150 Award Genres
Children
- Children - Action
- Children - Adventure
- Children - Animals
- Children - Audiobook
- Children - Christian
- Children - Coming of Age
- Children - Concept
- Children - Educational
- Children - Fable
- Children - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Children - General
- Children - Grade 4th-6th
- Children - Grade K-3rd
- Children - Mystery
- Children - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Children - Non-Fiction
- Children - Picture Book
- Children - Preschool
- Children - Preteen
- Children - Religious Theme
- Children - Social Issues
Christian
- Christian - Amish
- Christian - Biblical Counseling
- Christian - Devotion/Study
- Christian - Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Christian - Fiction
- Christian - General
- Christian - Historical Fiction
- Christian - Living
- Christian - Non-Fiction
- Christian - Romance - Contemporary
- Christian - Romance - General
- Christian - Romance - Historical
- Christian - Thriller
Fiction
- Fiction - Action
- Fiction - Adventure
- Fiction - Animals
- Fiction - Anthology
- Fiction - Audiobook
- Fiction - Chick Lit
- Fiction - Crime
- Fiction - Cultural
- Fiction - Drama
- Fiction - Dystopia
- Fiction - Fantasy - Epic
- Fiction - Fantasy - General
- Fiction - Fantasy - Urban
- Fiction - General
- Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic
- Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
- Fiction - Historical - Personage
- Fiction - Holiday
- Fiction - Horror
- Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Fiction - Inspirational
- Fiction - Intrigue
- Fiction - LGBTQ
- Fiction - Literary
- Fiction - Magic/Wizardry
- Fiction - Military
- Fiction - Mystery - General
- Fiction - Mystery - Historical
- Fiction - Mystery - Legal
- Fiction - Mystery - Murder
- Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
- Fiction - Mythology
- Fiction - New Adult
- Fiction - Paranormal
- Fiction - Realistic
- Fiction - Religious Theme
- Fiction - Science Fiction
- Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Fiction - Social Issues
- Fiction - Southern
- Fiction - Sports
- Fiction - Supernatural
- Fiction - Suspense
- Fiction - Tall Tale
- Fiction - Thriller - Conspiracy
- Fiction - Thriller - Environmental
- Fiction - Thriller - Espionage
- Fiction - Thriller - General
- Fiction - Thriller - Legal
- Fiction - Thriller - Medical
- Fiction - Thriller - Political
- Fiction - Thriller - Psychological
- Fiction - Thriller - Terrorist
- Fiction - Time Travel
- Fiction - Urban
- Fiction - Visionary
- Fiction - Western
- Fiction - Womens
Non-Fiction
- Non-Fiction - Adventure
- Non-Fiction - Animals
- Non-Fiction - Anthology
- Non-Fiction - Art/Photography
- Non-Fiction - Audiobook
- Non-Fiction - Autobiography
- Non-Fiction - Biography
- Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
- Non-Fiction - Cooking/Food
- Non-Fiction - Cultural
- Non-Fiction - Drama
- Non-Fiction - Education
- Non-Fiction - Environment
- Non-Fiction - Genealogy
- Non-Fiction - General
- Non-Fiction - Gov/Politics
- Non-Fiction - Grief/Hardship
- Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
- Non-Fiction - Health - Medical
- Non-Fiction - Historical
- Non-Fiction - Hobby
- Non-Fiction - Home/Crafts
- Non-Fiction - Humor/Comedy
- Non-Fiction - Inspirational
- Non-Fiction - LGBTQ
- Non-Fiction - Marketing
- Non-Fiction - Memoir
- Non-Fiction - Military
- Non-Fiction - Motivational
- Non-Fiction - Music/Entertainment
- Non-Fiction - New Age
- Non-Fiction - Occupational
- Non-Fiction - Parenting
- Non-Fiction - Relationships
- Non-Fiction - Religion/Philosophy
- Non-Fiction - Retirement
- Non-Fiction - Self Help
- Non-Fiction - Short Story/Novela
- Non-Fiction - Social Issues
- Non-Fiction - Spiritual/Supernatural
- Non-Fiction - Sports
- Non-Fiction - Travel
- Non-Fiction - True Crime
- Non-Fiction - Womens
- Non-Fiction - Writing/Publishing
Poetry
Romance
Young Adult
- Young Adult - Action
- Young Adult - Adventure
- Young Adult - Coming of Age
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Epic
- Young Adult - Fantasy - General
- Young Adult - Fantasy - Urban
- Young Adult - General
- Young Adult - Horror
- Young Adult - Mystery
- Young Adult - Mythology/Fairy Tale
- Young Adult - Non-Fiction
- Young Adult - Paranormal
- Young Adult - Religious Theme
- Young Adult - Romance
- Young Adult - Sci-Fi
- Young Adult - Social Issues
- Young Adult - Thriller
Illustration Award
Recommend this book:
Code Blood
Kurt Kamm
2013 Finalist
236 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
This is a book that takes three coming of age stories and twists them into something very different. It follows a week in the lives of three completely different people. The first is a rookie paramedic. He is a Midwestern ranch boy who moves to the big city with dreams of saving the world, or at least a few people in it. His first couple of failures, through no fault of his own, shake his life right down to the core. In an attempt to justify himself he embarks upon a mission to find the severed foot of his first failure. The second person in this triangle is a disturbed albino who, partially due to his lack of pigmentation and partially because of the criticism of his peers, becomes and embraces the vampire subculture of the Goth subculture. He develops a taste for blood, and a fetish for once living remains. His fetish leads him to human body parts, and the fickle hand of fate leads him to an accident sight where a poor young woman first loses her foot, and then her life. The albino puts the severed foot in his freezer. The third side is a young Tibetan woman, who is studying for her Doctorate at a Southern California University. She is talented and smart and extremely self conscious and perhaps just a little off her rocker. At birth, or actually before, she became the recipient of a rare blood type, Bombay blood. At a young age she lost her identical twin sister to an accident and has talked to the memory, or the ghost of the sister, ever since. The albino finds out about the blood and he wants it.
The manner in which events, and that poor severed foot, manage to cross each other is remarkable. The poor paramedic is like a lost puppy in the middle of a dog fight, the Tibetan girl is a fish out of water and the albino is looking for his mother's comfort in a world that doesn't care. All of them are searching for validation. But, as the story shows, validation sometimes has a price. The book is really well-written. It combined three very diverse stories seamlessly and left me with a tear in my eye. "Code Blood" is brilliant and exciting, and has a few twists that you will never see coming.
Recommend this book:
Mortal Gods
Anne Griffith
2013 Bronze Medal
382 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Mortal Gods by Anne Griffith will raise all of the hairs on the back of your neck when you read it. Step into Albuquerque, New Mexico where expectant Mothers are being tortured, mutilated and their babies taken. Peter Kostas, the Detective attached to the case, has been chasing the monster who has been committing these crimes for over a year, but he can not seem to get the final clues he needs to catch the beast. No one seems to know who the victims are or where they have come from until Lillian Martin, a gifted paramedic, manages to keep one of the women alive. The woman does not remember much, but she has a self medication port sticking out of her where the baby once was. What does it all mean?
Anne Griffith has created a story with so many twists and turns you can not possibly know where it is going to take you next. The quality of the writing only seems to add to the depth of the mystery that has been created. The villain truly is a vile beast that you will find yourself utterly hating, and on the flip side you will be fully rooting for the very likable Peter and Lillian. When I am reading a thriller or a crime novel these are the emotions I want to feel. I want to hate the villain and love the heroes, no lines of grey. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller as long as you are not squeamish.
Recommend this book:
Secondhand Sight
John Leonard
2013 Gold Medal
428 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Dan Harper is just an ordinary guy, having an ordinary day until he spills sauce on his tie during lunch. When he visits a Humane Society thrift store near his office for an inexpensive replacement, merely touching a secondhand tie triggers a flood of gruesome images only he can see. Blood spatters the mirror and his hands. He looks again, and the images disappear. He is under pressure at work, and his wife, pregnant with their first child, has been rushed to hospital. Could it be stress? Are these images hallucinations, or suppressed memories, or, even more horrifying to contemplate, are they the consequences of his own actions? When Dan starts having strange dreams in which he sees and speaks to the victims, and even watches the murders unfold before his eyes, he knows he is in trouble psychically. He seriously doubts his sanity, and even imagines he has a brain tumor causing the weird flashes. Dan desperately wants these visions to be nothing more than a product of his imagination, but soon enough, his efforts to play detective reveal real crime scenes and murder victims. Dan can no longer ignore the unseen powers forcing him to confront the demons of his past. Dark forces prod him to seek the identity of the faceless murderer haunting his dreams. His attempts to alert the police draw suspicion to him. Dan’s worst fear is that he’ll eventually see the face of this brutal killer in the last place he wants to look — the mirror.
What a riveting read! This book grabbed me from the first page. Author John Leonard creates a thrilling and chilling murder mystery, with an intriguing touch of the paranormal. The title is apt, describing Dan’s ‘second hand’ flashes, which come from the object he touches. The threads pull together via various characters’ points of view, to a harrowing climax. I also liked the way the characters’ relationships develop and strengthen; and in the midst of all the mayhem, people find themselves and each other. The plot is deceptively simple because it is so ingenious. Dan’s descent into a manic paranoia is skillfully documented, and one feels for him in the mental confusion that accompanies his visions. The author also includes some interesting thoughts on the nature of dreams, hallucinations, psychometry (psychic revelations via touching objects), and the power of the mind. Murder mystery and paranormal fans will love this book.
Recommend this book:
Redwine Hill
The Secrets at Primevil Asylum
L L Stolmeier
2012 Gold Medal
288 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
It is a dangerous world when you are turning sixteen and being stalked by collectors. Charlotte C. Carrion is one such youth. This tough young woman does her best to avoid being caught but soon is ensnared and sent to Redwine Hill Asylum to join her peers in a battle for survival, for a virus has afflicted sixteen year olds - a virus that takes away your sanity. These young people are being rounded up and herded like cattle as the disease progresses. Redwine is notorious for its awful living conditions, experiments and abuses. Charlotte is treated abominably as headaches become frequent and friends die along the way. But she has found an ally in Jared, a guard who cares about her, mentoring her on how to survive. As Charlotte begins to unravel the mystery surrounding her friend Serenity’s death, danger lurks ever so closer.
"Redwine Hill: The Secrets at Primeil Asylum" by L L Stolmeier is a well-written novel that caught me by surprise as I eagerly absorbed the horrific world that was created. From page one, I was prompted to move the pages as I quickly became attached to young Charlotte and the horror of her living condition and her resolve to survive. With her vibrant imagination, Stolmeier is a gifted writer who knows how to weave a lurid tale that can only make you thirst for more. The scenes in the infirmary still loiter in my mind. "Redwine Hill" is an exceptional book written by a remarkable author. I would recommend it highly.
Recommend this book:
Oddities & Entities
Roland Allnach
2012 Bronze Medal
268 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
"Oddities & Entities" by Roland Allnach, categorized as horror fiction, is unlike any other horror fiction I have ever encountered. The book is comprised of 5 stories, each of which is written a cut above the norm. There are no recognizable monsters in these stories, no sophomoric zombies, no evil ancient vampires, and none of the standard fare I have become accustomed to in the horror genre. I do like the usual run of the horror genre, but this book is written with thoughtful intelligence, for an intelligent adult reader. I do not mean to imply sexual situations or coarse language. What I mean is, any intelligent reader, capable of deep thought, will find this book irresistible. The 5 individual stories are as unlike as any 5 stories can be, yet each one is so sufficiently well-written that, if sold as individual short stories, I wouldn't hesitate to award 5 stars to each of them.
To say I like this book is a crass understatement. Each story drew me in and evoked my empathy for various characters. These stories forced me to actually think beyond what I was reading. Each premise was unique, at least in my experience; I have never encountered any other stories that even approach the situations these present with authority and authenticity. If I could boil down my perception of this book into a single word, that word would be WOW! Roland Allnach's first anthology, "Remnant", which I have also read, was placed as a finalist in the Science Fiction category in the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards. I absolutely expect "Oddities & Entities" to follow suit. If you read only one book this year, make it this one. Be prepared to have your comfort zone challenged.
Recommend this book:
One Blood
Qwantu Amaru
2012 Silver Medal
488 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
It is 2002 and Randy Lafitte is the twice-elected governor of Louisiana. As nice as he would like his life portrayed, it is anything but under the surface, for he is a racist, hateful, and not above calling for help from those who live on the edge of society. The Lafitte family is an old Louisiana family that is haunted by a ghost story dated back in history to Melinda Lafitte and her lover Isaac and the huge old oak tree fronting the Lafitte estate. There are those who feel the curse brought on Lafitte's son Kristopher's death, for Kristopher is killed accidentally by his best friend, African-American Lincoln Baker. Lincoln's father figure, Moses, and his adopted brother, Brandon Mouton, try to protect Randy's daughter, Karen, and prevent violence while Moses' childhood friend Malcolm Wright, or Panama X, promotes black supremacy and is against "the system in this country made for the black man to fail." And Jhonnette Deveaux, daughter of the voodoo queen that Randy Lafitte sought out years before, works her healing powers as Randy's men and Panama X's forces converge violently on the local hospital. Will burning the old oak tree, Melinda Weeps, on Lafitte property end the violence as Louisiana black men fight against the racist powers that hold them back? Read and decide for yourself.
"One Blood" is brilliantly written and edited as author Amaru testifies to all the many people who helped him create this powerful novel. The suspense of whether Lincoln, Brandon, Karen and the other major characters will survive will engross the reader to the very last page of this story. The plot line switches back and forth between 2002 and the 1990's, and this only adds to the story's complexities.
The subplot of Moses, Malcolm and Walter Simmons' friendship adds to the storyline. Moses goes to jail while Malcolm and Walter get involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Lincoln Baker's life as an abandoned child taken in by Moses is another effective part of this good story. This book should be read by all and given a place of honor in modern fiction.
Recommend this book:
Echo of Souls
A. Shockey
2012 Finalist
322 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Echo of Souls is the perfect book for this season of Halloween. Ronni Parker taking a leave from her company, has driven hundreds of miles across Florida to find her inheritance, a cabin nestled on Paloma Road in the backwoods land next to the Suwannee River. Raised by adoptive parents, Ronnie has been left her family's home by the grandmother she has never known. Ronni's lawyer, Mr. Saxton, warns her that the nearby townsfolk may not welcome her cordially, and Ronni finds truth in his words. Her birth mother apparently killed herself after Ronni was given as a baby to others to raise, and river dweller Jack, good friend to Ronni's grandmother, refuses to stay in the cabin after dark. Ronni senses a presence in the old cabin, but when she is nearly drowned in the bathtub, she knows there are unseen "presences" that might mean to harm her. Can old river-folk storyteller, Netta Jackson, help Ronni uncover those otherworldly beings?
Alishia Shockey has written an absorbing story that horror story fans will love. The plot holds true from beginning to end of the story. She does a first-rate job in revealing the identity of the ghost that haunts Ronni, leaving one word messages for her on the old sewing machine that runs itself. That Ronni's dead mother seems so loving, so welcoming, and then is totally lethal is a great piece of literary work. Characters such as Jack, Netta Jackson and Corbin Cox are well created and believable. This is a honey of a Halloween offering, a good read for any time of year. The wordy description at story's beginning is totally forgivable in light of the story to come.
Recommend this book:
Blood Bond
Richard Tortorici
2011 Bronze Medal
304 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Blood Bond by Richard Tortorici is a vampire story with a twist. Detective Frank Baron is one of the walking dead, aka a Nightwalker. He had specially made glasses, a ski mask and a fedora to protect him from the direct sunlight. Baron was one of the good guys. Stormy witnessed the death of her mentor Glenda; she feared they would come after her next.
Stormy was staying with Baron until the Society could find her a new mentor. There was more than one type of Vampire. There were those born to be a vampire and those that were created. Now there was a third, the most dangerous type of all...Erebus. For many years the Daywalkers, aka normal people, did not know about the Nightwalker. When Homeland Security found out, they came up with the bright idea of creating a group of super fighters. They messed with the DNA of a Nightwalker and turned him into a not so nice vampire, Erebus. Erebus believes he is God and vengeance is his.
Blood Bond is an entertaining read. It has all the elements I look for in a book: suspense, mystery, thrills, intrigue, danger, car chases, murder and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Tortorici is a talented author whose characters are multifaceted. Stormy and Frank worked well together; she had an innocence that made her endearing, and Frank was a courageous hero. The plot has twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing to the very last word. This is not your typical vampire story. I believe this is the first book in a new series, and I look forward to the subsequent volumes.
Recommend this book:
Aleron
Kane
2011 Gold Medal
264 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Aleron is a vampire book with a unique approach. The plot is well done. I really cared if Aleron triumphed. The conflict in this book is good versus evil while that is not unusual it was well done and kept me turning the pages. The part I found most unique was following Aleron from fledgling to a mature vampire. There were several aspects of the story that I had never heard of.
The supporting characters were also well done, as they all work together for a common goal, be it good or evil. I could see the action playing in my mind as I read. Blame Kane for my unmade bed and the dirty dishes in the sink. I read Aleron in one sitting. If this book wasn't written so well, I would have gotten my work done!
Recommend this book:
The Butcher's Boy
Michael Robb & M. R. Mathias
2011 Silver Medal
250 Pages
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Fiction - Horror
Fall 1984: This story begins with a trial. A man was accused of killing his family. Richard King the defense, attorney cared little whether his client was guilty or not. He took the case for the publicity. The accused (Buxley the Butcher) declared his innocence until death by execution. A year later the attorney was found dead in the home of the accused, William Buxley.
Summer 2011: Janet Hale graduated from nursing school after her divorce. She, her son Michael and their dog Lucy moved into the Buxley house never suspecting the danger that awaited them. The Buxley house was filled with great evil. The home had been the site of great violence. The ghosts of the victims awaited a moment for revenge. No one was immune to the evil lurking there. However not even the ghosts are who they seem. Michael and Maggie, his babysitter, turn to an Ouija board looking for answers.
This book is not your typical horror story. The autho's work can be compared to Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Like their books, this plot takes you to unexpected places. There are twists and turns that keep the reader guessing: ghosts slipping in and out of bodies both living and dead, shadows and bumps in the night are the least of the main characters' worries in this book. Fans of horror will not want to miss this creepy story.