2024 Book Award Finalists

Jeremy Hullah grew up in the rural Midlands, where he spent a lot of time dreaming about being a pianist or a writer, or something equally unachievable without the required level of effort. After proving beyond all doubt that education was not something that came naturally, he moved to Twickenham

Anthony Delauney is a financial advisor, a franchise business owner, and the author of three financial education books in the Owning the Dash series: Applying the Mindset of a Fitness Master to the Art of Family Financial Planning (2019), The No-Regrets Retirement Roadmap (2021), and Dash and Nikki

ANDREA WILSON WOODS is a writer who loves to tell stories, and a patient advocate who founded the nonprofit Blue Faery: The Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association. Andrea is the CEO and co-founder of Cancer University, a for-profit, social-benefit, digital health company. With Cancer U, Andrea

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 published in magazines including Lighthouse Literary Journal, Structo, Bohemyth, Smokelong Quarterly, Hypnos, Chroma

James Kinsley lives in Thorpe Hamlet. Playtime's Over, his first book, was published in 2021 by Propolis and is about a young man on the edge, struggling to deal with his mental health issues in the face of a world he feels no longer cares. His second book, the fantasy western Greyskin, was

Bree Sullivan-Howell, J.D., with her impeccable record of academic achievements and commitment to justice, has distinguished herself as a top divorce lawyer over her twenty-year career. After graduating with a perfect GPA from the University of Georgia, and then from Mercer University School of Law

Ken DeStefano is an attorney living in New York, who is also a domestic adoptee that was born in the late 1960's. He was raised in a caring and loving home. As an adoptee, he has had a largely happy life, but always wondered about the unknown. That curiosity led to a search for his own birth mother

C.T. Clark is a high school teacher turned author who is following the advice he’s long given his students: “Dream, learn, grind, do.” Having already penned an award-winning Amazon Studios screenplay, The Phoenix Elite: Sacred Blood is a passion project ten years in the making and his debut novel. C

Angela is a music enthusiast, her playlist jumping from country to coffee house with 80s and 90s nostalgia sprinkled in between. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, listening to an audiobook, or binge-watching a series with her husband, Roman. Intrigued by the ocean, she loves the full moon and

A. R. Black has always been one of those strange people who can never just be satisfied with the real world, one of those hopeless romantics who always seems to want more from life than an indifferent universe is willing to provide. For people like him… fiction is what makes it all worthwhile. After

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

Miranda Levi is a multi-talented author with a passion for captivating storytelling and a knack for infusing humor into darker themes. Her writing is known for captivating readers with her evocative storytelling and lyrical prose and transporting readers into other worlds and perspectives. With a

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

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

Southern. Sassy. Tattooed. Beach bum.

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

Heather S. Lonczak holds a PhD in educational psychology and a master's degree in clinical psychology. She completed her MA practicum at Western Psychiatric Institute and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington. She has extensive

Victor De Almeida, a Spanish-born author of Angolan descent has called the UK home since the age of seven. From the diverse tapestry of his heritage to the bustling streets of London, Victor's journey is a testament to his unwavering determination and creative spirit. Inspired by J.K. Rowling, he

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

Lowell E. Baier’s intellectual curiosity during his 60-year career has taken him from a practicing attorney, to an entrepreneur, a tireless advocate for natural resources and wildlife conservation, and a legal and environmental historian and author. Baier received his B.A. in economics and political

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

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

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

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

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

Lubna Samara, BSc, MBA, is a Leadership Coach and Healer, and founder of HigherWill, an award-winning leadership and coaching company. Drawing on over 25 years of experience, Lubna’s globally sought-after talks and courses make holistic wellbeing accessible to all in the workplace, helping

Author of "The Private Misadventures of Nell Nobody," and "On Wounds of Woe," Jennifer Newbold came to fiction writing from a historical perspective, with a belief that history can be immediate and relevant, and that fiction can be a means to making history accessible. But fiction can do so much

James Walter Lee is an award-winning American author. He is the founder and editor of two publishing imprints, Zennea Press and 2nd Sight Press. He holds a Master’s in Fine Arts from The New York Academy of Art and a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies. James is also an

Nala Henkel-Aislinn has always loved reading. Her heart exploded when she got her first library card and found out she could take home more as many books as she could carry. Her first love was "Encyclopedia Brown," and now she writes funny, quirky mysteries for anyone who loves unconventional

Jacqueline (Jackie) Lambert is an award-winning travel writer, adventure traveller, and dogmother, who loves history and curious facts. BC (Before Canines) she rafted, rock-climbed, and backpacked around six of the seven continents. A passionate windsurfer and skier, she can fly a plane, has been

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

E.T. Gunnarsson translates imagination into words for a living. E.T. Gunnarsson's debut book, Forgive Us, received the accolades for Best Sci-Fi Book at the 2021 San Francisco Book Festival and Best Post-Apocalyptic Book at the 2021 Fiction Awards. Born and raised in the Rocky Mountains (9,000 feet

Christine Elmer Collins holds a rich 30-year background in nursing and healthcare management and has served with distinction in both the United States Air Force and United States Public Health Service, Commissioned Corps. Her career highlights include critical care nursing during the Afghanistan War

Aurita Maldonado is a Puerto Rican US Army veteran, Purple Heart recipient, award winning author, and Afro Latín dance instructor who has danced intimately with Death. She served more than 8 years in the military including two combat tours to Iraq and Afganistan. After a 200 lb. IED exploded

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

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

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

Teresa Mae Waterland, M. Ed., Clinical Counsellor, is on a journey of awareness that includes a passion for fairies—many of whom live just down the lane from her home in the woods. Teresa has extensive training and experience in Drama, English, Psychology, and Broadcasting. Her awareness training in

I've been told I have grit. Actually that came from my editor after he read my memoir manuscript. I never thought of it that way. I just kept getting back up and trying again. That perhaps explains how I, being raised fatherless by a Hispanic mother in public housing projects, and being evicted 7 or

Simone Heng is a human connection specialist and former international broadcaster for Virgin Radio Dubai, HBO Asia, and CNBC, among others. She is an accredited certified speaking professional. With over 20 years of experience around the world as a communicator on-air, on stage, and one-on-one

Book is published under my pseudonym, Rose Carmichael. Rose Carmichael is a linguist, writer and journalist. Rose grew up in the countryside in Cambridgeshire, before moving to Dubai, Tehran and then eventually, London. After graduating from the University of Cambridge, where she studied Middle

A Welsh poet and author from the Rhondda Valleys, Philip M John graduated from the University of South Wales in 2014 before working and living across the border in Bristol. He has since returned to Wales and now resides in Monmouthshire. Philip has published four volumes of poetry – Home Truths

After a career spent in the tech industry, I now write thrillers to make sense of the world around us, which I'm sure you will agree is facing some profound changes and challenges. When writing one of my stories, I have three non negotiable rules: 1. It needs to concern a current or recent real

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

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

Marcia Armandi is the multi-award-winning author of The Ghosts of Lewis Manor and The Haunting of Blackwater with two additional novels under contract for publication in 2024. She was born and raised in Argentina. She is a soccer fanatic and loves listening to tango. Marcia studied International

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

Nick loves reading clever, fast-paced, and engaging fantasy stories which say something about the real world we live in. So much so that he decided to write them. Professionally, he’s an award-winning entrepreneur, the director of the social change agency Osca, and the founder of Envision – a

Refe Tuma is the author of middle grade historical fantasy books Frances and the Monster and Frances and the Werewolves of the Black Forest, a finalist for the 2023 Bram Stoker Awards®. He’s also the co-creator of the best-selling and award-winning What the Dinosaurs Did picture book series

Michele Grant is a seasoned Executive Business Consultant with over 20 years of experience delivering successful results for Fortune 500 firms in diverse sectors. Her expertise in program leadership and value creation has benefited clients like Bertelsmann, Coach, AT&T Subsidiaries, VIACOM, CBS