2023 Book Award Longlist

Michele E. Gwynn is an award-winning Bestselling Author and former freelance journalist from San Antonio, Texas. She has worked in newspaper and contributed online to sites like Examiner.com, Yahoo Voices, and Salon.com. She has also worked as a senior editor for FashionErotica.com, written for Film

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

Walt Larimore is a best-selling author who resides in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He has written or co-written 41 books and over 1200 articles in dozens of publications. As an author, his books have garnered a number of American awards and his international writing awards include Page Turner

A.R. Vagnetti is an American writer who grew up in the scalding Tucson desert. She does her best writing while camping, traveling, and on the beautiful shores of Lake Huron, where she is now blessed to spend her summers away from the Arizona heat. A.R. loves to transport readers into a fantastical

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

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

In a career that’s included work as a journalist, a psychologist, and the founder of a national art consulting company, Maggie Smith has added novelist to her resume with the publication of her debut, Truth and Other Lies, in March 2022. In addition to her writing, Maggie hosts the weekly podcast

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.

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

D. Liebhart is the developer of the amazingly effective How to be an Unsuccessful Novelist program. One: At fifteen, cultivate infatuation of iconic performer (Think: Bowie, but anyone unattainable will suffice). Analyze lyrics to the exclusion of other pursuits, like say homework. Set goal of

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jayne Doxtater was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and currently resides in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. A business owner and esthetician of 40 years, she is now semi-retired and loves spending time outdoors. A self-proclaimed tree hugger and chocolate lover, Jayne is

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

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