2024 Book Award Finalists

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

Susan D. Steiner began writing novels at the tender age of 69 after moving to Zurich, Switzerland from Denver, Colorado. The move–a romantic one–heralded a new way of life. Susan's murder mystery series, beginning with Murder by Manuscript and followed by Lethal Lockdown (with a third book now

Andi Kopek is an award-winning poet, author, human rights advocate, and interdisciplinary artist who explores themes of resilience, compassion, and hope. Trained in the medical field, neuroscience, behavior change, and coaching, Kopek has now devoted himself to storytelling through art. His debut

Dr Lee Michael Keegan is an Acute Medical Consultant Doctor from Liverpool England. He was brought up under the cloud of managed decline in Margaret Thatchers 1980s Liverpool and searching for a way out of a world of gangs and street violence he joined the RAF Regiment as a specialist Infantryman at

Daniel grew up working for his father riding in a Studebaker pick-up truck around the state, servicing refrigeration units in tourist courts and small country stores. Years later after leaving the touring concert world as chief sound engineer for an eclectic range of musical artists, he traveled

Wheston Chancellor Grove holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College, VT. He also earned an MSW. He is the author of Who Has Known Heights, a bildungsroman (2017), and The Lost Art of Love (2023), available on Amazon. The Lost Art of Love is a 2024 Indie Book Awards Finalist. His short

Marieke Lexmond is a multi-award-winning author and a solitary witch who has lived around the globe. Her long background in filmmaking has circled her back to Los Angeles, but she can still be found writing in magical settings like the West Coast of Ireland and New Orleans, places that inspire her

I won the Moth Story Slam this past July with the subject of Denial. Seems like denial is pervasive these days. Contestants had 5 minutes to tell their tale, without notes, in front of a packed audience at the Parkway theater in Minneapolis. I highly recommend writers find the Moth Story Slam in

Visual Artist ~ Author. I consider writing to be the sculpture of language and music of words. Time devoted daily to writing. Several literary works in progress. Fellow of The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust For Young Australians, 1981. Academic Interests: Arts, Sciences, Humanities

Robbi Sommers Bryant is an award-winning author and professional editor with more than fourteen years of experience helping writers shape powerful, psychologically resonant stories. Known for her intuitive understanding of character, emotional depth, and narrative tension, she works collaboratively

Siobhan Bell is a 22 year old writer, performer and Artistic Researcher, originally from Scotland and now based in Amsterdam. She aims through her creative work to weave together various disciplines- investing how writing and art can be used as a tool for inner work and self realisation. Currently

Steve Schafer is the author of The Border, a finalist for the Joan F. Kaywell “Books Save Lives” Award. Schafer enjoys exploring cultural hot topics. In the The Border, he addresses our conversation around immigration. In his new novel, eMortal, he examines the tricky questions and nebulous ethics

DL Hammons wrote his first piece of fiction decades ago to impress a girl (he was moderately successful) and never looked back. Growing up as a military brat, DL moved around quite a bit as a kid. After graduating from LSU and raising a family in several southern states, he makes his home in Central

Ruth Estevez is the author of six novels, including the Jiddy Vardy trilogy, which is inspired by a real-life female smuggler from Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire. She is a semi-finalist in the BBNYA Awards and was the Guest Speaker in the Cheshire Prize for Literature 2023. Ruth has previously worked

Glen R Stansfield likes to kill people – in stories – mostly! Born in Rossendale, in the Lancashire Pennines, he grew up with a freedom and innocence he believes children no longer enjoy. They were magical times when play was a product of the imagination; a tree trunk became a pirate ship, a stick

John Winn Miller is a former award-winning investigative reporter, foreign correspondent, newspaper editor and publisher, screenwriter, indie movie producer and novelist.

This immersive, multi-genre writer does not shy away from diversity of thought but rather embraces the creative challenge it sets forth. Included in Murphy's portfolio is her multi-genre work of fiction, 'Speaking Of'; a novel – 'The Emerald Diaries-Secrets of an Irish Clan'; Sweet Peas and Bees -

Helen Rowe is an award-winning social researcher and writer. Her first book "Eliminating Poverty in Britain" won The Page Turner Awards Mentorship Prize in 2021. The book was published by Flint Books in September 2023 and since then she has spoken to a variety of audiences including, The All-Party

Divya grew up in the small town of Palakkad in Kerala, India. By day she fulfills her dream of having a roof over her head by being a part of the corporate race. By night she lives her dream of being a couch potato by reading, watching movie adaptations of her favorite books, and writing in

Steven Joseph is an author, attorney, negotiator, and speaker. He is also a five-time Boston Marathon and 17-time NYC Marathon runner and a humorist who has spent 30 years as a partner with therapists, a lifetime of schuckling at countless synagogues, and practicing zen sitting on a cushion staring

J. Steven Butler is a Christian romance and general fantasy author that resides in Warner Robins, GA with his wife, son, and furry adoptee.

C.J. Kichuk has enjoyed careers in radio, music composition and performance, software development, and management consulting. Living in Austin, Texas, when not working on writing stories he can often be found in his home studio writing and recording music. In his first novel, Bits, he delivers a

Mark Sabbas was raised in Katonah, New York, and has always felt drawn to the transcendent, receiving his degree in philosophy from Bucknell University with an interest in metaphysics. Mark writes about the intersection of science and spirituality on his website, nothingtodoubt.org. He also mentors

Nemanja Jovanovic was born in Novi Sad, Serbia. He went to Karlovci Grammar School and graduated from University of Novi Sad. Nemanja is a certified sommelier, film photographer and a self-published author.

Pauline Tait is an award-winning children’s author, romantic suspense novelist, writing mentor to children’s authors and Editorial Manager for online magazine, Writers’ Narrative. Pauline is also the voice behind Reluctant Readers, a weekly newsletter for parents and carers of children who are

Ruth Estevez is the author of six novels, including the Jiddy Vardy trilogy, which is inspired by a real-life female smuggler from Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire. She is a semi-finalist in the BBNYA Awards and was the Guest Speaker in the Cheshire Prize for Literature 2023. Ruth has previously worked

Sandeep Kumar Mishra has received " Vedvyas Award-2022", "Readers Favorite Award-21", "Indian Achievers Award-21", “IPR Poetry Award-2020” and “Literary Titan Book Award-2020”. He has been shortlisted for "the 2023 Commonwealth Story Prize", "the 2021 International Book Awards", "the 52nd New

Hi! I’m Suzanne; a Trauma Transformation Practitioner, Author, TEDx Speaker, spoken word artist and proud Mum & Mamgu (Welsh for Grandmother). I spent the early part of my working life in administration and as a P.A. before transitioning to education. I now, through my practice, have the distinct

This immersive, multi-genre writer does not shy away from diversity of thought but rather embraces the creative challenge it sets forth. Included in Murphy's portfolio is her multi-genre work of fiction, 'Speaking Of'; a novel – 'The Emerald Diaries-Secrets of an Irish Clan'; Sweet Peas and Bees -

Maria Costanzo Palmer was named as one of L.A. Weekly’s “Top 15 Rising Authors to Watch in 2023.” Her debut book was mentioned in Forbes Magazine in December 2023 as a must-have for the “Entrepreneurial-Spirited People on Your Holiday List.” On the Rocks has won many awards including being named the

Jon Tucker married the girl next door and began building their home - a traditional ketch - while they were still teenagers in New Zealand. Their subsequent live-aboard lifestyle interspersed teaching with voyaging for over three decades. With their five lively sons on Correspondence education, they

SHERRY MAYSONAVE An award-winning author and accomplished motivational speaker, Sherry Maysonave has been interviewed by over 200 TV, Radio, and print publications across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. This includes multiple appearances on NBC's Today, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NPR radio. Sherry has been

Julie Hamstead is a doctor by day but, since joining a local writing group, she pretends she is a novelist by night. She lives in the south of England with her family, various cats and the occasional dog borrowed from a friend. The Gemini Connection is her first novel. She is currently working on

Biography Kase Johnstun lives and writes in Ogden, Utah. Johnstun is the Manager for the Utah Center for the Book and Utah’s Representative to the Library of Congress. He is the author of the acclaimed novel, LET THE WILD GRASSES GROW (Torrey House Press, 2021), a reimaging of his Mexican American

Sharon Bazant is a retired teacher living in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver, Canada. Geckos & Guns: The Pakistan Years is her second memoir. Sharon has donned a variety of personal and professional hats as a seasoned world traveller and long-term expatriate. Some of her greatest adventures

Camilla Monk is a traditionally and independently published French-Canadian author who shares her writing time between high-octane adventures and fantasy, her secret love (all featuring weird animals...) She grew up in Paris in a Franco-American family, has lived in Tokyo, and spent ten years in

Emily is a British author currently living in New Zealand. She is author of adult novel, Silent as the Snow, and Award Winning YA novel, Ring Around Rosie. She writes suspenseful and thought-provoking stories, driven by strong characters. Her interests lie in the psychology of relationships, 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

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

Born into a non academic family background and brought up on several council estates, Sharon's parents dismissed her enthusiasm to join the artistic world. Repeatedly insisting it wasn’t a real career with any prospects or financial stability. Continually being ridiculed by her Father, she didn’t

I try to make sense of this beautiful, crazy world we inhabit through my stories—thrillers that are super well researched inside complex plots full of twists and turns, that pose ethical and moral dilemmas. When I sit down to write a book, I have three non-negotiables: 1. It needs to concern a

This immersive, multi-genre writer does not shy away from diversity of thought but rather embraces the creative challenge it sets forth. Included in Murphy's portfolio is her multi-genre work of fiction, 'Speaking Of'; a novel – 'The Emerald Diaries-Secrets of an Irish Clan'; Sweet Peas and Bees -

Victoria Liiv is a writer, reader, nature lover and traveller at heart. She has been travelling through magical worlds since a very young age and wants more than anything to share the wonder with everyone else eager to escape from all things mundane. In her own everyday life she found the magic in

Born in New York, and raised in Toronto, Jill Culiner, writer, social critical artist, and photographer has spent most of her life in France, England, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Holland, and North Africa. Her photographic exhibition about the First and Second World Wars, La Mémoire Effacée, toured

GL Franklyn boasts a long history in communications dating back to the late 1960s. Born in Detroit Michigan, he now lives in Portland Oregon and has been an activist for LGBTQ+ communities, Public Access Television and homelessness advocacy for over 35 years. Now retired GL Franklyn wrote that book

Now an octogenarian it has taken almost forty years to commit my Jimmy Crikey stories to the publication. Jimmy was born on the beach at Great Yarmouth during a family seaside holiday. My five year old son and four of his new found friends had to shelter in our beach tent during a typically heavy

Meg Kramer is an expert at writing in odd places. She penned her debut novel, Amoura Awakened, in the lobbies of her daughter’s many after-school activities and appointments and in her car outside her local bookshop. Meg spent ten years working as an elementary educator, inspiring kids to explore

Storyteller, teacher and poet, Australian-born Manisha Jane completed a Master in Arts Education, then travelled her homeland and India before finally settling in Europe. She has practiced and taught Sahaja Yoga meditation for over twenty years - a passion that she brings to light in her writing

Francelia Belton’s love of short stories came from watching old Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents television shows in her youth. She published a collection titled, Crime & Passion: Three Short Stories, and her story, "Lewenda Gets Married" appears on the Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast. Her

Robin Jeffrey can almost always be found cranking out punchy flash fiction, lyrical essays, and world-rich romances. Her writing has been published in magazines across the country and around the world. She currently calls the Pacific Northwest of the United States home, where she lives happily with