The Rooftop Christmas Tree
Honorable Mention
2014 New England Book Festival

Author: Landria Onkka No one in the small southern town of Rosedale knows why reclusive Mr. Landis places a lit Christmas tree on the roof of his deteriorating home. But, he has hauled it up there for as long as anyone can remember, landing him in Judge Conner’s courtroom every year and landing in jail…

The Graduate’s Guide to Money
Honorable Mention
2014 New England Book Festival

Tana A. Gildea The Graduate’s Guide to Money provides tools for starting your financial journey on the right foot or for getting back on the right path after a misadventure. It covers the basics of money, money mistakes, and provides insights into how your money story impacts your paycheck and your bank account.

Yearning for Normal
Honorable Mention
2014 London Book Festival

Susan E Busch This award winning book tells a mother’s story of raising her son Michael, who was born missing a submicroscopic piece of chromosome 22. That tiny missing fragment of DNA affected every aspect of his life physically, mentally, and spiritually. Michael’s mother describes her adventures and misadventures with the medical system, educational system,…

The Rummy Club
Honorable Mention
2014 London Book Festival

Anoop Ahuja Judge The Rummy Club is a contemporary women’s novel about the intertwined fates of four women from India . They met in their teen years at an all-girls’ boarding high school, nestled in the Himalayas . Now in their 40’s, the lives of Mini, Divya, Alka, and Priya have brought each of them…

South of Good
Runner-Up
2015 Florida Book Festival

Author: Randall Reneau “south of good is an intelligent, well-written drug thriller. It will appeal to hose who like big guns, sun-drenched women, and a healthy twist of mirth.” – Foreword Clarion Reviews

Tales From the Zirzameen
Runner-Up
2014 Paris Book Festival

Author: Brian H Appleton This is a collection of short stories in chronological order of my love affair with Iran starting at the age of 16 to the present. I was briefly taken hostage during the revolution and liberated by a beautiful young Persian lady with two hired guns. I advocate peace with Iran.

Shamshone; Sun of Assyria
Honorable Mention
2014 Paris Book Festival

Author: Brian H Appleton Many of us have no idea that Assyrians still exist in our contemporary world. This is the story of 5 generations of one family from Western Azerbaijan as their son rises out of their village with its agrarian lifestyle to become founder of one of the largest civil engineering firms in…

The Rat-boys of Karalabad
Runner-up,
2014 Southern California
Book Festival

Author: Zulfiqar Rashid Based on real life events, this is a story of horrific cruelty perpetrated in the name of religion. It is a story of hope, inspirations and love where a young boy decides to fight against the evil legacy of the very shrine that he has been groomed to lead all his life….

Exit Point
Winner,
2014 Southern California Book Festival

Author: Alicia Sanftleben Twenty-three-year-old Delinda is faced with a near-death experience, at which point she decides to leave her old life behind and follow a new path to save the world from destruction. She must learn to use her newfound powers to journey to past lives and uncover worldly secrets by other means. Grab your…

Crossing the Rubicon: Love Poems…
Honorable Mention,
2014 Southern California Book Festival

Heidi Connolly The story and poems in Crossing the Rubicon represent the point of no return for Heidi Connolly whose husband died in 2012. Still grief-stricken a year later, Heidi was awakened by a loud voice saying, “Get out your pen and paper–it’s time to write.” The resulting book, illustrated and published by Heidi herself,…