ARARAT-based author Rebecca Skrabl has been honoured at a booklovers conference in Las Vegas.
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Miss Skrabl, who writes under the pen name of Bec McMaster, took out the ‘Best Steampunk Romance’ category at the 2016 RT Booklovers Convention with her book titled Of Silk and Steam.
Of Silk and Steam is the final book of Bec McMaster’s London Steampunk series.
It was a great honour for Miss Skrabl, who has been professionally writing for almost four years.
“It’s a fairly big award. I found out a couple of months before I had won, but because I’m already going to America in July I couldn’t get there this time,” she said.
Held from April 12-17, the conference was hosted by RT Reviews - a monthly magazine that looks at the latest book releases. There are many genres covered, including romance, paranormal, mystery, young adult, inspirational, mainstream, science fiction and erotica.
The novels are judged by the editor of the magazine. Miss Skrabl is expecting a trophy to arrive for her achievement, however she rates the recognition from RT Reviews as higher than an award.
Ms Skrabl has been recognised for her books previously. In July 2015, the Ararat woman was named among the finalists for the Romance Writers of America awards held in New York. Her novel, Forged by Desire, received a nomination in the “Paranormal Romance” category.
Ms Skrabl will be attending the Romance Writers of America conference this July. The annual event is being held in San Diego, California from July 13-16. Writers from all over the world will meet up to learn about what’s new in the industry and it is also a networking opportunity for them.
Since becoming a professional writer, Ms Skrabl was asked: What is the most difficult aspect of her job?
“The hardest part is marketing, and the technical side of things,” she said.
“People think I just sit there and write, but there is a massive amount of self promotion. As well as learning to format e-books.”
While writing from home may appear isolating for some, Ms Skrabl thrives in her work.
“I love it,” she said.
“I’m a total introvert so it’s my dream. I never feel isolated. There’s a writing group that meets up once a month in Castlemaine and netball gets me out of the house.
“The support of my family and partner has also been helpful.”
It is a busy time for Miss Skrabl at the moment. She has two books being released this month, one on May 10 and the other due is out on May 23.
Readers can purchase Bec McMaster’s books from Ararat Authorised Newsagency, or online at Amazon or iBooks.