Kendall C. Stark In a not so distant future America, a combination of the troubled teen epidemic and a lack of young people joining the military has spawned the Waylon Academy for the Obedient and Enlightened. A school made to kidnap delinquent children, at the behest of their parents, and train them in an elite…
Witches of Willow CreekHonorable Mention
2025 Halloween Book Festival
Jennie Wren Foster hree witch sisters must keep their magic small—and their secrets smaller—while a watchful teacher stirs a modern witch hunt. When the town starts to fall in love with their quiet acts of wonder, the girls discover the kind of power that changes everything.
Mythic AdventuresWinner
2025 Paris Book Festival
Ayn Cates Sullivan (author) Gwen Cates (artist) A fine art book to keep and treasure. Gwen Cates’ artwork includes landscapes, figure studies, and abstract paintings that span half a century. Her daughter, Ayn Cates Sullivan, has written accompanying poetry. Sullivan is the author of over twenty books. Family stories give relevance to the artist’s life…
Stressed to SplessedHonorable Mention
2025 New York Book Festival
Susan C. Troth Are you in the beginning stages of grief, the messy middle, or at the end of a long painful season of being overwhelmed and stressed? I’ve been there and i can lead you to the other side. Open these pages, take a breath, and embark on a beautiful transformation from suffering and…
Uplift: A NovelRunner Up
2025 Hollywood Book Festival
Jessica Mann When her high mountain wilderness is threatened by humans, a rebellious young bird must teach others how to work together to save their common home. A richly imaginative novel told through avian eyes, UPLIFT explores the strength of community, the power of connection, and the urgency of environmental change.
Masa Chronicles: The Copper ScrollHonorable Mention
2025 Paris Book Festival
Nicholas Teeguarden He broke his chains. Now he’ll shatter an empire. An action-packed Christian thriller where archaeology, faith, and danger collide. Graduate student Joshua “Masa” Bennett unearths ancient secrets that pit him against rival powers across the Middle East. For readers who love biblical mysteries with Indiana Jones energy and a deeper search for purpose,…
Charlotte’s Ghosts: The Mystery of the Vanishing BoyRunner Up
2025 Paris Book Festival
L. P. Simone Grieving the death of her military father, Charlotte Cross didn’t believe in ghosts. Then she met one on the Civil War battlefield near her home. He is Jeremy Turner who died 170 years earlier fighting Rebels for Lincoln. Charlotte’s Ghosts explores how two broken hearts help one another heal.
Listen to Your AnimalsWinner
2025 San Francisco Book Festival
Karen Wickerson A cruise to paradise. A prophecy to protect. A nightmare to survive. Animals give our lives meaning, companionship, and unconditional love. People find themselves wishing they could understand their animals. Animal Telepath, Karen Wickerson, gives you insight into their perspectives on relationships, life and death, and their experiences in the afterlife… In their…
Moonlight CruiseWinner
2025 Beach Book Festival
Yurie Kiri A cruise to paradise. A prophecy to protect. A nightmare to survive. On the tranquil waters of a luxury cruise ship, Jessica Ascher and her miracle-born daughter Zamzam try to outrun the darkness. But a Satanic cult-rooted in the Mojave Desert and connected to the highest levels of power-is hunting them. They’ve already…
The Wages Of FreedomHonorable Mention
2025 Hollywood Book Festival
Re’Gena Bell-Roberts He broke his chains. Now he’ll shatter an empire. Escaping slavery, Amad Adebayo rises as a feared pirate captain in the 19th-century Caribbean. With a rebel crew, he wages a ruthless war to sink the slave trade—one ship at a time..