2024 Writing Award Shortlist

Writer, romantic, cynic, surgeon

Celeste Lovick is a Canadian author and singer-songwriter residing in Norfolk, England with her husband and son. Her first novel, 'Medicine Song', was self-published in 2017 and was inspired by her experiences performing at greenfield festivals over the years. She has released four solo albums of

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 articles, white papers, website and social media content, marketing materials

I have published short fiction and poetry, and I have been short- and long-listed for the Fish Short Story Prize. As an undergraduate I majored in English literature, though I currently work in technology.

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

Kristen Dobson was born in Ontario, Canada and graduated college in 1996. For the past thirty years she has worked as a massage therapist while continuing to pursue writing in her free time. Over decades, she has had the unique privilege of delving into peoples stories, while gaining an in depth

Although born in the UK, and educated at Cambridge University, I embarked on a teaching career in California. Securing several promotions, and working in a variety of schools and settings, I became a headteacher in the UK. I currently live in London and am an educational consultant, supporting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My name is Mariela (Ela) Randall, and I currently live in Austin, Texas. I'm a United States Army veteran, accountant, and writer. I quit my job at The University of Texas at Austin in October 2022 to follow my dream and work full-time on Rayen, my first manuscript. I love writing and will continue