3rd Quarter
2023
FIREBIRD BOOK AWARD WINNERS
CONGRATULATIONS
to all of our winning authors.
And a huge thank you to all the authors who entered.
Your submission donation allowed us to send hundreds of happy handmade pillowcases and children’s books to women and children in long-term shelters, including our friends at Enchanted Makeovers.
You are so appreciated!
(If your name is listed below, please check your email for the announcement. If you don’t find it, check your alternative folders because sometimes we land in unusual places.)
Up to three winners per category are possible based on each category’s judging criteria and the cumulative scores from two independent judges.
Honorable Recognitions are listed at the bottom of this page.
Nonfiction Winner
LISA FRANCO – MY DEAREST DARLING
Fiction Winner
TERI M. BROWN – AN ENEMY LIKE ME
Business Book Winner
APRIL ARMSTRONG – THE ONE DAY EXECUTIVE
Health/Wellness Book Winner
SCOTT WHITE – THE LIFE IS TOO SHORT GUY
LGBTQIA+ Winner
MORGAN ELLIOT – DESTINY’S WOMAN
Weird Book Genre Winner
Canadiana Supernatural Thriller
KONN LAVERY
Women’s Fiction Winner
EILEEN BRILL – A LETTER IN THE WALL
Women’s Issues Winner
PUJA SHAH – FOR MY SISTER
ALL WINNERS, including CHILDREN’S BOOK CONTEST
LISTED IN ORDER OF FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD PLACE
Action/Adventure – Viktor Csák
African American Fiction – Melody and Arric Fowler – Desiree R. Kannel
Animals – Richard LaMotte
Anthology – Sue Fulton
Audiobook – Fred Berri – Fred Berri
Biographical Fiction – Eileen Brill – Stephen Eoannou – Michael Miller
Biography/Historical – Stephen Watts – Caroline Crocker and Meta A. Evenbly
Book Cover Design Fiction – D.L. Wilburn Jr. – Stephen Wayne – Patrick McLaughlin
Book Cover Design – Nonfiction – Ana Baez
Boomer Fiction – Jena C. Henry
Business/General & Motivational – April Armstrong – Mary Kovach – Hansika Metha
Career – Annie Margarita Yang
Children Adventure – Phyllis Smith – Betty Cetas
Children Animals/Pets – Cheryl Gillespie – Virginia Loving Pope
Children Bedtime – Laura Elizabeth Gray
Children Best Cover Design, Fiction – Miki Taylor
Children Best Interior Design, Fiction – Christian Kueng
Children Biography – Billie Holladay Skelley
Children Chapter Book – Jared Auchter
Children Cli-Fi – N.E. McMorran
Children Diversity – Beth Davis Lion – Cheryl Gillespie
Children Early Readers- Cheryl Foster-Clark
Children Easy Readers 5-8 – Miranda Sada
Children Educational – Lisa Weckbacher – Miki Taylor – Gloria G. Adams
Children Fairy Tale – Christian Kueng
Children Fantasy –
Children Holiday – Raven Howell – Phyllis Smith – Lisa Jacovsky
Children Humor – Michael Michie
Children Illustration – Michael Michie – Miranda Sada
Children Juvenile Fiction – Kimberly Kenna – Amanda M. Cetas – Kelly Novak
Children Juvenile Fiction Chapter Book – Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Children Juvenile Book Interior – Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
Children Nature – Tania Moloney
Children Picture Book – Michael Michie – Joshua Swank – Jocelyn Cox
Children Pre-School Ages 2-4 – Samantha Reynolds – Joshua Swank – C. James Sweeney
Children Pre-Teen Fiction – Kimberly Kenna – Amanda M. Cetas – Karen Novak
Children Realistic Fiction – Ginger Smith
Children Special Needs – Beth Davis – Carolyn Muradian
Children Teen – Stephen Haunts – Yun Johnson – Kelly Novak
Children Teen Adventure – George R. Wolfe
Children Teen Realistic Fiction – George R. Wolfe
Children Verse – Carolyn Muradian
Christian Humor – Lauri Mays
Christian Nonfiction – Jonah Priour
Comics and Graphic Novels – Richard T. Wilson
Coming of Age – George R. Wolf – Marcia Peck – Greg M. Dodd
Contemporary Novel – Patricia Leavy – Nikki A. Lamers – Vincent Berg
Crime – True – Michael Pevarnik
Crime Fiction – Ruben Elustondo – Joshua Cohen – Fred Berri
Cross Genre – Konn Laver
Debut Novel – Deborah Hufford
Detective Fiction – Joshua Cohen
Dreams and Dreaming – Duncan McLauren
Dystopian – Stephen Wayne – J.C. Gemmell – Melissa Gowdy Baldwin
Education – Annette Levesque
Environment – Arwinder Kaur
Epic – Daniel Thomas Valente – Isaac Petrov – Joseph Cruz
Epic Fantasy – Parris Sheets
Fantasy – Heather Beal – Jeremy Miller – TIE M. C. Ryder/Ben Merrick
Fantasy Dark – Konn Lavery – Parris Sheets
Fiction – Teri M. Brown – Melody and Arric Fowler – Rebecca D’Harlingue
Financial Thriller – Mark Shaiken
Friendship – Donna Norman-Carbone – Suzette Welling
Genetics – James Flanagan
Ghost Fiction – Bibiana Krall and Veronica Cline Barton – Gail Grant Park
Grief – Sarina Baptista – Jonah Priour
Grief/Death – Argyro Graphy
Health/Wellness – Scott White
Historical Fiction – Rebecca D’Harlingue – Don A. Holbrook – Sharon E. Cathcart
History/United States – Stephen Watts – Jack D. Warren, Jr.
History/World – Lester Blum – Lisa Franco
Holiday – Holly Michele
Holocaust – Lester Blum
Home & Garden – Josie Beckham
Horror – Stephen Wayne
Horror Anthology – Bibiana Krall and Veronica Cline Barton
How To – Josie Beckham – April Armstrong – Audrey Lawrence
Illustration General – Miki Taylor – Grace Wolf
Inspiration – Glenda Goodrich – Ally Brown – Sue Fulton
Inspirational Fiction – Donna Norman-Carbone
Leadership – Mary Kovach – Carrie O’Neill
Legal Thriller – Mark Shaiken
LGBTQ Fiction – Morgan Elliot – Melissa Gowdy Baldwin – Adam Andrews Johnson
Literary Fiction – Rebecca D’Harlingue – Deborah Hufford – Dennis R. Miller
Magical Realism – Rande Goodwin – Stephen Eoannou – Bibiana Krall and Veronica Cline Barton
Medical Thriller – Lem Moyé
Memoir – Caroline Crocker – Mike Fredericks – Lester Blum
Mental Health – Melita Murray-Carney
Military Fiction – Teri M. Brown – Patrick McLaughlin – Thomas M. Wing
Military Nonfiction – Daniel Pinion
Military Romance – Kimberly A. Biggerstaff
Mind/Body/Spirit – Glenda Goodrich – Theresa Wilson – Hansika Metha
Multi-Cultural Fiction – Priya Khajuria – Margarita Barresi – Kathy Taylor
Music – Asher Black and Barry Gilman
Mystery – Joshua Cohen – Heather Peck – Carolyn Summer Quinn
Mythology – John Daze
Nature – Glenda Goodrich
Neurodiversity – N.E. McMorran – Keli O’Connor
New Adult Fiction – McKinley Aspen – M. C. Ryder – Ruben Elustondo
New Fiction – Rande Goodwin – Dell Brand – O’Shan Waters
New Fiction (First time published) – M. C. Ryder – James Flanagan
New Nonfiction – Stephen Watts – Paul Weinberg
New Nonfiction (First time published) – Mike Fredericks – Jonah Priour – April Armstrong
New Thought – Duncan McLauren
Noir Fiction – Nancy Lynn White
Novella – Glendall C. Jackson III – Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. – Juliet Rose
Paranormal – Heather Beal
Paranormal Short Stories – Bibiana Krall and Veronica Cline Barton
Personal Growth – Ally Brown – Arthur Byrd – Shae Pratcher
Pop Culture Fiction – Patricia Leavy
Relationships – Arthur Byrd
Religion/Fiction – Theresa V. Wilson – Daphne Self
Romance – Patricia Leavy – Karen Janowsky – Lisa Franco
Romantic Comedy – Kimberly Brighton
Science Fiction – D.L. Wilburn Jr. – Aaron Walker Sr. – S.P. Somtow
Self-Help/Motivational – Glenda Goodrich – Sarina Baptista – Shae Pratcher
Series – Karen K. Brees – Nikki A. Lamers
Short Stories – David Joseph – Daniel Pinion – M. C. Ryder
Southern Fiction – Melody and Arric Fowler – Jessica Thompson – Clay Anderson
Space Opera – Amanda Rose
Spiritual/Spirituality – Suzette Welling – Sarina Baptista – Shae Pratcher
Sports – John T. Blossom
Summer Beach Read – Patricia Leavy – Maria Imbalzano – Kimberly Brighton
Thriller – Heather Peck – Isaac Petrov – C.J. Caughman
Time Travel – James Flanagan – Juliet Rose
Urban Fantasy – McKinley Aspen
War Fiction – Patrick McLaughlin – Dell Brand – Richard LaMotte
War Nonfiction – Lisa Franco
Weird Book Genre – Konn Lavery – K.J. Fieler – TIE – Steven Beck and Bea Teal
Well-Being – Melita Murray-Carney
Women’s Fiction – Eileen Brill – Puja Shah – Maria Imbalzano
Women’s Issues – Puja Shah – K.J. Fieler – Ally Brown
Young Adult Fantasy – Parris Sheets
Young Adult Fiction – Rande Goodwin – John T. Blossom – M.C. Ryder
HONORABLE RECOGNITION
Anna Baez – Saved But in Prison
Athena – Awakenings
Babyvarsity – Stress-Free Pregnancy for Men
Bill McGowan – Be Your Own Boss
David Seaburn – Give Me Shelter
Doc Jacobs – MaCoven
Elaine DeGroot – Sparks Fly
Frank M. Ligons – IV Ketamine Infusion Therapy for Depression
Freddie Floyd Jr. –
Helen C. Kelly –
Kelly A. Mahoney –
KK Gould – Vengeance
M.C. Ryder – How to Stand Up to Bullying
Marco van den Berg Scholten –
Moonlight Soldier –
Neha Saini – SQL Quest: A Journey Through Data
R.C. Larlham – The Old Man and Me
Smith Suyapieang – Feed
Syntell Smith – Hold Circulation
Valorie Allen –
Vincent Berg – Box Sets – Not-Quite Human/Demonic Issues/Psychic Readings
Westley Thomas – A Hard Decision