2023 Book Award Finalists

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

Kamalia Blunt (or Mali Millie) is an award winning author and passionate professional devoted to empowering individuals and their interests. With a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish & a minor in Chinese from the University of Georgia and a Master in Science for Health Promotion Management from American

TARA C. ALLRED is an award-winning author, instructional designer, and educator. She has been recognized as a California Scholar of the Arts for Creative Writing and is a recipient of the Howey Awards for Best Adult Book and Best Adult Author. She lives in Utah with her husband. Her published works

TARA C. ALLRED is an award-winning author, instructional designer, and educator. She has been recognized as a California Scholar of the Arts for Creative Writing and is a recipient of the Howey Awards for Best Adult Book and Best Adult Author. She lives in Utah with her husband. Her published works

Selena Rezvani is an internationally known leadership speaker and 3X author, TEDx-er, and an award-winning journalist. She trains some of the brightest minds on leadership development at places like The World Bank, Microsoft, Under Armour, Pfizer, and Nestlé – helping emerging leaders enhance their

TARA C. ALLRED is an award-winning author, instructional designer, and educator. She has been recognized as a California Scholar of the Arts for Creative Writing and is a recipient of the Howey Awards for Best Adult Book and Best Adult Author. She lives in Utah with her husband. Her published works

Andy is the founder of Muddy Little Boots Publishing and is author of two children's paperback books currently. A graphic designer by trade, he decided to create Muddy Little Boots publishing during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020) as a means of creating something positive from this distressing

Andy is the founder of Muddy Little Boots Publishing and is author of two children's paperback books currently. A graphic designer by trade, he decided to create Muddy Little Boots publishing during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020) as a means of creating something positive from this distressing

I am a semi-retired elementary school teacher, originally from the U.S. but immigrated to Israel in 1981. I am the author of "The Big Buna Bash" a multicultural children's book about an Ethiopian girl and how the Ethiopian traditional coffee ceremony "brings people together". My book was published

Christer Lende is an Award Winning author who began writing in a library, which sounds fitting, only he was supposed to be there working on his engineering degree. He is a professional screenwriter, working with the Norwegian movie producer behind “One Love”, “Who Killed Birgitte” and “All about my

I was born in Vietnam but grew up in Southern California. Our family moved to the states when I was 7 years old. As an immigrant, I shared the same struggles as many other immigrants with adjusting to a new norm and dealing with bullying, discrimination, and constantly having to self-validate while

Mary Camarillo is the award winning author of The Lockhart Women, published in June of 2021 by She Writes Press. Her short fiction and poems have appeared in publications such as 166 Palms, The Ear and Lunch Ticket. She is currently working on a second novel about her neighborhood in Huntington

Kim Black is a not-quite-cozy genre mixologist and award-winning author. She loves learning new things and returned to school in her fifties to receive her certification in screenwriting. She is a member of the Texas High Plains Writers, one of the oldest writers' groups in America. She speaks to

Ben Burgess Jr is the author of the award-winning novels "Monster," "Wounded," "Love and Happiness," " A Father's Sacrifice: Daddy's Girl," and the new novel "Defining Moments: Black and White." He is an active performer of spoken word poetry. Ben Burgess Jr uses his love of writing to inspire and

Sherry Leclerc is a Fictionary certified StoryCoach editor, Fictionary content creator, certified copyeditor, educator, and independent author of fantasy and sci-fi books. She also writes sci-fi romance under a pen name and has planned a series of nonfiction books with helpful information on writing

Grace Blair is an award-winning author who describes herself as “a prime example of someone who pulled herself up by her bootstraps and took notes along the way.” When she turned to writing, she authors books where her characters are tested battling the darkness vs the light. Throughout her adult

Ronit Plank is a writer, teacher, speaker, and host and producer of the award-winning podcast And Then Everything Changed. A native New Yorker and former actress, she studied with Uta Hagen, Alfred Molina, Ensemble Studio Theatre and performed on stage in NYC and Los Angeles. As member of The Actors

2022 Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards for her debut novel, Buried Secrets. Krissy was born and raised in Upstate New York in the charming town of Fairport where she has taught for over 25 years. Krissy remembers her love of reading as a young child and how she couldn't get enough of great

Zoe Disigny holds a master's degree in art history and taught college courses throughout her career. She also worked as an art gallery director, a lecturer for The Norton Simon Museum of Art, and recently as a Road Scholar lecturer. Zoe has led numerous art tours in Europe and, at one point

Erasmo Acosta was born in Cantaura, a small town in Venezuela, and moved to the United States in 1996 to pursue a software engineering career sponsored by a small Silicon Valley company. He retired to Portland, Oregon, in 2020 after achieving 32 successful years in the industry. In 2015, he became

Danielle Paquette-Harvey is an Award-Winning, International Best Selling author of dark fantasy romance. Her books have sold thousands of copies in countries worldwide. Her books include werewolves, vampires, dragons, witches, morally grey characters, and swooning romance. Her books have been

Elliotté P. Joel is a poet, painter, sculptor, editor-in-chief of Estetično Magazine for young literature, arts and philosophy, and founder of the Literary Association Absence of Meaning Žilina. She is the author of three poetry collections and one literary study. The work documenting her mental

From a small child I’ve loved to lose myself in stories. I’m a firm believer that if heaven exists, it contains every novel ever written and has big squishy sofas to curl up on and read for all eternity. Before I started writing novels, my comedy play, The Magazine was performed at The Bush Theatre

From a small child I’ve loved to lose myself in stories. I’m a firm believer that if heaven exists, it contains every novel ever written and has big squishy sofas to curl up on and read for all eternity. Before I started writing novels, my comedy play, The Magazine was performed at The Bush Theatre

JB Penrose is the author of 6 books available on Amazon. Her books are filled with magic, danger, and romance, and take place in the world as we know it now. JB takes the perfect character we all want to be and drops them into the worst circumstances possible, creating an adventure with twists and

Diane Davies, award-winning author of Life in the Neck New Friends, Life in the Neck Squirrel Trouble, Life in the Neck Advent of Christmas, and Jeannie Ann’s Grandma Has Breast Cancer, lives in the Neck right next to the animals making their home there. You’ll find her in one of the Neck’s two

Miranda Levi is a multi-talented author with a passion for captivating storytelling and a knack for infusing humor into darker themes. Her writing is known for captivating readers with her evocative storytelling and lyrical prose and transporting readers into other worlds and perspectives. With a

Miranda Levi is a multi-talented author with a passion for captivating storytelling and a knack for infusing humor into darker themes. Her writing is known for captivating readers with her evocative storytelling and lyrical prose and transporting readers into other worlds and perspectives. With a

Kitiera Morey is a lively perfectionist with the mouth of a drunken sailor. When she's not singing off-key for the entire world to hear or chasing after a chaos demon, Kitiera is indulging her Stardew Valley addiction. She lives in New York with her beautiful daughter, four cats and two dogs.

8-time national award-winning author, Diana Webb, has a Juris Doctorate in Law and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. An educator, tutor, motivational speaker, and freelance writer, Diana pens literary pieces sharing intense thought-provoking queries and realities of life to live the most robust

Roxanna Mason is a paranormal romance author and formally trained actor from Los Angeles, California. It was her deep love of storytelling that led her to study theatre and that same love of storytelling that drove her to write her first novel. When not writing, Roxanna is binge watching horror

E.T. Gunnarsson translates imagination into words for a living. E.T. Gunnarsson's debut book, Forgive Us, received the accolades for Best Sci-Fi Book at the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival and Best Post-Apocalyptic Book at the 2021 Fiction Awards. Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains (9,000 feet

I was born in India of Anglo-Indian/Eurasian parents, residing in old colonial railway colonies. We lived a charmed but borrowed European lifestyle, attending catholic convents, far from home and being taught by Belgian and Irish nuns. I escaped my early cloistered life through my parent's

I've spent my life working as a traveling musician. Along the way, I've met some interesting people and seen some indescribable things. Although my books are works of fiction, they are based on real people I've met and the amazing places I've been. For over 4 decades, along with my wife Dana, we

Evie Alexander is a multi-award-winning author of sexy romantic comedies with a very British sense of humour. She takes a method approach to her work, believing her capacity to repeatedly fail at life and love is what has given her such a rich supply of material for her writing. Her interests

Hi! I wrote THE DARKNESS after a confrontation with the serial rapist who raped me. I showed up at the county jail where he was being held after my case ended in a mistrial. After continued frustrations of waiting for the legal system to bring justice, I went to the jail, where he was held (parole

Roni Rosenthal, PhD, is the Director of Judaic Studies and a Professor of Hebrew Literature in the University of Maryland system. This is her third novel and first poetry collection. Roni is passionate about communication and empowerment. She strongly believes in giving a voice to the unfortunate

Prasha is a published children's book author, clinical audiologist and educator with Master's degrees in Audiology and Education (Global Learning). Her award-winning picture book, My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration was published by Soaring Kite Books in 2023. She was the recipient of a

This immersive, multi-genre writer does not shy away from diversity of thought but rather embraces the creative challenge it sets forth. Included in Murphy's portfolio is her multi-genre work of fiction, 'Speaking Of'; a novel – 'The Emerald Diaries-Secrets of an Irish Clan'; Sweet Peas and Bees -

After embarking on her writing journey in 2014, Alexandra has written, published, and produced media on pregnancy, birth, and early-childhood education. Always a lover of history, she decided to dive into her own family's mystery surrounding her great-grandmother Frances, and her grandfather's

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

Alan travelled extensively in the international oil and gas industry as a marine geophysicist and it was during his time off that he first began writing novels for adults. Following the selection of his third novel, Woollyback, for a tutored adaptation for the silver screen, Alan went on to complete

I began a lifelong love of reading before kindergarten. My earliest memories include going to the library or bookmobile and bringing home a box of books…every week. I was raised on Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Wizard of Oz, Black Beauty, and other works of mystery and wonder. Not surprising I would work

Thomas Henry Pope gives the landscapes in his novels as much agency to influence events as he does to his characters. His narrative style draws on his passions of journalism, theater, songwriting and teaching. And his world travels provide grist for his characters and stories. His debut novel

Lauren Steinhauer is a born a storyteller, entertaining boyhood friends with interactive adventures. As a young man in Hollywood, he performed magic—a form of storytelling—at the famous Magic Castle. A decade ago, Lauren began “Sherlock Holmes’ Lost Adventure: The True Story of the Giant Rats of

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

Lorana Hoopes is the USA Today best-selling author of over forty books and counting. She's originally from Texas which shows as most of her books are set in the great state. As the saying goes, "You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl." Lorana began writing at an

Though Deborah L. King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life, publishing her first short story at seven years old, she took 32 years to complete her first novel. As a fiction writer, Deborah loves the work of Octavia Butler, classic Stephen King, Peter David, and the illustrations of Dan

Glenn Somodi is an award-winning author who writes stories in the short space between lying down and dreaming. The stories are written over many nights, replayed, and rewritten in his head for enjoyment. His mission is to find anyone who enjoys reading the stories as much as he enjoys creating them