2023 Book Award Finalists

J.W. Elliot is a professional historian, martial artist, canoer, bow builder, knife maker, woodturner, and rock climber. He has a Ph.D. in Latin American and World History. He has lived in Idaho, Oklahoma, Brazil, Arizona, Portugal, and Massachusetts. He writes non-fiction works of history about the

Connecticut born, Robin D’Amato moved to New York City to attend New York University, fell in love with the City, and never left. She has worked in the publishing industry as a pre-press specialist since 1984, when she was introduced to the Macintosh computer. She also spent several decades pursuing

L.R. Braden is the bestselling author of the Magicsmith urban fantasy series, the spin-off novel Demon Riding Shotgun, and several works of short fiction. Her writing has won the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Sci-fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for debut authors, the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban

L.R. Braden is the bestselling author of the Magicsmith urban fantasy series, the spin-off novel Demon Riding Shotgun, and several works of short fiction. Her writing has won the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Sci-fi/Fantasy, the First Horizon Award for debut authors, the Imadjinn Award for Best Urban

Marcia is the award-winning novelist of AWAKEN: SHADOWS OF A FORGOTTEN PAST and ALIVE: SHADOWS OF A LIVING PAST. Her latest novel, THE GHOSTS OF LEWIS MANOR was published in September. And THE HAUNTING OF BLACKWATER is scheduled to be released in October of 2023. Marcia was born and raised in

Marla White started her illustrious career as a storyteller at the age of four by drawing on the TV screen to help Winky Dink get out of mortal danger, earning her a firm spanking. Deterred by the negative feedback, she studied to be a park ranger instead until she realized it was really a TV show

C E Bland lives in London, England with her husband and their dog. Love, fun, animals, moving house many times, and a keen interest in how things work are the defining themes of her life. These days she has lost none of her enthusiasm for living a full and well-balanced life. Before moving into a

I found myself thrown into the singles arena when my 36-year marriage failed without any knowledge of how to navigate my way through. The many pitfalls I experienced ranged from misery to mayhem with lots of laughter in between. I learnt the thing one must never lose sight of is their sense of

The child of an Air Force family, Stephen Watts was born in West Germany. He is a direct descendant of Charles Watts. Stephen began organizing his family’s archive of genealogy files, tracing his lineage, and transcribing the Charles Watts correspondence in 1996. He has since found his family’s

Alex Thornbury is an award-winning author. She grew up in Cheshire UK, and developed deep love of history and fantasy thanks to the many castles she visited as a child. Though she grew up to be an Alchemist by trade, she never stopped fantasising about other worlds, dragons and epic battles. She has

E.T. Gunnarsson translates imagination into words for a living. His debut book Forgive Us was awarded Best Sci-Fi book in the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival and Best Post-Apocalyptic Book in the 2021 Fiction Awards. Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains (9,000 feet altitude!), E.T. now resides in

Angela Fish is a writer who specialises in intergenerational communication, women’s writing and Welsh Writing in English. She gained her MPhil in Literature at the University of Glamorgan (now the University of South Wales) in 1995 and became a principal lecturer there until 2009. From 2004 - 2009

Liesbet Collaert’s articles and photos have been published internationally. Born in Belgium, she has been a nomad since 2003 with no plans to settle anytime soon. Her love of travel, diversity, and animals is reflected in her lifestyle choices of sailing, RVing, and house and pet sitting. Liesbet

Kathleen has been a freelance writer since 1999 and now writes full time. Her work has appeared in Doll World Magazine, Apolloslyre.com, The Lake County Journals, Trails.com; USA Today (travel), Livestrong.com (lifestyle), Essortment, eHow, Answerbag, Examiner.com, Suite101 and YahooVoices. She is

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

Dianne Ebertt Beeaff has been a professional writer for many years beginning in the area of magazine journalism. She has had six books published, the latest being the short story collection On Traigh Lar Beach. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Dan.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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