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Categories & Genres

Special Awards

Legacy Awards: Open to any previously published book.

Phoenix Awards: Open to any first book by a new author.

Animal & Pet

Kashmir by Victoria Hardesty and Nancy Perez

Kashmir was an abandoned and angry Arabian gelding who had no use for humans. Katie Barclay grew up in the world of Rodeo. She was a driven young lady who planned her life to include specific milestones. When she failed to reach one of them, the failure crushed her and sent her into a deep depression. Kashmir began to remember unique things about himself that his mother taught him as a baby when he recognized some of those same unique qualities in fifteen-year-old Katie. As their connection grew, it healed Kashmir as much as it healed Katie. They became a team. They forged a partnership going against long-held beliefs that Arabian horses had no place in Rodeo. Katie and Kashmir demonstrated the truth in their performances. At the same time, each of them found new ways to use their unusual abilities to help others.

Publisher: Publication Consultants

ISBN:  978-1-59433-978-3

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD 

Kashmir

Autobiography

The Godfather of Green: An Eco-Spiritual Memoir by Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing

“Social activist, environmentalist, engineer, spiritual seeker – some of the many hats Jerry Yudelson wore during an extensive career chronicled in his deliciously detailed, emotionally revealing, and spiritually insightful environmental memoir.

After organizing for the first Earth Day, Jerry dropped out of grad school, pursued spiritual development and encountered the renowned Indian master Swami Muktananda, who initiated him into a powerful meditation practice, giving him experiences that upended his life.

Author of 12 books on green building and sustainable development, named a “”LEED Fellow”” by the U.S. Green Building Council and “”The Godfather of Green”” by Wired magazine, Jerry followed an unusual career path toward sustainability leadership.

Beginning in the late 1990s, he became a global leader in the green building movement, convincing architects and developers to reduce buildings’ ecological footprints with sustainable design.

In the end, Jerry found inner strength, his life’s purpose and outward success by combining committed spiritual practices with his life’s work to create a better world through environmental activism.

Jerry offers three lessons in environmental leadership for today’s climate justice activists:
1. Always demand more than you think you need and hold people accountable for delivering.
2. Offer your work as selfless service to the planet and its people, coming from a place of love and respect.
3. Make a place for everyone in this movement, because you’re going to need participation from many different fields: poets, politicians, priests, scientists and business leaders.”

Publisher: Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing

ISBN: 978-1948018722

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                      

The Godfather of Green

Amir's Blue Elephant: A woman's journey into the lives of Europe's refugees by Melissa Hekkers

“Brings principles of spiritual mindfulness and stewardship to the environmental discussion” – Publishers Weekly

Social activist, environmentalist, engineer, spiritual seeker – some of the many hats Jerry Yudelson wore during an extensive career chronicled in his deliciously detailed, emotionally revealing, and spiritually insightful environmental memoir.

After organizing for the first Earth Day, Jerry dropped out of grad school, pursued spiritual development and encountered the renowned Indian master Swami Muktananda, who initiated him into a powerful meditation practice, giving him experiences that upended his life.

Author of 12 books on green building and sustainable development, named a “LEED Fellow” by the U.S. Green Building Council and “The Godfather of Green” by Wired magazine, Jerry followed an unusual career path toward sustainability leadership.

Beginning in the late 1990s, he became a global leader in the green building movement, convincing architects and developers to reduce buildings’ ecological footprints with sustainable design.

In the end, Jerry found inner strength, his life’s purpose and outward success by combining committed spiritual practices with his life’s work to create a better world through environmental activism.

Jerry offers three lessons in environmental leadership for today’s climate justice activists:
1. Always demand more than you think you need and hold people accountable for delivering.
2. Offer your work as selfless service to the planet and its people, coming from a place of love and respect.
3. Make a place for everyone in this movement, because you’re going to need participation from many different fields: poets, politicians, priests, scientists and business leaders.

“A well-done memoir that holds far more insight and meaning than an exploration of one man’s singular life.” – Midwest Book Review


Publisher: Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing

ISBN: 978-1948018722

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Silver

Amir's blue Elephant

The Eyes of Texans: From Slavery to the Texas Capitol: Personal Stories from Six Generations of One Family by Melvin E. Edwards

Once you meet Isaac Bladen, you’ll never forget him. “The Eyes of Texans: From Slavery to the Texas Capitol” is a new book by Melvin E. Edwards, an award-winning newspaper reporter/columnist, and a former legislative speechwriter for long-time Texas Lt. Governor and Governor Rick Perry. Edwards’ thirty years of genealogy research confirmed family stories that had been told for decades, exposed some that weren’t accurate, and discovered details that had long been buried. These “first person” accounts will capture your attention and take you on a drive-by of the past 200 years of American and Texas history. Isaac Bladen was born into slavery on a farm just outside of Washington, D.C., in a town that is named after the family that enslaved him. He and his Virginia-born wife, Elvira, ended up in Texas in 1844 as enslaved farmers in Leon County, where they had a daughter, Louisa, who eventually married Amos Jones. Louisa and Amos became the parents of Walter Jones. Louisa was born 15 years before the Civil War and died four months after the end of World War II at the age of 99. Her son, Walter, and daughter-in-law, Anna Thorn, had a son they named Orlean Jones. Orlean and Alma Logan Jones became the parents of Ella Jones Edwards, the author’s mother. The Logans and the Bladens lived in the same county at the same time as early as 1856, though it would take decades before they crossed family lines when Orlean and Alma married in 1923. For more than 100 years, beginning in 1844, their ancestors lived in Leon County, Texas, as farmers and cowboys, before moving to Houston for a “fresh start.” Nearly two centuries after Isaac’s birth in Bladensburg, Maryland, his great-great-great grandson rose to a key role at the Texas State Capitol just two hours away from where Isaac was enslaved for most of his life in Leona. This is a story of Texas through the eyes of true Texans. From a slave in the 19th century to a governor’s speechwriter by the end of the 20th century. It is a creative re-telling based on actual events and family stories.

READER REVIEWS: — This book is absolutely incredible. I felt transported into the past and could almost hear, see, and taste the book. Melvin Edwards is clearly a gifted writer, no author other than William Kowalski has piqued my imagination quite so well, and I hope he continues to write more books. — I highly recommend this book. It’s very well written and makes it easy to see how Mel Edwards became a speech writer for the highest officials in Texas. I also appreciate the perspective it gives an old white guy, like me, on race relations. Another thing that comes through loud and clear is Mel’s love for Texas. A great read! — The book is awesome! Totally pulls you in. I felt like I was sitting right there on the porch eating sweet potato pie and listening live. Truly a great read and loved learning about Melvin’s family and their strength and tenacity. Lots of emotions.

Publisher: Amazon-Kindle Direct Publishing

ISBN: 979-8564057844

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

The Eyes of Texans

Mind, Body & Spirit

Conquer Your Karmic Relationships by Tracee Dunblazier

Your Karma Got You Down? Claim your history, own your power, and change your life! In this groundbreaking book, Tracee Dunblazier takes an in depth look at your karmic relationships: the spiritual imprints and repetitive patterns that position you in life. The restoration of every soul, and the systems that govern them, get an overhaul! Karma is not punishment and reward; it is the reassurance that we will inevitably experience all we are and all we have created for others through reincarnation and spiritual patterning. This wisdom will inspire change on every level. You will understand what karma is and learn all the ways to reveal, accept, forgive, and transform your connections in every dimension. Not only to your soulmate beloveds and romantic entanglements, but how you relate to food, money, family, culture, religion, sex, death, and your environment. Conquer Your Karmic Relationships: Heal Spiritual Trauma to Open Your Heart and Restore Your Soul, will help to unearth the very core of what drives you, showing how to direct its power into usable, life-giving resources for you and all your relations. This book will: Teach you how to recognize your karmic relationships and set boundaries within them. Encourage self-love through radical acceptance. Reveal what your spiritual patterns are and how to use them to your benefit or change what no longer serves you. Show you how to create the life you want through accepting others as they are, releasing shame, and finding tolerance.

Publisher: GoTracee Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                       

Conquer Your Karmic Relationships

Chasing Labyrinths by Bill Ludwig

“You have probably driven by many labyrinths without noticing them. I once walked across one in a church courtyard to ask directions only to be told I had been on it already! Thus the need for a guidebook to help you in your search so you may do a bit less chasing that I did.

Labyrinths have been enjoying a renaissance which began just before the turn of this century with the Lauren Artress Founder of Veriditas leading the way. In 1998 there were only 100 labyrinths listed online, today there are over 4,440 in the US alone. The oldest permanent outdoor labyrinth in Connecticut will be found in Litchfield, at Wisdom House, built in 1996. The increased interest in spiritualty, mindfulness, seems to have inspired the growth. They can be viewed as a metaphor for life with twists and turns. They teach us to trust the path we are on is our life’s path.”

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Silver

Chasing Labyrinths

How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide by Julie M. Gentile

“Self-care is more important now than it has ever been. It is exactly what to turn to when you need to stay calm in chaos. This quick read goes beyond the basics of eating well, exercising, and getting quality sleep. Packed with smart self-care strategies, this book can help you get through each day of the week:

– Sunday: Stay Present

– Monday: Stay Motivated

– Tuesday: Stay Flexible

– Wednesday: Stay Realistic

– Thursday: Stay Supported

– Friday: Stay Connected

– Saturday: Stay Resilient

Whether you write it out, sweat it out, breathe it out, or let it go, these mind-body-spirit practices can help you cope with the ever-changing landscape we are living in.”

Publisher: MSI Press, LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide

Business & Career

Enforcer to Entrepreneur: Achieving Hockey Stick Growth in Life, Business, and Sports by Jerry Rollins

NOTHING IN BUSINESS IS A MYSTERY. SUCCESS COMES THROUGH CAREFUL STUDY AND DEDICATION TO THE PROCESS. I was a professional hockey player who grew up in a hockey family. My dad is Al Rollins, NHL player and professional coach. In my childhood and as a young man, I was surrounded by the greats: Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Wayne Gretzky. I was lucky enough to learn a lot from them about life, sportsmanship and excellence. But this is not a hockey book.I am also a high school dropout. I took everything I learned on and off the ice and became a successful CEO, running five companies and now mentoring hundreds of executives. I clawed my way to the top, not by being the best, but by observing and mimicking those who did possess extraordinary talent.Business is a process and once you understand it, success is almost inevitable. This book will share decades of experience gathered by some of the most successful executives I know—lessons which were previously only available to the top leaders in industry. WHY RE-INVENT THE WHEEL WHEN SO MANY BEFORE YOU HAVE FOUND THE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS?

Publisher: Merack Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                          

Enforced Enterpreneur

NOtivation: Use the Power of NO to Make Your First Million Dollars by Kristin Kahle

“I have a love/hate relationship with the word “no.” It’s not my favorite word. (My favorite word starts with an F, and I’ll give you one guess what it is.) As a female entrepreneur in a male dominated industry, I’ve heard the word “no” more times than I can count. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that word, I’d have millions (but that would just be way too easy, not to mention boring, so I went out and made the millions myself). I decided, almost right from the womb, I could let the word NO stop me, frustrate me and make me small or I could rise up against it and prove them all wrong. I chose the latter. I am strong, determined and unstoppable, and nothing lights a fire under my ass like being told I can’t do something. I find it motivating. Actually, I find it NOtivating. (See what I did there?)

If you are a fierce female entrepreneur who is sick and tired of playing by someone else’s rules, I’m here to help you, sister. This book contains “Nine NOtivational Nuggets” of wisdom meant to guide you in taking over the business world. You’ll learn about the power of mindset, how to become your own hero and how to throw your “fenis” on the table with the best of them! This book will help you grow into the badass businesswoman you were meant to be. You are strong. You are powerful. And—after reading this book—you’ll be ready to go out there and claim your riches.”

Publisher: Merack Publishing

ISBN: ASIN : B08CPWV41Q

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER

Notivation

Elevate Your Career: Live A Life You're Truly Proud Of by Helen Horyza

When you live a life you’re truly proud of, you ignite your potential and become a catalyst to solve the world’s most perplexing problems.Elevate Your Career brilliantly demonstrates how you can design a career in alignment with your interests and talents by discovering what makes you truly happy. Through stories of real people, Helen Horyza expertly illustrates how people from all walks of life and education levels can create a career that is literally a perfect fit—even if you don’t know what your “passion” is. By taking the Elevations® career assessment and following the Elevate Career Cycle method, you can uncover your passion by discovering your interests and unique talent package. No matter where you are in your evolving career journey, this book will provide you with the tools and the momentum you need to elevate your career!

Publisher: Merack Publishing

ISBN: 978-1949635386

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

Education

10 Quick Homework Tips: by Cindy McKinley Alder and Patti Trombly

“Is there a lot of whining at your house about homework? Do you fi nd that it sometimes also comes from your kids? If you are tired of the back-and forth of homework battles, then this book is your solution. 10 Quick Homework Tips provides a quick reference for parents who are looking for ways to help their kids with their homework. Written by two teachers with over 40 years combined experience, this book will show you
• The easiest way to set up an effi cient workspace so kids can do their best, quality work;
• How to reduce your child’s stress (and yours!) by being proactive;
• Why creating a simple “Homework Agreement” between you and your child will take pressure off of the whole family;
• How to make large projects more manageable;
• Where to fi nd help when you need it; and
• Much more!
Contains helpful advice for parents working on learning activities with their children as part of sheltering in place during the pandemic.”

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD

10 quick homework tips

Popular Fiction

On Traigh Lar Beach by Dianne Ebertt Beeaff

“Erica Winchat, a young writer overwhelmed by the stress of her first book contract, discovers thirteen curious items tangled in the flotsam on the Scottish beach of Tràigh Lar. Erica tells the intriguing story of the owner of each of these items, uncovering a series of dramatic events—from a Chicago widow’s inspiring visit to Quebec City to a shrimper’s daughter facing Tropical Storm Ruby in North Carolina.
The thirteenth item, a concert laminate badge, inspires Erica’s novella Fan Girls, in which the separate stories of four fans of the Scottish rock band Datha unfold in first person, culminating in their reunion at a concert in Chicago—a show where a shooting takes place.”

Publisher: She Writes Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                           

On Traigh Lar Beach

Falling from the Moon: A novel by Karin E. Zirk

“Pounding drums in the woods, a missing father, and a glimpse into the world of peace and healing gatherings unite in Falling From The Moon.
Two young women face the harsh realities of growing up surrounded by direct action, marijuana culture, and baking bread in the woods.
25-year old Sapphire embarks on a quest to find her father, who vanished when she was ten and who, she believes, holds the key to her future. Her journey takes her to a peace and healing gathering where a community of counter-culture characters dispense advice and marijuana around late-night campfires. Along the way she hooks up with, Lauren, a pregnant environmental activist from California’s North Coast trying to imagine a future that leaves her on the sidelines of tree sits and chaining herself to bulldozers, a Vietnam veteran with blood on his hands dedicated to helping others, and a teenage boy with mental health problems. Together, they create a future out of tragedy.”

Publisher: Talk Story Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER

Falling from the Moon

The Unintended Hero by Rita M. Reali

“When Marc Lindemeyr wakes up the first Tuesday in July, his plans include lunch with his fiancée, Marie, then driving her to the airport to catch a flight to a medical conference. He fully expects to be back in time for his air shift at a local radio station. But he doesn’t know the half of it.

Before long, Marc finds himself at the center of an international incident – suddenly recognizable and instantly beloved. And that’s just what the shy nighttime radio announcer doesn’t want.

Through it all, Marc learns how – and how not – to navigate life in the spotlight, how to accept comfort when it’s offered… and what being a real hero is all about.

The Unintended Hero is the third volume in the Sheldon Family Saga, by award-winning novelist Rita M. Reali.”

Publisher: Little Elm Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

The Unintended Hero

Fiction: Action/Thriller

The Secret Brokers: The Secret Brokers Series Book1 by Alexandrea Weis

“Dallas August runs a dangerous business—an organization of elite spies for hire.
The secrets trade.
Nothing is off limits, and no price is too high.
When asked to uncover what recluse Gwen Marsh knows about a Mafia kingpin’s death, Dallas poses as a bodyguard to get close to his target, but the stubborn Asian beauty wants nothing to do with him. As the FBI and the Mafia close in, danger drives them together, but can he protect Gwen, or will Dallas be the one risking everything to discover what she is really hiding?
Dallas August is about to find out how dangerous life can be as one of the Secret Brokers.
Once you are in, there is no turning back.”

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD

The Secret Brokers

Unethical : A Psychological Thriller by Marla L. Anderson

Mark Adler had just finished a celebration dinner to mark the first day of his retirement as Detective Lieutenant with the Bay City Police Department. Adler looks forward to enjoying his retirement until he witnesses a city patrol officer assault a teenage girl.

Wanting to do the right thing, Adler reports the incident, only to find that there is no trace of the officer or the suspect, and the department has no interest in pursuing it further. Desperate to find the truth, Mark Adler takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of criminal prosecution; after all, if he doesn’t help this girl – who will?

In part two, Adler’s protege, Detective Carl Brathis partners with FBI agent Regina Carrigan to dive further into the case revealed by Mark Adler’s unlawful investigation. Their meddling spurs activity in a local gang and warrants the involvement of the Mexican Mafia, and the notorious “”El Fuego””. Meanwhile, the trial of Mark Adler sparks heated emotions in the community and the jury faces a difficult decision on his fate.” 

Publisher: Wolfheart Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER

Finding Carson by Josh Soule

Best-Selling Author, Josh Soule brings a shocking and tragic legal thriller.
Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

Mark Adler had just finished a celebration dinner to mark the first day of his retirement as Detective Lieutenant with the Bay City Police Department. Adler looks forward to enjoying his retirement until he witnesses a city patrol officer assault a teenage girl.

Wanting to do the right thing, Adler reports the incident, only to find that there is no trace of the officer or the suspect, and the department has no interest in pursuing it further. Desperate to find the truth, Mark Adler takes matters into his own hands, even at the risk of criminal prosecution; after all, if he doesn’t help this girl – who will?

In part two, Adler’s protege, Detective Carl Brathis partners with FBI agent Regina Carrigan to dive further into the case revealed by Mark Adler’s unlawful investigation. Their meddling spurs activity in a local gang and warrants the involvement of the Mexican Mafia, and the notorious “El Fuego”. Meanwhile, the trial of Mark Adler sparks heated emotions in the community and the jury faces a difficult decision on his fate.

Click “Look Inside” to read a sample!

Publisher: Josh Soule Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level:  Honorable Mention                       

Finding Carson

Fiction: Historical

Gimpy by John Wilde

WWII is coming to a close, and in a small town in Alabama, young Jimmy “Gimpy” Johnson struggles. His future is bleak. After being given a rough hand in life – born into poverty, a father in the war, and a permanent limp after a bicycle accident – his incredible smarts help him make it to college. While studying and working part-time at a newspaper, he exploits his talent. The ability to forecast the final scores of sporting events even before they play, Gimpy resorted to gambling. It provided the one thing he wanted, money and lots of it.

Publisher: Bluewater Publications

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD

I AM CUBA: Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution by Matthew Langdon Cost

Who was Fidel Castro?In the summer of 1958, 300 bearded revolutionaries, led by a 30-year-old lawyer named Fidel, turned the tides of war in Cuba by defeating 12,000 soldiers in combat. How was this possible? If you want to understand Cuba of the last 60 years, you must first understand who Fidel Castro was, and the events of the Cuban Revolution of 1953 to 1959.The revolution began in 1953 with a botched insurrection in Santiago, Cuba. Fidel was captured and put on trial where he defended himself, finishing with the now immortal words: “Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.”Fidel was imprisoned, granted amnesty, exiled to Mexico, and then led an invasion of Cuba with 81 revolutionaries aboard a pleasure yacht called the Granma. Only 18 men survived. How did Fidel build thissmall band of guerillas into an army that would sweep to power in Cuba?Who was the rifle-toting woman who became Fidel’s most trusted advisor as well as his lover?These questions and more are answered in the thrilling I Am Cuba, a historically accurate novel detailing society, politics, war, and love in Cuba in the 1950s.

Publisher: Encircle Publications

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER

I Am Cuba

All That Lingers: An intimate and touching story of lives touched by WWII and its aftermath - set in Vienna. by Irene Wittig

A future that holds such promise. A war that echoes through generations.
The rise of Nazism in Austria catapults Emma’s once idyllic life in Vienna into chaos. As she grapples with the harsh new reality of her country’s betrayal, she desperately clings to her humanity by hiding her Jewish friends. In the aftermath, she finds solace in helping those in even greater need than herself.
The war sends Sophie, an innocent young girl, down unexpected paths. When she returns to Vienna from her American refuge, she will seek her lost history.
Friedrich, Sophie’s uncle, teeters on the edge of what is right and his personal survival. His actions and inaction leave long-lasting repercussions that will threaten to throw all their lives into turmoil again.
Follow the interweaving stories of people through the most tumultuous period of their lives and its wake, as they endure loss, devastation, betrayal and heartache, while still clinging to hope for a better tomorrow.

Publisher: Independently published

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

All that lingers

Fiction: Mystery & Suspense

Overland by Ramcy Diek

“Skyla Overland is proud to work for Overland Insurance, the company founded by her grandfather. Besides one nerve-wracking insurance fraud case in the past, her sheltered life is uneventful and just the way she likes it. Until one day, everything changes…

Skyla and Troy, the manager at Overland Insurance, are the last ones to leave the office. In the empty parking lot, Troy takes her in his arms. Why would he ruin their easy-going friendship by kissing her, especially since he knows she’s dating Edmond?
Left alone, Skyla hurries to her car, puts on her seatbelt, and glances in her rearview mirror.
The face of a stranger grins at her from the backseat. “How nice to see you again,” he hisses close to her ear.

Regaining consciousness, Skyla finds herself on the backseat of her own car, with her hands tied behind her back. Is she getting kidnapped? Who is he? And where is he taking her?”

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                      

Overland

Chasing The Unicorn by Mary Flude Wischner

Kathleen, who was raised in an orphanage finds herself going out into the world at age eighteen, alone. Looking to belong to someone, what she encounters is a frightening series of situations.

Publisher: 2555 Marietta Highway Suite 103, Canton, GA, 30114, United States

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER

Crimes and Impunity in New Orleans by Sherrie Miranda

“Crimes and Impunity in New Orleans”” is author Sherrie Miranda’s prequel to her page-turner, debut thriller, “”Secrets and Lies in El Salvador””. Shelly Dalton Smith is a naïve, twenty-three-year-old from Upstate New York who moves to New Orleans to prepare for a photo project in war-torn El Salvador. Shelly arrives in New Orleans, broken and traumatized and therefore unable to trust her own instincts. New Orleans represents the fresh start Shelly needs, but she soon finds that almost everyone in New Orleans harbors a secret.
She’s unprepared for life in “The Big Easy,” and her world is turned upside down as she navigates “the city that care forgot.” With fast-paced chapters and beautifully detailed conversations and descriptions, we see New Orleans through Shelly’s innocent eyes as she realizes the sheltered life she had lived was a lie. She experiences sexism and witnesses racism, police brutality, FBI visits, death threats, and two people’s captivity by her former boss.
Through her misadventures and exciting plot twists, Shelly focuses on fighting injustice, ultimately finding her authentic voice as an empowered adult. When she finally leaves New Orleans, she is forever changed. The novel is a wild ride through the underbelly of 1980s New Orleans and is filled with quirky characters, sinister abusers, and thrilling secrets and revelations.”

Publisher: Self-published

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention          

Crimes and Impunity in New Orleans

Fiction: Science Fiction & Fantasy

Kingmaker and the Scribe by Connie L. Beckett

“In ancient Egypt, the venom of a strange, hooded serpent connects two souls.

Reincarnated over and over again, their fates are forever intertwined. In times of both war and peace, one is fated to be the maker of kings and the other the narrator of their shared history. Soon, the two will have to face the one inevitable thing in their existence: change.

From Egypt 2500 BC to medieval Scotland and hundreds of years into the future, the plot of this damnable play never changes.

This is the pocket book edition of Kingmaker And The Scribe, convenient to both read and take with you.”

Publisher: New Chapter

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                           

Kingmaker and the Scribe

The Animal Court by S. FAXON

“The Animal Court transports you to a country on the verge of collapse.

The people are starving and the king is blind to the threats that surround him. Realizing that he has been blinded by the advisors in his court, the king turns to his brothers for aid, but rivalry among royal blood provokes old hatreds.

Unless Gertrude, the king’s advisor, can enact drastic changes, the country she loves will be lost to the animal court.

The Animal Court is a fantasy political and romance novel.”

Publisher: No Bad Books Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                 

Animal Court

The Deck of the Numinon by GJ Scherzinger

“With a turn of the cards, a Stone Giant breaks loose from the Granite Mountains, leaving a path of destruction through the Regency of the Stands. The fabled guard towers of Safrasco are destroyed by a sorcerous griffin, the threat of war rising in its wake. Captain Ferriman turns to a blind herb trader named Cerra Meadows in the hopes she can help him navigate the sorcerous paths that threaten the peace of the Empire.
The Cards are drawn, the cast put into play. The Deck is ruled by the majics that created it. Events take on a life of their own, reliant on the strengths and motivations of the players whose avatars are determined by the draw. The Queen of Quills represents qualities that Cerra must embrace in order to discover the identity of the Seer and locate the Cards before her world runs out of Time.”

Publisher: Blue Rune Books

ISBN: 978-1986031752

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

The Deck of Numinon

Fiction Middle Grade 8-12

My Homework Ate My Dog! by Derek Taylor Kent

“When 11-year-old Rudy Berkman’s homework comes to life and eats his dog alive, he embarks on a dangerous quest with his kooky grandpa and the school bully to rescue his beloved pet from a great evil than he could ever imagine.

Rudy Berkman thought he was the luckiest kid when his family moved to Danville — “”The Best City in the World”” where there is no crime and boasts the best schools in the nation. But he’s shocked to discover that his fellow students act like mindless robots and the teachers seem to want him dead!

This page-turning fantasy novel will keep young readers gasping in fright and cheering in triumph.

For fans of Harry Potter and Derek’s Scary School series. “

Publisher: Whimsical World

Purchase Link: Whimsical World

Award Level: GOLD                           

Homework ate my dog

The Sally Squad by Tricia L McDonald

When Sally hears voices in the airplane cargo area, she is annoyed that the trip to meet her new family is interrupted by nonsense chatter.What the mini bull terrier doesn’t realize is a mysterious creature is lurking in the dark watching and waiting for just the right moment to snatch one of Sally’s travel companions. Who will it be? And why? After Sally meets her new furry family, The Sally Squad find themselves entangled in rescue after rescue. First up—a grumpy short-tailed cat named Orangey who is on his way to being a “goner.”Along their many adventures, The Sally Squad meets curious and exciting friends. But how can a crown-wearing toad king and directional dragonflies be of help against real danger?And what about the terrifying man with the gun?

Publisher: Splattered Ink Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                 

The Sally Squad

Zoo at School by Dee Ouellette

“What would happen if a chimpanzee showed up in your high school gym? Or a lion in the cafeteria? Or maybe a rhino in the janitor’s closet?

‘Zoo at School’ is an adventure from the opening page to the end. Anna and her friends volunteer at a small animal sanctuary called ‘Chic-a-Ta Zoo.’ The teens get to know the exotic animals and their unique personalities, including gentle Sampson, the lion, momma Bertha, the elephant, and Harry Houdini, the escape artist Chimp.

But not everyone loves the zoo. A deliberate act of sabotage leaves the cages open, and the animals loose. They all end up at the local high school, causing mayhem. The town declares the animals dangerous, and they will be euthanized. But the teens devise a plan to save them. They must herd them north to ‘Freedom Ranch, ‘ a large animal sanctuary where they can live out their lives in peace.

But the town council president is bent on revenge and hires a posse to chase after them and kill the animals. Will the animals make it to safety? Or will they be shot along the way?”

Publisher: JaJa’s Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

zoo at school

Fiction: Romance

When the Wind Chimes by Mary Ting

“Kaitlyn Summers is heartbroken.

When she receives an invitation to spend Christmas with her family on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, she feels it may be the perfect medicine.

She throws herself into helping her sister’s struggling art gallery, even taking a temporary job for extra money by looking after a little girl from her nephew’s school. She also begins to paint again, something she’s been unable to do since her breakup. It’s tempting to stay on Kauai, but she has obligations back in Los Angeles.

Life gets more complicated when circumstances keep putting her close to Leonardo Medici. Not only is he drop-dead gorgeous, he’s a local celebrity. But Kaitlyn can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something.

Should she believe the rumors that he’s romancing half the island’s single women?

Or is the random sound of wind chimes when he’s close-by a sign that an angel is near and the secret to her happily ever after?”

Publisher: Rosewind Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                           

When the Wind Chimes

The Christmas Spirit by Alexandrea Weis

“SOMETIMES IT TAKES ONE BROKEN HEART TO HEAL ANOTHER.

Courtney Winston is a writer on a deadline. Eager to finish her book and get over a recent break-up, she ditches Christmas with her family and retreats to a secluded cabin in the mountains.

Appliances rarely work, and cell service is spotty, but Courtney senses there is more to her rustic rental—something dark and haunting.

Then Peter, the attractive Stone Mountain Lodge owner, and a meddling cook, Mrs. Finn, keep coming around, shattering her peace and offering advice on how to fix her heavy heart.

Courtney grows closer to Peter, but Mrs. Finn warns her of his troubled past. Undaunted, Courtney sets out to win him over. But being with the brooding stranger may end up costing her more than she ever imagined.”

Publisher: Rosewind Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                 

The Christmas Spirit

When Hearts Break by Jerry Eicher

“When Hearts Break is a powerful and beautiful work from the hand of Jerry Eicher. With this book, he moves Amish fiction from delightful romances into the realm of realism and classic storytelling. Jerry gives us full-blooded characters in their struggles and complexities, the things they overcome by the grace of God and the things that bring them to their knees in humility and defeat. By doing this, he makes his entire novel shine. Five stars. Highly recommended.
—Murray Pura, The Face of Heaven, Ashton Park, The White Birds of Morning, Gettysburg

When Hearts Break by Jerry Eicher gripped me from the first paragraph. Two women, the man they both loved, jealousy, heartbreak, a young woman’s shame, a grown woman’s forgiveness. A dark and haunting tale that stepped into sunlight and made me cry. This is a story I will not forget.—Lucinda J Kinsinger, author, Anything But Simple: My Life as a Mennonite”

Publisher: 35 Dogwood Dr, Plymouth, MA, 02360, United States

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention

When Hearts Break

Children's Picture 0-3

Unusual Animals A-Z by Heather Jones

Award winning Unusual Animals A-Z is quirky, imaginative, educational and just plain fun. Whether it’s Andre the aardvark or Zena the zorilla, each of these twenty-six unusual animals is introduced to the reader with a colorful watercolor painting and a factual characteristic. While Bernie the bearded dragon likes to bask in the sun, Morris the manatee uses his small front flippers and massive body to body surf through the waves. Each animal has the same lettered name and when the reader reaches the end, he has twenty-six chances to come up with one of his own.

Publisher: The Rhythm Child Network

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                           

Unusual Animals

Children's Picture 4-7

The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest by Lisa Luttrell

A beautiful Spring morning in Echo Forest is the setting for three sentimental journeys of blossoming friendships, courage and enduring love. The Little Green Armchair illustrates how solitude, peacefulness and nature create connections that span a lifetime. In The Windy Day Picnic, Primrose Possum and her little possum family exhibit the extent to which a parent will go to make sure her children are safe at the end of a long adventure. And, finally, Neville, The Thirsty Little Stinkbug provides a little story about how wonderful friendships can be created and blossom out of troubled situations.

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

ASIN :   B0893M191M

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                           

Dudley and Friends by Lori Brown

The second book, in the Dudley and Friends series; Nouns, Ms. Annabelle, the alpaca, teaches the class in a barn to Dudley and other young animals on the farm. In each book they learn something new, with prose that is delivered in fun, light-hearted rhymes to make these educational topics engaging and memorable. Currently, the series is focused on teaching about the different parts of speech, such as nouns and verbs, giving young readers a head start in the world of grammar. Great books for encouraging education and having fun in school.

Publisher: Bluewater Publications

ISBN: 978-1949711288

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

dudley

Noah's New Puppy by Vincent Rice with Geri Henderson

An adopted dog teaches a family to handle PTSD and other military-related challenges.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

ISBN: 978-1933455303

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

Noah's new puppy

Cookbook

Cooking with Marika: Clean Cuisine from an Estonian Farm by Marika Blossfeldt

Marika Blossfeldt offers a sensible approach to food making that satisfies the taste buds, energizes the body and balances the mind. COOKING WITH MARIKA is a cookbook and nutrition guide in one. Integrating the wisdom of Eastern philosophies with the knowledge of Western science, Marika gently guides the reader to a deeper understanding of how food affects our entire being. She teaches us how to strengthen immunity, restore and maintain a healthy digestive tract, prevent inflammation and lose weight—without counting calories, dieting or deprivation. With new fad diets cropping up all the time, Marika’s book is a welcome antidote to all the conflicting messages out there. It steers away from extremes and brings us back to the natural goodness and simplicity of homemade foods, ingredients courtesy of Mother Earth. White sugar, white flour and questionable oils do not appear on any ingredients list in this book. COOKING WITH MARIKA does not promote any strict rules or regulations. Instead, it encourages readers to practice more awareness when they shop for, prepare and eat their meals. With heightened awareness comes more pleasure, more appreciation and more satisfaction with the food we eat and lives we lead. Find recipes for luxurious weekend breakfasts, velvety smoothies, grounding grains, revitalizing lacto-fermented vegetables, energizing leafy greens, nourishing legumes, hearty sourdough breads and delectable cakes made with alternative flours. Each recipe is based on just a few lovable ingredients. No complicated cooking techniques are required to allow their natural deliciousness to shine. Gorgeous, sensuous full-paged photographs by Hele-Mai Alamaa inspire us to start cooking right away. ENJOY!

Publisher: Delicious Nutrition

ISBN: 978-0806538983

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                          

Cooking with malika

Teen Young Adult Fiction (13-18)

Swiftmain by C.R. Fulton

“””I only know two things for certain. One, I am being hunted.

Two, if I am caught, all hope for Andrea is lost.””

Whispers in the dark. Vague clues. Deadly threats.

In a kingdom where an unfit ruler has taken the throne by underhanded means, one girl holds the knowledge that could release her people from his chokehold. There are rumors of a lost prince-the true heir-and Raina Swiftmain needs one more piece of the puzzle before she can begin to find him. There are others who will try to stop her at any cost, and she must learn to evade and escape them. A rogue knight claims to have the crucial information she seeks, but is he truly trustworthy or just another enemy? As Raina faces her mission, she desperately clings to her faith that God is in control, and that He alone will decide the fate of Andrea.”

Publisher: Bluewater Publications

ISBN: 978-0806538983

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                          

Swiftmain

Sisters of the Moon by Alexandrea Weis

“A monstrous fate will turn a girl into a legend.

On an island in Lake Obersee, where The Sisters of St. Gertrude abide, a destitute Moor named Durra arrives. Sold for taxes, she and her two companions tend to the nuns and their collection of cats. At night, she combs the library for details on the order, the remote island, and the beasts howling outside her window.

But when a prank reveals the sisters’ gruesome secret, Durra is forced to accept a new fate. Bestowed an unearthly power, she must choose between life as a nun or living among the monsters beyond the convent walls.

Her path is about to change the tide in the ultimate war. The war between good and evil.”

Publisher: Vesuvian Books

ISBN: 978-1949711288

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

Sisters of the Moon

Cobalt Chronicles by Kathryn Den Houter

Cobalt Chronicles is a story about a delightful child who, at a tender age, faces the harsh realities of survival in the Congo. Destined to a life of servitude and hard labor, Esynama with her mother’s blessing, challenges this foregone conclusion. Her father drags her into forced labor to the cobalt mines of the Katanga province. But, motivated by her mother’s value of education, she pursues the dream of broadening her world through education. At every turn, Esy is met with the crushing blows of reality. She survives the lechery of a predator, the jealously of a scorned wife, and a brutal attack that brings her to the brink of death. Does Esy have the fortitude and the strength of character to rise above these hurdles? There are no guarantees because to be successful, she has to make agonizing choices.

Publisher: Mission Point Press

ISBN: 978-1933455303

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

Cobalt Chronicles

Health & Fitness

The Healing Powers of Superfoods: A Complete Guide to Nature' Favorite Functional Foods by Cal Orey

Infused with heartwarming stories and inspiring legends, The Healing Powers of Superfoods will take you to a world of wellness that starts at home with our favorite foods from Mother Nature—enjoyed in a new way with an exciting twist!

Publisher: Kensington Publishing

ISBN: 978-0806538983

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                          

Humor

I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie: Totally Choice Color Edition: Old-school rock-and-roll like you've never read before! by Tamara Dever

“Rock and pop music from the ’70s and ’80s still brings Joy and an immediate smile to people everywhere. It’s the soundtrack to the lives of GenXers and takes you right back to where you were when you heard each song. This fun-filled music is a Call to the Heart and the inspiration for this book.
In unique, new formats, the reader’s knowledge of song titles, lyrics, and the artists who made them famous will be tested on page after page. Nostalgic readers will be compelled to share with friends, making this an instant Rock and Roll Party.
More than 1,000 quiz questions—perfect for trivia night, whether in-person or online!
18 chapters with unique themes covering much of pop culture.
A smart mix of musical genres and difficulty levels.
Totally excellent for GenXers, trivia contests, Mother’s and Father’s Day gifts, musicians, DJs, classic rock and pop fans, book lovers, ’70s and ’80s parties.”

Publisher: Narrow Gate Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

i like big books

Kids Say The Darndest Things To Santa Claus Volume 2: 25 Years Of Santa Stories by Don Kennedy

When Don Kennedy’s good friend, a volunteer Santa Claus, got ill the night before a large Boys & Girls Club holiday party, he convinced Don to put on the Santa suit and go in his place; what started out as a onetime gig turned into a lifetime passion. For 25 years, Don has been a volunteer Santa for charitable and community organizations that didn’t have the funds to hire a Santa. After listening to children’s wishes, hopes and dreams, Santa Don has heard it all. This book contains the best of the best Santa stories, over 250 in all. Santa tells all! Santa Don has been making appearances as a volunteer Santa Claus for 25 years at: hospitals, women’s and children’s centers, military bases, fire shelters, Boys & Girls Clubs, churches, schools, children’s recreation centers and everywhere in between. Don Kennedy lets us into the wonderful, magical world of children during the Christmas season.

Publisher: BookBaby

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

Kids Say The Darndest Things To Santa Claus Volume 2

Science

Can People Just Burst into Flames: Answers to 170 Other Such Questions by Larry Scheckel

Curiosity stirs the soul of every human. How does the brain work? Can you breed dogs and cats together? What are some inventions by women? How much does the Earth weigh? How is snow made? What will happen if another asteroid strikes the Earth? Which sport’s projectile moves the fastest? Is solar energy the answer to our energy needs? Should we try to stop all forest fires? Why is electricity so deadly? What makes a boomerang come back? Why have ships and planes disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle? Mysteries lurk in our house, our body, the outdoors, in the heavens, and the universe. Larry Scheckel has taught high school science for over 38 years and writes a weekly science column for a local newspaper. Known as Mr. Science, Larry Scheckel has given science presentations to thousands of children and adults across the United States. He has been a “full house” presenter at conventions and science seminars. Mr. Science has thrilled audiences for over 48 years with amazing science demonstrations to audiences from kindergarten to adults. Browse the contents of this book and enjoy an entertaining and thoughtful look at how our world works. Discover the secrets of life’s most baffling mysteries.

Publisher: Oak Grove Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Can People Just Burst into Flames

Rainstorm of Tomorrow: The Ever-Flowing Banquet of Philosophy by Renyuan Dong

A book on the philosophy of science that ablates the boundaries separating quantum mechanics, the theory of relativity, neuroscience, epigenetics, evolutionary psychology, and modern art.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: SILVER                        

Rainstorm of Tomorrow

Finance

Cash Flow is King: Creating Wealth Through Real Estate by Aaron Marshall

GETTING INTO REAL ESTATE CAN BE DIFFICULT. GETTING INTO REAL ESTATE WITHOUT ANY HELP CAN SEEM DOWNRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE. Join recently-fired AJ as he learns the ins and outs of building and growing his own real estate investing business. With the help of his mentor Harold, whose philosophy can be summed up with the mantra “Cash flow is king,” AJ learns to shift his mindset, set up the necessary business paperwork, and buy his first investment property. And you can too. Mentorship doesn’t have to be a pricey luxury for those lucky enough to possess a large amount of startup capital. Cash Flow is King offers a beginner’s guide to entering the real estate market as a savvy buyer, investor, and entrepreneur.

Publisher: Merack Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Cash Flow is King

Gift Book Large

Explore Food & Wine of Tuscany Italy by Bibi LeBlanc

“Do you enjoy learning about new cultures? Have you dreamed of experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of Tuscany, Italy? Are you inspired and delighted by fun, relaxing coloring projects? Then this is the book for you!
“

Publisher: Culture to Color, LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Explore Food & Wine of Tuscany Italy

History

"Return to The Coca-Cola Trail" : More People and Places in the History of Coca-Col" by Larry JORGENSEN

“The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world’s most recognized product. The Trail takes readers to the people and places in America that tell the story — places where you can see, touch and remember.

Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan with your own Coca-Cola memories. The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend.”

Publisher: G L Management

Purchase Link: The Cocacolatrail

Award Level: GOLD    

"Return to The Coca-Cola Trail

Miami's Yester'Years: Its Forgotten Founder Locke Tiffin Highleyman by Patricia Daly-Lipe

“The Coca-Cola Trail is a journey for anyone interested in discovering the history and growth of the world’s most recognized product. The Trail takes readers to the people and places in America that tell the story — places where you can see, touch and remember.

Whether a serious Coca-Cola memorabilia collector, a person interested in American business history, or simply a fan with your own Coca-Cola memories. The Coca-Cola Trail provides a fresh new look at a trusted old friend.”

Publisher: G L Management

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

Inspiration/Motivation

She Minds Her Own Business: Design A Life And Business You Love by Krystel Stacey

“She” is an entrepreneur who pursued her goals, designed her life, and loved every inch of it. She wasn’t worried about what “they” were doing or how they defined success. She didn’t listen to what they had to say because she wasn’t doing it for “them.” She set her own standards and priorities. She pursued her goals and lived life to its fullest potential. She kept her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. She stayed focused on the joie de vivre, celebrating the joy of life with each and every tiny victory.My hope is that by the end of this book, “she” is you. I will walk you through how I became this woman— and how you can become her too.

Publisher: Merack Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

She Minds Her Own Business

The Gratitude Challenge: 41 Days to a Happier, Healthier, & More Content Life by Stephanie L. Jones

Stephanie L. Jones, the author of The Giving Challenge, is back with another life-changing book. With all the negativity in the news and on social media, The Gratitude Challenge will sprinkle a little positivity into your day. Inside this book, you’ll find:-short, heartwarming stories from Stephanie and a few of her friends;-daily gratitude challenges;-journal space to write your thoughts and what you are thankful for; and-ideas of whose day you can easily brighten and how.If you are at your wit’s end and wondering if changing your life is even a possibility, this book is for you.If you have always wanted to acknowledge all that is good in your life but aren’t sure where to begin, this book is for you.If you know someone struggling in life who could benefit from practicing gratitude (and who wouldn’t?), this book is the perfect tool to help them.What are you waiting for? Give yourself five minutes a day to read “The Gratitude Challenge” and discover the transforming power of practicing gratitude that can lead to a happier, healthier, and more content life.

Publisher: Giving Gal Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

The Gratitude Challenge:

Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living by Frederic C. Craigie Jr.

Weekly Soul is a collection of 52 meditations on meaningful, joyful and peaceful living. The meditations begin with thought-provoking quotations from a range of people–writers, journalists, theologians, musicians and artists, activists–and touch on themes of Miracles, Aliveness, Purpose, Laughter and Joy, Presence/Mindfulness, Activism, Acceptance, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Creativity, Civility, and Hope. Each meditation also offers Dr. Craigie’s stories and commentary, questions for individual and group reflection, suggestions for daily follow-up, and biographical background on the quotation authors. In Weekly Soul, readers will find a year’s worth of affirmation and engaging exploration of wholeness and well-being.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

ISBN: 978-1933455303

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

Weekly Soul

Leadership

No-Nonsense Non-Profit: Leadership Principles for Church and Charity by Peter Darcy

“Leadership is for everyone who wants to make the world a better place.
You can be a leader!
Principles of time-tested wisdom determine how leaders manage their organizations, promotions, mission, performance and leadership development.
You will find those principles within the covers of No Nonsense Non-Profit. And you will also find that world-changing leadership is within your grasp.”

Publisher: Strength of Soul Books

Purchase Link: Peter Darcy Writing

Award Level: GOLD    

No-Nonsense Non-Profit

LGBTQ

The Harbinger by Mary Eicher

“In a picturesque California town, the deafening sound of bells brings dozens of people to their knees. Three days later a horrific accident claims their lives. Among the dead is the twin brother of Artemis Andronikos, a beautiful attorney, who abandons the ill-fated vacation and returns home to grieve.

Her mourning is interrupted by Lucy Breem a reporter who suspects a connection between the strange bell sound and subsequent deaths. Disturbed by the possibility that the phenomenon had presaged her brother’s death, Artemis agrees to join forces with Lucy to investigate the mysterious premonitions. Utilizing her considerable physical and deductive talents, Artemis battles nefarious forces and seeks information from friends in high places. Their research takes them to various global venues. But the solution to the mystery proves illusive and the couple discovers that neither science nor religion can provide an explanation for what has become known as the Harbinger.”

Publisher: NineStar Press

Purchase Link: Nine Star

Award Level: GOLD    

The Harbinger

Dark Tales by Andreas Karayan

“Andreas Karayan’s novel Dark Tales is a coming-of-age, bildungsroman, concerned with the artistic development of the author, a genre which is rare in the Greek language. In Dark Tales the protagonist, the narrator, familiar to us from other books by Andreas, is a sensitive and provocative artist searching for the truth about art and life, through his travels. His journeys take him to Berlin during the fall of the Wall, to Athens during the dictatorship and to Alexandria after the Arab Spring.

His wandering footsteps are guided by the vital quest for authenticity in art, friendship and love. Through the confessional nature of his narrative, the author builds his own theory of life, reclaiming the erotic union of soul and body, away from social compromise and guilt, as a great good. The novel, deeply philosophical and political, opposes the structures of power that check erotic desire and sexuality. In doing so it demolishes stereotypes, and gives respect to Difference. “

Publisher: Armida Books

Purchase Link: Armida Books

Award Level: Global                       

Dark Tales

Multicultural

Goodbye, Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende

“One of the most anticipated 2020 fall reads: Buzzfeed l Parade l Travel+Leisure. Winner: 2020 American Fiction Award l Pinnacle Achievement Award.

“”Page-turner””; “”Breath of awe””; “”Tugs on your soul””

Can love blossom after life changes in an instant?

One July morning in Manhattan, handsome athlete and entrepreneur Phoenix Walker accompanies his love, half-Asian beauty Orchid, to the airport.

Neither believes today is goodbye.

But after she leaves, disaster strikes. Phoenix wakes in the hospital, broken, forever changed. He longs for Orchid but remembers the tragedy in her past that makes her panic over images of trauma.

Now, he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean leaving her without explaining why?

Rising from ashes is hard. Giving up the one you love is harder.

“”A tale of sacrifice and rebirth; heroism is in the details.””
-SSGT Aaron Michael Grant, author of Taking Baghdad: Victory in Iraq With the US Marines

If you like heart-warming stories of resilience and wounded heroes, then you’ll love this award-winning tale that’s inspired by combat-injured veterans. For fans ofMe Before You and Fault in Our Stars, Goodbye, Orchid asks “”What choice does a wounded hero have when loving his woman means breaking his own heart?””

Order your copy of Goodbye, Orchid and immerse yourself in this beautiful love story. Available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover.”

Publisher: Koehler Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Goodbye, Orchid

Sayulita by Robert Richter

“Just north of Puerto Vallarta, the shore of Banderas Bay was once wilderness edged by a no-shoulder, two-lane asphalt strip that snaked up the jungle-draped coast to Tepic where the Nogales to Guadalajara Highway ran. Now, that coastline is called the Riviera Nayarit, and it smothers the old road eighty-plus kilometers north to the holiday colonies of Canadians and Americans at Rincon de Guayabitos and La Peñita. The road itself is four-lane freeway, California traffic-mad most of the way. The tourist industry on Mexico’s west Pacific coast continues its juggernaut growth, and the old self-sustaining ways of life in the rural and coastal fishing villages of western Mexico continue to vanish.

Puerto Vallarta has grown from a tiny village into a shrine of luxurious tropical decadence with half a million attending disciples. Sayulita, thirty miles north, is smaller, but more of a monster, a tumorous growth that consumed a village of fishermen’s families in a fever of money and opulent banality. The sensation that a traditional way of life is fading away, and the continued contemporary distortion of a region’s cultural character, compel me to fix in place, to set in scene and mood, part of what has been lost: the places, people and way of life I came to know four decades ago in Sayulita, now lost.”

Publisher: Aakenbaken & Kent

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

Sayulita

Self-Help

Feeling Good: Thirty-Five Proven Ways to Happiness, Even During Tough Times by Dr. Peggy Doherty DeLong

“”You Have the Power to Create Your Own Happiness

Using simple, doable techniques, Dr. Peggy DeLong shows you how to cultivate joy, even on a difficult day. These 35 proven ways to happiness require little time or energy–and little to no money! When you’re feeling down or lack motivation, you’ll now know what to do to feel good again.

As a psychologist with twenty years of experience helping people with depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and loss, Dr. DeLong provides relevant and timely psychological research that demonstrates the proven effectiveness of each technique for feeling good. After reading about how real people, including Dr. Peggy herself, have applied these happiness principles in their lives, you’ll get concrete actions to take to implement any of the techniques in your own life.

Begin your journey toward feeling good now by learning . . .

The #1 factor related to happiness in life and how you can foster it.
How to train your brain to effortlessly think more positively.
How to use easily accessible objects to boost your mood, anytime and anyplace.
Why processing your painful emotions is the key to happiness.
You’re a powerful human being in charge of your thoughts and feelings.
Improving your mood and your life is easier than you think.”

Publisher: Peacock Proud Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Feeling Good

InstaGrateful: Finding Your Bliss in a Social Media World by Sheri Fink

“Are you ready to add more passion, peace, power, prosperity, and panache to your life? Are you a million times more magnificent than your social media feed? Yes, you are, because:

You are a lotus.

The lotus flower represents strength, perseverance, inner beauty, and possibility through adverse conditions. Even when its roots are submerged in the dirtiest waters, the lotus produces a beautiful flower. It’s your time to bloom into your biggest, fullest, most expressive self.

InstaGrateful is a refreshing perspective on how you can turn within to connect with authenticity, stay focused on what really matters, strengthen your inner self to know what you want, stand in your power to get it, and be a beacon of light and love that inspires others to transform their lives in today’s hyper-busy, highly distracted social media world.

The discoveries you make while reading this book will enable you to find your bliss and design an irresistible life filled with:

Passion: Amplify the magic, fun, and aliveness in everything you do
Peace: Cultivate serenity in your inner world and external environments
Power: Develop the courage to overcome fear and get what you want
Prosperity: Attract abundance balanced with generosity
Panache: Grow your self-confidence to embrace your personal style”

Publisher: Whimsical World

Purchase Link: Whimsical

Award Level: SILVER                        

Insta Grateful

Thrive: Applying Biblical and Quantum Energy Principles to Live a Transformed Life by Robin Perry Braun

“Why just survive when you can thrive?
The U.S. has one of the highest rates of
addiction, depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD,
ADHD, obesity, and cancer in the world.
We use more pharmaceuticals than any
other nation. These statistics are not much
different in the church, and yet the Bible says
it should not be so. Many Christians simply
don’t know how to apply biblical principles of
body, soul, and spirit to their daily lives. In
her 30-year journey with Christ, Robin Perry
Braun has uncovered many truths in science
which align with biblical principles. Much of
the church has labeled this science as “New Age” or “witchcraft.” This book is an effort to
align science and scripture in practical, life-giving principles that, when applied, can take
you from just surviving to thrive and becoming a world-changer.”

Publisher: Blue Water Publications

ISBN: 978-1933455303

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

thrive

Sports & Recreation

Rock and Fire: Rock 'n Fire by Mark Stallard

An unforgettable story hides in the shadows of America’s national pastime… It’s 1963, and civil unrest simmers in America’s streets. Baseball Hall of Fame Historian Frank Aldridge receives a letter from a woman claiming that Ray Cavanagh, a talented but forgotten left-handed pitcher, may be her father. Fascinated by her story, Frank sets out to discover the truth. What he finds and uncovers is a lost legacy of forbidden love, fragile dreams, and despicable racism… In the 1930s and ‘40s, Ray Cavanagh was known as Rock ’n Fire’, an ace pitcher with a stubborn streak a mile wide. After suffering an injury in a game against Negro League All Stars, Ray meets Aulette… a black woman. Together they defy society’s racist taboos and embark on a passionate affair, knowing it could have disastrous consequences for them both. Inspired by his personal need to know the truth, Frank is driven to find the elusive Cavanaugh, who has not been heard from in more than a decade. And as the years go by, Frank fights his own problems as he presses on to uncover the love story buried beneath decades of hatred and oppression.Told against the sprawling canvas of our country’s turbulent past, Rock ’n Fire is a mesmerizing look at the hope of love in the dark side of America’s favorite sport.

Publisher: Kaw Valley Books LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD    

Rock and Fire

Travel

Alaska Cruise 1909 by Bertha Adele Penny (Author), Constance Taylor (Compiler)

“Cruise Alaska aboard the Steamer Northwestern and discover what it was like to travel to Alaska in the early 1900s. These are the stories told by America’s writers and editors as they visited Alaska’s cities, glaciers, mines and farmlands at the end of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909.

The original story was written by Bertha Adele Penny, as she shared her personal experience of the trip with friends and family. Her story was shared decades later with Constance Taylor in 1977 and remained in a box of treasures for 42 years. When she rediscovered it in 2019, she knew it needed to be published.

The delightful story, told in the voice of turn-of-the-century America and full of humor as well as poignant beauty, has been compiled and comes to life with vintage photographs, newspaper clippings, and an appendix of articles written by others who shared the grand adventure.”

Publisher: Fathom Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: GOLD                   

Poetry

Decennia byJan Chronister

“Chronister has fully inhabited these moments—paying full attention to each detail. She pulls us deftly through her world by rebuilding images that lead us deep into all seasons of life and place. Her ability to ground us in this world alongside her, to invite us into her head and surprise us, is the true gift of this collection.

~ Angela Voras-Hills, author of Louder Birds, winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize



Decennia (meaning “decades”) resonates as a collection, different stages of the poet’s life echoing with elements from a larger history: the moon landing, encyclopedias, JFK, weekly trips to the town dump, Vietnam. … The best poems are memory beacons. Some are even small homes…with room enough for all.

~ Mike Kriesel, author of Zen Amen: abecedarians, winner of North American Review Hearst Award”

Publisher: Truth Serum Press (Australia)

Purchase Link: Bit

Award Level: GOLD                   

Decennia

Side Steps Terrorizing Sound Bites by Amy Jean

Side Steps Terrorizing Sound Bites” poetically reveals the diabolical ramifications of life being played rather than lived. Amy Jean shares personal trials, tribulations, and contemplation in a spirited rhythmic chime. The struggle of women to be recognized in a male-dominated society is boldly depicted in activist poetry style. This collection shoots flares up at the historical missteps we habitually ignore.Fiery intensity and engaging illustrations amplify the words on the page and drive them home to readers who are open to engaging with our flawed history. 5 Stars By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite Side Steps: “Terrorizing Sound Bites is a volume of collected poetry on a variety of personal and socio-cultural themes and was penned by author Amy Jean. Written for adult audiences due to some content and language usage, the work explores the experience of women still living in a male-dominated society and still falling victim to traditionalism and the overlooking and automatic thoughts which keep us chained. The work includes rhythmic works of personal experience of the author as well as wider-reaching thematic works that protest against the system and encourage readers to open their eyes to true history beyond automatic thinking and censorship. Author Amy Jean comes together with illustrator Eric Savage to create an artistic masterpiece that is both personal and progressive. These 33 illustrated verses explore the experience of playing the role of a woman, and what is expected in that role as the author undergoes trauma and relates her played-out experience to the reality of actually living an authentic life. The wordplay is spectacular and highly emotive, and the layout of the work itself makes for a visual and audible feast as the images perfectly match the poetic content. Accessible to all readers no matter if they have experience with poetry or not, the author reaches into the soul of her readership and speaks the truth. A particular and relatable favorite…”

Publisher: Jean Publications LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                        

Side Steps Terrorizing Sound Bites

The Burning Where Breath Used to Be by Jen Karetnick

This collection is an all-consuming trek through a distinct sensibility-nothing escapes its notice, and nothing fails to be fuel for her fires.

Publisher: David Robert Books

ISBN: 978-1933455303

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

The Burning Where Breath Used to Be

Political & Public Policy

Rules of Civility: A Novel by Amor Towles

From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society—now with over one million readers worldwide

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.

With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

Publisher: Penguin Books

ISBN: 9780984816262

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Gold

Rules of Civility

The Elijah Mandate by Lisa Worthey Smith

A political conspiracy suspense thriller, weaving the headlines of today with the Scriptures of old. Eliana lands her dream job but finds it saturated with malicious corruption. Her boss, a powerful Supreme Court Justice, is part of a nefarious plan that will dismantle America as we know it. If she keeps quiet, she might survive, but far too much is at stake for that. With her life in peril, a prophecy about Eliana becomes reality. She lives out a parallel story to that of her namesake, Elijah, complete with rampant evil, epic power struggles, and the mandate to trust Almighty God no matter the cost.

Publisher: Kerysso Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                     

The Elijah Mandate

Psychology

Wrestling Depression Is Not For Wimps!: Lessons Learned From An Amateur Wrestler's Fight To Triumph Over Depression by Skip Mondragon

“Depressed? Beat down, beat up, and battling to get off your back?
Lights off, door locked, and phone off. Skip lay curled up on the floor in a fetal position for hours as he grappled with despair. After months of intense daily struggle, he was beat down, beat up, and fighting to get off his back. Desperate for relief, he finally admitted, “Skip, you’re depressed, go get some help!” This began his long road to recovery.

In Wrestling Depression is Not for Wimps! Dr. Skip Mondragon, retired U.S. Army Medical Corps Colonel, Iraqi War veteran, and National Veterans Wrestling Champion draws upon life lessons learned as an amateur wrestler. He bares his soul to encourage others who are suffering to seek help. He also shares personal, practical, and powerful tips to help them overcome their struggle with depression.In this book you will learn how to:


Conquer doom and gloom: Combat the relentless negative thoughts of depression and retrain your mind to replace them with healthy, life-giving, positive ones.

“Get your head up!”: Listen to the encouraging voices around you, use body language to counter discouragement and despondency, and fortify your mind and body.

Exercise to combat depression: Get moving with some of the best exercises to help you in your recovery.


Incorporate the power of family, friends, and faith: Build a supportive and powerful team to assist in your journey back to health and wellness.He shares these and many other valuable tips, techniques, and tactics he learned to help fight this dark disease. As a patient he understands the profound pain of depression. As a doctor with over thirty years of practice, he also understands that not seeking help for this devastating disease can be fatal.


Wrestling Depression Is Not For Wimps! is:
Written for men in the deep, dark, pit of depression.
Written in non-technical language.
Written in short, easy to read chapters.
Written to be put it into practice today.

If you are looking for hope and help as you journey from despair back to wholeness, this book will give you a hand to get off your back and start training. You will find encouragement to get back in the match, not give up, continue to wrestle, and triumph over depression. “

Publisher: Capucia Publishing

ISBN: 9780984816262

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy

Wrestling Depression Is Not For Wimps

Religion

Broken Lenses: Identifying Your Truth in a World of Lies by Emily Bernath

“A rape survivor, Emily Bernath’s life quickly turned away from having everything to feeling hopelessness and worthlessness. It was during that time of being open about her experience that it became apparent to her just how many other people experience those same feelings and so easily allow things that aren’t true about them define who they are. Broken Lenses stems from a passion to take outreach to the next level. Inside, Emily identifies some of the most popular lies people believe about themselves and pulls out the 12 biggest Biblical truths Christians should embrace in their own lives, such as “I am lovable” and “I am not a failure.”

With her scientific background and tell-it-how-it-is approach, Emily analyzes and connects each truth to God’s word through a few key lessons for each truth. She calls out the ways in which the enemy prevents people from believing these truths about themselves and what it looks like to truly embrace each of these truths. Ultimately, Broken Lenses helps readers achieve a more intimate relationship with God and the freedom that He desires each of his children to live in.”

Publisher: Morgan James Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Gold

Activating Joy: A 40-Day Journey to Rediscovering the Meaning of Joy by Jessica Hurtado

This Award-Winning Devotional will take you on a 40-day journey that draws from the richness of joy packed scriptures and calls the reader to pull from their own reserves to activate the power of joy that is within them. It is structured as a devotional introducing a scripture grounded on joy, broken down to its most applicable level. At the end of each devotional are thought-provoking questions, calling on the reader to draw from what they have just read to activate the joy that is found within.

Publisher: Self-Published (Amazon)

ISBN: 978-1312984677

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: SILVER                     

Activating Joy

My walk through faith: In the name of Jesus by Wilbert Dela Cruz

“I heard Roman 10:17 says to me, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” And so, I am here to scatter that same seed, as to let the Word of God, come alive in you too, as the foundational, starting point of this book. Hebrews 11:1 appraises this book’s journey, this way, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” and, since, it is by faith, how I would also like to write this book with my eyes closed, but I will let my heart, to provide you with the window, to see what is being written. How exactly, I would like to point you to the book of Genesis, where God planted the very first seed, “Let there be light, God said” and that was the greatest light, I have ever seen-it was amazing-in that, all I could think about was… love? His light provided me with a perspective to see, how everything is all about love. So, I am asking you, to look at this book through an image of a heart-mine-that has been broken into a thousand little pieces, and it is in this journey’s interest to put it back together, inside the story of a certain raindrop, who found “his-home”, inside an empty glass. Now, how can anyone measure the heart of a raindrop? But only, by understanding the very likeness of who, what, where, when, and as to how, a raindrop was made and why. As far as what the heart is, being a vessel, it is only intended to hold one thing, which is everything… love is. We are living in the day and age where love must be at the center of everything. Never, in my lifetime have I ever witnessed, how fear gets to wear so many different masks, one after the other, to the point, we are now the ones wearing them. We are now standing at the same crossroad, trying to justify the same cause, where every life matters, not just to the few but to every single one of us. We are at a threshold where only the truth can set us free and deep inside, we all, already, know where “The Way” is, and as to where the journey abounds; as a mere matter of faith. 1 John 4:16-18 said, “God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. In this way, love has been perfected among us, so that we may have confidence on the day of judgment; for in this world we are just like Him. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” Did you hear that? We are to be the light of the world. God said “Let there be light”, and it is now up to us to choose to become that same light to others and to follow Him, who first loved us; the very first one who made all of our lives matter. God sent Jesus to live among us, to die, and to rise again, for that very purpose.
I’m just a small grain of seed from the innumerable sand of the sea, I may even be the very least, but the most wonderful thing about that is-even still-my reflection has inspired the universe, from how God sees me. Yeah! I am no one special like an empty glass, but inside this glass, the Holy Spirit lives, and He is telling right now, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”.”

Publisher: self-published (Amazon KDP)

ISBN: 978-1699044735

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Honorable Mention           

My walk through faith

Legacy Award: Autobiography

Walk, Don't Run: A Rockin' and Rollin' Memoir by Steven Jae Johnson

A Rockin’ and Rollin’ Memoir Made on the 1960s Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Includes a soundtrack: the original album the boys recorded, digitally remastered for your listening (and rocking) pleasure! May 2016 “Indie Groundbreaking Book” by Independent Publisher.

Publisher: Kallisti Publishing Inc.

ISBN: 9780984816262

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy

walk dont run

Legacy Award: Education

Understanding the Challenge of "No" for Children with Autism: Improving Communication, Increasing Positivity, Enhancing relationships by Colette McNeil

“The author invites you on a journey in unfolding small layers of awareness, illuminating how thoughtfully chosen vocabulary can greatly enhance your relationship with a child with autism. The pages within are filled with teachable tales exploring the communication, emotional regulation and relationship difficulties that common habitual language may trigger when engaging children with autism. Each tale absorbs the reader in a typical life scenario related to specific usage of the word, no, creating an engaging, informative, and personally relatable
experience. Discussions following embed autism education and psychology theories to promote conceptualization and offer suggestions for enriched interactions.”

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Award Level: Legacy                         

Autism

Legacy Award: Fiction Middle Grade 8-12

The Great Adventures: The Mystery of the Missing Artifacts by Nichelle Joi

“BOOM!” The building shook like a California earthquake. “What was that?” Jamie asked Zack. “I don’t know.” He replied. “BOOM!” The walls trembled and cracks began to form in the ceiling. “BOOM!” The ceiling dusted their hair with debris and crumbs. “Run!” Jamie yelled. They ran up the gleaming golden staircase as fast as they could while the ceiling collapsed behind them. “Go! Go! Go!” Zack yelled over the noise as they saw the light from the top of the stairwell. The falling staircase was catching up to them.
Will Jamie and Zack make it out of this catastrophe?

Jamie and her friends are invited by Jamie’s cousin, Ming Chen, to go to china and catch the thieves that have stolen the ancient artifacts.

Will they catch the thieves and have victory? Or will they get captured in the thieves evil plan?”

Publisher: Heavenly Enterprises Midwest, Limited

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

The Great Adventure

Legacy Award: Fiction Historical

Into the Woods by Josh Soule

Legends told of a creature living in the woods…
Three friends unite to solve the mystery of a mysterious creature that has been butchering local livestock. In the woods that were a place of legend in their childhood, they seek answers, but soon find that the truth about the creature may be more troublesome than they ever feared.

This chilling mystery takes place in 16th century England in the fictitious village of Carn. John, Thomas, and Henry were the best of friends, raised as brothers by Father Michael–the town priest. As local livestock is attacked, the trio remembers rumors of an evil creature residing in the nearby forest; legends told of a demon, a shapeshifter, and other medieval terrors.


As the three seek answers, they discover they may not have known each other as well as they once thought. The power of secrets, deception, and the great lengths one will go through to protect someone they love are all revealed in due time.

Publisher: Josh Soule Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

Legacy Award: Fiction Mystery/Suspense

I Know You by Erik Therme

“Sisters Bree and Alissa Walker share a special bond. Neglected by their parents, they have always looked out for one another. But one day, sixteen-year-old Alissa goes missing. When Bree discovers her green backpack with all her belongings, abandoned on the steps of their run-down trailer, she knows that something bad has happened …

Then she receives a chilling text message. Someone has Alissa. But Bree will have to give up something very precious in exchange.

Desperate to save Alissa, Bree looks at everyone close to their family. She’s sure that Alissa’s best friend is keeping something back about her little sister and a boy at school, and why has their estranged uncle, who they’ve not seen in years, been hanging around again?

It soon becomes clear that the person behind the message knows a lot about the dark truths within the Walker family and will go to any lengths to get revenge. And as the search for Alissa continues, Bree discovers something about her brother Tyler that she wishes she hadn’t, a dangerous secret, which is also the key to bringing her little sister back home … “

Publisher: Bookouture

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

i know you

Legacy Award: Fiction Romance

Diagnosis: Love by Rita M. Reali

“Nighttime radio announcer Marc Lindemeyr always blamed himself for his best friend’s suicide during senior year of high school. Haunted by a prickly incident with Patrick six weeks earlier, Marc’s life spirals into despair while his aspirations of studying architecture at Yale wither and fade.

Dr. Marie Sheldon has never liked her brother Gary’s radio-station coworker and close friend. She acts overtly hostile and disdainful toward Marc whenever their paths cross.

Can Marc make peace with his past and forge a dynamic future with the woman he loves? And can Marie curb her hostility long enough to recognize how deeply she loves Marc before it’s too late?”

Publisher: Little Elm Press

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

Diagnosis: Love

Legacy Award: Humor-Legacy

How My Cat Made Me a Better Man by Jeremy Feig

“Jeremy Feig was at rock bottom – broke, alone, and living in a shoebox-sized apartment. At the same time, his cat was perfectly content. What was her secret? She couldn’t say it out loud, but it was clear she had all the answers to living a good life. How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a hilarious self-help book for guys that gals like, too, based on the lessons of an edgy cat named Shelly. It’s packed with useful advice on topics like relationships, dealing with stress, and even grooming habits. If you feel like your life is spinning out of control, this book will help you set things right – and keep you laughing along the way.

How My Cat Made Me a Better Man is a “”darling”” of cat bloggers, recipient of a Readers’ Favorite 5-star review, and “”highly recommended”” by MidWest Book Review.
“

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: Book Baby

Award Level: Legacy                         

How My Cat Made Me a Better Man

Legacy Award: Inspiration/Motivation

One Simple Text.. The Liz Marks Story by Betty Shaw

It was every parent’s worst nightmare. On a sun-drenched morning in April 2012, a Maryland state trooper knocked on Betty Shaw’s front door and delivered the grim news that her 17-year-old daughter, Liz, had been involved in a horrible car accident and was clinging to life.

Liz recovered from her life-threatening injuries but suffered severe and permanent effects from the accident. Texting while driving caused Liz’s crash, and she and her mother went on a mission to educate people about the perils of distracted driving. The pair began to speak before various groups, and as their popularity grew, they launched a video about Liz’s story which went viral, spawning magazine and online articles, as well as several TV appearances, including one on Oprah Winfrey’s Where Are They Now? show.

In One Simple Text, Betty Shaw recounts her daughter’s frightening and arduous but ultimately uplifting and inspirational journey. Betty chronicles Liz’s ordeal from the day of the accident and provides a glimpse of their life on the speaking and television circuit. This is a poignant memoir about a young woman who triumphed over tragedy; a mother and daughter’s love; and the indomitable power of the human spirit.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

One Simple Text.. The Liz Marks Story

Legacy Award: Leadership

Soccer Is Fun without Parents by Peter Jonas

“Great advice — in a number of spheres of life — for parents of those little soccer players.”

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

Soccer Is Fun without Parents

Legacy Award: Popular Fiction

Ex-Cops and Robbers by Dr. Donald Palmer

“Ex-Cops & Robbers is a literary venture into the psyches of good men who explore the dark side. Wally Schuster and Clarence Dunnigan had served 25 years on the police force as the only two honest officers among a corrupt department. But retirement and its meager pension isn’t kind to Schuster, who faces a mid-life crisis when his cherished wife, Gloria, leaves him for a more fulfilling life of excitement and thrills. When Schuster is asked by his former boss to assist the department while the rest of the officers provide security for the visiting President, he sees an opportunity to rise from a boring life of mediocrity. Schuster’s chance comes when he is tasked to drive an armored car filled with millions of dollars of worn-out bills destined for the shredder. Since budgetary cuts, records aren’t kept current. No one knows just how much money is going to be destroyed. And everyone’s attention is on the visiting President. Who’s to know if any of the bills went missing? It’s a crime with no victim and the money is nothing more than trash at this point anyway. The idea is simple and it may enable him to get Gloria back for a life of luxury.

Publisher: Best Seller Publications, LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

Ex-Cops and Robbers

Legacy Award: Professional & Technical

Talk To Me: How To Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Interview Anyone Like a Pro by Dean Nelson

“From respected journalist, professor, and founder of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, a book that demystifies the art and science of interviewing, in the vein of On Writing Well or How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

“Dean Nelson is one of the best interviewers around.”—Anne Lamott


Interviewing is the single most important way journalists (and doctors, lawyers, social workers, teachers, human resources staff, and, really, all of us) get information. Yet to many, the perfect interview feels more like luck than skill—a rare confluence of rapport, topic, and timing. But the thing is, great interviews aren’t the result of serendipity and intuition, but rather the result of careful planning and good journalistic habits. And Dean Nelson is here to show you how to nail the perfect interview every time.

Drawing on forty-years of award-winning journalism and his experience as the founder and host of the Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, Nelson walks readers through each step of the journey from deciding whom to interview and structuring questions, to the nitty gritty of how to use a recording device and effective note-taking strategies, to the ethical dilemmas of interviewing people you love (and loathe). He also includes case studies of famous interviews to show readers how these principles play out in real time.

Chock full of comprehensive, time-tested, gold-standard advice, Talk to Me is an indispensable guide to the subtle art of the interview guaranteed to afford readers with the skills and confidence they need the next time they say, “talk to me.””

Publisher: HarperCollins

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Legacy                         

Talk to Me

Legacy Award: Psychology

Anger Anonymous: The Big Book on Anger Addiction by Dennis Ortman

“When you feel in the grip of anger, ask yourself these questions:
-Do you feel powerless to control your temper?
-Does your anger frighten you so much that you feel compelled to suppress it?
-Does your life feel unmanageable because of your anger?
-Does your preoccupation with the unfairness of life and being wronged interfere with your happiness?
-Do you feel hopeless about fi nding a cure for your temper? If you answer “yes” to these questions, you may be addicted to your anger. It acts like a drug that stimulates you, energizes you, and causes you to act insanely.
<><><><><><><><>
Viewing your anger as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to fi nd healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer practical wisdom to use the natural energy of your anger wisely and well, neither suppressing nor indulging it. The Steps provide guidance for your personal journey into your hostile moods so that you can discover your true self and release the Power within you.”

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

Anger

Legacy Award: Regional

One Last Cast: From Alaska Outdoors Radio Magazine by Evan Swensen

Listeners of Alaska Outdoor Radio Magazine turned up the volume just a little as Evan ended his show with “And now before we close the show, there’s just time for one last cast.” One Last Cast is the collection of 120 of listeners’ favorite one last casts. It’s more than fishing Alaska. It’s flying with Charlie’s pilot, an early-morning walk on a deserted Kachemak Bay beach, digging clams, pulling crab and shrimp pots, taking pictures, keeping a campfire going, and watching and interacting with Alaska’s wildlife. Sometimes it’s doing nothing — taking time to just sit, relax, and enjoy the surroundings, breathing air so pure you can’t see it, listening to the deafening silence of a still night, or feeling the immense size of wilderness on a clear day with unlimited visibility. One Last Cast is the genuine Alaska outdoor experience.

Publisher: Publication Consultants

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

One Last Cast

Legacy Award: Religion

When You're Shoved from the Right, Look to Your Left: Metaphors of Islamic Humanism by Omar Imady

This book contains 29 stories originally articulated in Arabic by Bashir Al-Bani, Orator of the Grand Mosque of Damascus and one of the masters of the Sufi Naqishbandi Order. They have been compiled, rendered in English, and introduced by Dr. Omar Imady, professor of humanities and political science. The stories are often comic but deep in implication. One story may address the motives underlying human interaction; another may address how hidden principles guide the way in which our lives unfold. A delicate concern for the value, indeed the sacredness, of human value permeates all the stories. This concern is explicated through metaphors, the purest vocabulary of Islamic humanism.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

Legacy Award: Self-Help

How to Live from Your Heart: Deepen Relationships, Develop Creativity, & Discover Inner Wisdom by Nanette Hucknall

“This practical book shows the way to live from your heart and use its potential.
Book of the Year Finalist; Book Excellence Award; Pinnacle Book Achievement Award; American Book Fest Best Book Finalist.
“

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

How to Live from Your Heart

Legacy Award: Social Issues/ Current Events

Crazy Town: Money. Marriage. Meth. by Sterling R. Braswell

“Sterling Braswell was a millionaire—palatial ranch, stock options, and money in the bank. Then he met his high school sweetheart after not seeing her for over ten years. With their love rekindled, they were married.

Life was beautiful. They had no real worries, a lovely son, and a bright future.

Then she started using meth.

The craziness of the next few years would leave Sterling almost completely broke—financially, emotionally, and spiritually—and nearly murdered.

Welcome to crazy town . . .”

Publisher: Kallisti Publishing Inc.

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

Crazy Town

Legacy Award: Sports & Recreation

RV Oopsies: 101 Dumb Things That RVers Do! by Larry MacDonald

Hilarious compilation of 10 years of research by the author on RV mishaps.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Legacy                         

RV Oopsies

Legacy Award: Travel

Paper Maps, No Apps by Johnny Welsh

“What starts off as a dare turns into a social experiment that becomes a way of life. A young couple creates a fun way to stay connected by disconnecting. Unplugging the phones and being present are the rules. This travel adventure quickly turns into a self-deprecating comedy about bad smartphone habits. Chance encounters and characters met on the road are intertwined throughout.
Is the smartphone addiction phenomenon driving you crazy? Are we relying too much on instant technology? There can be life without these devices, but where is this balance between the tech and physical worlds? Discover how reduction in technology can lead to your serendipitous adventure.
WARNING: Strange things might happen, like conversations and live interactions. You may even develop an insatiable desire for travelling unplugged.”

Publisher: An Unplugged Travel Adventure

Purchase Link: Johnnywelsh

Award Level: Legacy                         

Paper Maps, No Apps

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Autobiography

An Onward Journey: A Story of Love, Perseverance & Faith by Kartar Chand

An Onward Journey is a narrative of Kartar Chand’s complicated life of misery and throbbing pain, and his path to find freedom and dignity. This voyage began during his childhood in a small rural Indian village, as a poor struggling student who was disgusted with a society of caste discrimination, bigotry, and bad customs. Kartar’s dream was to escape from all the harmful traditions and evils, despite the challenges that he faced – all to free himself, his children, and his future generations from this slavery. His struggles may have ended, but his memoir will live on.

Publisher: Heavenly Enterprises Midwest, Limited

ISBN: 978-1943343133

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix                             

An Onward Journey

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Business and Career

The Cure for Stupidity: Using Brain Science to Explain Irrational Behavior at Work by Eric M. Bailey

Every day you’re driven nuts by the people around you making common sense errors and irrational decisions. Imagine what life would look like if you didn’t have to waste time and energy dealing with stubborn, clueless, argumentative, defensive, or apathetic coworkers! Thank goodness Eric Bailey translates decades of brain science research into every-day language, helping you break through common communication barriers that will improve every relationship in your life. Whether you work in the executive suite or on the front-line, this book will teach you how to cure the stupidity all around you.

Publisher: Peacock Proud Press

ISBN: 978-1732242784

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix                           

Cure for Stupidty

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Children's Picture 4-7

Should I Say Hi? A Story of Courage That Reads Forward and Backward.: A Tiny Word Takes Big Courage on the First Day of School. by Rose Collins

It’s time to make a first-day-of-school friend. But saying hi is not so simple. When nerves take over, can Bailey find the massive courage needed to say that tiny two-letter word?Should I Say Hi? reads forward and backward, exploring the daunting and exciting sides of making new friends. The dual nature of this story makes it a great tool to use while talking to kids about facing fears, finding self-confidence, and a positive perspective.The reader explores two different endings as the main character explores two different outlooks. By reading the story forward and then backward, children will discover how changing a point of view can change an outcome. The story features gender-neutral children, empowering every child to understand and work through the first-day-of-school jitters.

Publisher: Two Tale Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Should I Say Hi

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Coffee Table

Through My Mothers Eyes by Melba Johnson

“Josephine aka ‘Jo’ struggles to balance the demands of her budding legal career with caring for her recently widowed and very cantankerous father who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Jo grew up in the shadow of her older brother, who died in a surfing accident at the age of 18, and took on the duty of fulfilling his unrealized legacy. Despite her best efforts, Jo never seemed able to live up to her father’s expectations, and now that his mind is deteriorating, she has little hope of ever mending their relationship.

When Jo’s boss suggests she enroll her father in a client’s residential research program at the Kessler Institute, it seems like the perfect solution. Her father will be in Dr. Kessler’s expert hands and she can get back to work. But her relief is short-lived when questions about Dr. Kessler go unanswered, and she is forced to hire Scott Benson, a private investigator, to find out what is going on behind closed doors.

When Scott uncovers a series of suspicious deaths, Josephine seeks to regain custody of her father and finds herself embroiled in a battle that jeopardizes not only her career but her father’s life. In desperation, she turns to Scott unaware that Scott’s own hidden secrets further endangers them when Kessler refuses to relinquish his patient.”

Publisher: KP-Publishing

Purchase Link: KP-Publishing

Award Level: Phoenix

Through my mother's eyes

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Fiction Middle Grade 8-12

Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets by Sherrill Joseph

Kids, get ready to meet your new heroes! In Book 1 of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, four modern-day teen sleuths take on ancient Egypt and those intent on stopping their investigation. . . . World-famous Egyptologist Dr. Winston Thornsley died suddenly two months ago in disgrace. His widow, Ida Thornsley, remains convinced her husband was falsely accused of stealing an ancient burial urn he discovered in Egypt last summer, but local and federal law enforcement officers are stumped. Mrs. Thornsley, desperate for answers, calls in her thirteen-year-old neighbors, the Botanic Hill Detectives—twins Lanny and Lexi Wyatt, Moki Kalani, and Rani Kumar. Their exciting mission? To find the urn and its real thief, bring the criminal to justice, and exonerate Dr. Thornsley so his spotless reputation can be restored. A roomful of venomous snakes, the poisoned Egyptian pond, and Dragon Pit Man are just a few of the tests awaiting the four tech-savvy teenagers. As the detectives begin to unravel the sinister plot, the mystery takes a dangerous turn. Answers are at their fingertips—if they can only convince their parents to let them solve the case.

Publisher: Acorn Publishing LLC

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Nutmeg Street

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Fiction Action Thriller

TROJAN HORSE: A Kolya Petrov Thriller by S. Lee Manning

American operative Kolya Petrov is tracking Mihai Cuza, a direct descendant of Vlad the Impaler. Kolya suspects him of planning meltdowns of nuclear power plants around the world, but every time Kolya gets close, a member of his teamdies in agony. Margaret Bradford, the head of Kolya’s agency, seizes upon a devious plan to place a “Trojan horse”—a digital virus—on Cuza’s computer. But for the plan to succeed, she must betray one of her own agents. Margaret chooses Kolya Petrov—a Russian-Jewish immigrant with no family—for the honor. Kolya is initially unaware that he’s been set up for kidnapping and torture. When he realizes the truth, he must choose between stopping a plot that could kill thousands, and protecting his own life and the life of the woman he loves.

Publisher: Encircle Publications

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Fiction Historical

A Feigned Madness by Tonya Mitchell

“The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out. —Nellie Bly

Elizabeth Cochrane has a secret.

She isn’t the madwoman with amnesia the doctors and inmates at Blackwell’s Asylum think she is.

In truth, she’s working undercover for the New York World. When the managing editor refuses to hire her because she’s a woman, Elizabeth strikes a deal: in exchange for a job, she’ll impersonate a lunatic to expose a local asylum’s abuses.

When she arrives at the asylum, Elizabeth realizes she must make a decision—is she there merely to bear witness, or to intervene on behalf of the abused inmates? Can she interfere without blowing her cover? As the superintendent of the asylum grows increasingly suspicious, Elizabeth knows her scheme—and her dream of becoming a journalist in New York—is in jeopardy.

A Feigned Madness is a meticulously researched, fictionalized account of the woman who would come to be known as daredevil reporter Nellie Bly. At a time of cutthroat journalism, when newspapers battled for readers at any cost, Bly emerged as one of the first to break through the gender barrier—a woman who would, through her daring exploits, forge a trail for women fighting for their place in the world.”

Publisher: Cennan Books of Cynren Press

Purchase Link: Cennan

Award Level: Phoenix

A Feigned Madness

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Fiction Romance

The Magic Ingredient by Lindy Miller

“The end of summer is approaching, but even at the height of Bar Harbor’s tourist season, Eve Silver is having a hard time keeping enough money in the bank to sustain the family business. Her only hope of paying past due bills is to win the catering bid for the town’s upcoming Harvest Happening Festival. Otherwise, it’ll be lights out for Mount Desserts & Tea by Christmas.

Widower Jeff Parish is moving with his twelve-year-old daughter, Candy, from Manhattan to Maine with one goal: starting over. When sparks fly between Jeff and Eve as the town readies for the annual harvest festival, Candy wishes she had a love potion to help her dad fall in love again.

Will Eve be able to save Mount Desserts & Tea—and open her heart to Jeff—by the most bewitching night of the year?

It’ll take a lot of love, a little bit of luck … and just a pinch of magic.”

Publisher: Rosewind Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

The Magic Ingredient

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Fiction Science 

Grims' Truth Book 1: The Spinner's Web by Isu Yin & Fae Yang

“””A somewhat perplexing but engaging start to what’s sure to be an epic fantasy saga.”” Kirkus Reviews

“”…among the best written, most imaginative, and intricately plotted fantasy stories I’ve had the pleasure to read since The Lord of the Rings. …a character driven story, supported by a covert revolution, ingenious metaphysical attributes and events, and an imaginary world complete with a new language, concepts of universal laws, and a wonderfully orchestrated villain.”” Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews (5 STARS)

The world, as the Ancients of Mu know it, is changing. A new breed of beings called the Rahma are increasing in population, and as their numbers grow, the Ancients diminish.

The Empire is struck hard by a plague during a war between the Rebellion and the Royal Council. Amidst the crisis, a young royal, Cruentus Fate is sold to a brothel in a play for power. Fate must decide which faction to join-the Rebellion, with her beloved madam, or the Council with its influence and power. She keeps her heart open and her mind alert, hoping to learn the truth of her existence and the mysterious way she and her brother became part of the royal family.

Aided by her sisters in the brothel, she sets her sights on the unstable neighboring prince as a means of her escape. Her discoveries open her eyes to another realm, and lead her to the truth about the web of lies that holds her captive.

EVOLVED PUBLISHING PRESENTS the first book in “”Grims’ Truth,”” a truly epic series that will sweep you into a whole new universe.
“

Publisher: Evolved Publishing

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Grims' Truth Book 1: The Spinner's Web

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Health & Fitness

Women, We're Only Old Once: Keep What You Can; Let Go of What You Can't; Enjoy What You Have! by Bertha D. Cooper

With over ten years of growing into an old woman with the help of her friends, Bertha Cooper knows whereof she writes. In this book you will learn that growing old is not the slow death of our personalities, our bodies, or our relevance to the world. Someday, it will happen, but not yet! Feel the wisdom below the years we’ve lived and the power that comes with making our own choices about our aging selves. Women, We’re Only Old Once offers explanations for natural changes that occur while aging and transitions we must make as we age. Women can be relieved to learn that having less endurance or word-finding problems are not signs of disease. Women are empowered to put their energy and spirit where it counts on their journey in this important phase of life.

Publisher: MSI Press LLC

Purchase Link: MSI Press

Award Level: Phoenix

Women, We're Only Old Once

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Mind, Body & Spirit

I CHANGED MY MIND...IT CHANGED MY LIFE by Darla Claire

“Darla Claire lived in a space she calls the in-between for many years. She was held hostage by self-sabotage, paralyzed with fear of not being good enough, feeling helpless to follow through with her dreams and feel joy. Even an appearance as a featured guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show couldn’t help Darla shake the sabotage.
It wasn’t until one fateful day, while running along Tampa Bay, that Darla was introduced to her Saboteur and her Muse. Darla’s divine encounter showed her how to get out of the living in the in-between. It changed her mind, and she changed her life. Darla now leads a life full of creativity and joy in pursuing her dreams. Prepare to be inspired by the Saboteur, the Muse and the Woman in-between.”

Publisher: Zebra Inc.

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

I CHANGED MY MIND

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Mulitcultural

I am Cyprus: 25 stories of the migrant and refugee experience in Cyprus by Annetta Benzar

“What is a Cypriot? Too often the story told of Cyprus makes the island nation seem dully monocultural, or bicultural at best.

Yet the life stories Annetta Benzar has collected and retold here celebrate a country that is full of diversity, and in which there is a tale from a different part of the world around every corner.

In these pages you will read stories of blood, stories of borders and border-crossings, stories of brides, of fathers, footballers, fear and fate, told by an eclectic cast connected to countries as separate as the United States, the Philippines, the Congo or the Crimea.

As they reflect on the sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes inspiring and sometimes funny experience of living in Cyprus, Annetta Benzar, herself a Cypriot citizen of Belarussian origin, weaves the stories together to form a portrait of a dynamic and fascinating country.”

Publisher: Armida Books

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Poetry

The Keeping by Linda Neal Reising

“The Keeping is a heartfelt collection that explores growing up in rural Oklahoma, engaging with the natural world, and paying tribute to women. From the very first poem entitled “”Our Mothers Would Not Let Us Watch,”” Linda Neal Reising casts the reader into the landscape of her childhood, a rural part of Oklahoma, where the lead and zinc mines played out years before, leaving “”those gaping mouths that never swallowed.”” She goes on to people the landscape with characters–a father who went to school with Mickey Mantle in “”No. 7 and Other Heroes,”” a cousin convinced he is being hunted by the “”F.B.I., C.I.A., Russians,”” and teenagers attempting to navigate adolescence during wartime, concerned with being “”faroutgroovyheavyman.”” Intertwined in this section is the author’s Native American roots.

The second section moves to an examination of the natural world, but even here, the animals are connected to people, as in “”Every Little Being,”” a poem in which we are introduced to a veterinarian who must euthanize unwanted animals, or as in “”Coyotes,”” a poem in which the animals are being hunted for their pelts. The poet also pays tribute to other women poets who incorporated nature into their poems, namely Jane Kenyon and Mary Oliver, whom Reising praises in her repeated line, “”I want to see with Mary’s eyes.””

Finally, in the third section, the poet celebrates women at different stages in their lives, beginning with “”Women at Forty,”” a response to Donald Justice’s poem “”Men at Forty.”” Unlike Justice’s poem bemoaning aging, Reising’s work proclaims the joys of entering middle age when women, “”Learn to fling open/The doors to rooms they thought/They’d never enter.”” But, of course, there are also heart-breaking portraits of tough women who spend their lives over-worked and under-appreciated, as in “”Kate”” and “”Driving Lessons.””

Throughout The Keeping, imagery, landscape, and emotion play a big role. Also, cast over all of the poems is the veil of story. Readers will most likely come away from this volume with a portrait of a person and place tucked away, for the keeping, in their memories.”

Publisher: Finishing Line Presd

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Popular Fiction

Shiny Bits in Between by Georgina Key

“Dorie, a divorced middle-aged woman, has given up on life. Living in a large, too-quiet house in Houston, Texas, she has shut herself off from the world, preferring to be alone with her books and her thoughts. When Dorie unexpectedly receives an invitation to her ex-husband’s wedding, it is more than she can bear. She retreats to the only place she finds any solace–the sea.

Meanwhile, Clementine, a young artist overwhelmed by grief, makes a journey in search of her lost boy. Teetering on the edge of madness, she wanders up and down the Texas Gulf Coast, trapped in a space between reality and dreams. On a moonlit winter night, she emerges from the waves, staggering along the shore near the remnants of her shattered life.

Soon after moving into her little yellow house by the sea, Dorie discovers Clementine’s journal and begins obsessively devouring each word. Her curiosity leads her into a journey of self-discovery, connecting her to the raw beauty of Bolivar Peninsula and the eccentric, generous locals who call it home.

Fate has brought both women to this small rural community. When their paths finally collide, will they drag each other into despair or begin to transform into who they were meant to be?

A story of human resilience, Shiny Bits in Between explores the journey of transformation through connection with self, community, and the landscape we call home. What does it truly mean to move forward after a life-changing tragedy? Is happiness forever lost, or are the shiny bits in between enough?”

Publisher: Balance of Seven

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Shiny Bits in Between

Phoenix Award—Best New Voice: Sports & Recreation

Franklin Mountains State Park Trail Guide: Half day hikes (More or Less) with trail maps, directions, photos and tips for day visitors and campers by Robert and Jenny Fuller

“This pocket-sized hiking guide on Franklin Mountain State Park is an informative trail buddy designed to help plan your hiking adventure and to carry with you on the trail.

Highlights include:
16 hikes from 1 to 10 miles.
Maps, directions, and reference points.
Photos, trail descriptions, and safety tips.
Trails accessible from Tom Mays, McKelligon Canyon, Smugglers Pass, and Tin Mine Units.

About Franklin Mountains State Park: Located in far west Texas in the city of El Paso, bordering New Mexico and the Chihuahuan State of Mexico. The park offers over 100 miles of multi-use trails within its 27,000 acres, providing excellent recreational opportunities for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Explore the Chihuahuan desert’s diverse flora and fauna, spectacular desert views and colorful sunsets – all accessible within the city limits of El Paso. A true hidden gem in West Texas!
Support Texas State Parks: Half Day Hikes will donate 50% of the proceeds received from the sale of this guidebook to Franklin Mountains State Park to support the ongoing management and maintenance of hiking trails.”

Publisher: Half day Hikes

Purchase Link: Amazon

Award Level: Phoenix

Franklin Mountains
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