Press Release
Former Castle Dale resident Maleah Day Warner has won the 2021 Author Elite Award in the Memoir & Biography category for her book, “Lies of the Magpie.” The Author Elite Awards is an award bestowed for literary merit and publishing excellence in the writing and publishing industry. Warner was announced the winner at this year’s Author Elite Awards Ceremony hosted at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.
Warner’s book begins with her harrowing story of being lost and in labor in the Arizona desert as she prepares to deliver her own baby. She describes the desert scene as a metaphor for what many women experience in motherhood.
“As a mother, there are days when you feel completely alone and in crisis; you have no idea where you are, how you got there or where you’re going,” she said.
Warner said she wrote “Lies of the Magpie” for any mother who may feel alone. The book tells of her journey through postpartum depression and the tools she learned for healing and retraining her “lying thoughts.”
Warner was invited, along with the other top ten finalists in the Memoir & Biography category, to present her book synopsis at the Author Elite Awards Red Carpet Sessions. Saturday evening included a Red Carpet Meet and Greet followed by the Author Elite Awards Ceremony.
When Warner’s name was announced as winner, she was presented with The Academy Boon of Merit Award and invited to give an acceptance speech. She began by saying, “This is going to look fantastic next to the trophy my children once gave me for making something different than spaghetti for dinner.”
Warner said it is important to keep a sense of humor, especially when discussing heavy topics like postpartum depression. That is why she made sure to fill the book with plenty of humor. “It doesn’t do a woman any good to read a book and get more depressed,” she said. “I want women to laugh and to know there is hope and light in dark times.”
Beginning in January of this year, over 1,000 authors worldwide were nominated for the Author Elite Award in one of the following 12 categories: Business & Economics, Children’s & Middle Grade, Clean Romance, Fantasy & Science Fiction, General Fiction, Health & Wellness, History & Historical Fiction, Memoir & Biography, Mystery & Thriller, Religious Nonfiction, Self-Help and Young Adult.
Authors of all sorts, including indie (self-published), traditional or collaborative published, were considered for the award. Entries were reviewed and evaluated based on social contribution, overall presentation (cover, content, flow and originality), and popular vote by a panel of select judges.
Warner is working on her next memoir titled “Homesewn Panties,” a coming of age story about growing up in Castle Dale and finding her place as a Mormon Democrat all while wearing homemade clothes.
You can learn more or contact Maleah at her website: maleahwarner.com