Vietnam Era Novel About Family with Autistic Son is USA Best Book Finalist

Pittsburgh, PA, November 30, 2014 --(PR.com)-- When a military family suddenly comes unsprung, the eldest daughter, Farley, gives up her dreams to care for her younger brother, William. An Autistic Savant, William is the novel's loyal and disarmingly insightful hero.

"The book is written primarily from Farley's perspective," says Penny McCann Pennington, the author of "It Burns a Lovely Light." "The impact of William just took over. It's a classic example of the story directing the author."

Pennington took the modern approach to publishing. After working with an agent for over a year, the agent suddenly stopped taking Pennington's email. "I was crushed," said Pennington. "I knew my book was good - but I was afraid to tackle promotion and marketing without an agent." In the end, Pennington self-published and got herself a good publicist.

"It Burns a Lovely Light" has since received rave reviews in major publications and won numerous awards / honorable mentions, including 2014 USA Best Book Award Finalist. Judges from the 22nd Annual Writer's Digest Awards gave her a perfect 5 in all categories - 5 meaning "Outstanding."

Pennington is currently working on a biography of a prominent, vilified figure from the Vietnam era and another novel. "It Burns a Lovely Light" can be found on Amazon, Kindle, Nook, Barnes&Noble.com, Scribd, and select bookstores and libraries.