May is my birthday month and I'm starting out with a happy gift and blessing. My novel, Act of Grace, has been named a 2012 Independent Publisher Silver Medal Award winner. The IPPY award recognizes and encourages the work of “Publishers who exhibit the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground, and bring about change, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society.” Besides the works of small independent publishers, the IPPYs recognized b