2024 Book Award Finalists

Genét Simone has been a teacher and teacher educator for over thirty years. Her experiences in Shishmaref, Alaska, upon which "Teaching in the Dark" is based, spearheaded her lifelong quest to understand the emotional and spiritual aspects of teaching. What goes on behind the scenes of a teacher's

Dana Wayne fulfilled a lifelong dream to be a published author in the summer of 2016 with the publication of her first novel, Secrets of the Heart, which went on to win first place in a statewide contest. Since then, she has self-published a popular cookbook and seven well-received romance novels

Christina Ford is a former award-winning TV and film executive who currently divides her time between the UK, the US, and Canada. She channels her wit and experiences into writing her amusing lifestyle blog, "A Broad in London: A Survival Guide for Life, Travel, and Being Sensationally Single." A

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am a writer and tutor of creative writing for universities in the UK, and an older mum to a wonderful boy, age 12. We live in Portugal, way up in the mountains, and we have two ponies and a dog. Inspired by my son and our travels in our campervan, I am writing a series about a magic campervan

Neen Cohen is an Aussie. She writes sapphic speculative fiction and while she tries to take things seriously she thrives being the hyperactive bookworm who rarely stops smiling or laughing. If she had to decide between never reading or never writing again she simply wouldn’t. Rules were never her

Neen Cohen is an Aussie. She writes sapphic speculative fiction and while she tries to take things seriously she thrives being the hyperactive bookworm who rarely stops smiling or laughing. If she had to decide between never reading or never writing again she simply wouldn’t. Rules were never her

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

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

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

Anne Wedgwood lives in Beverley, where her stories are set. She has come to writing in her later years, having spent her working life in education. Anne was born in London and was immersed in books from her childhood onwards. She has lived in Beverley since 2008 and has no plans to leave! Anne is

Kat Elle is an American writer and educator based in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a master's degree in English Language and Literature from Georgia College & State University, and she teaches both domestic and international students in courses ranging from American Literature to English as a Second

Thank you for considering Deena Undone for a 2024 Page Turner Award. I am an author of horror, thrillers, and stories that make the heart beat fast. Deena Undone is my debut novel and will be published by Woodhall Press. It has won multiple awards, most notably an American Fiction Award for BEST

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

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

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

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

JM Blake has a few thoughts about life: -Wine and tea are a must, daily -I talk through every movie and TV show- you have to get used to it if you want to be my friend -Cats beat dogs, hands down -Nerds run the world -Nothing beats a good sex scene -Chocolate is the food of the gods -“The Talisman”

Southern. Sassy. Tattooed. Beach bum.

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

Justine Gilbert's debut novel, Daisy Chain was published in March 2023 by Claret Press, historical fiction about the women who surrounded Roosevelt's presidency. Daisy Chain has been shortlisted for the Paul Torday Memorial Award 2024. Born in New York, Justine has lived in America and Italy, but

Jay McKenzie is the author of Mim and Wiggy’s Grand Adventure (Serenade Publishing, 2023). Her work has appeared at or is forthcoming in adda, Unleash, Bath Flash Fiction Anthology, Flash Fiction Magazine, The Ulu Review, Reverie and other publications. Winner of the Exeter Story Prize and numerous

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

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

S G Fessel has been writing non-fiction for many years but ‘Switchling’ is her first novel. It recently won 'Best New Fiction' in the Pacific Book Awards 2024 and was placed first in the International Firebird Book Awards (Children's Pet/Animal category). Inspiration struck when lying in bed one

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

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

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

Jeffrey James Higgins is a retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays. He has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional

Karen (MacDougall) Barrow was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and lived there for eighteen years. Her studies took her to Canada, while marriage to a geologist took her across the country and beyond. Several degrees later and working as an audiologist, Karen succumbed to her love of

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

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 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

Lindsey is an award-winning author from Southwest Missouri, where she lives with her husband and daughter in the beautiful Ozarks. Although she enjoys writing for all ages, Lindsey believes children's books contain a special kind of magic. She has published two picture books, Blossom's Wish and STOP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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