2023 Book Award Finalists

10-time international 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

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

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

PM Perry is an aspiring new author who lives and works in London, where he divides his time between writing, working, and spending time with his family. Surprisingly he writes both fiction and non-fiction books. ‘Maya Mysun &; the World that does not Exist' is his first novel based on a children’s

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

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

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

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

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

Nikki Auberkett is a cultural anthropologist, developmental editor, and overall passionate storyteller. With nearly 15 years of research and exploration into global folklore and mythology, biblical archaeology, and all things weird and unusual, she weaves her research and social science expertise

Nikki Auberkett is a cultural anthropologist, developmental editor, and overall passionate storyteller. With nearly 15 years of research and exploration into global folklore and mythology, biblical archaeology, and all things weird and unusual, she weaves her research and social science expertise

Ruth’s first writing memory is for her writer’s badge in Brownies but her MA in Creative Writing probably trumps that. Ruth has been Writer In Residence at Brightlingsea Lido since November 2021. Ruth has been published in various anthologies, helping to edit many of them as well and in 2022, she

Stella Leventoyannis Harvey is a fiction writer whose short stories have appeared in The Literary Leanings Anthology, The New Orphic Review, Emerge Magazine and The Dalhousie Review. Her non-fiction has appeared in Pique Newsmagazine, The Question and the Globe and Mail. Signature Editions published

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

Sonia was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. She graduated as a dentist 30 years ago and specialized in orthodontics before opening her own solo practice. She pioneered digital treatment and has lectured around the world on her experience and insights. In 2020, she was called to write. Leave the

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

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

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

Born in the UK and currently living in Switzerland, Paul has written four novels, two of which have been published. The other two will probably never again see the light of day, although they have good titles. As a writer, Paul tries to stick to the adage ‘write what you know’, although with the

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

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

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

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.

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

Joe (Giuseppe) Costanzo was born in Pedivigliano in the mountains of Calabria in Southern Italy, a town not unlike the fictional Roccamonti in his novel Restoration. Both of his grandfathers were so-called “birds of passage” who frequently traveled back and forth between Italy and America and were

Over the years, Richard has written many articles, book reviews and numerous other ways of crafting and enjoying words. He is the author of six books: three novellas in the 'Eastwood Story' series. One of which, 'Looking to Move On' was a Page Turner Award Finalist 2023. The other two books in the

Fabiana Elisa Martínez was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She graduated from UCA University in Buenos Aires with a degree in Linguistics and World Literature. She is a linguist, a language teacher, and a writer. She speaks five languages: Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, and

When Genevieve Jenner was six years old, she liked to play dress up and write stories, and she wanted to be a mermaid. She has finally accepted that being a mermaid isn't the most secure career option, but the other two things have remained constant. Genevieve lives near Bude in North Cornwall.

Marc Remus is a German painter and award-winning author of eight children's books. His novels have received numerous literary accolades and have been translated into twelve languages. Educated in the United States, Remus earned a BA in art and illustration from the prestigious Art Center College of

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

OWEN LEVY is the author of two well-received novels, the seminal A Brother’s Touch, set in the early days of the Stonewall liberation movement, and Goodbye Heiko Goodbye Berlin plays out in the early turbulent days after the Fall of the Berlin Wall and move toward German Reunification. A Fellow of

Jennifer / JL Lycette is a novelist, award-winning essayist, rural physician, wife, and mom. Mid-career, she discovered narrative medicine on her path back from physician burnout and has been writing ever since. She is an alumna of the 2019 Pitch Wars Novel Mentoring program and is now a published

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

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

Having grown up as the son of an English teacher, I'm no stranger to writing. I was in nine car crashes before I was fifteen, and after some serious injuries ended up quite secluded, and reading was, predictably, one of my favourite escapes - no doubt the influence of my mother. Having since taken a

Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop is the author of over 50 works of fiction for adults and children under the pen name Elizabeth Winthrop. These include the award-winning fantasy series, The Castle in the Attic and The Battle for the Castle as well as the short story, The Golden Darters, read on the

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

Ragh Bir’s family arrived in the UK in the early 1960’s. Born in the Summer of Love, in Slough, Berkshire, she found growing up in a family with a strict Indian father challenging to her free-spirited nature. Her Indian upbringing was neither traditional, nor, contemporary, and she found herself

Frederick Douglass Reynolds is a retired Black LA County Sheriffs Department Homicide Sergeant. He was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia and, grew up in Detroit, Michigan where he became a petty criminal and was involved in gangs. He joined the US Marine Corps in 1979 to escape the life of crime that he

Adam Saint is a leading legal expert who advises banks and governments on artificial intelligence and bitcoin. He combines this with work as a mathematician – his contributions to medical statistics have been published in The Lancet and other journals – and also compiles cryptic crosswords for the

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 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

Ann M. Miller writes young adult fiction about first loves and complex family dynamics. She is the author of the magical realism duology Captured in Paint and Illusions in Paint, as well as the YA romance A Heartbeat Away from You, which Publishers Weekly called “a stirring summery read.” She is

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

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.

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

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