2023 Book Award Finalists

Speaker, author and songwriter, Matt McChlery, was born in Zimbabwe. In early 2016 Matt was diagnosed with cancer (non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) so took some time out of performing and recording. However he continued to write his blog and chronicled his journey whilst battling the disease which has since

Brittney Brackett is an accomplished actor, award-winning children’s book author, professional voice talent, and nonprofit champion with more than 12 years' experience helping children and teens flourish personally, scholastically, and emotionally. She is the founder of a nonprofit called The

Marc Joan spent the early part of his life in India, and the early part of his career in biomedical research. He draws on this and other experience for his fiction, which has been widely published in magazines. His novelette, The Speckled God, was published by Unsung Stories in Feb 2017; he is a

For over a decade, Joelle Habbaki has been the powerhouse behind a successful event design company, honing her skills in creativity, communication, and organization. Yet all along there was a nagging urge that never left her. The urge to write stories that capture the essence of love in all its

Livin' the dream. D.W. Plato has degrees in Business Management and Psychology. This education gives her the multiple skills she needs to be a full-time landlord. “One of these days I’ll be a full-time AUTHOR and a part-time landlord,” she jokes. #lifegoals With four books already published, she's

Tunde Ososanya is a Broadcast Journalist living in Lagos, Nigeria. He is a graduate of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism who currently works with the BBC in the Nigerian commercial capital. He began his career as a television presenter with the Nigerian Television Authority in 2016, going on to

Miller Knight is a British writer in her forties who now lives in Canada, by way of Ireland and New Zealand. After earning a degree in Journalism Studies, she focused on a career in TV and film production working on some of the world's most beloved series and films. She's always had a passion for a

Marc Remus is German painter and author of eight children's books. His novels have received many literary awards and have been translated into ten foreign languages. Remus was educated in the United States, graduated with a BA in art and illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA

I was born and raised in Lancashire where I still live today. After being awarded with a Psychology degree at the University of Worcester, I discovered my love and passion for writing. Over the years, in between working for the NHS and raising a family, I have completed many pieces of work, some of

A paralyzing car accident in her teens left Ryan with a new life to build. Rarely looking back, she became a swim coach and a high school teacher, she traveled to India for experimental stem cell treatment, she fought hard to make the Paralympic swim team, she even became a mom. With so many stories

Pam Henry has been writing stories for children since she was a young girl with some success, but during the Covid lockdowns, she had plenty of time to ramp up her efforts. Her three children are all grown and flown, and she lives in Wiltshire with her husband and their young Staffordshire Bull

Claire Dunn (C.F. Dunn) is an English novelist of historical fiction, mystery and suspense. From a long line of Lincolnshire farmers, Claire might have remained rooted to the land, but instead spent her childhood on the move with her Forces family, a period in which she developed a vivid imagination

R. T. Coleman grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she nurtured a passion for reading and writing while nestled among blankets and pillows in her bedroom closet. Her love of science fiction was born when she saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977. Imagine her disappointment when she realized she

Helen works with business owners to build a better life and business using her ‘Commit to Achieve Principles’. A successful osteopath and entrepreneur with experience in both ‘bricks-andmortar’ and online businesses. She retired from her clinical work in 2020 after 20 years of being a therapist

Kirsten Pursell is an American author and sometimes blogger. Released on January 1, 2023, Long Enough to Love You is her fourth book. Previous works include her memoir, On Becoming Me: Memoir of an 80's Teenager, released in 2021, and two other novels: Harvard and Company Clown. Her memoir has been

Marlene M. Bell is Ewephoric about writing mysteries and children's books where she's able to use her personal experiences with sheep and farm everyday life into suspenseful crime fiction. She's an artist, as well as a wildlife photographer especially when it comes to sheep. Her landscapes grace the

Kathleen Bailey is the award-winning author of The Olivia Penn Mystery Series. She writes mysteries with heart and humor that keep to the traditional and cozy sides of crime. Kathleen has degrees in English, psychology, and physical therapy. She previously worked as a pediatric physical therapist

Pamila Shanti & Neelam River are co-author and illustrators of Nature Flow, a children's book sharing wellbeing practices in mindfulness, yoga and qigong. Since starting their own journey of wellbeing well over fifteen years ago, sisters Neelam & Pamila have been inspired to bring the practices of

Keema Waterfield is the author of Inside Passage, a nomadic childhood memoir set along the wild coast of Southeast Alaska. Waterfield has written for The New York Times, WIRED, Brevity, Scary Mommy, INSIDER, and others. She lives in Missoula, Montana, where she moonlights as a stand-up comic when

Sugandha Sinha, a bull-headed optimist, wool-gatherer, and a Bollywood zealot was born and raised in India, is a master’s in biotechnology, and prefers morbific viruses over a person any day. Now her life revolves around her wiseacre husband and two impish Irish twins. She prefers to write until

Born in Nigeria but educated in England, Robert studied Aerospace Engineering before migrating to Australia in the 1970s. He has worked in academia, research and IT in Australia and the USA but now teaches Maths and Physics at high school. He loves classical music (particularly opera) and attends

Paul Hollis is an American author of fictional terrorism and espionage. His bestselling and multi-award winning novels in The Hollow Man Series follow a U.S. Government analyst in a trilogy of suspense across Europe. The first two books in the trilogy are Amazon #1 bestsellers - The Hollow Man (also

Cassandra Aston is a lover of all things fantasy. She reads more than she writes, but writing has been her passion for most of her life. As a child, she wrote short stories and novellas for friends and classmates, often giving them as gifts. She grew up on a ranch outside of Austin, TX and spent

Olga Tymofiyeva, PhD, was born in 1981 in Kyiv, Ukraine. After having lived in Ukraine and Germany, she now lives in the US and works as an Associate Professor of Neuroimaging at the University of California in San Francisco. The award-winning novella Just City is Olga’s first fiction book, which

Lisa Baker has been teaching music and theater for 15 years. She has always enjoyed writing, starting with her high school creative writing class, which mostly has been a pastime until recently. She graduated from Grand Canyon University, summa cum laude, with her B.S. in Elementary Education with

A self published author of a children's novel titled 'Old Hige' and a graduate of Met Film School with a Master's Degree in Screenplay Writing.

Richard Cobourne writes with a production background in the broadcast, corporate, music and global events, and communications industries. He has worked in the business-of-show all over the world for many years – and as a result has a deep understanding of the shenanigans of the industry that

About the Author Gayle De Blake lives with her family in Los Angeles. This is her first book. The storyline came into mind as she was turning 50 and planning a trip to Malta. It took over 5 years to complete the story about Alissa, her husband Todd, his sister Kate and her husband David. Drawing

Hailing from the unpredictable snowstorms of Quebec, Canada, I'm a medical mystery detective (fancy words for "pathologist, MD") by day and a dreamweaver of historical fantasy by night. Pencil on paper makes me cry and laugh, and every book I write is living another life! I have a PASSION for

Born in Montreal Canada, my career took me on many exotic travels. My first book is a compilation of observations I took while travelling the Canadian Arctic.

Amanda Sheridan is a retired civil servant who lives with her husband and their two beloved rough collies on the beautiful Ards peninsula in Northern Ireland. She loves motorsport and fast cars, country life and a good book to read. When an idea nagged her back in 2017, she thought it would make a

John Danenbarger spends much of his time writing in Italy. Born in Atlanta, he graduated from University of Kansas with a degree in English and Creative Writing. With a backlist of short stories, Danenbarger established the Salem Massachusetts Writers' Club. After living in Oslo, Norway, Stockholm

Pepper Anne is a 7th generation Texan, where she and her family currently reside. She gained experience working alongside private investigators where she learned to find information about stories of interest and eventually expose their cover-ups. Her first book, The Notorious Texas Swindler, is

When the award-winning indie author Florian Bushy visited the “ECO-92 - Earth Summit” in June 1992, his environmentalist side flourished. Since then, he has written books, produced more than 100 educational short documentaries for schools, and sorted his recycling at home to make a difference in

I’m an amateur writer born and raised on the prairies of Texas. Now I’m raising my children in the forests of Massachusetts. I’ve always dabbled in writing, but now I’ve decided to publish children’s books for my daughters to have strong female leads and adventures I can cater to their liking. The

DW Long is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a passion for helping children step into their best selves. As a rather precocious and sensitive child, learning to find a calm place inside himself was not a skill that DW was taught, as is the story with so many children from various backgrounds

Louiseee with three e’s has been writing short stories which mirror her view on reality for many years. Amy the G.O.A.T - Greatest of all time is her first novel and was released on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com in late April 2023. Her message to the world is to approach life as a goat would; be

I am professor of health services research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine where I have spent the last 35 years studying and teaching about health care policy, evaluation of services and how to improve them. I have extensive experience of writing non-fiction - research papers

Lisa Baker has been teaching music and theater for 15 years. She has always enjoyed writing, starting with her high school creative writing class, which mostly has been a pastime until recently. She graduated from Grand Canyon University, summa cum laude, with her B.S. in Elementary Education with

Dr. Gary McCarragher was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He received his medical training at McGill University and enjoyed a successful career as a gastroenterologist in the Tampa Bay area before becoming a hospice physician in 2009. As part of his passionate advocacy for hospice, Gary has

Anne Varner and Karen DeVanie are sisters who grew up in a traditional family home in the 70s and 80s in the sleepy town of Franklin, VA. They both attended colleges in Raleigh, NC--Anne at Peace College and Karen at Meredith College--where their sisterly bond began to flourish. They enjoy

MARK T. RASMUSSEN is an Australian author born by the sea, cultivated in the city, formed via the world. Previously a professional journalist and editor, Mark now writes evocative, thought provoking subject matter for his adult novels and screenplays, and fun, captivating, thoughtful books for

Allan is a professional actor, educator, writer and former stand-up comedian. During his years on stage, he’s gotten to participate in countless battles – some even with other people – involving longswords, rapiers, daggers, staves, pistols, bottles, loaves of French bread and, of course, his grimy

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

Katie Eagan Schenck writes sweet romance and women’s fiction that warms the heart and gives all the feels. She has an MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte and her debut novel, A Home for Christmas, was released in October of 2022. When she's not writing she's either drafting

Alice Early, a recovering international business workaholic, is a writer, singer, and avid cook given to experimenting on guests with her gluten free baking. She lives with her husband on Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of Massachusetts, except from annual visits since 1996 to the

Vali grew up in the Midwest. She now lives in Tucson with her husband, two sons and grandchildren. After graduating from the University of Illinois, Vali started and sold two successful businesses before she decided to pursue her real passion of writing. She published several articles in a variety

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

A varied career in aeronautics, engineering, construction, and IT/physical security requiring extensive travel has instilled in John a wide- angle view of the world and its inhabitants, stirred hos imagination, and jump started his foray into penning stories. Besides writing, John loves the great

Gary graduated from the University of Surrey in the UK with a degree in Engineering, embarking on a career that has taken him all over the world from the Far East to the Americas. He is a graduate of the Faber Academy and Curtis Brown creative writing programmes. Now a father of three, he has