2024 Writing Award Finalists

Paula Seager spent her early life in developing countries with aid project parents, living in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, including Zimbabwe. She continued to travel with her communications roles at Amnesty International, Sight Savers and the World Health Organisation, working in India

I used to run a Tango club in Brighton and now work as a model for such names as Balenciaga and Martine Rose https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2022-menswear/martine-rose. For the past 30 years I have been working the twelve-step program of Narcotics Anonymous and have written a memoir about

Therena is an award-winning, internationally published photographer and artist. She writes epic romantic fantasy novels and creates fantasy illustrations. She loves transporting readers and art lovers into a world of love, magic, and adventure. Born to be an artist and author, she delights in

Raised in Essex, Massachusetts, Travis worked in his family’s sawmill and lumber business from the age of seven instead of going to school. An avid outdoorsman from a young age, whether it was hunting the rolling hills of New Hampshire or fly-fishing remote brook trout ponds in the deep northwoods

Now retired, my career began as a teacher of French and German and ended as a specialist in helping pupils who do not speak the language of instruction all over the UK and Europe. I was a member of an EU Working Group promoting better Education outcomes for pupils of Roma heritage in Europe. I

Hannah Costelle is a Kentucky writer with a love of whodunnits, howdunnits, and whydunnits. She attended Eastern Kentucky University, where she studied Journalism and English. Today she works in historical archives. For the past ten years, she has been working on a trilogy of mystery novels, as well

I was born in Great Britain, a long time ago, then emigrated to Alberta Canada. My wife and I are now retired and living in the South Okanagan, BC Canada. I am in the process of writing 4 fictional books - a collection of short stories, a spy thriller, a western action and adventure book and an

Alicia Doyle is a voracious reader and lover of large cups of tea. Taking her love of the written word a step further, she published a small collection of her poetry in 2021 and had the pleasure of having one of her short stories published in the online magazine, Short Fiction Break, in 2022. In

Born in Spain, raised in Australia, I now live in Ireland with my husband and two teenagers. I like to tap into the heart and mind of my protagonists, so readers connect to them on an emotional level. I'm a self-taught writer and In Her Skin is my debut novel. I'm active in writing/critique groups

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

Andrew Phillips for "SHOES," "WHISPERS," RIMBOMBO," AND "HOPE OF GLIMMER" 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

Andrew Phillips for "SHOES," "WHISPERS," RIMBOMBO," AND "HOPE OF GLIMMER" 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

Kathryn Crowley writes short fiction and memoir from her home in Dublin. She has two published collections with Emu Ink Publishing, 'Sweaters and Small Stuff' (2014) and 'Room for One More' (2016). Her work has been published in Westword, Ruby Literary and other magazines.

Mikey Jackson is a versatile scriptwriter and novelist from the seaside town of Worthing, near Brighton, United Kingdom. His debut play Cruel was performed at Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town, London. His TV drama spec script Seven Magpies earned him a place as a finalist in the Amazon Studios and

Mikey Jackson is a versatile scriptwriter and novelist from the seaside town of Worthing, near Brighton, United Kingdom. His debut play Cruel was performed at Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town, London. His TV drama spec script Seven Magpies earned him a place as a finalist in the Amazon Studios and

Ayesha lives in Norway with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She was raised in Pakistan and worked for several years in Islamabad before moving to Norway, where she currently has a day-job as a Product Manager. In 2022 she won a bursary for Jericho Writer’s Self-Edit Your Novel course. Her

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

I consider myself a collaborator and builder. Working as a leader and member of high-performance teams, I have created tremendous capabilities at financial institutions across Canada and in the U.S. I have been a Chief Risk Officer and a Chief Executive Officer. I also consider myself a creator. I

Wendy A. Warren writes upmarket historical fiction set in the Pacific and Inland Northwest. Her short stories and essays have appeared in Bright Flash Literary Review, HerStry, Hare’s Paw Literary Journal and elsewhere. She's querying her award-winning, unpublished debut novel, THE BUTCHER'S

I write queer YA fantasy inspired by Scandinavian folklore, exploring gender, animal welfare, and the importance of knitting. I'm an Oregonian of Scandinavian descent, but currently live in Australia with my fabulous wife and numerous reptile pets. I’ve published four nonfiction books with academic

Holly taught English in UK secondary schools for 15 years before relocating to Hong Kong with her family. The move enabled her to complete a Distance Learning MA in Creative Writing with the University of Lancaster (Distinction; winner of Portfolio Prize 2023). She has had eighteen short stories

MULTI-AWARD WINNING SCREENWRITER AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR. Samantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small, medium and large publishers ever since. She is a multi-award winning author and screenwriter and a USA Today

Annie R McEwen is a career historian. She’s lived in six countries, under every roof from a canvas tent to a Georgian Era manor house, and driven herself to work in everything from a vintage Peugeot to a donkey cart. It's perfectly natural for her to create stories of desperate love and powerful

Genre: Historical After completing my PhD on the writings of Elizabeth Gaskell, I decided to turn my extensive knowledge of the nineteenth century into a novel, concerning the plight of a young girl whom Gaskell, along with Charles Dickens helped. I have studied with the Faber Academy and The

Claire Dowley read English and American Literature at the University of Warwick. She worked in London for Theatrical and Advertising Agencies during the eighties before packing a rucksack and flying to Australia. There she trained as a teacher and taught English and Literature in schools for 25

Cameron Thompson is an Editorial Coordinator for the Today Newspaper Group, based in Ipswich, Queensland. He has worked as a journalist since 1981, at regional centres and in capital cities across Australia. Cameron was a Member of the Australian Commonwealth Parliament in the lower house seat of

Cameron Thompson is an Editorial Coordinator for the Today Newspaper Group, based in Ipswich, Queensland. He has worked as a journalist since 1981, at regional centres and in capital cities across Australia. Cameron was a Member of the Australian Commonwealth Parliament in the lower house seat of

Madison Hamill is the Ockham award-winning author of Specimen: Personal Essays. She is currently embarking on a PhD in Wellington, New Zealand, where she enjoys speedy ocean dips, painting pictures of her friends and turning her life into bestseller material.

After deciding to make the most of his surname, Bob has been writing modern Gothic fiction for the past few years. Taking inspiration from current authors such as Catriona Ward and Andrew Michael Hurley, he also draws from the classic horrors by Shirley Jackson and Susan Hill. Always putting queer

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 position required

Paul's academic focus was urban planning, human geography, environmental studies, and Australian politics. His research essays on urban development issues, human health disparities, population, and pandemic responses in socio-economically disadvantaged communities earned distinctions. But it was

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 position required

Lara is a a part-time marketing manager, with a PhD in 20th-century literature and a passion for medieval history. She left a corporate career to fulfill a childhood dream: turning some of the great events and characters of medieval European history into the subject matter of contemporary stories

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

A Massachusetts native, Abby Sandman was on skis before she could walk, and this early tendency towards adventure has carried her from the canyons of Peru to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. She is an associate editor for Indagare Travel, where she writes for the company’s tri-annual magazine and

I am married with two teenage children and live in Bedford, Bedfordshire. Teaching is my passion and I have been teaching primary school children now for 10 years. I love all things supernatural ever since I saw a ghost on the side of the road while driving home one day. I love writing and creating

I'm an illustrator and designer with 20 years of working in the creative industry and developing creativity in myself and others, and I adore children's books - for their humour, colour, energy and escapism. Yes, at 40 years old my treat is to buy them for myself. Despite evidence to the contrary (a

A Massachusetts native, Abby Sandman was on skis before she could walk, and this early tendency towards adventure has carried her from the canyons of Peru to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. She is an associate editor for Indagare Travel, where she writes for the company’s tri-annual magazine and

Page Turner 2022 Genre Award winner for her recently published debut novel, I, SAID THE FLY (award under its working title: The Assassin Who Loved Me), Jay Jones is currently working on book 2 in The D.I. and The Assassin series. Originally from India, Jay and her husband now live in Worcestershire

I find wonder in how our world works through studying the past to predict the patterns of our future. This might be due to my first passion and career as a weather forecaster, but it certainly does make life more interesting when I’m not hunched over my computer, madly typing to pin down my

Growing up in Canada, the U.S., Spain, England and the Czech Republic has given my novels their international flavours. My parents were diplomats and my mother was British so I spent two years in a British boarding school while my parents were posted behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Now

A native New Yorker and captivating storyteller with a flair for embellishment, Jennifer Irwin resides in Los Angeles. After earning her BA in Cinema from Denison University, she worked in advertising and marketing. Jennifer taught Pilates while raising three boys and currently works in the

BMG Tate's publication history is predominantly as a poet. As 'Brian McMahon Gallagher' he has been published by RTÉ, NearFM, and in the collection 'Outstraight', archived in University College Dublin's library. As a spoken word performer he has performed at Glastonbury, First Fortnight, Electric

Tanya's upbringing lacked adult supervision, allowing her to frolic through the 1970s on the sunny beaches of California. She's a real estate Broker, a WFWA mentor, and a freelance editor, but her greatest achievement to date has been raising a decent human. She lived in Carlsbad with the yang to

Born in Wlingi, Indonesia, Lis Porter has called Adelaide, Belfast, Byron Bay and Oxford home. A former professor with an extensive academic publication record, she now writes fiction. Her writing explores complex family relationships, with strong women as the focus. Lis loves the research and

I have had two novels published with independent presses: Work For Four Hands (Starborn Books) and A Diamond in the Sky (Honno). New Books Magazine, now nb.magazine, said of Work for Four Hands: ‘A wonderful, cleverly written novel.’ Oxford Magazine said of A Diamond in the Sky: 'Pelling has an

Hello! I’m Arianna Kiriakos, and I've been writing as long as I can remember. I completed my first novel at thirteen, and basically haven’t stopped since. I aim one day to be a traditionally published author. My work tends to lean into mysteries with sassy characters and historical or travel

Kevin Kordziel is a retired attorney with a passion for reading, reviewing, and writing fiction under the pen name Kevin Joseph. His first novel, The Champion Maker, published in 2005, explores legal and ethical issues at the intersection of genetic engineering and athletics. Praised as “a genuine

A Mancunian, after 20 years in Sydney, I live in a cabin in an enchanted forest in Cornwall, inspired by the wisdom of nature's seasons. I’m currently enjoying the MA in Nature & Travel Writing at Bath Spa University. Many moons ago I studied a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages. It was my childhood

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