Belizean American author wins Shamus Award
A Belizean-American author, Ian Vasquez, recently won a prestigious U.S. award for one of his works. Vasquez who works as a copy editor for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida is the recipient of the Shamus Award. The Private Eye Writers of America gave the annual award to Vasquez to honour his outstanding achievement in that genre. Vasquez won for his work of fiction titled “In the Heat” published in June of 2008 and launched locally at the House of Culture later that month. He says the novel was born from his own experiences growing up in Belize City. It chronicles the life of boxer Miles Young who—after losing a comeback fight—is approached by a rich woman who offers him a substantial amount of money to find her daughter. Miles, however, soon finds himself in the middle of a criminal underworld. News Five spoke to Vasquez via phone this morning about his achievement.
Via Phone: Ian Vasquez, Winner of Shamus Award
“The novel I won the award for, In the Heat, is actually my fourth novel. The other three were unpublished, no one picked them but this one succeeded in getting published and actually got me offered a contract with Express for two more So that’s where I am today. Still work in the newspaper and still writing novels.”
Jose Sanchez
“The award that you won what is it?”
Via Phone: Ian Vasquez
“The award is the Shamus Award. It’s an award given by the Private Eye Writers of America. They gave me the best first Private Eye novel because my novel was a first novel for me. There are different categories. There is one for best novel; one for best Private Eye short story. There is one for best Private Eye first novel, which is what I won. And it’s a pretty big award for crime writers. The other awards like the Edgar Awards, the Anthony Awards, Shamus is a pretty big one. It’s big because for me, it means a lot to me because it’s a peer award. The judges are not newspaper or magazine critics or fans. They have those kinds of awards. But the judges are other writers.”
Past winners of the Best First Novel award include Dennis Lehane who wrote Mystic River and Walter Mosley, the author of Devil in a Blue Dress. Vasquez, meanwhile, is not resting on his laurels as his second novel—Lonesome Point—about two feuding brothers was published this year and his third novel called Mister Hooligan is set to be published in 2010. Vasquez migrated to the United States in 1986 and currently lives in Tampa with his wife and two children.
Nothing out of the ordinary that happens in the church surprises me anymore. Both men and women in churches throughout time have either experienced or been aware of drama in their congregation or one that they were familiar with. One of the earliest stories I remember as a little girl was when we got a new pastor after our preivious pastor died. This young and handsome pastor was put out of the church after only a couple of years because he got caught up in sexual liaisons with a couple of the teenage girls in the church. Later in life, one of the most shocking was when another handsome minister who had married a widow with 3 daughters ended up getting one of them pregnant. But that is not the only time we see drama. The fights at choir rehearsal that would put any good Christian to shame if it had been caught on video. Married men and married women getting caught up in affairs that damage relationships and sometimes their credibility as good Christian stewards. What about youth leaders who end up being pedophiles and have always volunteered to chaperone at camps and on field trips?
There is so much drama in our lives today and it doesn’t get left at the entrance to the church. Drama about the arguments over various roles and positions always make me smile. One unusually dramatic moment I witnessed years ago had to do with someone leading a prayer when they hadn’t been assigned to do so. Truly an unbelievable “SMH!” moment!!!
I hope some of you will share additional “Church Drama” moments!
about 2 months ago · Report
Prophet Jorge Ernesto Babb My greatest *Church Drama* Today 13th January 2007-2010-3000 is to hear and see them as lost; confused; Ignorant; Evil Woe Religious Leaders as *God Jesus Sown in Mathew 23 as Hypocrites; *Using God Jesus Name in Vain as a Buisness; to make money and live as almighty gods! For they all Woe Religious Leaders *Sowing God Jesus Coming Soon; when God Jesus Sown to come *AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT; AS A SPIRITUAL SALVATION ON 13TH JANUARY 2007-3000; AS THE THIRD DAY OF OUR LORD GOD CHRIST JESUS SPIRITUAL REVELATION OOOO-3000; AS ONE DAY FOR GOD JESUS IS ONE THOUSAND YEARS SMILE! So today 2007-3000 there shall be so many *Church Drama*; both Spiritually from the only temples/churches of God Jesus Spiritual Salvation of the Flesh/Bodies and Physically from the Man Made Churches of Stones BUILDINGS! For as God Jesus Sown 2013 Years ago in Mathew 24:1-13 *DESTRUCTION COMING*AS THE PROPHECIES OF THE BIBLE IN THE LAST DAYS 2007-2018; NOT A STONE SHALL BE LEFT UPON ANOTHER; AS A PARABLE SIMPLE MEANS *THE END OF DECEITFULNESS AND LIES!
So everday as The Flesh/People go to their choosen Religious Tradition and Culture it is all *CHURCH DRAMA TO SEE AND HEAR *A LOST; CONFUSED; EVIL; IGNORANT ALMIGHTY FLESH BLASPHEME; BETRAY; AND DECEIVE *OUR LORD GOD CHRIST JESUS WAY; TRUTH AND SPIRITUAL SALVATION OF TODAY 2007-3000; AS THE SEVENTH DAY OF SALVATION! To Proclaiming God Jesus Died for Your Sin; when God Jesus Cannot DIE AS THE SPIRITUAL SALVATION OF THE WORLD; BUT PROPHECIED THE DESTRUCTION OF GOD JESUS BLESSED TEMPLE; BY THE FLESH MAN AS WAS SOWN IN THE BEGINING; AS CAIN/SATAN KILLED; AND DESTROYED ABEL/CREOLE MAN IN THE BEGINING; SO HE SOWN IN THE END; TO DESTROYED SAME REINCORNATED FLESH OF ABEL AS WE ALL TODAY THE FLESH OF THE BELIZEAN CREOLE SEED!
So the world governance of both Religious and Political are Both *MYTH AND ILLUSION AS A DRAMA/MOVIE OF ALL THIRTHEEN SEED OF MAN!BUT WHY WORRY BE HAPPY FOR GOD JESUS SLOW BUT SURE; FOR EVERY ROAD HAS A BEND! THIS IS WHY OUR FIRST SPIRITUAL BOOK OF SALVATION WRITTEN BY YOU; ME I JORGE ERNESTO PROPHET BABB SHALL OPEN THE EYES OF THE LOST; CONFUSED; EVIL; IGNORANT ALMIGHTY FLESH OF THE WOES RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND THEIR ALMIGHTY ANGELS *CREOLE UNIVERSAL SALVATION OF BELIZE! go to my website wwwcreolesalvationforbelize.com; my email cheriedeluxeinn@yahoo.com; facebook prophetjorgeernestobabb; or at barackobamaauthor face book! phone 501-2244514; THANK YOU AND LETS BRING THESE CHURCH DRAMA TO A END TO SAVE OUR INNOCENT CHILDREN’S EVERLASTING LIFE WITH GOD JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD; IN GOD JESUS NAME WE PRAY AMEN!