2023 Writing Award Finalists

Although I am British I was raised in Zimbabwe and I have also lived in Italy, Spain, Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa, each of which has enriched the texture of my life and allowed my childhood dream of writing a novel to brew over time. A detour that involved a career in sales and marketing

Since I was a girl, books have captivated me. As an adult, I've had fun writing stories that make people think and feel. You'll often find topics from my criminology and victimology teaching background in my writing - I infuse elements from these areas to grab readers in a relatable way.

Alex is a library manager from Brandon, Manitoba.

I have my MFA from Southern New Hampshire University. I have self-published eighteen books under my name and the pen name Michelle Rider. I write contemporary romance and romantic suspense. I married my high school sweetheart and we have two amazing teenagers. I spent the first half of my career

I have a PhD in history and specialise in researching the social and emotional impact of the First World War, particularly for gay servicemen and conscientious objectors, whose 'outsider' status meant they had more in common that might be imagined.This novel arose from my original research on gay

I am a new writer from the south east, I worked as a script reader for a few years writing some of my own short scripts along the way. I have only recently started writing fiction novella as a way to tell more complex stories in a way that is more artistic than what is allowed in screen format. I

At last, I am all but retired and can write full-time in order to complete two novels inspired by my work as a psychotherapist, and more urgently, to keep my promise to my 12 year old self; that I would one day tell my grandmother's story of her life in China. This book, 'Slender as the Willow', is

Fergal O’Donnell spent twenty years as a senior executive in the technology industry. With a diverse scientific background and a love of travel and adventure, he has written many fiction and non-fiction pieces. Proconnesus is his first novel.

I'm a freelance copywriter living a (mostly) quiet life in South Devon, after spending a decade in the city. I enjoy live music, travel, psychology and spending time outside, and am currently working on my second novel.

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

Becky Adams grew up in a small New England town, the oldest of three daughters. She learned to read in kindergarten and has loved books ever since. Her favorite childhood pastimes were climbing trees and reading books; sometimes reading books in trees. Becky graduated summa cum laude from the

I have always written and though I have never been published, I’ve been placed in many writing competitions: most recently I have been longlisted in the CWA’s Debut Dagger, The Yeovil Literary Prize, Flash 500 Novel Comp, The Joan Dempsey First Chapter Contest and shortlisted in The Retreat West

Born in South Dakota, I grew up in Oklahoma and Michigan, and have lived in Chicago, New York, Boston, London, Prague and, for the past 15 years, Paris. I have degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard, and I'm working on a third at University College London. I have worked as a babysitter

I am an award-winning author of two books: a YA novel “Camper Girl” (Fitzroy Books, 2020), and a picture book, “Red’s First Snow” (Corn Crib Publishing, 2020). I teach college English and volunteer as a youth mentor.

David Turner is an engineer with an eye toward the future. He spent ten years working on NASA’s mission critical software, including the Artemis missions that will send humans back to the moon. He enjoys home improvement projects, bartending for his friends, and hiking—especially in national parks

From a young age, Timothy Jay Smith developed a ceaseless wanderlust that has taken him around the world many times. En route, he’s found the characters that people his work. Polish cops and Greek fishermen, mercenaries and arms dealers, child prostitutes and wannabe terrorists, Indian Chiefs and

Having published several poems and short stories in previous years and a poetry collection, ‘Muted Hellion’ in 2007, Jacqueline began 'The Two Seeings' novel in 2008. She also embarked on the Creative Writing MLitt at Glasgow University in 2009. In 2010 she ran Poetry@The Ivory and was later Chair

I am Kristen Crusoe, a Registered Nurse, working primarily in psychiatric/forensic and palliative care specialties. I have also taught nursing students at the master and doctoral levels. Before I became an RN, I was a dancer, ballet and modern. I know these worlds well, and love bringing them to

I am currently retired from the public education system in North Carolina. My career spans nearly thirty years of teaching early childhood classes, working as a Home/School Coordinator, Arts Coordinator and elementary principal. My wife and I team-taught many of those years in early childhood

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production, directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an Inset series for BBC Education, she set up a Blue Peter exploration of South Africa and worked freelance for the

Stevie Turner is a British author of Romantic Suspense, Humour, Paranormal, and Women’s Fiction (family dramas). She won an inter-schools' essay competition at the age of 11, and this gave her encouragement to write further. She has now written 15 novels, 6 novellas, 1 memoir, and 18 short stories

I was born in Wisconsin, raised in Southern California, then moved back to Wisconsin, where I’ve lived for the last 35 years. Having four seasons instead of two has been one of the many benefits of living in Northwestern Wisconsin. So is living in the country, because I get to enjoy its beauty and

B. Romero is a writer, teacher, student, wife, mother, activist, and everything in between. Writing has been her passion since a young age and she is also a lover of all things horror. When she is not writing, B. enjoys reading, gaming, and watching horror movies. During school hours, you can catch

Erin L. Swann is an avid home cook and works as an art teacher in Central Maryland. Her work appears in numerous anthologies and publications including Factor Four Magazine, Aurealis Magazine, and Andromeda Spaceways Magazine. She has won three honorable mentions from L. R. Hubbard’s Writers of the

I wasn’t prepared for the powerful characters of this novel to come marching out of my imagination and dictate their lives. I credit my beginnings in writing to my eleventh grade English teacher, who made us write spontaneous stories in class. My career in the arts started in Japan when my teacher

A born and bred Southern belle, Kay Elam has been a manager for a global company, a travel agent, an office manager, a consultant working with collegiate women across North America, and a high-end technical equipment salesperson—and those were just the jobs that paid. Each of those jobs required

Author of thrillers and crime fiction, also SF and romance (on the side)

Scott Rye is a decorated veteran who served throughout the Middle East and Africa. The author of two non-fiction books, Scott has worked as a newspaper correspondent, magazine editor, advertising copywriter and was a partner and Chief Operating Officer of an ad agency before founding his own crisis

About me I am an autistic mathematician and writer of (cosy) science fiction crossover fantasy, who, after seven moves within the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the UK, settled in the Garden of England (a.k.a. Kent). As a writer and a reader, I am passionate about diversity. As an autistic

Steve conveys perspectives and emotions in poems and songs. His draft memoir, Reluctant to Lead, tells how he overcame timidity as an air cavalry officer in the Vietnam War. A tuxedo cat from a shelter encourages him from a perch over his PC keyboard. Steve assists disabled veterans in getting

I’m a lawyer who started writing about seven years ago. I'm currently working on Seven Sins, a locked room murder mystery set in a City law firm, inspired by my time as a corporate finance partner in two such firms. My elevator pitch is: Seven suspects. Seven sins. Which one is deadly? My previous

I've been writing fiction for five years and I've just finished my first novel which began as a story told around a campfire, imagining walking into the woods and out into a different time. What might happen? Who would you meet? What would you do? At first, it was an an exciting story to tell the