2024 Writing Award Finalists

Punk Rock had barely left the charts when I moved to London and started a degree in Fine Art Sculpture at Central St Martins. Nearly a decade followed, working at Virgin Records - going to see bands nightly and heaps of obscure films. As with the music of my generation, the films I saw in my youth

Prasha is a published children's book author, clinical audiologist and educator with Master's degrees in Audiology and Education (Global Learning). Her award-winning picture book, My Brain is Magic: A Sensory-Seeking Celebration was published by Soaring Kite Books in 2023. She was the recipient of a

Erin L. Swann is an avid home cook who has taught visual art for eighteen years in Central Maryland. She recently became an online writing instructor for Authors Publish and has given several free online lectures through them as well. Her work appears in numerous anthologies and publications

Leaving Palmer’s School in 1953, I served two years in the R.A.F. and thereafter became too involved in building a career to allow myself the time to develop my talent for scribbling (although I did write a sales manual!). After a 40 year career, first in retail in UK, later in chemicals in UK and

I'm a trilingual storyteller, international journalist, and fiction novelist with a love of ancient history, astronomy, fantasy, and beautiful words that make you swoon.

I'm a trilingual storyteller, international journalist, and fiction novelist with a love of ancient history, astronomy, fantasy, and beautiful words that make you swoon.

Hi, I'm Morag Higgins. I am passionate about writing and have in the past written articles for equestrian magazines (I am a horse trainer to trade). I have published several equestrian training books but my real passion is for fiction. My first published book was Bruja. The true story of my first

Kat Trigarszky (pen name: Katharine Rogers) is a freelance writer and copy editor originally from the UK but now living in Stockholm, Sweden. When not working on her latest WIP – historical fiction set in Yorkshire during the Second World War – she is a co-host of the online historical fiction

Hi, I'm Morag Higgins. I am passionate about writing and have in the past written articles for equestrian magazines (I am a horse trainer to trade). I have published several equestrian training books but my real passion is for fiction. My first published book was Bruja. The true story of my first

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

Ayesha lives in Norway with her husband and two daughters. Originally from Pakistan, she spent several years working in Islamabad as a young mother before relocating to Norway. By day, Ayesha works as a Product Lead, translating between cryptic tech jargon and the ever-evolving needs of business

I don’t remember the first story I wrote but at high school I do remember writing a ‘science fiction’ story featuring a pair of goggles that allowed you to see inside other people’s minds and reverse their deeds. As a teen I favoured poetry. I relished the straightjacket form of a haiku and the

Dorit d’Scarlett is a CaLD poet and writer ‘of a certain age’ whose short stories and prize-winning poetry have featured in Rattle, Meniscus, Antler Velvet, and other international literary journals. Her long-form fiction has been both short and long-listed for multiple writing awards. Recently

Steve Rush’s experience includes tenure as homicide detective and chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm in the field of forensic and environmental pathology and medicine. Once hailed as, “The best forensic investigator in the United States” by the late Joseph L. Burton, M.D

Dorit d’Scarlett is a CaLD poet and writer ‘of a certain age’ whose short stories and prize-winning poetry have featured in Rattle, Meniscus, Antler Velvet, and other international literary journals. Her long-form fiction has been both short and long-listed for multiple writing awards. Recently

My first attempt at serious writing was a play in Spanish in my sixth form at school. Much later, I wrote stage plays for my local amateur dramatic society, Cobham Players, in Surrey, for which I have acted as Chairman. I’ve attended several writing courses, including two at Cambridge University’s

From corporate to creative... Having swapped the FTSE for freedom, I'm now pursuing my passions as an aspiring writer, eager traveller, and self-employed business and marketing consultant. My novels, written with screenplay adaptation in mind, draw on the reality of today - the intoxicating highs

My name is Elena Violaris and I was born in Manchester, UK, to Greek Cypriot parents. I received my BA, MPhil and PhD in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, and I'm now a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. I'm currently researching the experiences of British 'postmigrants'

Hi! I'm Amanda and I live in London, UK. :) Having spent ten years working as a Barrister in Criminal Law, I live and love all things crime! Hence all my books have a strong crime element, based on murder cases I prosecuted and are embedded with twists and conspiracies. As I have teenage children

Karin is an autistic mathematician, and writer of science fiction, fantasy and thrillers. After twelve moves within the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the UK, she settled in the Garden of England (a.k.a. Kent). As a writer/reader, she is passionate about diversity – any kind – but, more than

Karin is an autistic mathematician, and writer of science fiction, fantasy and thrillers. After twelve moves within the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and the UK, she settled in the Garden of England (a.k.a. Kent). As a writer/reader, she is passionate about diversity – any kind – but, more than

My debut historical fiction novel, THE LAST GYPSY QUEEN, will publish April 16, 2026. I write women’s upmarket and historical fiction. As a former retail executive specializing in e-commerce, for years I’ve channeled my story-telling passion into writing thousands of words in the form of published

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

A former English Teacher who hung up his chalk (well, whiteboard markers) to pen a few of his own words. Loves folklore-inspired horror, dystopian fiction and of course sci-fi; but more than anything - and unsurprisingly - loves a literary surprise, where genre and blurb are little more than cursory

Gianaclis (gee-on-a-klees) is a multi-award-winning author raised in the wilds of Oregon believing trees were spirits and failing at picking string beans. She writes cheesy (no really) non-fiction on cheesemaking and goats, and hopeful speculative fiction. In her spare time, she guides other old

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

I'm a 56 year old violinist and string teacher, the daughter of a german-jewish holocaust refugee. I grew up in St Andrews, Scotland, where my Dad was a history lecturer in the university. Thereafter, I studied and lived in Sheffield until 2000. For the past 23 years I've been a resident of

I’ve drafted novels for decades, but couldn’t find my niché. Then twelve years ago I had a job in a think tank, building intelligence databases. It inspired me to write espionage stories about the real world of modern intelligence. It’s full of human stories, but seemingly too complex for thrillers

My work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer’s Digest and Family Circle. A Pushcart Prize nominee, I won the Grand Prize in the annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition and received a Finalist Award in Prose from the Illinois Arts Council. I graduated with a

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

Mikey Jackson is a versatile scriptwriter and novelist from the seaside town of Worthing, near Brighton, United Kingdom. The first ten pages of his novel Disordinary made the final shortlist in the Page Turner Awards 2024. His debut play Cruel was performed at Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town, London

Jeffrey Chaucer is a cybersecurity engineer who lives in Texas. He knew some interesting kids in middle school, who love to turn up in his books. His novel Stolen Shroud won some indie awards, such as the IndieReader Discovery Award.

Writer based in Dublin

I was born in the south but grew up in Virginia, returning briefly to North Carolina to complete my bachelor’s degree in business. I’ve spent my professional life to date in sales and marketing positions, and as an entrepreneur. Along the way, I discovered my passion for people is only exceeded by

Mikey Jackson is a versatile scriptwriter and novelist from the seaside town of Worthing, near Brighton, United Kingdom. The first ten pages of his novel Disordinary made the final shortlist in the Page Turner Awards 2024. His debut play Cruel was performed at Etcetera Theatre, Camden Town, London

Mike Darcy is the author of the Little Joe series. He spent the better part of his youth wandering the forest, subsisting on foraging wild berries and the generosity of concerned woodland creatures. He holds degrees in Digital Forensics, Applied Mathematics, and a Masters in Public Administration

I have always written and though I have never been published, I’ve been placed in many writing competitions: most recently I have been longlisted in the CWA’s Debut Dagger, The Yeovil Literary Prize, Flash 500 Novel Comp, The Joan Dempsey First Chapter Contest and shortlisted in The Retreat West

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

My work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer’s Digest and Family Circle. A Pushcart Prize nominee, I won the Grand Prize in the annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition and received a Finalist Award in Prose from the Illinois Arts Council. I graduated with a

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

Paula Seager is seeking representation for her suspense thriller novel, Alone in the Rainforest, complete at 72,000 words. It won third place in the Fiction Factory First Chapter Competition 2025 and was a finalist in the 2025 Page Turner Writing Awards. The story is set in the Batak rainforest

I started writing for my younger daughter, who was born with one hand. Her complaint was that in children's books any character with a disability like her was either: 1. The baddy (let's face it, you thought of Captain Hook, didn't you?) with the disability used to show how evil they are 2. A

I was born and raised in Spain and moved to live in the UK when I was 25. Learning a new language wasn’t easy for me; so, I challenged myself to write in English as a way to improve the language. Characters and their stories have crowded my head from a young age, wanting to be told; one day I gave

Steve conveys perspectives and emotions in poems and songs. His draft memoir, Galvanized, tells how he overcame timidity as an air cavalry officer in the Vietnam War. A tuxedo cat from a shelter encourages him from a perch over his PC keyboard. Steve assists disabled veterans in getting government

Born in 1977. From Kells, Co. Meath, Ireland. Fledgling author, full-time dreamer.

David Imrie is a British author and literary editor who lives in Galicia (NW Spain). His two novels to date are 'The Lost Piece' and 'Ghosts' (both 2024). Born in Oxford in 1973, during his childhood David's family moved first to Dorset and then to Thurso in the Scottish Highlands, where he went to

I’m a former teacher from London, juggling my time between raising my three kids, caring for my disabled son, and writing in every spare moment of time I find. A lifelong SFF fan, I’ve written several fantasy and sci-fi novels. I’m currently querying my most recent novel: The Last Sky. Twelve years

I have always loved reading and sharing books with others. I never thought I'd write my own, and it wasn't until I hit my fifties that I decided to give it a go. It has been a steep learning curve, but one I've enjoyed from the first step to now. I started writing historical romance, and that

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