Oak Hill, WV (WOAY) – The Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards recognizes Appalachian Mountain natives and residents for making the world more beautiful through creativity and celebrating art in all its forms and mediums, including written works.
West Virginia native and author Storm Young has the privilege of earning two nominations and being the only West Virginian in the author category.
“Last year, Young earned the Ann Kathryn Flagg Artist Award, placed second in the mid-Atlantic Author Society competition’s Mystery category, and was a finalist for the Best Author in West Virginia Award.
While she is no stranger to recognition for her work, each nomination is an honor.
“Being nominated for an AP Award, honestly, is life-changing to being the only person from West Virginia on the written works list? I was over the moon excited.”
“I had no idea that it was going to be just me up there, and I really hope that I can represent the state of West Virginia at the awards ceremony in Kentucky,” says Young
While Young no longer lives in the Mountain State, her novels, The Pen Pal and the Final Secret, are set in West Virginia and pay homage to her Appalachian roots.
“It’s so important because West Virginia has my heart. It is my home. My husband’s in the military,” Young states.
“So, whenever he’s away, it’s my way of being able to step back home and be able to enjoy the West Virginia mountains just a little bit.”
As we all know, West Virginia is filled with talented and creative individuals who use our wild and wonderful home to inspire their work.
I asked Young what advice she would offer fellow artists of all mediums looking to express themselves right here at home the same way she did.
“Everybody says that you have to move away to make it big. I don’t agree with that at all. We have the world at our fingertips.”
“I always say the worst somebody can say is no. I reach out to multiple people about different opportunities. And even if one person out of 100 says yes, that’s an opportunity I got that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t have social media or the Internet.”
Even though Young is an independent author who primarily handles her publishing and marketing, winning the Appy Award would be a success that she shares with everyone here in Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.
“This won’t be just an award for me,” Young says. “It will be for all of West Virginia. Like I said, I am the only one from West Virginia. So, it is all of us as a whole. I always say West Virginia is my family, every single one of you, and I believe that we can make this happen. We can make the top three happen.”
You can help Young reach the top three by visiting appalachianartsandentertainmentawards.com to cast your vote.
The poll is open until the end of the month, and the awards ceremony will take place on March 16, 2024, in Kentucky.
To learn more about Young and purchase her books, visit stormyoung.com or search Storm Young on Amazon.
