2024 Writing Award Finalists

I've been writing fiction for five years and I've just finished my first novel which began as a story told around a campfire, imagining walking into the woods and out into a different time. What might happen? Who would you meet? What would you do? At first, it was an an exciting story to tell the

I've been writing fiction for five years and I've just finished my first novel which began as a story told around a campfire, imagining walking into the woods and out into a different time. What might happen? Who would you meet? What would you do? At first, it was an an exciting story to tell the

Leaving Palmer’s School in 1953, I served two years in the R.A.F. and thereafter became too involved in building a career to allow myself the time to develop my talent for scribbling (although I did write a sales manual!). After a 40 year career, first in retail in UK, later in chemicals in UK and

Anne Lacourrege was raised in New Orleans. There has always been the desire to do creative writing and this was Anne’s first attempt. My father was the inspiration for this story. He was such a happy, go-lucky guy that loved life. Unfortunately, he ended up with Alzheimer’s. With those sad days of

Writer, romantic, cynic, surgeon

Originally from Sydney, Australia, I have spent most of my adult life in Switzerland, working as a physio with disabled children, raising a family, and studying. I received a BA with First Class Honours in Literature and Classical Studies from The Open University in 2001, and an MA from Bath Spa

Originally from Sydney, Australia, I have spent most of my adult life in Switzerland, working as a physio with disabled children, raising a family, and studying. I received a BA with First Class Honours in Literature and Classical Studies from The Open University in 2001, and an MA from Bath Spa

Physician, psychiatrist, podcaster, and author Richard Gillett received his medical degree from Cambridge University, England, and is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He has published three popular books on psychology. "Overcoming Depression" (Penguin), translated into six languages;

I have been writing full time for ten years, first gaining a distinction in a creative unit as part of an English Literature degree with the Open University and then completing various writing courses, most recently How To Edit Your Novel with Jericho Writer's Debi Alper. I am a member of a virtual

Celeste Lovick is a Canadian author and singer-songwriter residing in Norfolk, England with her husband and son. Her first novel, 'Medicine Song', was self-published in 2017 and was inspired by her experiences performing at greenfield festivals over the years. She has released four solo albums of

My first attempt at serious writing was a play in Spanish in my sixth form at school. Much later, I wrote stage plays for my local amateur dramatic society, Cobham Players, in Surrey, for which I have acted as Chairman. In the last few years I have self-published two books of historical fiction.

Like my ridiculous character Brian Medlock, I am a gay scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur. After training as a surgeon, I invented the personalization technology used by WebMD, and I recently sold my conversational AI company Conversa to American Well. Medlock’s theory of persistence is actually

Patrick Eades is a writer from Sydney, Australia. Growing up, he spent his free time reading, on sporting fields, and getting up to mischief in the National Park. After school, Patrick found himself in a variety of jobs. He was a baker, pizza delivery driver and shelf stacker before realising he

I write women’s upmarket and historical fiction. As a former retail executive specializing in e-commerce, for years I’ve channeled my story-telling passion into writing thousands of words in the form of published articles, white papers, website and social media content, marketing materials

I have always written and though I have never been published, I’ve been placed in many writing competitions: most recently I have been longlisted in the CWA’s Debut Dagger, The Yeovil Literary Prize, Flash 500 Novel Comp, The Joan Dempsey First Chapter Contest and shortlisted in The Retreat West

I have published short fiction and poetry, and I have been short- and long-listed for the Fish Short Story Prize. As an undergraduate I majored in English literature, though I currently work in technology.

Caroline Turriff is an award nominated social affairs journalist who was shortlisted for the Amnesty International Media Awards for a report on race and police brutality she did for BBC TV's Newsnight which was also broadcast on BBC1, Radio 4, Radio 1 and run by the Guardian, Mail and Metro

Gianaclis (gee-on-a-klees) is a multi-award winning non-fiction author who was raised in the wilds of Oregon talking to trees and escaping work in the garden to read books. She writes upmarket speculative fiction with themes of family, platonic love, and nomance. After a few NaNoWriMo’s and buckets

Franco British, aged 48, I have been, since the age of 21, a painter under the name Delphine Hogarth Lafaye. I work with different galleries in the UK and the states and always wrote texts to explain my paintings and my process. In my world, writing and painting go well together. This time, I left

I am a retired professor of Victorian Literature who has written two single-authored books, produced several editions, edited or co-edited several essays, and written numerous articles. During the course of my career I worked with a writing therapist, Cynthia MacDonald, a poet and therapist who was

Adrian Cowderoy was born at Hyde Park Corner, London. His early experiments with writing were inspired by a school alumnus, W. Somerset Maugham, and an English teacher who allowed him to write fiction instead of essays. Adrian’s career has influenced his writing. He has worked on a communal farm in

Wheston Chancellor Grove holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, VT. He also earned an MSW. He is the author of Who Has Known Heights, a bildungsroman (2017), and The Lost Art of Love (2023), available on Amazon. The Lost Art of Love is a 2024 Indie Book Awards Finalist. His short

My work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer’s Digest and Family Circle. A Pushcart Prize nominee, I won the Grand Prize in the annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition and received a Finalist Award in Prose from the Illinois Arts Council. I graduated with a

My work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer’s Digest and Family Circle. A Pushcart Prize nominee, I won the Grand Prize in the annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition and received a Finalist Award in Prose from the Illinois Arts Council. I graduated with a

Kristen Dobson was born in Ontario, Canada and graduated college in 1996. For the past thirty years she has worked as a massage therapist while continuing to pursue writing in her free time. Over decades, she has had the unique privilege of delving into peoples stories, while gaining an in depth

British Army veteran and former English Teacher; now writing Horror and Sci-Fi novels. I love folklore-inspired horror and splicing together terror and sci-fi fiction. @HThomaswrites

Writer based in Dublin

Having retired from teaching, I have spent much of my spare time writing, learning from my mistakes and discovering how much I enjoy the writing process, despite its many frustrations. I have been successful in several competitions, mainly in writing Flash Fiction, and my play, "So Quick", was

Although born in the UK, and educated at Cambridge University, I embarked on a teaching career in California. Securing several promotions, and working in a variety of schools and settings, I became a headteacher in the UK. I currently live in London and am an educational consultant, supporting

I have always loved reading and sharing books with others. I never thought I'd write my own, and it wasn't until I hit my fifties that I decided to give it a go. It has been a steep learning curve, but one I've enjoyed from the first step to now. I started writing historical romance, and that

Fiona Hartmann has a B.A. in English Literature from McGill University. She currently resides in Toronto, and is interested in creating thought-provoking fiction.

Paula Seager spent her early life in developing countries with aid project parents, living in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, including Zimbabwe. She continued to travel with her communications roles at Amnesty International, Sight Savers and the World Health Organisation, working in India

I am a neurodivergent mother raising two readers in upstate New York. When I’m not writing fiction, I work in the EdTech sector, focusing on accessible online course design.

Steve conveys perspectives and emotions in poems and songs. His draft memoir, Galvanized, tells how he overcame timidity as an air cavalry officer in the Vietnam War. A tuxedo cat from a shelter encourages him from a perch over his PC keyboard. Steve assists disabled veterans in getting government

Born in 1977. From Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland. Fledgling author, full-time dreamer.

I used to run a Tango club in Brighton and now work as a model for such names as Balenciaga and Martine Rose https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2022-menswear/martine-rose. For the past 30 years I have been working the twelve-step program of Narcotics Anonymous and have written a memoir about

Therena is an award-winning, internationally published photographer and artist. She writes epic romantic fantasy novels and creates fantasy illustrations. She loves transporting readers and art lovers into a world of love, magic, and adventure. Born to be an artist and author, she delights in

Corporate turned creative. Swapping life in a FTSE for freedom, I now enjoy more creative days as an aspiring writer and a business and marketing consultant. My novels, written with screenplay adaptation in mind, draw on the reality of today - the highs and lows, twists and turns of modern life and

Raised in Essex, Massachusetts, Travis worked in his family’s sawmill and lumber business from the age of seven instead of going to school. An avid outdoorsman from a young age, whether it was hunting the rolling hills of New Hampshire or fly-fishing remote brook trout ponds in the deep northwoods

Now retired, my career began as a teacher of French and German and ended as a specialist in helping pupils who do not speak the language of instruction all over the UK and Europe. I was a member of an EU Working Group promoting better Education outcomes for pupils of Roma heritage in Europe. I

Hannah Costelle is a Kentucky writer with a love of whodunnits, howdunnits, and whydunnits. She attended Eastern Kentucky University, where she studied Journalism and English. Today she works in historical archives. For the past ten years, she has been working on a trilogy of mystery novels, as well

I was born in Great Britain, a long time ago, then emigrated to Alberta Canada. My wife and I are now retired and living in the South Okanagan, BC Canada. I am in the process of writing 4 fictional books - a collection of short stories, a spy thriller, a western action and adventure book and an

Alicia Doyle is a voracious reader and lover of large cups of tea. Taking her love of the written word a step further, she published a small collection of her poetry in 2021 and had the pleasure of having one of her short stories published in the online magazine, Short Fiction Break, in 2022. In

I am a minority immigrant to Australia from a completely different culture. At school, I was teased and bullied for my heritage. When other children were eating vegemite sandwiches, I was eating open sandwiches with pate and salami. Other students would point to my lunch, call it 'dog meat' and

Born in Spain, raised in Australia, I now live in Ireland with my husband and two teenagers. I like to tap into the heart and mind of my protagonists, so readers connect to them on an emotional level. I'm a self-taught writer and In Her Skin is my debut novel. I'm active in writing/critique groups

I am a minority immigrant to Australia from a completely different culture. At school, I was teased and bullied for my heritage. When other children were eating vegemite sandwiches, I was eating open sandwiches with pate and salami. Other students would point to my lunch, call it 'dog meat' and

Alexandra Grace started writing emotional poetry as a teenager, but her biggest dream was writing a novel that made readers feel. That dream finally came true in her 40s when her first idea wouldn't let her sleep. She likes to combine her respect for military service personnel with her heartfelt

Before Melissa started writing romantic comedies and women’s fiction, she worked as a surgical Physician Associate in Nashville, where one of her favorite procedures was re-suturing a lower-lumbar tattoo. Her stories, like herself, are always a mix: light and dark, laughter and tears, outlandish and

I was born and raised in Spain and moved to live in the UK when I was 25. Learning a new language wasn’t easy for me; so, I challenged myself to write in English as a way to improve the language. Characters and their stories have crowded my head from a young age, wanting to be told; one day I gave

Andrew Phillips for "SHOES," "WHISPERS," RIMBOMBO," AND "HOPE OF GLIMMER" I am currently retired from the public education system in North Carolina. My career spans nearly thirty years of teaching early childhood classes, working as a Home/School Coordinator, Arts Coordinator and elementary