2021 Book Award Longlist

Ian Graham is an author, screenwriter, and entrepreneur with an interest in politics, history, and religion. The stories and characters he writes about are centered on the explosive conflicts created when the three intersect. He is a firm believer in being yourself … unless you can be Batman. Always

Seth David Branitz has been writing and recording songs as Seth Davis since 2001. He’s the winner of multiple Moth Story Slams and Woodstock StorySlams. He’s read his personal essays to thousands and is a painter, father, began chef and restauranteur. His first book, The Trouble With Kim, is

Ruth Badley is an author, speaker and ghost writer with a background in drama, education and journalism. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and worked in secondary and further education before establishing a successful career as the arts editor and features writer for a

Emma lives with her husband Darren, two young children Toby and Chloe and fur baby Arthur in Devon. Lawyer by day, representing nurses, she is now an author by night, inspiring patients having written and shared her story following an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. Throughout treatment

Lilianne Milgrom is an internationally acclaimed artist and author. She was born in Paris, grew up in Australia, and now lives in the United States. In 2011 she became the first artist authorized by the Orsay Museum in Paris to copy Gustave Courbet’s infamous L’Origine du monde (The Origin of the

K.N. SALUSTRO is a science fiction and fantasy author who loves outer space, dragons, and stories that include at least one of those things. When not writing or working at her day job, she runs an Etsy shop as a plush maker and makes art for her Redbubble shop, both under the name DragonsByKris.

Laurie Holding lives with her husband in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, USA, a village not at all like the Greenwich Village described in her first solo cozy mystery, Planted on Perry Street. She is the author of two children's books, Tyrion's Tale and Tyrion's Town, both about her dog Tyrion who is a

Julie Hall is a USA Today bestselling, 12x award-winning author. She writes YA paranormal / fantasy novels, loves doodles, and drinks Red Bull, but not necessarily in that order. Julie's daughter says that her super power is sleeping all day and writing all night... and well, she wouldn't be wrong

Alan David Pritchard is a multi-award-winning novelist, playwright, poet, and creator of poetry videos/films. His novel, ‘The Pebble Champion’ was the WINNER of the Best Book Award at the Miracle Makers International Film and Writers’ Festival, 2021. In addition, it received an HONORABLE MENTION at

Lewis Kempfer published his first book, "Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Having a Bad Life: A Memoir," in September 2019. The book has won four awards: the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Category Award for LGBTQ+ Non-Fiction; the 2020 Gold Medal from Literary Titan; and the 2021 and 2020 Silver Medals from

James Walker is a journalist and editor with fifteen years of experience writing for print and digital publications. He currently heads up an international team of writers as editor of The Daily Swig, a leading cybersecurity news website with more than 250,000 monthly visitors. This is his fist

Justine Manzano is the geeky author of geeky YA novels The Order of the Key, and Never Say Never. Her fiction is tough on the outside and sweet on the inside, like an M&M or a hard candy with a gooey center, delivered with sass and snark. A freelance editor, she also serves as an Editor-in-Residence

Carol E. Anderson is a woman, writer, spouse, coach, and world-class friend who is grateful for the life she’s been given and ever curious about human beings and their purpose on Earth. She is also a former organizational change consultant with 35 years of experience in large and small corporations

Alison holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, as well as an MA in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. Alison's fiction, poetry, and essays have appeared widely online and in print, including in Boink Magazine, Big Pulp Magazine, Meat for Tea: The

Lisa Skinner is a behavior expert in the field of Alzheimer's disease and other related dementia. In the past 25+ years, Lisa has been a community counselor, a regional director of senior care facilities, a trainer, speaker and private adviser; helping thousands of families and caregivers understand

Toni Bird Jones’s love of adventure infuses her writing. She spent years diving in the Northwest’s Georgia Straits before moving to South Florida to pursue a life on the water. While living for over ten years in the sailing community of the Caribbean and delivering boats to the Lesser Antilles

A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Larissa writes the award-winning Cherry Tucker Mystery, Maizie Albright Star Detective, and Finley Goodhart Crime Caper series. She loves to tell funny stories about sassy, Southern women looking for love (and dead bodies) in all the wrong places. Her books

Rachel is an author and stay-home mom in Missouri. After days full of chasing around a four-year-old and his furry, four-legged sidekick with a baby in tow, she puts everyone to bed and writes. Her characters are relatable, and often include romance and as well as honor for the military. Rachel, her

Pauline Kramer Saxon is the third generation of her family to be in lingerie- as it were! Her paternal grandparents were manufacturers in Budapest, Hungary before the Nazis came and changed everything. Having barely survived the holocaust they came to Australia as refugees and set up manufacturing

Justin Warren is a high school teacher who has dreams of one day becoming a full-time novelist. His love for writing came when he picked up a copy of Michael Connelly's Blood Work, and couldn't put it down. Like Connelly, Justin's work has a strong sense of "place," transporting the reader into the

Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 60 books. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter. She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her

Patti Larsen is an international, multiple award-winning writer with a passion for the voices in her head. Now with over 150 titles across a multitude of genres in happy publication around the world, she lives on her beautiful island paradise, Prince Edward Island, Canada, with her abundance of

Patti Larsen is an international, multiple award-winning writer with a passion for the voices in her head. Now with over 150 titles across a multitude of genres in happy publication around the world, she lives on her beautiful island paradise, Prince Edward Island, Canada, with her abundance of

Hayley Louise Macfarlane hails from the very tiny hamlet of Balmaha on the shores of Loch Lomond in Scotland. Having spent eight years studying at the University of Glasgow and graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Genetics and then a PhD in Synthetic Biology, Hayley quickly realised that her long-term

Sarahlyn Bruck is the author of Daytime Drama (2021), which Kirkus Reviews called “A fun, frothy tale that will leave readers excited for a sequel.” Her debut novel, Designer You (2018) won the 2019 Indie Star Book Award and was included on the 2018 “35 Over 35” list. Sarahlyn grew up in California

Michelle Winkler was convinced by her husband to live in the Arizona desert. While skeptical at first, she realized if she could survive hitchhiking halfway cross country at 20 years old, spend eight years in the Navy, and raise two sons, as long as she had air-conditioning, she'd probably be okay

NICOLE BEA wears many hats in the writing community, from the editor-in-chief of an online literary magazine to acquisition editor with a small press. She has written several novels for middle grade through to adult audiences, and her poems and stories have appeared or are forthcoming in a variety

Peggy Wirgau is a Michigan native and now lives in Delray Beach, Florida. She loves true stories from the past and writes through the eyes of ordinary people in history who faced extraordinary challenges and became heroes. Peggy has written for several magazines and is a member of Society of

Siobhian R. Hodges is a Young Adult fiction writer based in Leicestershire UK, author of the supernatural thriller Killing a Dead Man and upcoming anthology Untitled Decade. She is now currently co-directing a music video for Killing a Dead Man. The song, “Witness”, is performed by singer-songwriter

Robin Farmer’s writing projects, including poetry and short stories, focus on girls discovering their voices and advocating for marginalized communities. Adapted from her own screenplay, MALCOLM AND ME, Robin’s debut YA novel is an Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Short List finalist, a 2021 Human Relations

Dreamer. Optimist. Chocoholic. Self-published writer of fantasy novels.

Dr. Meadows is an Honors graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and studied at Duke University. He later held faculty positions at both institutions. He was recognized internationally for his work in cancer research, receiving both grants and awards; he authored numerous

STARR Z. DAVIES is a Midwesterner at heart. While pursuing a degree at the University of Wisconsin, Starr gained a reputation as the “Character Assassin” because she had a habit of utterly destroying her characters emotionally and physically -- a habit she steadfastly maintains. From a young age

Jerry Furnell is a '56 model Englishman replanted in Australia in '58. He lives on the magnificent Gold Coast in sunny Queensland. A business owner and self employed for the last thirty years, this avid reader is semi-retired and writes most days. He supports and is supported by two beautiful women

Before publishing "The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon" Marcha Fox wanted to confirm her portrayal of Native American culture and the story's protagonist, Charlie Littlewolf, was accurate as well as not offensive in any manner. She was fortunate enough to find Pete Risingsun, an enrolled member of the

Deborah has worked as an occupational therapist, a health service manager, a freelance journalist, and management consultant in health and social care. The Borrowed Boy, her debut, was self-published on 1st August 2020, after being shortlisted for the Deviant Minds Award 2019. Since publication, it

A history graduate, turned teacher and now self-published author, my writing encompasses both historical fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, non-fiction and more recently crime fiction. I have lived in Spain for the last twenty-three years and many of my novels are set there, particularly the

Laura Davis is the author of seven non-fiction books, including The Courage to Heal, Becoming the Parent You Want to Be and I Thought We'd Never Speak Again. Her groundbreaking books have been translated into 11 languages and sold more than 1.8 million copies. In addition to writing books that

Zarina Macha is an author, blogger, and musician born and raised in London, UK. She studied Songwriting and Creative Artistry at The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Guildford. She regularly writes a social commentary blog titled ‘The Zarina Macha Blog.’ In her spare time, she loves reading

Nava R. Silton, Ph.D., a Developmental Psychologist, received her B.S. from Cornell University in 2002 and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University in 2009. Silton has worked at Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and Mediakidz, and has consulted for Netflix, Blue’s Clues & You and The Autism Seaver

E A Carter is a multiple award-winning, Amazon #1 bestselling author of epic alternate historical fiction, sci-fi, and high fantasy love stories. Her newest release I, Cassandra came out Aug 26, 2021, a sci-fi drenched in the dystopian atmospheres of Blade Runner, Ex Machina, and Elysium. She is a

Peter Gajdics is an award-winning writer whose essays, short memoir and poetry have appeared in Huffington Post (Canada), Maclean’s, The Advocate, New York Tyrant, The Gay and Lesbian Review / Worldwide, Gay Times, Manhattan Book Review, and Brevity, among others. He is a recipient of several

Michele E. Gwynn is an award-winning Bestselling Author and former freelance journalist from San Antonio, Texas. She has worked in newspaper and contributed online to sites like Examiner.com, Yahoo Voices, and Salon.com. She has also worked as a senior editor for FashionErotica.com, written for Film

Claire Merchant is an Australian author and storyteller. She is best known for her collection of fantasy, contemporary, and romance novels set in fictional South Coast. In 2019, Claire won ‘Top Female Author’ in the Fantasy and Romance categories as voted by The Authors Show.

Born and raised at Porton Down in Wiltshire and currently working for the NHS in Salisbury, J A Higgins has always been fascinated by crime, history and the unexplained. 'A Long Time Burning' is the second in the Nell Montague mystery series. J A Higgins always wanted to write a paranormal themed

Phill Featherstone has been a teacher, education adviser and publisher. He now alternates between writing, drinking coffee, and playing the saxaphone (badly) - not always in that order. He lives in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England with Sally, his wife and partner of more years than either of them

After a career in marketing, I became a full-time author in 2016, publishing three novels under the pen name GD Harper. I have attended an Arvon residential writing course and also the UK Festival of Writing, as well as Jericho Writers' course on self-editing. I have been a previous Page Turner

ANDREA WILSON WOODS is a writer who loves to tell stories, and a patient advocate who founded the nonprofit Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association. Andrea is the CEO and co-founder of Cancer University, a for-profit, social-benefit, digital health company. With Cancer U, Andrea