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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016

William H. Coles

2019 Gold Medal
507 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2019 Gold Medal

A collection of thirty-three award-winning short stories, two graphic novels, and a novella, each about one-of-a kind characters solving serious problems in challenging settings.  The stories are crafted by William H. Coles with artistic intensity for engagement and entertainment.  Each short story is illustrated by one of six artists commissioned for the story.  Coles is the creator of the educational website, storyinliteraryfiction.com, a source for learning the art of writing fictional stories.  Coles’s stories are inspiring, memorable, and enjoyable--a treasured addition to any library.

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Astral Genesis

Ivan M. Cohen and Jay Magnum

2019 Silver Medal
128 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2019 Silver Medal
In the near future... Disgraced ex-astronaut Jonathan DeVane must assemble a rag-tag team of misfits in an attempt to stop a devastating attack on Earth by malevolent alien raiders called "Astrals". Can DeVane and his pack of underdogs find salvation in each other, and overcome the demons of their sordid pasts long enough to save the world? ...or is doomsday inevitable?

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The Iron Heel

Bix Santana

2019 Bronze Medal
174 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2019 Bronze Medal
Inspired by Jack London's classic tale, it's Sunset Boulevard meets The Matrix in this noir, science-fiction drama set 700 years in the future.Anthony Meredith, the story's protagonist, finds himself caught-up in worldwide revolution when rebel Malcontents steal an encoded document containing secrets only he can reveal.Like Dante's Virgil, Meredith takes us through the social hells of the Brotherhood of Man now in its 419th year as he dodges bullets from all sides.The Iron Heel is a sharp, well-crafted, action-adventure interwoven with a deeper social commentary that collides with an unsettling and unforgettable ending.

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The Rescuer's Tale

Mary Morgan's Journal, Book 2
R. M. Wilburn

2019 Honorable Mention
72 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2019 Honorable Mention
In this award-winning second installment of the Mary Morgan's Journal series, the young investigator is now the subject of an even greater manhunt ordered by the new Magistrate Sir Dastardly Gott. His desperation in finding her indicates Mary may be on the brink of learning something that could utterly destroy his wicked regime, the same as she'd done to the previous Magistrate Herr Bigly Rump. Unfortunately, with the Rump now missing, conspiracy theorists around the world are pinning the blame on Mary. After receiving a coded message from her friend and former mentor Juggler Vein, Mary learns that the world's most brilliant and talented people are still alive and being held in the Arctic Mines, a prison run by the Powers-That-Be. While dodging spies and drones armed to stop her, Mary immediately begins building new alliances to free the innocents and bolster the Resistance against tyranny. But even with her hope renewed, Mary can't help feeling she's missing something...Could this be another of the Rump's infamous distractions meant only to divert her from his true intentions? If so, is she already too late?

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Ziggy Zig-Zags The Light and Dark Fantastic

Ron Baxley, Jr.

2019 Finalist
56 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2019 Finalist

"Ziggy Zig-Zags the Light and Dark Fantastic, Volume 1" is a fantasy graphic novel with a story and scripting by awarded author Ron Baxley, Jr., art by renowned Oz artist Vincent Myrand, and layout and lettering by Ali Tavakoly (who has also done work in the comics industry). Ziggy, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi based on Ron's shelter-adopted emotional support dog of the same breed, is one of many steeds of the elves in Wales and is the elves' chosen champion for great quests. (According to Welsh mythology, in fact, the markings around many Pembroke Welsh Corgis' heads and around their necks indicated that small saddles and stirrups were once on their bodies and that the Corgis were used as horses by the elves and faeries). As a steed, with his saddle like a super hero cape, Ziggy is chosen by the elves to rescue various characters in different fantasy worlds, including Neverland, Oz, and Wonderland. He even has adventures in the modern reality of the "Out World" including with a figure fictionally attached to World War II. During Ziggy's quests, he is pursued by the Dark Elf, a fallen elf from the Welsh woods, and other foes. Like Baxley, Jr., he contends with anxiety during his quests. Ziggy wears a silver dog tag with the elven runes for valor and even anxiety written there. Whether he can evade his foe has to do largely with how he contends with his anxiety and holds with faith.

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The Cautioner's Tale

R. M. Wilburn

2018 Bronze Medal
48 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2018 Bronze Medal
Now a multi-award-winning graphic novel, The Cautioner's Tale is a beautifully illustrated murder mystery steeped in political satire. Awards include:

Readers' Favorite 5 Star Award
Reviewers' Choice Award from Reader Views
New Apple's Award For Excellence in Independent Publishing
American Fiction Award from American Bookfest
Readers' Favorite Book Award Bronze Medal
(Please see the author's website for more information: https://www.iamrmwilburn.com)

When Dr. Parsimonious Creed, head of the World Leadership Council, is murdered, his home ransacked, and important files stolen, billionaire Herr Bigly Rump graciously volunteers to take over the world in his absence. Contenders for the position are either murdered or jailed, leaving only Herr Rump in the running until Dr. Creed’s assistant, a young investigator named Mary Morgan, enters the race to stop him. Even as the bodies of her allies begin to pile up, Mary devises a plan to oust the Rump. But, little does she know how eager her enemies are to be rid of him as well. Could she be making matters worse?

The Cautioner’s Tale is the first book in the Mary Morgan’s Journal series.

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Sonora Pass

Jaime Olmos

2018 Honorable Mention
102 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2018 Honorable Mention
SONORA PASS is an action packed murder mystery taking place in Montreal, Vermont, California and Central America. Members of the JABBERWOCKY band hold a 25th reunion for their college friends and fans. Following a wildly successful party, the singer is found dead. Private Investigator Jonah follows a trail leading to a troubled revolutionary past in Central America.

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Rayven Choi

Chapter 1: Koreamerica
Shequeta Smith

2018 Finalist
30 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2018 Finalist
Rayven Choi tells the story of a young woman who, as a child, witnesses a hitman murder her parents on a military commuter train. She is the sole survivor on the train and is quietly sent to Seoul, Korea where she is adopted by her father's best friend. Rayven spends 20 years in Korea before discovering a clue that her father left behind that could lead her to finding the killer.

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Jake Falcón - Spirit Hunter

Victor M. Carrión

2017 Gold Medal
100 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2017 Gold Medal
Jake Falcón's troubled life comes to a horrific end and his spirit is cast into a nightmarish world of darkness where he must fight the demons that rule this cold forbidding abyss to save his soul and the soul of other spirits. From the dawn of time demons have ruled the darkness corralling and devouring the souls of wondering hapless spirits that fall prey to their ravenous appetite. Jake has been chosen by the light to be a Spirit Hunter. His mission is to find and protect the spirits in the darkness before they are victimized and lead them into the light to deliver the souls they carry within. In denial, Jake is a reluctant warrior who won't accept his death and straddles the world of the living and the dead. Among the living Jake has to remain vigilant for there are traitors who will obtain boundless treasures from the darkness if they betray him. In the world of the dead Jake struggles to accept his given mission and at first has an aversion to fighting the demons and their cohorts and protect the souls of the ill-fated spirits. Jake learns, from other Spirit Hunters, that if the demons destroy enough souls that the light will be weakened and finally extinguished. This will give the demons a path to their ultimate goal; the conquest of the world of mortals.

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Treadwater

The Graphic Novel Part 2
Morgan Rosenblum and Nat Prinzi

2017 Silver Medal
164 Pages
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Fiction - Graphic Novel/Comic

2017 Silver Medal
Treadwater Vol 2: After successfully extracting a stolen nuclear warhead from German dictator, General Heinz Kirklau, Treadwater discovers they have a stowaway, Kirklau's second-in-command, Wolfgang Kulikov. Wolfgang agrees to divulge the location of a second warhead in exchange for the successful retrieval of his nephew Kostya. The General's son. Having fulfilled their side of the bargain, Treadwater looks to collect on the information they were promised. Meanwhile, the Children of Chaos enlist the help of a notorious black-market arms dealer to acquire the remaining components for their biological weapon. Everything comes to a head when Kirklau unveils his master plan to invade decaying neighboring countries. With the political climate at a boiling point, Treadwater must deal with Kirklau once and for all.