2025 Book Award Finalists

Jackson Eaton (Maine, USA) is an American author. His debut novel, Hereafter, establishes him as a voice of insightful observation during a time of social and economic turmoil. Known for his ability to draw readers forward from page to page, Eaton's writings capture the imagination and invite self

With the publication of Unstoppable, the highly anticipated sequel to his award-winning debut novel Relentless, Michael Maloof cements his place as a compelling new voice in the world of globe-trotting thrillers. ​Born with an insatiable curiosity and a genetic case of wanderlust, Michael brings a

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

Peggy Wirgau loves true stories from the past and writes through the eyes of history’s unsung heroines. Her first novel, The Stars in April, is based on the true story of a twelve-year-old Titanic survivor. The book is the recipient of several awards and honors, including a Starred Review from

Anthony Owens boasts a distinguished career, accumulating 20 years of active naval service, during which he garnered numerous accolades and awards. His military decorations include the Enlisted Aviation Specialist Insignia, Joint Service Commendation Medal, (2) Navy and Marine Corps Achievement

Born and raised in China, Tong Ge moved to Canada in the late 1980s as an international student. Since 2012, her poetry, prose, and short stories have appeared in both English and Chinese publications across North America, England, Mainland China, and Taiwan. Her debut novel, “The House Filler,” was

James Irwin was a college professor and held leadership roles in national and international marketing communication before turning full-time to writing. Prior to all that he was a widely exhibited filmmaker and media artist whose work the Los Angeles Times called "witty and ingenious," and the San

ELIZABETH HENDRICK published her debut work, EXODAI, in September 2023. She was compelled to write about her struggles with her sexuality and narrate the story of how she eventually learnt to love herself as a lesbian woman, placing particular emphasis on her BDSM relationship with a Japanese

Jeremy Bruce Adams was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, where he lives with his wife Samantha and their two children. As a person of mixed Indo-Caribbean and European descent, Jeremy loves to write about heroes who learn to integrate the wisdom of different cultures. When he isn’t writing or

Greg is the author of several novels, published by Reed New Zealand or Time For a Story. Greg was the inaugural winner of the Katherine Mansfield Essay Prize in 2000, was Editor’s Pick in the Fabula Press 2024 Short Story Competition, and was long-listed in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition

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

L K Pang's debut novel, Moat Hill Hall, a romantic thriller, was published in 2023 with Chronos Publishing. Her second novel, The Night Counsellor, a historical thriller was published in 2024. Previously qualified as an architect, she now focuses her time on writing, painting and looking after her

Renee Bolla, a children's picture book author, seamlessly transitioned from the corporate world of fashion retail to crafting enchanting literary worlds that captivate young minds. Her self-published books, Finding Bunny and Imagine That (2022) and her latest release, The Truth About Stepmoms (2024)

Author of "The Private Misadventures of Nell Nobody," and "On Wounds of Woe," Jennifer Newbold came to fiction writing from a historical perspective, with a belief that history can be immediate and relevant, and that fiction can be a means to making history accessible. But fiction can do so much

A writer by passion and an author of four published books, Smita Das Jain writes every day. Samples of her writing are visible in her home office, her sunny terrace garden, her husband’s car, and the kitchen napkins. Her debut short story collection, A Slice of Life, was named among India’s top

Harker Jones is the author of the acclaimed, award-winning love story “Until September” and the tense young-adult thriller “Never Have I Ever.” His short thrillers “Cole & Colette” and “One-Hit Wonder” have been accepted into more than 60 film festivals combined, garnering several awards. He was

M.A.Batten is a neuro-diverse writer of fantasy, science fiction, and dark fiction. After winning over 150 creative awards during a hugely successful 25-year career in advertising, M.A.Batten returned to his childhood dream of telling stories but without brands or their ridiculous reasons to buy

Author of A Big Blue Boat and A Day on the Brine, Susea loves playing with words, sharing her stories and sailing. Susea’s achievements include being Picture Book Genre Award winner, Page Turner Awards (2022): A Day on the Brine; Purple Dragonfly Award winner (2023): A Big Blue Boat, Longlisted

Charles Harris is a best-selling and award-nominated author, award-winning film-maker, martial arts black belt and freelance journalist. He is also qualified in Ericksonian Hypnosis and is fascinated by the twists and turns of the psychology of amnesia. Semi-finalist: Author Nation Story Wars 2024

Steve is an active U.S. Diplomat serving in West Africa and term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has lived longer in West Africa than in the U.S. and enjoys storytelling that juxtaposes worldviews from those two regions. A former strategy consultant, Steve holds a Master of Business

Alexandru Czimbor is an award-winning author with a background in both academia and executive leadership within the software industry. He holds a master's degree in computer science, having studied at UTCN Cluj-Napoca and ETH Zürich. His deep interest in the intricacies of the human mind

Bill was born in Glendale, California. A native of Southern California, he attended public schools in the Highland Park area of Northeast Los Angeles and attended Glendale college briefly, deciding he’d rather work with his hands. As an apprentice carpenter, he took classes at Trade Tech in downtown

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

Yia Vang is the author of In Yer's Kitchen: Memoir of a Hmong Daughter. This is her debut book which intertwines Eros philosophy with reflections on the journey of two women learning to see and honor each other as individuals through food and stories. Her writing explores universal themes of

Strelich was born into a family of professional wrestlers and raised in Bakersfield, California, and his writing career began on a dare from a theatre director. His plays include BAFO (Best and Final Offer) which was commissioned by and had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and its New

Samantha Verba graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English Literature. She will not hesitate to roll her eyes if you ask her about classic literature, but she will talk incessantly about Paranormal Romance and Speculative Fiction. Nobody asked, but

Mimi Francis is a sassy romance writer known for her steamy tales of passion that leave readers breathless. When she's not crafting the perfect happily-ever-after, you can find her sipping margaritas and binge-watching Marvel movies or the TV show Supernatural. But her true loves (after her husband

My name is Jim Perry and I have written under the name of Wilson Whitlow since 2020, when I published my middle grade fantasy Mystery of the Khar Chuluu. I studied literature at Carnegie Mellon University and law at Georgetown University and served in the U.S. Navy. I currently work as an attorney

I won the Moth Story Slam this past July with the subject of Denial. Seems like denial is pervasive these days. Contestants had 5 minutes to tell their tale, without notes, in front of a packed audience at the Parkway theater in Minneapolis. I highly recommend writers find the Moth Story Slam in

Peter Cotton is a retired medical professor living on Dewees Island in South Carolina, writing books for young children about Fred the snake and his friends. He grew up in England where the first tale was conceived long ago as a bedtime story for his then young children about how (not) to cross the

Donna Galanti is the children’s book author of the middle-grade Unicorn Island series, Joshua and the Lightning Road series, and Loon Cove Summer. She’s also the author of the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy for adults. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned

With the publication of Unstoppable, the highly anticipated sequel to his award-winning debut novel Relentless, Michael Maloof cements his place as a compelling new voice in the world of globe-trotting thrillers. ​Born with an insatiable curiosity and a genetic case of wanderlust, Michael brings a

Aisha Hussain Rasheed is bint al-juzur, a daughter of the Maldive Islands, currently acclimating to the tropical rainforests of Malaysia with her husband and son. She holds a BA in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence and a Shahadah Alimiyya. She likes to split her spare time between contemplating life and

Lise Mayne, B.Ed., M.Ed., writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, from her home in Nanton, Alberta, Canada. Historical injustice and the search for home are central themes of her work. Her novel Becoming Sand, presented a fictional Francophone family’s history in Canada. Time Enough, Oprelle

Emmanuel Arriaga is a sci-fi author trapped in the body of a Product Manager. With a 14+ year background in engineering, cybersecurity, and infrastructure, Emmanuel received education from Pennsylvania State University and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He’s held roles building products for

Rushani is a passionate storyteller who blends ancient wisdom with modern adventure, bringing the timeless teachings of the Thirukkural to life for young readers. With a background in education and writing and a deep love for Tamil literature, Rushani creates stories that inspire children to think

Simon carr is, well he is me, hello, completely inept at writing bio's in a third person, simon was born in Darwin in the north of England and lives in the paradise that is known only as Blackburn, he, oh stuff that, I write satirical comedy science fiction, if that's even a genre, I'm not sure but

Kate Grant is the founding CEO of Fistula Foundation, a US nonprofit organization. The Foundation has mobilized nearly 70,000 donors in more than 60 countries, raising over $150 million to fund more than 100,000 life transforming surgeries for women injured in childbirth and who are too often

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

I try to make sense of this beautiful, crazy world we inhabit through my stories—thrillers that are super well researched inside complex plots full of twists and turns, that pose ethical and moral dilemmas. When I sit down to write a book, I have three non-negotiables: 1. It needs to concern a

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

I am a Canadian author living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I published my first book, The Sentinels, in 2021. Since then, I have published a Science Fiction trilogy, and the first book in an Amateur Sleuth Series.

Jeremy Bruce Adams was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, where he lives with his wife Samantha and their two children. As a person of mixed Indo-Caribbean and European descent, Jeremy loves to write about heroes who learn to integrate the wisdom of different cultures. When he isn’t writing or

John David is a long-time public relations and crisis communications consultant, author of a non-fiction business book, and a corporate ghostwriter. His debut novel, The Bystander (The Lemaster Files Book 1), was longlisted for the BPA First Novel Award. It will be released by Tule Publishing in

Michael F. Walker is a lover of the strange and macabre. The Aurora Revelations is his debut novel. Walker promoted the curators and curiosities, relics and specimens at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for 20 years. He lives with his wife and daughter in a ramshackle old

M.A.Batten is a neuro-diverse writer of fantasy, science fiction, and dark fiction. After winning over 150 creative awards during a hugely successful 25-year career in advertising, M.A.Batten returned to his childhood dream of telling stories but without brands or their ridiculous reasons to buy

True North is the author of the Anasazi Vision series. She is a lover of nature, connection, and growth. She believes in traveling life with curiosity, saying “yes,” then leaning in and allowing soul to lead the way. She lives in Oregon.

Anthony Owens boasts a distinguished career, accumulating 20 years of active naval service, during which he garnered numerous accolades and awards. His military decorations include the Enlisted Aviation Specialist Insignia, Joint Service Commendation Medal, (2) Navy and Marine Corps Achievement

Charles Harris is a best-selling and award-nominated author, award-winning film-maker, martial arts black belt and freelance journalist. He is also qualified in Ericksonian Hypnosis and is fascinated by the twists and turns of the psychology of amnesia. Semi-finalist: Author Nation Story Wars 2024

A.P. Harper writes to make sense of the beautiful mess that is being human. Her work leans into themes of memory, identity, and the quiet spaces we don’t always talk about—but often feel. Whether in novels or short stories, she gravitates toward characters who are lost, searching, or on the edge of

I try to make sense of this beautiful, crazy world we inhabit through my stories—thrillers that are super well researched inside complex plots full of twists and turns, that pose ethical and moral dilemmas. When I sit down to write a book, I have three non-negotiables: 1. It needs to concern a

Charles Harris is a best-selling and award-nominated author, award-winning film-maker, martial arts black belt and freelance journalist. He is also qualified in Ericksonian Hypnosis and is fascinated by the twists and turns of the psychology of amnesia. Semi-finalist: Author Nation Story Wars 2024

Alanah Knibb is a freelance artist, writer and science communicator who specialises in combining art and science through comic books. Her work aims to create space, opportunities, and inspiration to empower communities to utilise science for collective development and social change. A former

A retired hospital physician, Oliver Eade took to writing after hanging uphis stethoscope. He has published two collections of short stories for adults and one for children, five young readers’ novels, seven young adult novels, and three adult novels. Also a playwright, he has written and published

Mo Fanning writes emotionally rich, darkly comic fiction about flawed people trying to get it right. His novels explore love, loss, identity, and the complexities of chosen family—often through LGBTQ+ and romantic comedy lenses. With a background in journalism and a passion for storytelling that

Alex Hunter was the first child in his school year to be given an adult library card. He borrowed The Rats by James Herbert, and began to dream of giving other people nightmares. As an adult, he has enjoyed a career as a corporate communications specialist with experience leading award-winning teams

Kate is a conservation ecologist from New Zealand with a passion for writing and storytelling. Over the past decade, she has worked in various environmental roles from contracting to consulting to research. She holds degrees in various aspects of the natural and physical sciences, and is currently

Naomi Wark is a life-long resident of Washington State. She lives on Camano Island on Puget Sound. She holds a degree in Business Administration and a certificate in Commercial Fiction from the University of Washington. She is active with Skagit Valley Writer’s League, and volunteers with the Camano

Strelich was born into a family of professional wrestlers and raised in Bakersfield, California, and his writing career began on a dare from a theatre director. His plays include BAFO (Best and Final Offer) which was commissioned by and had its world premiere at South Coast Repertory and its New

Melissa Connelly dropped out of high school at age fifteen. Despite this, she went on to receive a BSN in nursing, an MA in special education, and an MFA in creative writing. She’s had a long career working with children in a range of different roles in schools, hospitals, psychiatric clinics and

Although Caleb Banks was diagnosed with special needs, at a young age, his mother, Amy recognized in him a wonderful imagination, a love of history and historic artifacts, a passion for books and reading, and an enthusiastic faith in Jesus Christ. She also recognized his ability to create stories

Kim Sloan, BSN, RN, Travel ICU nurse has been a nurse since 2008. Her husband has been a nurse since 2001. Their families, children, and grandchildren live in Ohio where Kim and her husband still maintain a home. They travel the country in their RV, living thirteen weeks at a time (the normal time

R. Murrey Haist has been described as a “renaissance man.” Airbrush artist, painter, poet, photographer, author — there’s not much in the field of creativity that he hasn’t tried, and mastered. He’s an award-winning pyrographer, creating stunning burned-wood images of wildlife that have been seen

M.K. Jackson has authored countless resumes, several essays, and numerous unfinished books including Baby’s First Exorcism, Testicular Manslaughter, and 100 Years of Mold and Mildew. Jackson has more degrees than a thermometer, all of them overstated, underearned, and equally useless; a Bachelor of

Kathleen has been a freelance writer since 1999 and now writes full time. Her work has appeared in Doll World Magazine, Apolloslyre.com, The Lake County Journals, Trails.com; USA Today (travel), Livestrong.com (lifestyle), Essortment, eHow, Answerbag, Examiner.com, Suite101 and YahooVoices. She is

Leslie Liautaud is an American playwright and novelist. Her award winning immersive play, SOUTHERN GOTHIC (2018), premiered at Windy City Playhouse in Chicago, IL. Her plays MIDNIGHT WALTZES (2006), HE IS US (2008), THE WRECK (2009), THE MANSION (2012) and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: THE MILLENNIAL

Mikael Carlson is the multiple award-winning author of the Michael Bennit Series of political dramas, the Tierra Campos and Watchtower Thrillers, The America, Inc. futuristic dystopian saga, and his holiday novels, The Santa Trilogy. A retired veteran of the Rhode Island Army National Guard and

www.2028tomorrowistheday.com

Lucy Appadoo is a prolific author who writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels about strong women who manage adversity with strength and heart. After a childhood spent reading and imagining escapist worlds, Lucy has put her imagination into stories. Her work as a rehabilitation

Miranda Boyer is an award-winning author, publisher, and lifelong storyteller whose work explores themes of identity, resilience, and magic in the face of adversity. She is best known for her Fountain of Youth series, a genre-bending YA fantasy saga that weaves together reincarnation, found family

Sera Elly is a Chicago-area writer, marketer, and professional wrangler of two wild sons, three even wilder dogs, and one husband who’s somehow still on board with all of it. When she’s not turning her love of music and messy road trips into angsty fiction, she runs Tiny Marketing, helping B2B

JB Penrose is the author of the Lady Babalon series, with four volumes, in addition to the DayStar series. All 9 books are available on Amazon. Her stories are filled with magic, danger, and romance, and take the reader to a place in the urban world as we know it with events you didn't expect. As a

Black writes in a variety of genres. Mystery, romance, or fantasy, her character-driven stories combine imagination and experience to weave dramatic plots with believable characters in descriptive contemporary settings, sometimes with fantasy worlds within them. In most of her publications, a four

Author Maggie Shaw creates her stories from her many and varied life experiences. A teenage runaway who made good before her recent autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis, Maggie writes as one who has walked the walk in recovery and spiritual development. Her degrees in science, divinity and church

I spent most of my working life in sales and marketing in the food industry. I have also worked as a fundraising consultant and later in driver training. The Swaddling is a Historical Thriller trilogy, of which Search for the Healing Cloth is the first to be published. The idea for the novel was

Timeout A Taumua is a 21-award-winning author of the expository book about the scientific nature of the Bible titled THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE 3. He plans to add two more books to the series. He is married and the father of three, as well as the grandfather of five. He grew up in the Methodist church

Black writes in a variety of genres. Mystery, romance, or fantasy, her character-driven stories combine imagination and experience to weave dramatic plots with believable characters in descriptive contemporary settings, sometimes with fantasy worlds within them. In most of her publications, a four

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

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

About the author Born in India, Naveen Sridhar migrated to Germany for studies. He has a Ph.D. in chemistry and worked as an industrial research scientist. He was also an entertainer. He published the work "A Complete Guide to Ventriloquism: Principles, Practice, and Performance" in 2011. The next

#1 Best-selling, award-winning author and screenwriter Debbie Seagle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia near things she loves: dirt, water, and mountain air. She has lived worldwide as an airshow director, marketing director, operations manager, editor, and Top Secret senior technical

Kim Gottlieb-Walker is an American photographer and writer living and working in Los Angeles, CA. Over the past 50 years, she has built a distinctive portfolio that includes some of the most notable musicians and personalities of the '60s and '70s. A graduate of UCLA with honors in Motion Picture

Black writes in a variety of genres. Mystery, romance, or fantasy, her character-driven stories combine imagination and experience to weave dramatic plots with believable characters in descriptive contemporary settings, sometimes with fantasy worlds within them. In most of her publications, a four

V.S.Sury, from Karnataka, graduated as an electrical engineer in 1967. A bachelor by choice, now running on 80, he has retired from service, and is living at Kolar. He developed a passion for writing after the retirement. His first novel, JESTUS, was published in 2010. He has written a sequel,

J.S. Morton is an award-winning fiction writer with a deep love for dark comedy. Most of his stories revolve around real-life issues, psychology (depression/anxiety), and comedy (that comes with coping with it). He is best known for his book 'You're Gone', which was a Red Ribbon winner in the

Greg is the author of several novels, published by Reed New Zealand or Time For a Story. Greg was the inaugural winner of the Katherine Mansfield Essay Prize in 2000, was Editor’s Pick in the Fabula Press 2024 Short Story Competition, and was long-listed in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition

Mikael Carlson is the multiple award-winning author of the Michael Bennit Series of political dramas, the Tierra Campos and Watchtower Thrillers, The America, Inc. futuristic dystopian saga, and his holiday novels, The Santa Trilogy. A retired veteran of the Rhode Island Army National Guard and

I'm a rom com author based in the West Midlands. I love creating characters you can empathise with and crafting stories that you can't put down. When I'm not writing, I'm a photographer and artist, and I live with my husband, my two children and a beautiful but demanding cat.

Greg is the author of several novels, published by Reed New Zealand or Time For a Story. Greg was the inaugural winner of the Katherine Mansfield Essay Prize in 2000, was Editor’s Pick in the Fabula Press 2024 Short Story Competition, and was long-listed in the Commonwealth Short Story Competition

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

Mikael Carlson is the multiple award-winning author of the Michael Bennit Series of political dramas, the Tierra Campos and Watchtower Thrillers, The America, Inc. futuristic dystopian saga, and his holiday novels, The Santa Trilogy. A retired veteran of the Rhode Island Army National Guard and