 1931 by CharmaineZoe's Marvelous Melange

[amystilgenbauer]

Barker at the grounds of the Vermont state fair, Rutland (LOC) by The Library of Congress Via Flickr: Delano, Jack,, photographer. Barker at the grounds of the Vermont state fair, Rutland 1941 Sept. 1 slide : color. Notes: Title from FSA or OWI agency caption. Transfer from U.S. Office of War Information, 1944. Subjects: Vermont State Fair--(1941 :--Rutland, Vt.) Fairs Midways United States--Vermont--Rutland Format: Slides--Color Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print Part Of: Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection 11671-3 (DLC) 93845501 General information about the FSA/OWI Color Photographs is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.fsac Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsac.1a33922 Call Number: LC-USF35-52

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Untitled by ADiamondFellFromTheSky

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Carnival by Marcelo Campi

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Female Snake Charmer by Wisconsin Historical Images Via Flickr: A female snake charmer with the Cole Brothers Circus, watched by two children. For more information about this image, click here: www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=11746 To browse a featured gallery of Let's Go to the Circus! click here: www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/feature/circus/ Did You Know? The Wisconsin Historical Society produces giclée print reproductions made from high-resolution scans of original source material from its holdings. Custom orders are printed on matte or semigloss papers using large format printers and archival pigmented inks. All print sale proceeds directly benefit the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of the physical and online collections. E-mail business manager Lisa Marine for details. For more information, see our FAQ. This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Commercial use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Division of Library-Archives. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright.