July 2022
2nd Quarter FIREBIRD BOOK AWARD WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our winning authors.
IMPORTANT – If your name is on this page, check your email for prizes and details. If you don’t find an email from us, please check your alternate email folders. We include several links within the email and some servers tend to route the message to junk folders.
And a huge thank you to all authors who entered. Your submission donation allowed us to send hundreds of happy handmade pillowcases, pillows, colorful totes, and more to women and children in long-term shelters via Enchanted Makeovers.
You are so appreciated!
Up to three winners per category are possible based on the judging criteria of each category and based on the cumulative scores from two independent judges. In rare cases we may award a tie. Often the winners are only one point apart and are shown in order below, when applicable. Categories with one winner indicates they were the only entry in that category that met the minimum accumulative judging scores. Honorable Mentions are listed at the bottom of this page.
$500 Grand Prize Winner
MARK M. BELLO
Summer Beach Read Winner
MARCIE MAXFIELD
WINNERS – FIRST – SECOND – THIRD
Action/Adventure – Ed Marohn – Akorede Adekoya and Howard Haugom – Daniel V. Meier Jr.
Addiction & Recovery – Buddy C. – Nikki Langman
African American Fiction – Marshall Highet and Bird Jones
African American Nonfiction – Noel Hankin – Dorchelle Spence
Animals – David Bush – Melanie Mezzancello – Mary D’Amore
Animals/Pets(Children’s) – Phyllis Smith – Rey A. Banda – Pat Tolve
Audiobook – Kelda Laing Poynot – Joanne Holbrook
Autobiography – Marylee Martin – Donna M. Young
Bilingual/Dual Language (Children’s) – Tony Lovitt – Angela Herrera
Biographical Fiction – Karen Leigh Gruber – Carol Selick
Biography – Historical – Mary Rae Watry Mauch
Biographical Historical Fiction – Vicki Tapia
Book Cover Design / Fiction – Courtnee Turner Hoyle with Taylor Dawn – Wally Jones – Anita Dickason/Mark Canniff TIE
Business – General – Michael Lawrie and George Tsetsekos
Business – Motivational – Cici Castelli – Irma Parone
Cancer – Allen Chankowsky – Donna M. Young – Dorchelle Spence
Caregiving – Ann Campanella
Chapter Books – Melanie Vogel
Chick Lit – Fionne Foxxe Farraday
Children Early Readers 5-8 – Deanie Humphrys-Dunne – Tony Lovitt – Mark M. Bello
Children Early Readers 5-8/Holidays/Christmas – Victoria Scudder
Children Fiction – Alisa Hope Wagner – Melanie Mezzancello – Wayne Edwards
Children Illustrations – Alisa Hope Wagner – Deanie Humphrys-Dunne – Mark M. Bello
Children Inspirational – Kendall T. Newell – Krystal Harris – Leslie Gang
Children – Inspirational/Motivational – Shan Frazier
Children Picture Books Ages 4-8 – Emily Jean Sanders – Raven Howell – Ruthie Godfrey
Children Picture Books Ages 4-8/Holidays/Christmas – Victoria Scudder
Children Pre-School Ages 2-4 – Cheryl L. Jordan – Shan Frazier – Cindy Van Rooy/Linda Harkey TIE
Christian Devotional – Colleen Turner McGregor
Christian Fiction – Donna M. Young
Christian Historical Fiction Romance – Tracy Schuldt Helixon
Christian Ministry Preaching – Mark Messmore
Coaching – Lorin Fife
Comedy – Roger Wilson-Crane
Coming of Age – Leslie Ferguson – Melanie Vogel – Kelda Laing Poynot
Contemporary Fiction – Mikael Carlson – Marcie Maxfield – Michelle Lynn
Contemporary Novel – Susannah Marren – Cinda K. Swalley – Patricia Leavy
Contemporary Novel – Fiction – Karen Leigh Gruber – Lorraine Duffy Merkl
Cookbooks – Julianne McLean and Mark Lynch
Cozy Mystery – Kate Darroch – Anita Dickason
Crime Fiction – Jody Hadlock – Caroline Taylor – Shelly Frome
Crime Fiction-Hard Boiled – Mark M. Bello – Joe Congel
Crime Thriller – James A. Davison
Crime/True – De’Vannon Hubert
Cross Genre – Kate Darroch – Jody Hadlock – M.K. Lever
Current Events – Beth SKMorris – Cornelius Van Blyderveen
Dark Fantasy – Brien Feathers
Death & Dying – Allen Chankowsky
Diet & Nutrition – Ann Campanella
Dystopian – Alisa Hope Wagner – M.K. Lever
Education – George R. Daglish and Iurii P. Sizov
Environment – Kashinath Padhiary
Epic Fantasy – Michael R. Schultheiss
Epic Dystopian – Isaac Petrov
Fantasy – Peter Mooren – Mark Piggott – H. L. Walsh
Fiction – Cinda K. Swalley – Steven Lomske – John Layne
Finance – Christopher H. Volk
Ghost Suspense – Mark Canniff
Gift Book – Nora Plesent – Elizabeth H. Cottrell
Grief – Sandi Paris – Kyomi O’Connor – Simona Altavilla Moss
Guide Book – Sam Liebman
Health/Wellness – D. Terrence Foster, MD
Historical Fiction – Larry A. Freeland – E.S. Alexander – Michael Pandolfo
Historical/Warfare – Larry A. Freeland
History/United States – Rebecca J. Johnston – Beth SKMorris – John Layne
Horror – Jody Summers – Courtnee Turner Hoyle – James A. Leyshon
How-to – D. Terrence Foster, MD – Elizabeth H. Cottrell
Humor – Roger Wilson-Crane – Marcie Maxfield
Inspiration – Kyli Santiago – Carmen Maria Navarro – C.J. Hudson
Juvenile Fiction – Melanie Mezzancello
Legal Thriller – Mark M. Bello
Lesbian Fiction/Romance – Morgan Elliot
LGBTQ+ Nonfiction – De’Vannon Hubert
Literary Fiction – JoDee Neathery – Susannah Marren – Shawna James
Magical Realism – Peter Mooren – Winona Howe – Michael Thomas Perone
Management – Stephen Weller
Marriage – Marcie Maxfield – Nikki Broadwell
Medical Fiction/Thriller – Stephen Weller
Memoir – Vince Daley – Julie Lyon Lieberman – De’Vannon Hubert
Metaphysical Fantasy – Peter Mooren
Military Fiction – Larry A. Freeland – Maria D’Antoni – Daniel V. Meier Jr.
Mind/Body/Spirit – Kyomi O’Connor – Joe Griffin Ph.D. – Arlene McCain, MD
Motivational – Kyli Santiago – Donna M. Young – Nikki Langman
Multi-cultural Nonfiction – Kyomi O’Connor – Jan Ford – Kyli Santiago
Multi-cultural Fiction – Christine Sleeter – Winona Howe
Music – Noel Hankin – Debbie Burke
Mystery – Anita Dickason – JoDee Neathery – Jody Summers
Mythology – Anna Finch
New Adult Fiction – Linda Feyder – Kelda Laing Poynot – Denise Cassino
New Fiction – Karen Leigh Gruber – V.L. Adams – Wally Jones
New Fiction (first time published) – Kate Darroch – Linda Feyder
Noir Fiction – Mallory M. O’Connor – Mark M. Bello – Jacqueline Shortell-McSweeney
Nonfiction – Preethi Saravanakumar
Novella – Steve Zimcosky
Paranormal – Mark Canniff – Tobin Marks – Robin Christophersen
Paranormal Romance – Melinda Valentine
Parenting & Family – Leslie Ferguson – CarmenMaria Navarro – Joanne Holbrook
Performing Arts/Film, Theater, Dance & Music – Once Upon a Dance
Philosophy – Michael W. Cook
Photography – Carl-Evert Jonsson
Poetry – Dr. C. A. Buckley – Rajib Chocroborty – Don Agey
Political – Mikael Carlson – Ralph L. Bayrer
Political Thriller – Mikael Carlson
Pop Culture Fiction – Patricia Leavy
Pregnancy and Childbirth – Elli Merritt
Pre-teen Fiction – Terry Overton – Jon Coley
Psychiatry/Psychology – Leslie Ferguson – D. Terrence Foster, MD
Relationships – Roger Wilson-Crane – Shawna James
Religion – Fiction – Terry Overton – Dana Dargos
Romance – Nikki Broadwell – Robin Christophersen – Sherlynn A. Muckelroy
Romance Contemporary – Cinda K. Swalley – Lorraine Duffy Merkl
Romantic Comedy – Patricia Leavy
Romantic Suspense – Lauren Roberts – C.J. Hudson
Sales & Marketing – Glenn Poulos
Science Fiction – Jayson Adams – Dietmar Arthur Wehr – Dana Dargos
Self Help – D. Terrence Foster, MD – Harriet Hodgson – Martha Thompson
Self Help/Motivational – Kenneth Liddane – Mo Gawdat – Carla A. Vincent
Seniors – Inspirational – Jean Janki Samaroo
Series – Kate Darroch – Alisa Hope Wagner
Short Stories – Flash Fiction – Annette Rochelle Aben
Social/Political Change – Rebecca Dwight Bruff – CarmenMaria Navarro
Southern Fiction – Rebecca Dwight Bruff – Rebecca J. Johnston – Courtnee Turner Hoyle
Speculative Fiction – Sebastian Dax – Charles Ross
Spiritual/Spiritualism – Alisa Hope Wagner
Sports – Patrick Montgomery – Lorin Fife – M.K. Lever
Summer/Beach Read – Marcie Maxfield – Roger Wilson-Crane – Patricia Leavy
Suspense – Jim Malloy – Caroline Taylor – John Ahern
Sword & Sorcery – Michael R. Schultheiss
Technothriller – Dietmar Arthur Wehr
Thriller – Jody Summers – Caroline Taylor – Wally Jones
Urban Fantasy – Lauren Louise Hazel – Marieke Lexmond – Charles Ross
Visionary Fiction – Endy Wright – Lukman Clark – Ben Kilgore
Women Sleuths – Lauren Kristen Roberts
Women’s Fiction – Susannah Marren – Carol Selick – Jenn Bouchard
Women’s Health – Dorchelle Spence
Women’s Issues – Mia Odeh – Marcie Maxfield – Jody Keisner
Young Adult – Lisa Merrai – Ian A. Hollis
Young Adult Fiction – Endy Wright – Rebecca Dwight Bruff – Tayla Jean Grossberg
HONORABLE MENTION
April Frances Federico – The Disappearing Act
CY Sansum – Leon the Warrior Dog
Danilo Takaesu – Leonardo Kento: The BraveHeart
Dr. Ted Hallum – Secular Passion Against Faith
Frances Roberts Reilly – Parramisha: A Romani Poetry Collection
Jenny Carey – Fun Poems for Your Child: Feeding Your Child’s Imagination
Kathy Ericsson – Adventures With Glen The Search For The Number Ten
Linda Phillips – Chocolate, Chimpanzees & a Court Reporter at Chute Pond
Margaux J. Detterer – Midnight Blue: The End of Fear
Mary D’Amore – Real Friends and Their Children
Matilde Léon – I am Stardust
Nameetta Sood – Eightt is God
Natsuya Uesugi DuBois – John The Harbinger: A Bible Study Guide To The Gospel of John
Win Tuck-Gleason – Angels, of Course