When I looked up “second place quotes” on the internet, I got many choice ones, including:

"Second place is just the first loser.” - Dale Earnhardt

“I could never stand losing. Second place didn’t interest me. I had a fire in my belly.” - Ty Cobb

“In New York, they like winners. They don’t like second place.” - Eli Manning

I then turned to one of my the most well-respected works of modern cinema, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, for inspiration:

“If you ain’t first, you’re last!” - Reece Bobby, amateur race car driver and horse$#!+ father

OK. Now I get why I don’t like sports that much.

The PenCraft Book Awards competition is an annual event with a noble purpose - to promote new authors and books to the reading public.

It’s not an easy one to win. The competition is stiff. That my debut book has been recognized in such a special way, and introduced to readers that might benefit from the knowledge and hope contained within, means the world to me.

Here’s the full list of this year’s honorees. I specifically draw your attention to fellow Black Rose Writing author, Stephen Kanicki, who won the #1 prize in Fiction/Humor for There are No Saints.