2023 Book Award Finalists

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.

Dana Wayne fulfilled a lifelong dream to be a published author in the summer of 2016 with the publication of her first novel, Secrets of the Heart, which went on to win first place in a statewide contest. Since then, she has self-published a popular cookbook and seven well-received romance novels

Dana Wayne fulfilled a lifelong dream to be a published author in the summer of 2016 with the publication of her first novel, Secrets of the Heart, which went on to win first place in a statewide contest. Since then, she has self-published a popular cookbook and seven well-received romance novels

Jan Sikes writes compelling and creative stories from the heart. She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author, although she’s been an avid reader all her life. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. She brought the

Robbi Sommers Bryant is an award-winning author whose psychologically driven stories explore obsession, identity, and the hidden forces that shape human behavior. Her work blends psychological suspense with dark literary themes, creating characters who live on the edge of moral choice and emotional

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

P.J. Murphy writes novels that introduce unusual and humorous twists to established genres. If you pick up one of his books, you’re in for an unusual read that rarely loses its sense of fun. His mystery novel, Dead Letters, was selected as the genre winner in the 2023 Page Turner Book Awards, and

The child of an Air Force family, Stephen Watts was born in West Germany. He is the grandnephew of Harold Carleton, the main subject of his newest book, Searching for Harold: One Family's World War II in Letters. Stephen began organizing his family’s genealogical files, tracing his lineage, and

Mary Murphy is an Irish-born author whose work explores psychological suspense, identity, and inherited memory across genres and tonal range. Her latest release, The Confidence Thief (2026), is a work of crime fiction with literary depth and emotional intensity, continuing her examination of

Claire Dunn (C.F. Dunn) is a British novelist of historical fiction, mystery and suspense. From a long line of Lincolnshire farmers, Claire could have remained rooted to the land. Instead she spent her childhood on the move with her Forces family, developing a vivid imagination and a love of

My journey with writing has been anything but conventional. As a child, I struggled to find my voice through the written word. However, that began to change during my graduate studies in Biochemistry, when I faced the daunting task of composing a dissertation. Initially, I attributed my newfound

Phill Featherstone was born and brought up in West Yorkshire. After several years working in Education, he and his wife, Sally Featherstone, set up an educational publishing company. They ran this from 1998 until they sold it in 2009. It wasn't until then that Phill found the time to fulfil his long

Phill Featherstone was born and brought up in West Yorkshire. After several years working in Education, he and his wife, Sally Featherstone, set up an educational publishing company. They ran this from 1998 until they sold it in 2009. It wasn't until then that Phill found the time to fulfil his long

Harker Jones is the author of three award-winning books: the best-selling love story “Until September,” the young-adult thriller “Never Have I Ever” and the children’s book “The Bird Who Was Afraid to Fly.” His short thrillers “Cole & Colette” and “One-Hit Wonder” have been accepted into more than