Nancy Sherman's 'Sandy Shorts' collection wins national award

Nancy Powichroski Sherman of Harbeson has won a first-place award in the 2015 National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest for her book "Sandy Shorts," a collection of beach reads published by Cat and Mouse Press of Lewes.

Her book won first place in the category of Collection of short stories written by the entrant and published together in book form. NFPW is a nationwide organization of professional women and men pursuing careers across the communications spectrum. The book previously had won first prize in the Delaware Press Association Communications Contest.

The stories in "Sandy Shorts" are set in the coastal towns of Bethany Beach; Lewes; Rehoboth Beach; Dewey Beach; Cape May, N.J.; Ocean City, N.J.;  and Wildwood, N.J. The short stories deal with such wide-ranging situations as taking a less-than-cooperative dog on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, dealing with a rental mix-up in Bethany Beach, getting caught in a sudden storm on Rehoboth Beach, hitting the bars in Dewey, and facing real and imagined demons on a seemingly haunted ride on the Wildwood amusement pier.

Stories in the book are grouped into sections labeled Sunny Days, Shifting Sands, Stormy Skies and Starry Nights, according to their mood. Many of the stories refer to local restaurants, beaches, bars, stores and other familiar locations.

Sherman is an award-winning author who especially enjoys writing beach reads. She was born and raised in Baltimore, Md., where she taught composition, literature and theater for 32 years in the Baltimore County public school system. Her story “Why You Trashed Vera Wang” won second prize in the 2013 Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest and was published in the anthology "The Beach House," which is available at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth. Sherman is an active member of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild.

“We’re thrilled to see 'Sandy Shorts' win another award,” says Nancy Sakaduski of Cat and Mouse Press. “It’s nice to see the judges recognize a book that, while very well written, is also just plain fun.”

"Sandy Shorts" is available at Browseabout Books and Proud Bookstore in Rehoboth Beach; Biblion Books and Sands of Time in Lewes; Bethany Beach Books in Bethany; The News Center in Ocean City, Md., and Easton, Md; Cape Atlantic Book Company and The Whale’s Tale in Cape May, N.J.; and other locations. For more information, go to www.catandmousepress.com.