Stevie Szabad, Author

As with my first book, “Camp Follower One Army Brat’s Story“, I submitted my new release “First We Eat. Food, Life, and More Stories” for the prestigious Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, 28th Annual edition. Because of 2020, I actually had forgotten that I submitted it back in April, until the email came in October that I didn’t win any placing. Again, forgotten. Then this review email came, and I will let it speak for itself. I need not add anything, other than that I am flattered, flabbergasted, and excited to share. Here it is in it’s entirety :

Below is a brief commentary for your entry in the 28th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, thank you for your participation!

Entry Title:  First We Eat. Food, Life, and More Stories

Author:  Michele Sabad 

Judge Number: 42

Entry Category: Life Stories

A few quick notes~

●       Books are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “needs improvement” and 5 meaning “outstanding”.

●       The 1-5 scale is strictly to provide a point of reference; the scores are meant only to be a gauge, and are not a cumulative score, nor are they tallied or used in ranking.

●       A “0” is not a negative score. Our online review system only recognizes numerals during this portion of logging evaluations. As a result, we’ve substituted a “0” in place of “N/A” when the portion of the evaluation simply does not apply to the entry, based on the entry genre. For example, a book of poetry, a cookbook, or a travel guide would not necessarily have a “Plot and Story Appeal and may therefore receive a “0” – indicating that the rating was not applicable.

●       If you wish to reference this review on your website, we ask that you cite it as such: “Judge, 28th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.” You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review.

Structure, Organization, and Pacing: 5 

Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar: 5

Production Quality and Cover Design: 5

Plot and Story Appeal: 0

Character Appeal and Development: 0

Voice and Writing Style: 5

Judge’s Commentary*: 

FIRST WE EAT: FOOD, LIFE, AND MORE STORIES by Michele Sabad is a charming and unique memoir that foodies and those who love to read about life and relationships will adore. Though Sabad is not the first author to write about food and life, only she could have written this memoir and brought such an engaging voice to meeting new and unique people, living among different relatives, and changes in her financial status and situation. This author offers recipes we can really use among her charming stories. This is a book to relish and to savor!

The cover is quite interesting. The colors don’t replicate many foods, although beets come to mind. The tree does bespeak food, though, and is nicely designed. The reader is reminded that burgundy is the color of wine when spotting the illustration on the back, as well as a delightful photo of the author imbibing cheerfully. The copy is excellent. The endorsement is also good, but we wonder who wrote it?

Inside, the reader finds entertainment and culinary delight. Oh, and by the way? Chips and dip would definitely be a great last meal! May this author enjoy much wine and many chips and dip for years to come.