2009 Beach Book Festival Winners

NEW YORK (June 1, 2009) _ A book that teaches job-seekers to define, communicate and take control of their personal branding is the Winner of the 2009 Beach Book Festival, which honors the best beach reads of the upcoming summer season.

“How You Are Like Shampoo: For Job Seekers” by Brenda Bence examines the nuances behind the ultimate question posed to those out of work: “Why should I hire you?” Using a logical and easy-to-understand approach, Bence, an internationally-recognized branding expert, teaches proven corporate branding techniques and adapts them for personal use.

The book' s value to a vast audience in this recession won over the judges in the competition and resulted in Bence being awarded the competition' s grand prize of $1500. She and other Winners will be honored on June 5 in a ceremony at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan.

Other Winners in the competition:

GENERAL FICTION:
Winner: The Boyd Massacre – Ian Macdonald

Runner-Up: Pirate Queen – The Curse – R. Allen Downey

Honorable Mentions:

• Pike Place – Marilyn Howard Tschudi
• The Ghost Trap – K. Stephens
• Five Days in Babylon – P.L. Reiter
• No Mad – Sam Moffie
• Little Gods – David L. Hoof
• Last Call – JD Seamus
• Lost In The Sky – Douglas L. Perry
• The Color of Hate – Wilma Blair-Reed
• Buddha in a Teacup – Todd Walton
• Ride For Justice – John Harte
• The Wheel of Nuldoid – Russ Woody
• What Is Hers – Ron Janson

GENERAL NON-FICTION
Winner: Welcome Home To Yourself – Suzanne Kyra/Nathan Derksen

Honorable Mentions:

• Adventure in Borneo – Jolan Durrah
• Badge 149: Shots Fired! Gary P. Jones
• She Doesn' t Look Deaf – Corinne Cheatham
• Saving The Best For Last – Renee Fisher, Joyce Kramer, Jean Peelen
• Counting on a Miracle – Cliff Fazzolari

HEALTH:
Winner: Lose The Diet – Kathy Balland

BUSINESS:
Winner: How You Are Like Shampoo: For Job Seekers – Brenda Bence

SPIRITUAL
Winner: Haunting Spiritual Stories – Kenneth G. Gary/Hedy M. Gary

Honorable Mentions:

• The Power of TED – David Emerald
• The Passion of Maryam – Loren Woodson

SCIENCE FICTION
Winner: Tenerife Tall Tales – Tony Thorne

Runner-Up: The Grandmaster – Peter A. Balaskas

Honorable Mentions:

• Sign of the Anasazi – Marc Lieberman
• Defenders of the Scroll - Shiraz

ROMANCE:
Winner: Cause and Conscience – Mara Purl

Runners-Up:

• Vanquished – Hope Tarr
• Topaz Woman – Christine Candland

Honorable Mentions:

• Safe Haven – Cindy Smith/Judy Turner
• Practice Makes Perfect – Julie James
• Figuring It Out With Grace – J.D. Tynan
• Nantucket Summer – Gerard Shirar
• Season of the Shadow – Bobbi Groover

CHILDREN' S BOOKS
Winner: Dogs Move Too: From Max' s Point of View – Anthony M.T. Majewski

Runner-Up: Lessons From The Gypsy Camp – Elizabeth Appell

Honorable Mentions:

• The Legend of Barknight – The McConnell Family
• Mom, I Fired The Babysitter! – Colleen H. Robley Blake
• What I Did On My Summer Vacation – Bruce Lansky, illustrated by Stephen Carpenter

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Winner: Beyond The Cold – Michael Kleiner

Honorable Mentions:

• Divine Betrayal – Graceann K. Deters
• How I Survived Childhood: A Memoir – Daniel Burch Fiddler
• Chai Budesh? Anyone For Tea? - Joan Heron
• From Tajikistan To The Moon – Robert Frimtzis
• The Cairo Chronicles – Leslie Lewis
• Sasha & Olga – Dr. Eva Maria Chapman

TEENAGE:
Winner: The River Whispers – Pamela Pizzimenti

Honorable Mentions:

• Defenders of the Scroll – Shiraz
• Courtney' s Beach – Penelope Dyan

HOW-TO:
Winner: Feng Shui For The Classroom – Renee Heiss

HISTORY
Winner: Shiny Bayonet – Michael O. Gregory