2025 Phoenix Award Finalists

Writing for me turned from a hobby to a love affair when I had an idea for a thriller/drama novel, and 4 years after that idea, I published that novel titled Retribution. I kept on writing and expanding my range of genres to include sci/fi, fantasy/adventure and of course a sequel to my novel.

Hi my name is Chelsey Byron, Im 35 and live in Kent with two children and my partner. I started writing the Purgatory trilogy last year, writing has always been a passion of mine and the Purgatory trilogy has been created through my own life experiences and passion to make a change by raising

Ravi Bodalia is a resident doctor and writing content-creator with over three million views across YouTube and TikTok. He has previously been a finalist in the Page Turner Awards for the Book Adaptation Needed category, and he has been longlisted in the Jericho Writers 500 Words Competition. His

Originally from Hungary, I graduated from the University of Leeds with a BSc in Psychology and an MA in Human Resource Management, and I still live in the city with my partner. In my day job, I’m an HR professional. I love the challenges and the variety I experience through my work, but writing is

Hallie Stephenson began her writing journey at age 7 with a Star Trek script chronicling Kirk and Spock's extraplanetary shenanigans. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting from Purchase College, where her love for gritty period dramas and thrilling sci-fi worlds grew exponentially

Marc Remus is a German painter and award-winning author of eight children's books. His novels have received numerous literary accolades and have been translated into twelve languages. Educated in the United States, Remus earned a BA in art and illustration from the prestigious Art Center College of

B. Romero is a writer, teacher, student, wife, mother, activist, and everything in between. Writing has been her passion since a young age and she is also a lover of all things horror. When she is not writing, B. enjoys reading, gaming, and watching horror movies. During school hours, you can catch

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

Founder of Melissa Beaty's Bible Resource Library, Melissa has dedicated her life to helping others explore the riches of Scripture. Since her conversion from atheism, she has applied her formal training in philosophy and education to help others understand biblical principles from both Christian

Stevie Turner is a British author of Romantic Suspense, Humour, Paranormal, and Women’s Fiction (family dramas). She won an inter-schools' essay competition at the age of 11, and this gave her encouragement to write further. She has now written 15 novels, 6 novellas, 1 memoir, and 18 short stories

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

8-time national award-winning author, Diana Webb, has a Juris Doctorate in Law and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. An educator, tutor, motivational speaker, and freelance writer, Diana pens literary pieces sharing intense thought-provoking queries and realities of life to live the most robust

Some books you read. G. S. Gerry’s books pull you in and refuse to let go. These aren't just stories; they're confrontations. They hit where it hurts, where it heals... and leave you laughing in-between. An Amazon best-selling, award-winning author, G. S. Gerry doesn’t just write stories—he creates

I live in Saint Lucia but grew up in England. A dysfunctional family and learning difficulties meant I left school with few qualifications. Later, I studied at free council-provided job clubs and evening classes, and strived to become an equality champion in charities, (Mind, NCCL) the public sector

I am a neurodivergent (OCD since childhood), award-winning writer of Gothic fiction and creative nonfiction that explores mental health, motherhood, and family life with themes of resilience, hope, and finding beauty in the struggle. My novel, THE BONES OF HOPE, won two Claymore Awards at Killer

Jasmaine Payne is a Guyanese author, editor, and writing coach whose debut novel Leech (2025) cements her place as the first female Guyanese writer residing in Guyana to publish a full-length psychological thriller. A lifelong storyteller, Jasmaine began writing novel-length fiction in high school

Jace Parker – Resilience Expert, Crime Scene Investigator, and Author of Thrive in Chaos Jace Parker is a resilience expert, seasoned crime scene investigator, and the author of Thrive in Chaos – a brutally honest guide to building unshakeable mental toughness. Drawing on over 20 years of experience

Lily Lu is a budding author of fantasy and science fiction stories.

Jane Cafarella is an Australian author, playwright, and former journalist, columnist and cartoonist, whose work has been widely published in Australia and overseas and whose plays have been performed nationally and internationally During her 10 years at Melbourne’s Age Newspaper, she wrote and

Danielle Paquette-Harvey is an Award-Winning, International Best Selling author of fantasy romance. Her books have sold thousands of copies in countries worldwide. Her books include werewolves, vampires, dragons, witches, morally grey characters, and swooning romance. Her books have been translated

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

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

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I bring a wealth of life experience to my writing, particularly in exploring themes of unconscious bias, identity, and the quiet complexities of human relationships. My stories often examine how people navigate societal expectations and personal struggles, with

Karen is British-born Greek Cypriot. She has worked at Penguin Books, BBC and The Sunday Times. Her career was halted after experiencing psychotic episodes and was later diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. She has been stable for the last seven years and now lives with her partner and son in

Mona Tebyanian is an Iranian-American author whose writing is defined by bold imagination, emotional depth, and cultural richness. Born and raised in Iran, she moved to the United States at 19, carrying with her a lifelong connection to the stories, myths, and traditions that shaped her early years

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

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

Caroline Lavoie is a French-Canadian writer of YA speculative fiction. She grew up in Quebec and flew west at the age of twenty with one lucky feather and three words of English in her backpack. She now spends her days on the homestead, growing food and improbable tales from seed. In recent years

I am a fiction author who has indulged in storytelling for decades. As a child, I invented short stories, wrote poems and essays while reading each day from all genres. Those experiences started a love of writing, eventually turning into a full-time career. Being trilingual allows me to share this

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

I was born on a beautiful Caribbean island called Guadeloupe, grew up in Paris and spent the last two decades in London with my husband and two children. In my teens, I spent most of my spare time writing poetry and sketching clothes, armed with a pen and a pad. I graduated with a master’s degree in

Virginia Betts is an independent author, performance poet, actor and freelance tutor from Ipswich, Suffolk in the UK. She has had 4 books published by independent presses: The Camera Obscure (Gothic and supernatural stories); two poetry collections: Tourist to the Sun and That Little Voice; and her

Stephen C. Pollock is a poet, essayist, physician, academician, former business executive, and inventor. His poetry collection Exits has been honored with the 2024 North Street Book Prize along with seventeen other book awards. Steve began scribbling poems on shirt cardboard at age nine. All of

Born and bred in New York, Thea Klapwald has written about travel, self help, entertainment and the arts for publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, AAA's Westways magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and many publications that no longer exist! She has worked as a reporter

I was born in Turkey in 1973. In 1999, I came to England to learn English. I then became a primary school teacher and for 10 years I worked as a class teacher, ICT coordinator and music teacher in inner-city schools across London. In 2014, I moved to work in higher education and started to work as a

Natalie Goes was born in Siberia, has lived in six countries, speaks three languages fluently and two more badly. Her love of languages can only compare to her love of good books, and her Kindle gets quite a workout. The fascinating places and people she encountered traveling the world with her Air

Erika Lynn Adams was born in Helmstedt, Germany in 1986, but has lived in America since 1988. Before she was two years old she was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder, a central auditory condition that effects the way the brain takes in and processes information. As it impacted her memory

Michael Irleand earned her Master’s in Religious Studies from the University of B.C. with honors, diving deep into the world of Julian the Apostate—the last pagan emperor of ancient Greece whose beliefs laid the groundwork for what we now call New Age philosophy. But it wasn’t until a life-changing