REGIONAL – Last week, the International Latino Book Awards (ILBA) honored Stewart Lytle, a reporter for The Town Common, for his historical fiction novel, Love in War, giving it three gold medals and one silver medal.
The novel, an expansive historical romance based during the Spanish Civil War, received the gold medal for Best Novel in the categories of adventure or drama, Best Romance Novel, and Best Historical Fiction in English, as well as the silver medal for Best Historical Fiction in Spanish.
The novel, based and inspired by a true story, was also awarded the gold medal at the Ben Franklin Awards, presented by the Independent Book Publishers Association.
“It is a great honor to be asked by the children of the couple featured in Love in War to write about their epic life story. It is equally an honor to be recognized by two distinguished competitions that promote books,” Lytle said.
The Latino Book Awards happen every year to honor authors, translators, and illustrators for their works in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Established in 1997, the ILBA is the largest Latin book contest in the nation, handing out gold, silver, and bronze medals across 100 different categories. This year, winners were chosen from more than 4,000 submissions, with the judging panel consisting of 200 people.
The novel depicts the main characters, Marti and Montserrat (Montse), who bear resemblance to Jack and Rose from the film, Titanic. Marti, a destitute farm boy, discovers his talent for baking, while Montse is the granddaughter of the town’s banker.
Their love blossoms against all odds, defying the malicious schemes of Felix, the conceited son of the mayor and proprietor of a local vineyard. Felix, who rises to become a formidable and corrupt officer in the Republican Army, seeks to eliminate Marti and claim Montse for himself.
Love in War can be found at both bookstores in Newburyport: the well-known Jabberwocky in the Tannery and Illume Bookstore located in Market Square and on Amazon.
Contact Lytle at stewart_lytle@yahoo.com. He’s happy to meet with local book clubs and groups about Love in War or his first novel, Iron City Conspiracy.
