2024 Book Award Longlist

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leslie Kain writes “Psychological Fiction With Heart”, about flawed people whose greatest barriers to happiness lie within them. Leslie was always writing something as a kid — fantasies, poems, secret plans, culminating in running away cross-country at fifteen, never looking back. Her careers in

Hi! I wrote THE DARKNESS after a confrontation with the serial rapist who raped me. I showed up at the county jail where he was being held after my case ended in a mistrial. After continued frustrations of waiting for the legal system to bring justice, I went to the jail, where he was held (parole

By day, Chloe is a Physician Associate in a busy GP Practice in London. By evening, Chloe can be found crafting thoughts and weaving stories. 'Good Practice: Confessions of a physician associate student' is Chloe's debut self published memoir.

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

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 -

During his 40-year mercurial career, Harvey Lee has established himself as one of the world's leading product marketers. Progressive, persistent, and pioneering, he’s helped generate billions in revenue, shattered records, and pioneered categories. He played a key role in launching the original Xbox

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 -

Annette Kane was a painter for many years, with representation in London, Amsterdam and New York. A book about her work, Being Bold in Watercolour, was released in 2006. She has also worked as a signwriter, screen printer, teacher, Humanist celebrant and Citizens Advice adviser. She now writes

Ruth is a novelist and freelance writer, the author of the Isabella M Smugge series, contemporary humorous page-turners with heart. She has also published a collection of Pride and Prejudice short stories and a volume of poetry. You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Threads and TikTok at

In 2009, Barry Finlay went up a mountain as an accountant and came down as a philanthropist. After over thirty years in various financial roles with the Canadian federal government, he took his life in a different direction and climbed Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro at age 60 with his son Chris. The

Eleanor was born in London, educated at Westminster and studied History of Art at Manchester University where she was distracted from finishing her degree by a trip to India. She was lost and found for the next twelve years, starting a commune, building a stone circle, and travelling through Asia

Before Melissa started writing romantic comedies and women’s fiction, she worked as a surgical Physician Associate in Nashville, where one of her favorite procedures was re-suturing a lower-lumbar tattoo. Her stories, like herself, are always a mix: light and dark, laughter and tears, outlandish and

Writer, artist, librarian, herbalist and genealogist, Gail has written several family histories, short stories and her paranormal cozy mysteries series entitled, The Gallagher Girls Mysteries. After traveling the world as a military spouse, Gail now resides in Idaho with her husband and their

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

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

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

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

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

TF Johnson has a love for storytelling, characters and far away worlds. She started creating before she started primary school, and the passion never left. When not writing, TF Johnson can be found reading the books on her to be read bookshelf that mysteriously keep multiplying, hanging with friends

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

As a First Nations educator, Ashlee Alicea is dedicated to helping children ask the “I wonder” questions. Her playful and imaginative style of writing helps tap into a child’s curiosity. Creating stories that all children can enjoy while also highlighting the language, culture, and identity of

Anita Selzer is an acclaimed author of fourteen books in adult and children’s non-fiction. Her interest is in women, gender and culture, and history. She has earned a BA, Dip Ed, Master of Education, PhD in Education and Grad Dip in Women’s Studies at universities in Melbourne, and was awarded the

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

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

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

Barry W. Levy is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, and screenwriter. He holds a Fine Arts degree from The University of British Columbia's Department of Theatre, Film, and Creative Writing, (1991). His two feature films, ‘Spook’ and ‘The Shasta Triangle’, both of which he wrote and directed, have

Jan Sikes writes compelling and creative stories from the heart. She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author, although she’s been an avid reader all her life. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. She brought the

Heather Peck is author of the multi-award-winning Greg Geldard series of murder mysteries, set in rural North Yorkshire and Norfolk. She has also written books for children, mainly based on the adventures of her two dogs and her farming life. Writing was always her first love, but for a long time it

After studying ceramics in Japan for two and a half years, I returned to the Midwest and launched Linden Hills Pottery with my wife, Cynthia Mosedale. Over the last 30 years, we have received multiple honors selling our ceramic art at shows throughout the country. The greatest honor was making a

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

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

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

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