It’s DABWAHA Selection Sunday!

Bitchin' Blog Posts

by SB Sarah | by SB Sarah | March 10, 2013 | Sunday at 10:54 am | 61 Comments

It's time for the 2013 DABWAHA!

What's the DABWAHA?

It's our March Madness™- style tournament of romance novels, hosted by Jane from Dear Author and yours truly. The tournament began in 2008 which makes this our 6th annual tournament of books. Yay!

What's DABWAHA stand for?

It stands for AWESOMENESS. And the assurance that I should be allowed to name everything because I came up with the name. (It stands for "Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors."

What do we do?

Today, we announced the slate of nominees! Have a look.

We put together a selection of great books published in 2012 in eight different categories. The books are pitted against each other. Envision a cage match between books. Your votes determines who wins. The books compete until only one book is left.

You, the player, win by guessing which book will win each match. The person who makes the most correct guesses will win an iPad.

How come there are only 7 per category?

Because you (yes, you!) pick the 8th nominee in each category! We pick 56 of the 64 titles but readers, authors, and fans can nominate the last book in each category. This way if you think a book was excluded unfairly, you can nominate it and get all the other fans of that book to join the nomination.

We can nominate a book? Cool!

Yes. But Only 2012 Books Qualify. The book MUST have a publication date of 2012. No exceptions, no reprints. No paperback version of 2011 hardcovers.

Where is the nomination form?

Right here!

So what do we do now?

Have a look at the slate of nominees, and ask yourself, What awesome book from last year should be in the last spot? Then, prepare ye to nominate. Make sure it's a 2012 book, y'all. You can also look at the calendar for the tournament to prepare yourself for voting.

Voting?

Yup. The winner of each round is determined by reader voting. Polls open, and voting commences! There's vote mongering, trash talking, and zany compliment wars on all forms of social media during the DABWAHA, too, so there's a lot of goofy fun to be had.

This sounds fun. What do we win?

PRIZES. Nice ones! The winners of the tournament - both the reader with the best bracket and the author of the winning book - win a big prize, and there are prizes for each round, plus prizes for random middle brackets, and prizes for the worst bracket of all. Lots of things to win - all provided by authors and readers, and Jane and Sarah.

Vote haggling, trading, trash talking, and all sorts of competitive behaviors are encouraged. "Lean in" readers. It is #DABWAHA time.

I think I need a nap.

So have a nap. Then get ready to DABWAHA!

Here are the Important Links:

Where to Vote: http://dabwaha.com
Where to Nominate: Nomination Form
Where to Fill out the Pick Sheet: Pick Sheet - pre registration only.
Where to feverishly recheck for results: Tourney Site
The Schedule: http://dabwaha.com/2013-schedule/

Filed: DA BWAHA Award, General Bitching

Tagged: dabwaha, awesomesauce

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Ken Equality O'Neill said on 03.10.13 at 11:29 AM • [link]

When the Pulitzer list comes out I’m going to say: “Fine. But did you get a DA BWAHA nod? ‘Cause I did!” I’m really thrilled to be nominated.
marjorie said on 03.10.13 at 11:59 AM • [link]

Sorry if this is a dopey question, but for us newbies, what does “category” mean? I did poke about and saw that “NwRE” is “novel with romantic elements,” so I did try to do my own digging!
Apx Rnr said on 03.10.13 at 12:37 PM • [link]

I thought I could answer this but when I really thought of it I could only come up with Harlequin. I never see anything else classified as category anymore. Skinny romance doesn’t really work to describe them any longer either.
SB Sarah said on 03.10.13 at 12:46 PM • [link]

Category or “series” romances are the smaller-wordcount novels, such as Harlequin, Loveswept, etc.
SB Sarah said on 03.10.13 at 12:46 PM • [link]

I’m so happy you’re excited! It’s always fun when people get excited about the tournament. Makes me feel less alone, because I think it is SO fun.
Emily A said on 03.10.13 at 01:01 PM • [link]

Do I really have to look up the ISBN number? Really? I don’t know it off the top of my head, and I am not sure how to get the ISBN number especially for a library book I already returned.
Shannyn Schroeder said on 03.10.13 at 01:52 PM • [link]

You can go to Amazon or B&N and it’s usually listed as part of the description.
cleo said on 03.10.13 at 01:54 PM • [link]

Category romances are come out under a specific category or series (mostly by Harlequin / Mills & Boon) - the marketing focuses on the category, not the author (unlike single title romances). Each category type has a specific style, so you (supposedly) know what you’re getting when you buy a specific category - i.e. Harlequin Presents = wealthy alpha male hero and virginal heroine (and those crazy titles like The Billionaire Playboy’s Secret Mistress), Harlequin Blaze = more explicit sex scenes, etc.
Ros said on 03.10.13 at 01:59 PM • [link]

All you need to know for ‘Category’ is that under ‘Title’, you write ‘The Oil Tycoon and Her Sexy Sheikh’ and under ‘Author’, you write ‘Clarke, Ros’. Okay?
Cathy Pegau said on 03.10.13 at 02:52 PM • [link]

Love DABWAHA, but the separation of LGBT from other subgenres makes it difficult to nominate some really good books.
cleo said on 03.10.13 at 03:01 PM • [link]

I know. I ended up nominating an m/m novella for the novella category, since the slate of novellas goes across the other categories (there’s contempory, historical and sfr/pnr).
Cathy Pegau said on 03.10.13 at 03:05 PM • [link]

The question is, will that fly? I may have to go back and do something like that :)
library addict said on 03.10.13 at 03:25 PM • [link]

Whoo! It’s DABWAHA time. My bracket will probably be broken early and my credit card is already crying. The thing I love most about DABWAHA is discovering new books!
CarrieS said on 03.10.13 at 04:13 PM • [link]

WHAT? No Duchess War by Courtney Milan?! I also put in a vote for Team Human under YA and Alif the Unseen under novel with strong romantic elements. I never did review Alif for this site but it has stuck in my head more than almost any book I read this year.
Emily A said on 03.10.13 at 04:34 PM • [link]

I can"t remember how December works. Is it that books published in December 2011 get counted in 2012 and what if we don’t when exactly a book was released. What are the rules on this?
laj said on 03.10.13 at 04:34 PM • [link]

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley is a reprint from 1998.

What nonsense there’s no Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews!
Ken Equality O'Neill said on 03.10.13 at 05:42 PM • [link]

Is it possible to nominate LGBT YA (for example) in YA instead of LGBT?
Laura Florand said on 03.10.13 at 05:57 PM • [link]

Thank you for THE CHOCOLATE THIEF pick! Although I’m a bit overwhelmed by the competition. Still…I bribe with chocolate. The good stuff. Just saying…

Ros, I personally think the pure pleasure of typing “The Oil Tycoon and Her Sexy Sheikh” should garner multiple nominations. Who can resist? Her Sexy Sheikh…Her Sexy Sheikh…it practically writes itself, see?
Ros said on 03.10.13 at 06:54 PM • [link]

You are so right, Laura. :)
SB Sarah said on 03.10.13 at 07:32 PM • [link]

I hear you, Cathy. I look at that every year and ask myself if that’s the best way to do it. I am listening.
SB Sarah said on 03.10.13 at 07:33 PM • [link]

Yes - thank you. We’re correcting the Keasley title now. She notified us that it was a 98 reprint. Sorry!
GhengisMom said on 03.10.13 at 08:51 PM • [link]

UGH! What the hell did I do with myself all year?! I read on average 2 books a week! Were they ALL catalog?! I have only read TWO damn books in this tourney. boo! I can hardly vote if I haven’t read them. *cheering from the sidelines*
Cathy Pegau said on 03.10.13 at 09:07 PM • [link]

I appreciate that :) I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d like the merits of my book based on comparison to other speculative fiction titles, not whether my girls are more popular than someone’s boys ; )
Charon said on 03.11.13 at 03:24 AM • [link]

This is the first year I’ve been around for this. Is it normal that ALL of the LGBT books are m/m?
Patricia Eimer said on 03.11.13 at 05:27 AM • [link]

I always love this time of year.
Laura Florand said on 03.11.13 at 09:07 AM • [link]

Tessa Dare and Shannon Stacey are claiming no bribes allowed, over on Twitter! Of course, they *would* say that. They know what an evil advantage chocolate bribes might give over their awesome books. (ALMOST as awesome as THE CHOCOLATE THIEF. Almost!!)

Tell me it isn’t so, and they’re just trying to undermine their opponents. I was really looking forward to the bribery part. It was going to involve Really Good Chocolate.
CarrieS said on 03.11.13 at 09:22 AM • [link]

Well, Laura, let’s discuss this. Would said briber pay the cost of shipping said chocolate? Are we talking white chocolate, milk, or dark? Let’s see some details here.
Tessa Dare said on 03.11.13 at 10:26 AM • [link]

Wait, wait, Laura. I don’t know about Shannon Stacey, but Tessa Dare totally wants bribes to be allowed. Tessa Dare was lamenting on Twitter that they weren’t allowed last year, and that she hopes TPTB at SBDA will be lifting that ban this year. Because Tessa Dare is amped about this year’s tourney.

And she plans to take all the competition DOWN. NO MERCY. *rips tapout shirt*
Laura Florand said on 03.11.13 at 10:51 AM • [link]

Tessa, I am dissing on your character. Be quiet and go back and write a book or something. You’re not supposed to be online right now.

Everyone, Tessa totally said she did not want you to have chocolate! She said that on Twitter! I saw it. And Shannon Stacey. Shannon Stacey was being evil.
Laura Florand said on 03.11.13 at 10:53 AM • [link]

Details:
http://pinterest.com/LauraFlor…

What you could have had, if only my competition hadn’t deprived you of it by getting squeamish about the bribes. Let them know you won’t put up with that, voters.
Laylapalooza said on 03.11.13 at 10:56 AM • [link]

Yeah, I posted this on the nomination page as well, but I am also surprised by this, because, um, lots of good lesbian romance novels out there! And a trans romance I haven’t read came out early 2012 and got some press, so. Why just m/m?
CarrieS said on 03.11.13 at 11:01 AM • [link]

Re Laura’s pinterest page of corruption: Christ in a crockpot! Laura for the win! I gained 20 pounds just looking at that page, and every pound was worth it.

So Tessa, what you got?
Anne Tenino said on 03.11.13 at 11:52 AM • [link]

Yay!! And thank you to the powers that be for shoehorning Frat Boy & Toppy in the GLBT bracket. Now, when can I start buying votes? Is there a manual for that?
Tessa Dare said on 03.11.13 at 11:53 AM • [link]

Oh, I’ve got more than photos. I’ve got moves. But I’m waiting for Sarah and Jane to decide on what constitutes illegal motion.
Ken Equality O'Neill said on 03.11.13 at 12:16 PM • [link]

Wow, are we buying votes? Please voters come to me with Anne’s offers and I’ll, well I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I’ll do something. :)
cleo said on 03.11.13 at 12:46 PM • [link]

Please nominate a good f/f or trans book for the 8th slot in LGBT. I’d love to see a grass roots campaign to put the L or T into the LGBT category.
laj said on 03.11.13 at 12:56 PM • [link]

Okay you win!!! I’m all yours.
Laylapalooza said on 03.11.13 at 02:17 PM • [link]

I’ll do this! I’d be interested to hear what other folks enjoyed this year.

Off the top of my head (i.e., things I know *for sure* came out this past year), I’d rec Ann McMan’s “Aftermath” (a sequel to her 2011 novel, Jericho, which is quite good), J.M. Redmann’s “Ill Will” (part of the Micky Knight series, and while they’re primarily mysteries, there’s a romance component to the series as well), & Jacqueline Carey’s YA novel “Dark Currents” (the protagonist is queer, and everything Carey does is magical and awesome to me).

I’ve heard Yolanda Wallace’s “A Month of Sundays” was good, & Melissa Brayden has a new book out, but I haven’t read either of those.

I don’t know much about trans romances but I remember reading about Jaime Stryker’s Two Spirit Ranch earlier this year and it’s been on my TBR list since this.
Laylapalooza said on 03.11.13 at 03:06 PM • [link]

Also also, though, I feel like the long (long) list for the Lambda Literary Awards is a useful resource here: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/...

And finally, ooh, also forgot Jo Graham’s “The General’s Mistress.” Which is listed on the Lambda Lit page under bisexual literature. I haven’t read it but I love Jo Graham’s other books and bet it’s awesomesauce.
Vasha said on 03.11.13 at 03:14 PM • [link]

I have to say that the description of one of the entries, “Motorcycle Man”, made me boggle. I get it that a romance guy may start as a jerk so that he can reform etc. etc., but, good Lord. “Kane “Tack” Allen has a rule. He doesn’t employ someone he’s slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. ” How is he supposed to be forgiven for that?
Vasha said on 03.11.13 at 03:20 PM • [link]

I have to say that the description of one of the entries, Motorcycle Man, made me boggle. I get it that a romance guy may start as a jerk so he can reform etc. etc., but, good Lord. “Kane “Tack” Allen has a rule. He doesn’t employ someone he’s slept with. So when he learns he spent last night in bed with his new office manager, he quickly fires Tyra. ” How is he supposed to be forgiven for that?
SB Sarah said on 03.11.13 at 04:11 PM • [link]

The details on what constitutes bribery are here:

http://dabwaha.com/2013/03/11/...

Basically, anything that’s a prize for one person: not ok. Anything that can be enjoyed by everyone? All good!
SB Sarah said on 03.11.13 at 04:12 PM • [link]

Cleo: which book do you suggest?
SB Sarah said on 03.11.13 at 04:13 PM • [link]

I had books on my list that were f/f but alas, they were 2010 publication and as such ineligible. Darn it.
CarrieS said on 03.11.13 at 04:59 PM • [link]

So, Laura, I hope you brought enough chocolate for the whole class :)
InternAmanda said on 03.11.13 at 05:19 PM • [link]

But Laura already promised to deliver Gilles Marini in a sack on my doorstep! Though I am willing to share.
JillSorenson said on 03.11.13 at 05:41 PM • [link]

I don’t know if this will make any difference, but I have recs for a possible GLBT slot:

1. Awake Unto Me by Kathleen Knowles (lesbian historical)
2. His and Hers and Hers by Nona Raines (menage romance)
3. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth (YA/lesbian)
4. The Space Between Us by Megan Hart (menage novel)

I haven’t read the last two but I’ve seen positive reviews for both around romanceland.

Good luck to the nominees. :)
Andromaha82 said on 03.11.13 at 07:32 PM • [link]

OMG, I just started readin On Dublin Street…it is not good for my peace of mind, that Braden guy! And he is a Scot!
Laura Florand said on 03.12.13 at 06:50 AM • [link]

Woke up to some very angry emails from Gilles Marini’s wife about this. “That was a one-time offer for Amanda only! Not for every single reader out there!”

Great. Just great. Once again the greedy masses have ruined it for the lucky one.

I guess it’s time for my back-up plan. Computer hackers *always* respond well to chocolate.
pwm in mi said on 03.12.13 at 08:39 AM • [link]

I am so excited for DABWAHA!!!! This is my first time participating and I am thrilled that I have read a good amount of the books.

I wanted to put a plug in for a write in nomination in the catagory NwRE:

Libriomancer by Jim Hines.

This book was fantastic. Anyone who loves books should read it. Here is a link to the SB review
http://smartbitchestrashybooks…

p.s. Jim Hines is the guy who recreates romance covers with himself dressed as the hero.
p.p.s.: I have no connection to Mr. Hines, just a fan.
Laylapalooza said on 03.12.13 at 12:46 PM • [link]

What’d you have on your list from 2010? I’m curious!

One of my all-time favorite romance novels, Colette Moody’s “Parties in Congress,” has a 2011 publication date. Too bad, ‘cause I’d be nominating the hell out of that book.
CarrieS said on 03.12.13 at 06:42 PM • [link]

Jim Hines is so awesome we should not only nominate his book, we should also give him some sort of special award for awesomeness.
cleo said on 03.12.13 at 09:48 PM • [link]

I don’t actually have any suggestions - I was just soliciting ideas from others. And now I’m adding to my tbr list - thanks for the recs, everyone.
pwm in mi said on 03.13.13 at 08:27 AM • [link]

So I can count on your vote the write in nomination?:) I am excited for the 2nd book to come out. The world Mr. Hines has created is just brilliant!
My husband is reading it now, and is enjoying it.
Jessica Brunner said on 03.13.13 at 11:28 PM • [link]

So, I have read a grand total of 1 book on the finalist list (though my TBR list just about doubled in size). But, this competition sounds like a lot of fun. Can I fake my way through by reading reviews and guessing or is that completely pointless? (I would be a great voter to bribe as I have no opinions either way…just saying)
Susanna said on 03.16.13 at 01:25 PM • [link]

You could try checking GoodReads as well, it’s often in the book edition info.
Charon said on 03.16.13 at 06:09 PM • [link]

I’m too late coming back to this (nominees announced already), but I did nominate Aftermath. Although for crossover, since it really isn’t a romance the way Jericho was. For the LGBT romance I picked Almost Heaven (Susan X Meagher), which I really didn’t expect to like but really did. For YA or novella I was sad Diemer’s The Dark Wife was 2011…
Laylapalooza said on 03.17.13 at 08:20 PM • [link]

That makes sense. I’m glad Aftermath got a nomination at all - Ann McMan’s a fantastic writer, and I loved Jericho. I’m also happy to get a rec for “Almost Heaven” - I’ve seen that but not picked it up because, like you, I didn’t think I’d like it. But I’m totally willing to give it a go, now! Next on my list is “Touch Me Gently” by D. Jackson Leigh, because my girlfriend just finished it…

I nominated Jae’s “Something in the Wine” for the LGBT romance category, which I’d recommend if you haven’t read it yet. It was really sweet - kind of a coming-out story but done really well, and I loved the characters.

If you have any other recs for lesbian romance, post ‘em here! I’d love to hear them!
Charon said on 03.18.13 at 09:34 PM • [link]

Nice, thanks for the recommendations. McMan is indeed fantastic.

Almost Heaven didn’t sound like my kind of book because… you know, hillbillies. But I really liked the realism (I assume - I don’t know Appalachia), with very human characters. I came to appreciate that the choices I would make (diversify! low-cost index funds! beware instability in European financial markets!) weren’t right for the main character. The story would actually have been interesting even without the romance, but as written the romance is a very integral part.

I’m guessing we ended up with all m/m because the large majority of people on this site are straight women. We need more bi and gay women, and straight men :)
Cathy Pegau said on 03.18.13 at 09:46 PM • [link]

“I’m guessing we ended up with all m/m because the large majority of people on this site are straight women. We need more bi and gay women, and straight men :)”
Hear hear! ; )
Laylapalooza said on 03.19.13 at 12:16 PM • [link]

#truefact