The Days Before Tomorrow Wins 19th Annual National Indie Excellence® Award

​LOS ANGELES, CA, June 25, 2025 — The National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA), a long-standing leader in recognizing exceptional independently published books, has awarded its 2025 prize for new fiction to The Days Before Tomorrow. The book was also a finalist in the historical fiction category.

www.indieexcellence.com/19th-annual-winners

The novel, published by Phoenix-based Peconic First Books and written by former journalist Mark Hass, follows a young Ukrainian Jewish boy’s journey to adulthood from the interwar years through Hitler’s rise to power. Along with his older sister, the young man confronts the scourge of anti-Semitism and the chaos of war in the part of Central Europe historians term the “Bloodlands.” 

NIEA honors titles from small and mid-sized presses across all genres, recognizing excellence in both content and presentation. Entries are evaluated by a panel of industry professionals—including publishers, authors, editors, and book designers—using a rigorous set of criteria.

"Small to midsize publishers continue to impress with strong entries across every genre," said Doug Fogelson, NIEA President. "The team at NIEA is proud to honor each awardee as a representative of the excellence and enduring value of books in print today."

Reviews of The Days Before Tomorrow have described it as "a haunting historical fiction," "a masterful tale of love, conflict, and revenge, a must read," and "an often riveting work of historical fiction." Publishers Weekly summarized the book this way: "Readers will be moved by this story of a never-ending struggle for survival."

The book is also firmly connected to contemporary events. In the wake of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, the book's exploration of the current war’s underlying political and historical themes through the eyes and voices of highly relatable historical characters is especially relevant. And its examination of the way anti-Semitism was knitted into everyday European life prior to the Holocaust is sobering in light of the rise of new anti-Jewish rhetoric around the world.

The author is an educator, author and former global marketing executive who is now a professor of practice at Arizona State University, where he specializes in strategic communications and marketing leadership. He previously worked as a newspaper reporter and won awards writing about science, medicine, history and Jewish mysticism. The Days Before Tomorrow is his first novel.

For interviews and in-person events with the author, please contact him directly at mark.hass@peconicfirst.com. More information about the book is available at www.TheDaysBeforeTomorrow.com.

Peconic Books Releases Debut Historical Novel Chronicling Ukraine Between the World Wars

SCOTTSDALE, AZ, April 2024 -- Peconic First Books has announced the release of The Days Before Tomorrow,a debut novel by former journalist and Arizona State University professor Mark Hass.

 This moving coming-of-age story follows a young Ukrainian Jewish boy’s journey to adulthood from the interwar years through Hitler’s rise to power. Along with his sister Leja, young Wolchi confronts the scourge of antisemitism and the chaos of war in the part of Central Europe historians term the “Bloodlands.” 

 The book is an accessible read that captures untold World War II history and human complexity in a unique, highly readable way. Mothers, daughters and book club rmembers will relate to the female characters, strong women coping with and overcoming intolerable circumstances. Jewish readers will be attracted to a unique narrative about their 20th Century history and the everyday indignities of European anti-Semitism.

 Early reviewers described the book as "a haunting historical fiction," and "a masterful tale of love, conflict, and revenge, a must read."

 Author and former media executive Jim Lewis wrote this on Reedsy Discovery:

 "This story is told against a backdrop of family love and betrayal, first love and abandonment, and always the hostility between masters and their subjects. The author depicts not just the evil of anti-Semitism, but the frequent acts of kindness of those bound by a common fate. He does this with a masterful hand, exposing humanity and inhumanity with fully realized actors."

 The Days Before Tomorrow is also firmly connected to contemporary events. In the wake of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, the book's exploration of the current war’s underlying political and historical themes through the eyes and voices of highly relatable historical characters is especially relevant. And its examination of the way anti-Semitism was knitted into everyday European life prior to the Holocaust is sobering in light of the rise of new anti-Jewish rhetoric around the world.

 The author, Mark Hass, is an educator, author and former global marketing executive who is now a professor of practice and a member of the Barrett Honors faculty at Arizona State University, where he specializes in strategic communications and marketing leadership. He previously worked as a newspaper reporter, and won prestigious awards writing about science, medicine, history and Jewish mysticism. The Days Before Tomorrow is his first novel.

 "The novel explores a very personal theme," Hass said. "I have a family connection to that part of the world, where the impact of war and ethnic hatred on the lives of my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles has been a key narrative in my life." 

 Additional information is available at www.TheDaysBeforeTomorrow.com. Please contact Peconic First Books for review copies, a media kit, interviews or in-person events with the author.