Thanks for the honor of being a part of this fantastic judging crew! Congrats to the finalist. I hope folks will consider picking up my semifinalist and all of my reviewed entries. Wishing them all the best!
Thank you, Dr. Chase, Brian, the rest of the team, and especially all the other semi-finalists & books in this judging group! We (Dewey & Bill (myself)) are incredibly thankful we got such a great team who vowed to give each book a fair shot. Middle grade hasn't traditionally done well in this comp, so to be the very first MG finalist, we are over the moon! Thank you thank you thank!
@@billadams_willowwraithpress Tanna would be tickled, I think, by the fact that her book is making SPFBO history. Heck, even Galdifort might mumble a grudging word or two of approval!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Tanna probably would've expected it all to work out in her favor, regardless haha. Galdifort, the corners of his frown might have turned upward...😅
What an incredible round-up! I have honestly added all of these semi-finalists to my TBR, they each appeal to me in a different way. Many congrats to the finalist, I can't wait to read it! And thank all that is holy for a short(er) finalist, we are getting some chunkers this year hahah 🤣🤩
One way to gain popularity with one's fellow judges is to pick a short finalist! 😂That said, I am excited to read all the other finalists. Thank you, Esmay!
You all did excellent work. I love that I went from zero interest in Soulstealer to really wanting to read it. All of you are the kind of people I want as judges. I love that you all are open to so many different types of books rather then being one note. Literally three of these books I want to read now. I also interacted with one of the authors on Reddit and I love how complimentary she was of her competition.
@@kerneywilliams632 I have been deeply impressed and delighted by the spirit of community among most of the authors in SPFBO. I see them lifting up each other, and it becomes clear that this is much more than a competition. Cheers!
Congratulations to the Finalist! Also - I hope that doesn't sound weird - thank you. I very much appreciate your kind words about South Breaks. Making semi-finalist was a great honor. Special thanks to Vaughn.
Hannah, It's such a wonderful book, and an exciting start to a thoroughly unique series! I was rooting for you during this taping, and I still am. The craftsmanship is quite apparent. Wishing you the very best with it!
This video made my heart so happy. It really feels like you all were so inspired to support these authors and they all came out swinging! As always, thank you for spreading positivity like you do!
@@jameswittak3483 Thank you, James! SPFBO has fostered a positive community around it that is growing along with the contest. It’s a joy to be part of it!
Huge congrats to the new finalist!🎉 As always, it was very interesting to hear everybody's thoughts. And thank you, Philip, for assembling, and including me in, such a great team!
Thank you, Angela! It was a joy to read some great stories, and I remain grateful for your willingness to have volunteered for the team. I'll see you in a couple weeks for A Sword of Bronze and Ashes!
I added it to my son's Christmas book list after Brian talked about it. It's awesome to hear such overall praise for it and I can't wait for him to read it.
@@ElMcInerney Thank you, El! And congratulations on writing such a fantastic book - you are truly talented, and I could tell that you poured a lot of work and passion into Soulstealer. My very best wishes to you for more well-deserved success!
Fantastic choice & now we can’t wait to read the title that wowed the fantasy professor & his magnificent team 😀 Also many congratulations to the finalist & commiserations to the semifinalists.
Amazing talk, and congratulations to all the semi-finalists and especially the winner! I do have to say that I picked up Soulstealer in KU, and it looks absolutely baller. Cheers!
Such a huge shout out and congrats to the winner. I've been reading it and it's a lot of fun. There are so many great laugh out loud moments and the world building is top notch with the character development.
Thank you so much, Laura! I am grateful for all of the reading journeys from this round of SPFBO. These are some truly fantastic stories here among all the semifinalists!
All of these sound really good! I think the Sunset Sovereign is calling my name, though. I am definitely going to read a few of the books in this contest. I need to see what the other judge teams have going on. Congrats to the winner!
Great vid! I've discovered wonderful reads from the books each year. In fact I've read all 3 books from the series that won last year i.e. the Lamplight Murder series. Looking forward to reading these too.
Thank you, Morgan! It would be awesome to go two for two, but either way, I am still delighted that I was lucky enough to have Murder at Spindle Manor in my batch last year. I will say that I had a similar feeling while reading The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword: "This is the one!"
I hope he goes two for two as well! JK, that would be amazing but the fact Dr. Chase thought so highly of Tanna to name it a finalist is enough for us!
Thanks for the honor of being a part of this fantastic judging crew! Congrats to the finalist. I hope folks will consider picking up my semifinalist and all of my reviewed entries. Wishing them all the best!
Thank you so much for your contributions to SPFBOX, Vaughn! I can't tell you how grateful I am for your participation!
Thank you, Dr. Chase, Brian, the rest of the team, and especially all the other semi-finalists & books in this judging group! We (Dewey & Bill (myself)) are incredibly thankful we got such a great team who vowed to give each book a fair shot. Middle grade hasn't traditionally done well in this comp, so to be the very first MG finalist, we are over the moon! Thank you thank you thank!
@@billadams_willowwraithpress Tanna would be tickled, I think, by the fact that her book is making SPFBO history. Heck, even Galdifort might mumble a grudging word or two of approval!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Tanna probably would've expected it all to work out in her favor, regardless haha. Galdifort, the corners of his frown might have turned upward...😅
A fun watch - very many thanks to all of you for helping out with the SPFBO - a lot of work, lots of great reviews!
I appreciate you watching, Mark! And thank YOU for starting and running this contest to give a fighting chance to some great self-published fantasy!
I'm very grateful for this opportunity, Philip, to help contribute to SPFBOX. Thank you for including me. Go Tanna! Smack Gobble!
@@BrianBell7 It’s an honor to have you on the team, my friend! Thank you for sending me such a delightful read. Smack Gobble, indeed!
What an incredible round-up! I have honestly added all of these semi-finalists to my TBR, they each appeal to me in a different way. Many congrats to the finalist, I can't wait to read it! And thank all that is holy for a short(er) finalist, we are getting some chunkers this year hahah 🤣🤩
One way to gain popularity with one's fellow judges is to pick a short finalist! 😂That said, I am excited to read all the other finalists. Thank you, Esmay!
You all did excellent work. I love that I went from zero interest in Soulstealer to really wanting to read it. All of you are the kind of people I want as judges. I love that you all are open to so many different types of books rather then being one note. Literally three of these books I want to read now. I also interacted with one of the authors on Reddit and I love how complimentary she was of her competition.
@@kerneywilliams632 I have been deeply impressed and delighted by the spirit of community among most of the authors in SPFBO. I see them lifting up each other, and it becomes clear that this is much more than a competition. Cheers!
Congratulations to the Finalist!
Also - I hope that doesn't sound weird - thank you. I very much appreciate your kind words about South Breaks. Making semi-finalist was a great honor. Special thanks to Vaughn.
@@HannahSteenbock Thank YOU for creating a beautiful and inspiring story! I was rooting for South with all my heart!
Hannah, It's such a wonderful book, and an exciting start to a thoroughly unique series! I was rooting for you during this taping, and I still am. The craftsmanship is quite apparent. Wishing you the very best with it!
Congratulations to the winner!!!! Love the black glasses crew
I hadn't noticed until you pointed it out, but we are indeed the black glasses crew! Cheers!
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy haha it was pretty funny
This video made my heart so happy. It really feels like you all were so inspired to support these authors and they all came out swinging!
As always, thank you for spreading positivity like you do!
@@jameswittak3483 Thank you, James! SPFBO has fostered a positive community around it that is growing along with the contest. It’s a joy to be part of it!
Oh wow this is getting me excited to try Tanna the Tendersword and also share it with my nieces and nephews!
I hope you and your nieces and nephews will love it, Ben! Cheers!
Huge congrats to the new finalist!🎉 As always, it was very interesting to hear everybody's thoughts. And thank you, Philip, for assembling, and including me in, such a great team!
Thank you, Angela! It was a joy to read some great stories, and I remain grateful for your willingness to have volunteered for the team. I'll see you in a couple weeks for A Sword of Bronze and Ashes!
I added it to my son's Christmas book list after Brian talked about it. It's awesome to hear such overall praise for it and I can't wait for him to read it.
@@christhewritingjester3164 I hope he’ll love it! All the best, Chris!
This was super fun, and congrats to the winner 🎉
Thank you, Abel! We could not have done it without you!
Congrats to the finalist and many thanks to all the judges for your time in reading and reviewing the books - it’s incredibly generous of you all. ❤
@@ElMcInerney Thank you, El! And congratulations on writing such a fantastic book - you are truly talented, and I could tell that you poured a lot of work and passion into Soulstealer. My very best wishes to you for more well-deserved success!
Fantastic choice & now we can’t wait to read the title that wowed the fantasy professor & his magnificent team 😀
Also many congratulations to the finalist & commiserations to the semifinalists.
Thank you, Mihir! I feel lucky to have read some great books, and I can't wait to read the finalists from all the other teams!
Amazing talk, and congratulations to all the semi-finalists and especially the winner! I do have to say that I picked up Soulstealer in KU, and it looks absolutely baller. Cheers!
@@MichaelRSchultheiss Soulstealer is incredibly well written, and I hope you’ll enjoy it, Michael! Cheers!
Outstanding job all of you!
@@thefantasythinker Thank you, Jarrod! It’s rewarding work!
Such a huge shout out and congrats to the winner. I've been reading it and it's a lot of fun. There are so many great laugh out loud moments and the world building is top notch with the character development.
Also thank you so much for everything you and your team has done for SPFBO!
Thank you so much, Laura! I am grateful for all of the reading journeys from this round of SPFBO. These are some truly fantastic stories here among all the semifinalists!
Well done to all the commenters not spoiling the result
@@timburbagereads It’s good to see such thoughtfulness!
Hahaha, I spoiled Brian's semi-finalist reveal so I explicitly waited until today to comment on the video!!!
Way to go! The selectec book does sound very fun! Got to buy it, now. The final veredict cought me off guard, ngl!
@@Juanpa_SC We are doing our best to keep things interesting around here! 😁 Happy reading!
All of these sound really good! I think the Sunset Sovereign is calling my name, though. I am definitely going to read a few of the books in this contest. I need to see what the other judge teams have going on. Congrats to the winner!
Thank you for watching, Amanda! I hope you'll enjoy any of the SPFBOX books that you pick up!
These sound like great books - Sunset Sovereign is definitely on my TBR
@@ericF-17 I hope you’ll enjoy it, Eric! Cheers!
Great vid! I've discovered wonderful reads from the books each year. In fact I've read all 3 books from the series that won last year i.e. the Lamplight Murder series. Looking forward to reading these too.
Thank you, Tricia! I hope you will discover more great reads from the contest!
Awesome video Philip, and an awesome pick! I wonder if you'll go two for two with SPFBO winners. :P
Thank you, Morgan! It would be awesome to go two for two, but either way, I am still delighted that I was lucky enough to have Murder at Spindle Manor in my batch last year. I will say that I had a similar feeling while reading The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword: "This is the one!"
I hope he goes two for two as well! JK, that would be amazing but the fact Dr. Chase thought so highly of Tanna to name it a finalist is enough for us!