2022 Book Award Finalists

Allison was born and raised in Taiwan and arrived in the U.S. at twenty-two as a university student. That’s when she realized her school English wasn’t much help when asking for directions on the street or opening a bank account. By recording each of the classes she took––including physical

Valeria Aloe is a speaker, award-winning author, and founder of the Rising Together Movement, a global community with the mission of driving economic inclusion and closing the leadership and wealth gaps for Latinas and other women of color. Through in-culture talent development programs, Rising

P.J. Roscoe is the international award-winning author of historical, paranormal novels and the 'Adventures of Faerie folk' series for young children. Her latest award, January 2021, winning the best Women's Fiction at the Firebird Book Awards was yet another reason for readers to find her work and

Megan is a long-time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the

Better known for being an awesome father, devoted husband, impassioned employee, and candidly, being way too impressed with himself; Ron Randall has been in love with words from a very early age. He whiled away entire seasons exploring the worlds of Tolkien, Donaldson, Kurtz, Eddings, Anthony

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

Cristina started her career as a newspaper reporter for L’Eco di Biella and La Provincia di Biella, in Piedmont, Italy. After a spell running the press office of an MP, she moved to London, where she worked for several years as a public affairs and media relations professional, advising major

John Espie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing, as well as a few other "higher up" pieces of paper for less interesting matters. In addition to spending the past 25 years as a public educator, he has roamed the corridors of Hollywood, broken his left arm on a snowboard, gotten lost while

T. L. Coughlin is a dreamer. One who loves to imagine and explore new worlds. As a child, she would often get in trouble for staying up until the bright hours of the morning to read books. She would consume novels upon novels, jumping from one land to the next. Her hope is to deliver that same

Cathy Hayward trained as a journalist and edited a variety of trade publications, several of which were so niche they were featured on Have I Got News for You. She then moved into the world of PR and set up an award-winning communications agency. Devastated and inspired in equal measure by the death

JP McLean is a bestselling author of urban fantasy and supernatural thrillers. She is a Global Book Award winner, a CIBA finalist, and has received honours from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the NIEA Awards, and the Whistler independent Book Awards. JP is a graduate of

Ian Conrey is both a teacher and student of history and theology, who actively fights against human trafficking and is working toward an M.A. In his free time, he enjoys reading biographies and ancient mythology, discovering early American folk songs, and exploring the Cohutta Wilderness. He lives

I moved to Manhattan straight out of college because my sister lived there and I could crash on her couch. Six years later (after a quick jaunt in London), I moved to Los Angeles, where I wrote a lifestyle column for the website Examiner.com. When I struggled with pregnancy, I did what I always do

Battalion Chief David Hollenbach (retired) is the author of “Fireproof: Your Grand Strategy for Transforming Failure into Fuel for Your Future.” He is a motivational speaker, coach, and mentor. He owns and operates David Hollenbach Consulting, LLC, and hosts the popular podcast “From Embers to

Victoria Gemmell lives in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Her debut Young Adult mystery thriller novel Follow Me was published by Strident Publishing Ltd. in 2015, with her second (stand-alone) Young Adult mystery Promise Me independently published in October 2021. Victoria also writes contemporary flash

Ragini Elizabeth Michaels Transformation Leadership Coach, Behavioral Change Specialist, Mindfulness/Consciousness Mentor, Author Ragini is the founder of Facticity® Trainings, Inc., a training and consulting company established in 1988 offering certification training in Paradox Management, Neuro

35 year old indie author of paranormal, fantasy, historical fiction/fantasy, and steamy romance. My characters are quirky and meddlesome, and I thrive on lavish and flowers descriptions. When not writing I'm working in the medical field as a workers compensation specialist. I read, take walks, play

Autistic author Nicole Adrianne is a full-time volunteer, cat lover, and tech enthusiast. She lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with her four cats. When she’s not busy creating lush dystopian worlds, she’s probably cooking an adventurous new recipe, learning a foreign language, reading a thrilling novel

Jessica lives in a small suburb of Minneapolis with her husband and their four children. In addition to her full-time day job and occasionally moonlighting as a birth doula, she has discovered an interest in writing and hopes to find more time to work on the projects endlessly mulling around in her

Joel B. Randall graduated from Brigham Young University–Idaho in December 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in communication (an emphasis in news/journalism) and an English minor. As a former tutor with his university’s writing center, Joel has a deep appreciation for English grammar and aspires to

I've always loved creative writing and one of my earliest memories is being sent to the headmaster to receive a commendation for a comic book I wrote. For most of my life, I worked in offices writing training and technical manuals. In my spare time, I would be starting (but rarely finishing) science

Dan Rice pens the young adult urban fantasy series The Allison Lee Chronicles in the wee hours of the morning. The series kicks off with his award-winning debut, Dragons Walk Among Us, which Kirkus Review calls, “An inspirational and socially relevant fantasy.” While not pulling down the 9 to 5 or

Bob Palmer has been, in chronological order, a construction worker, town planner, rock drummer, graphic designer, award-winning adman, entrepreneur, scriptwriter and movie producer. He gets bored easily. In his spare time, he's been caught in a Utah desert flash flood, set off the alarms at Area 51

Jinny Uppal is no stranger to driving contrary and innovative thinking. Uppal’s 20+ years of experience driving transformational growth by challenging existing norms in business is key to her success working with Fortune 500 telecom, ecommerce and retail companies. As a business and tech growth

Laura West is a Registered Nurse, energy healer, intuitive, and psychic medium dedicated to both the sciences and spirituality. She has taken part in multiple international spiritual summits, has taught about intuition on several virtual platforms to students from all over the world, and has been

MADELEINE D’ARCY is a fiction writer based in Cork City, Ireland. Her linked short story collection, LIBERTY TERRACE, was published by Doire Press in October 2021. Her début short story collection, WAITING FOR THE BULLET (Doire Press, 2014), won the Edge Hill Readers’ Choice Prize 2015 (UK). In 2010

Julie Carrick Dalton’s debut novel WAITING FOR THE NIGHT SONG was named to Most Anticipated 2021 book by CNN, Newsweek, USA Today, Parade, Buzzfeed, and others, and was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best Books of the Month. As a journalist, Julie has published more than a thousand articles in

Author Barbara Pinke loves to create stories and spice them up with adventure and fun – especially if it involves discovering new places! Born and raised in Hungary, Barbara later moved around Europe and currently lives in Germany with her family.

I am a concert flutist and the founding artistic director of Mistral Music, a chamber music series which is known for its virtuosic artists, imaginative programming, and the personal rapport we establish with our audiences. (www.MistralMusic.org) In earlier years, I was a busy freelancer, performing

Dan Pontefract is the founder and CEO of Pontefract Group, a firm that improves the state of leadership and organizational culture. He is the best-selling author of four books: LEAD. CARE. WIN. How to Become a Leader Who Matters, OPEN TO THINK, THE PURPOSE EFFECT and FLAT ARMY. A renowned speaker

Dan Pontefract is the founder and CEO of Pontefract Group, a firm that improves the state of leadership and organizational culture. He is the best-selling author of four books: LEAD. CARE. WIN. How to Become a Leader Who Matters, OPEN TO THINK, THE PURPOSE EFFECT and FLAT ARMY. A renowned speaker

Joel Shoemaker has been a librarian for a decade and a magician for three! He lives in central Illinois with his husband and his dog, Maximus. He consumes an inordinate amount of cheese.

Joe Chacko is a doctor turned writer. He was born in India, then moved to the UK after graduating from medical school. After twenty odd years as a hospital doctor, he decided it was time to change tack. His wife convinced him to enter a writing competition at a Scottish literary festival. That pitch

Carlos Andrés Gómez is a Colombian American writer from New York City. He is the author of the full-length poetry collection “Fractures” (University of Wisconsin Press, 2020), selected by Natasha Trethewey as the winner of the 2020 Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry; the chapbook “Hijito”(Platypus Press

Born with only one working lung and having had the last rites read to him when almost dying of an influenza-related viral pneumonia, 25-year-old geophysicist Lee Hunt experienced several near-death dreams. The power of communication and the need to both understand and be understood was at the heart

Award-winning author Bryan Cassiday writes horror fiction and thrillers. His horror novel Horde won the American Fiction Award 2021 and the Independent Press Award 2022 for Best Horror Novel. He also wrote the Scott Brody thriller series. He lives in Southern California.

Kaitlin B. Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, she writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. She also speaks on these topics to diverse audiences who are

Hello all! I'm Jae, a 30-something writer of Fantasy and Urban Fantasy occupying space somewhere on the East Coast. As a queer woman, I've found myself growing more and more disenchanted and frustrated with the Fantasy genres, so I've set out to change the narrative and write the stories I

M. M. De Voe is an internationally published writer of short fiction. She has won more than 24 writing awards for her writing in poetry, science fiction, horror, literary fiction and flash. Her first full-length book won first prize at the Next Gen Indie Awards in writing/publishing. It is a guide

Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given

Junia Wonders is the author of the seasonal bestseller The Roll-Away Pumpkin, which has been translated into six languages. Five of her picture books, namely, The Roll-Away Pumpkin, Zachary and the Great Potato Catastrophe, The Night the Monsters Came, Have You Ever Wondered What You Will Be?, and I

Junia Wonders is the author of the seasonal bestseller The Roll-Away Pumpkin, which has been translated into six languages. Five of her picture books, namely, The Roll-Away Pumpkin, Zachary and the Great Potato Catastrophe, The Night the Monsters Came, Have You Ever Wondered What You Will Be?, and I

Junia Wonders is the author of the seasonal bestseller The Roll-Away Pumpkin, which has been translated into six languages. Five of her picture books, namely, The Roll-Away Pumpkin, Zachary and the Great Potato Catastrophe, The Night the Monsters Came, Have You Ever Wondered What You Will Be?, and I

Junia Wonders is the author of the seasonal bestseller The Roll-Away Pumpkin, which has been translated into six languages. Five of her picture books, namely, The Roll-Away Pumpkin, Zachary and the Great Potato Catastrophe, The Night the Monsters Came, Have You Ever Wondered What You Will Be?, and I

Jen McGuire is a freelance writer for Romper whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Parents, Good Housekeeping, and O magazine. Her memoir Nest has sold thousands of copies since its release in May 2021, and excerpts have been featured in outlets including Elle and Refinery29. She is a

Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. He’s published four novels in the Detective Hiroshi series, and three books of short writings about Tokyo life. Michael grew up in Kansas City, studied philosophy at Brown University, and then traveled for years, teaching in Beijing

Michael Pronko is a Tokyo-based writer of murder, memoir and music. He’s published four novels in the Detective Hiroshi series, and three books of short writings about Tokyo life. Michael grew up in Kansas City, studied philosophy at Brown University, and then traveled for years, teaching in Beijing

Born in Houston, Texas. Holds a BBA and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. 1968-1971: Served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, with primary duty locating and tracking Soviet submarines 1973-1986: Bank Marketing Executive. In charge of advertising, marketing research, product development

Naomi V. Dunsen-White is a children's author who writes books that represent children of Color. She has a passion for closing the diversity gap that exists in the children’s literature industry and believes that ALL children deserve to have books with characters who look a lot like themselves. She

Throughout his career, Jeff Roth has worked on some of the most complex and challenging policy questions facing cities today. From flood mitigation and emergency management, to fire and life safety, to taxi regulation on the streets of New York, Jeff learned every day, in the arena of city