2023 HAWTHORNE PRIZE WINNER
MOSS by Joe Pace
MOSS by Joe Pace
MOSS by Joe Pace
Isaiah Moss was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. His illegitimate son Oscar Kendall wasn't. Living in Isaiah's inescapable shadow, Oscar has become an inveterate quitter who hides his own literary work from the world rather than suffer the pain of failure or rejection.
When Isaiah suddenly dies, Oscar inherits the
Isaiah Moss was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. His illegitimate son Oscar Kendall wasn't. Living in Isaiah's inescapable shadow, Oscar has become an inveterate quitter who hides his own literary work from the world rather than suffer the pain of failure or rejection.
When Isaiah suddenly dies, Oscar inherits the old man's lakefront writing cabin in New Hampshire. There he finds his father's typewriter, a full liquor cabinet, and an unpublished manuscript of such genius that it could launch Oscar's career if he claims it as his own.
But as Oscar wrestles with his own twisted inspirations, he meets the women in Isaiah's life and begins to learn the depths of his father's secrets...and the costs that come with unresolved trauma and romantic delusion.
Joe Pace
MOSS by Joe Pace
MOSS by Joe Pace
Joe Pace lives in his native New Hampshire with his wife Sarah and their sons. A Boston sports fan and an incurable public servant, Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s in Public Administration from Seattle University. He has previously published the award-winning and crit
Joe Pace lives in his native New Hampshire with his wife Sarah and their sons. A Boston sports fan and an incurable public servant, Joe holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s in Public Administration from Seattle University. He has previously published the award-winning and critically-acclaimed literary fiction novel Moss (2021) and two science fiction novels: Minotaur (2012) and Lost Harvest (2015), all through Reliquary Press.
2023 HAWTHORNE PRIZE FINALISTS
FULL BOOK TITLE: CROSSROADS : THE LONG WAY HOME
AUTHOR NAME: VINCENT L. HOWARD
PUBLISHER NAME: PALMETTO PUBLISHING
FULL BOOK TITLE: Ghost of the Rio Grande
AUTHOR NAME: Don Allen Holbrook
PUBLISHER NAME: Two Knights One Horse
FULL BOOK TITLE: Moss
AUTHOR NAME: Joe Pace
PUBLISHER NAME: Reliquary Press
FULL BOOK TITLE: The Islander
AUTHOR NAME: David W. Berner
PUBLISHER NAME: Outpost19 Books/The Shortish Project
FULL BOOK TITLE: The Silence in the Sound
AUTHOR NAME: Dianne C. Braley
PUBLISHER NAME: Koehler Books
FULL BOOK TITLE: The Year of the Bear
AUTHOR NAME: Douglas J. Lanzo
PUBLISHER NAME: Ambassador International
FULL BOOK TITLE: A PERSISTENT ECHO
AUTHOR NAME: Brian Kaufman
PUBLISHER NAME: Black Rose Writing
FULL BOOK TITLE: Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again
AUTHOR NAME: Roni Rosenthal
PUBLISHER NAME: StoryTime World
FULL BOOK TITLE: Deadly Division
AUTHOR NAME: Nathaniel Sizemore
PUBLISHER NAME: BDI Publishers
FULL BOOK TITLE: The Color of Ice
AUTHOR NAME: Barbara Linn Probst
PUBLISHER NAME: She Writes Press
FULL BOOK TITLE: Hey Jude
AUTHOR NAME: Kathleen Stone
PUBLISHER NAME: Kathleen Stone
FULL BOOK TITLE: MacLeish Sq.
AUTHOR NAME: Dennis Must
PUBLISHER NAME: Red Hen Press
2023 FEATURED AUTHORS
Andrea Hahnfeld
Michelle Kwasniewski
Andrea Hahnfeld
Andrea Hahnfeld is an indie-author who enjoys creating captivating stories. Her debut short story, The Marvelous Misfits of Westminster, and children's book, The Tree and the Girl, were well-received, with the latter being a finalist for the Amazon Kindle Storyteller X Award. Andrea shares insights and tips about the writing process on her blog, reflecting her love of reading and writing. When not writing, she can be found sipping on black coffee, brainstorming her next adventure, or chasing her mischievous cats around the house.
Vincent Howard
Michelle Kwasniewski
Andrea Hahnfeld
Vincent Howard was born in Denver, Colorado. He was raised in San Diego, CA, graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1981. He served in the United States Air Force for over 30 years and was named as one of Arizona's 25 Most Influential African-Americans in 2011. He retired in 2012 as Command Chief Master Sergeant from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. In addition to writing, he loves singing, playing the piano and learning Swahili.
Michelle Kwasniewski
Michelle Kwasniewski
Michelle Kwasniewski
After graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a BA in Technical Theater, Michele Kwasniewski spent over fifteen years in film and television production. Starting out as a film set assistant on movies such as INDEPENDENCE DAY, FACE/OFF, PRIMAL FEAR, and EVITA. Michele eventually switched to the small screen and worked her way up the ladder to production manager, gaining experience on television shows such as BIG BROTHER, ADOPTION STORIES, EXTRA YARDAGE and MEET THE PANDAS. She is also a proud member of the Producers Guild of America. Michele's colorful experiences in the industry inspired her to write THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART series. Michele lives in San Clemente, California with her husband, their son, and their disobedient dachshund.
RISING STAR was awarded Finalist in the category of YOUNG ADULT FICTION for the 2021 BEST BOOK AWARDS and 2022 INTERNATONAL BOOK AWARDS. RISING STAR also was awarded Finalist in the categories of GENERAL FICTION and YOUNG ADULT FICTION in the AMERICAN FICTION AWARDS.
Vy Lien
Joseph Moore
Michelle Kwasniewski
Vy Lien was born in Vietnam and migrated to the United States with her mother at the young age of two. She grew up as an only child with a superhero single mother who set high examples of how to face extreme adversity, persist, and succeed even when having a delicate disposition by nature.
Vy always was interested in human behavior and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at University of California, Riverside. She then obtained double graduate degrees and joined the medical field as a Physician Associate. Aside from work, Vy enjoys everything culinary arts including cooking and eating home cooked food made from scratch, street food, fine dining, and cruise buffets! She also enjoys international traveling, yoga, and writing children’s fiction books.
Now as a single mother herself to a dynamic toddler, she writes her children’s fiction books at night when the lights go out, in the dark, and when her daughter is finally asleep. Vy’s books feature social themes that children face and also incorporate learning lessons, fun, friendship, adventures, and usually a whole lot of food! Vy reflects on the social situations that she faced as a child and writes books in hopes of helping children, including her own, bravely face and conquer social challenges. She is the author of The Nervous Noodle, the first book in the Growing Pains of the Grains series and also of The Spicy Ghost.
Joseph Moore
Joseph Moore
Joseph Moore
MG author Joseph L. Moore has been a storyteller since childhood. His inspiration comes from listening to his parents and their friends on Sunday evenings talk about their times growing up in the church as young kids, their joy reminiscing, and the adventures they had. Joseph wanted to share their rich history and has woven that into his new young adult coming of age novel, The Call of Jeremiah McGill, a historical fiction story with a Christian backdrop.
Joseph believes a good book is one with honesty, that shares the truth of a situation whether good or bad, and one where the reader can find themselves in the story. In The Call of Jeremiah McGill, a young boy is discovering who he is called to be in life. Joseph hopes his young readers come away from his book learning a bit about history and asking questions about Jesus and their own spirituality, and that it starts a conversation that lasts long after the book is closed.
When he isn’t writing spiritual and enlightening books for young adults, Joseph is a musician and singer and enjoys listening to soft worship music as he writes. Having grown up in the church and in faith, Joseph currently serves as a minister of music of House of Prayer, World Outreach Mission. An educator for nine years, Joseph lives in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, south of St. Louis. The Call of Jeremiah McGill is his debut novel.
Mitzy Perdue
Joseph Moore
Joseph Moore
Author, speaker, and businesswoman, Mitzi Perdue holds a BA with honors from Harvard University and an MPA from the George Washington University. She’s a past president of the 40,000-member American Agri-Women, and her television series, Country Magazine, was syndicated to 76 stations.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, her Scripps Howard weekly column, the Environment and You was the most widely-syndicated environmental column in the United States.
Mitzi Perdue’s biography, Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless, tells the story behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and how Hansen entered the Guinness Book of World’s Records for selling half a billion books. The book provides both inspiration and encouragement for readers to make the most of their gifts.
She has an interesting lens through which to view Mark’s success. Her father was the president and co-founder of the Sheraton Hotel Chain and her husband was the chicken magnate, Frank Perdue. As someone who’s fascinated by people being all they can be, Mitzi studied what factors Mark had in common with these two mega successful men.
Every penny of the royalties from Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless will go to support anti-trafficking efforts in Ukraine.
Barbara Linn Probst
Barbara Linn Probst
Barbara Linn Probst
Barbara Linn Probst is an award-winning, Amazon best-selling author of contemporary women’s fiction living on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her acclaimed novels Queen of the Owls (2020) and The Sound Between the Notes (2021) were gold and silver medalists for prestigious national awards, including the Sarton Award for Women’s Fiction and the Nautilus Book Award. The Sound Between the Notes, recipient of a starred Kirkus review, was selected as one of the Best Indie Books of 2021. Her third novel, The Color of Ice, was released in October.
Barbara has also published over sixty essays on the craft of writing for sites such as Jane Friedman and Writer Unboxed, and given workshops and webinars for writing organizations and conferences including the Kauai Writers Conference online, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Writer Unboxed, Jane Friedman, and Story Circle Network. She also holds a PhD in clinical social work and is the author of two nonfiction books and numerous professional articles. Learn more on her website: www.BarbaraLinnProbst.com
Ron Rohrbaugh
Barbara Linn Probst
Barbara Linn Probst
Ron Rohrbaugh is a professional conservation scientist and author who spent more than 25 years at Cornell University and the National Audubon Society. Ron got his love of nature through hunting, fishing, birding, and camping in the backwoods of Pennsylvania. His recent works include A Traditional Bowhunter’s Path and LIVING WILD with the Orions, an adventure/historical fiction book series that uses storytelling to teach kids and adults about nature, history, wilderness living, wild food, hunting, and more. Ron’s goal is to engage kids in exciting outdoor adventure and historical fiction that will make them want to jump out of bed to build a shelter in the backyard or get curious about the Native People who lived where they do now. Ron travels the country full-time in an RV with his family, where he’s on a mission to help save wild places, share wild food, and be every child’s gateway to nature. Don’t be alarmed if you see a family toting longbows through a campground, it’s probably Ron! Say hello and join in for some outdoor fun! Please visit www.livingwildmedia.com
Nathaniel Sizemore
Barbara Linn Probst
Nathaniel Sizemore
Nathaniel Sizemore is a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School, where he served as an Associate Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. After practicing at a large law firm in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, he returned to Cincinnati, Ohio, to work in his family’s business. Nathaniel lives in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, with his wife and three children. Visit his website at
CBI BOOK OF THE YEAR
FULL BOOK TITLE: “Echo” Book One: LIVING WILD with the Orions
AUTHOR NAME: Ron Rohrbaugh, Jr.
PUBLISHER NAME: KDP
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 2023 CBI WINNERS AND FINALISTS!
Congratulations comes with the best wishes for the new adventures ahead.
FEATURED PUBLISHER: LIBRATUM PRESS
WE THE PRESIDENTS: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century
WE THE PRESIDENTS: How American Presidents Shaped the Last Century is not a traditional presidential history. Written by former tech CEO Ronald Gruner, this history is born out of his interest in understanding how and when American politics transitioned from merely polarized to openly hostile. Beginning with Warren G. Harding in 1921 and ending with Donald Trump in 2021, Gruner examines not a single presidency but instead the development of the presidency through a century of administrations. His experience as a CEO produces a very different view of presidential history. Instead of political power, Gruner concentrates on the economic and social accomplishments over seventeen presidencies inter-connecting American history.
Growing up in Oklahoma and then living most of his adult life in Massachusetts, Gruner questioned how Americans had lost the common thread of Presidents over the last century working to build an America that represented and benefitted all. His goal was to write a history of the last century devoid of politics, political battles, and behind-the-scenes intrigue. Instead, readers will find a history of what impacted Americans and their economic well-being. WE THE PRESIDENTS discusses economic growth, personal income, income equality and taxation during each presidency and the influence those policies had through the decades on the American way of life.
About Ronald Gruner
Ronald Gruner’s experience as an accomplished executive has resulted in a different breed of presidential history. Gruner founded and served as chief executive of three successful technology firms during his long career. Taken from his business experience, WE THE PRESIDENTS focuses on results rather than politics; on economics rather than ideology, and on the interconnections linking presidential administrations rather than isolated presidencies.
WHY US?
2023 AWA CATEGORIES
2023 AWA CATEGORIES
Welcome to AmericanWritingAwards.com. Our website and contests are grassroots creations built with the purpose of providing an avenue of recognition and pride for authors and publishers all over the world. Our goal each year is to be the most inclusive and influential award competition available to authors and publishers worldwide. The awards and services offered through our popular website are perfect promotional vessels to help launch careers, open markets, and compete on the global stage. The American Writing Awards team is ALWAYS here to support you, answer any questions, and provide a most fulfilling experience in whatever contest or service you decide to take advantage of. Our contests are unique as they offer small presses, academic presses, micro presses, self-publishers, and even "Big 5" publishers and authors a chance to compete in the same arena for the same prize, entry fees are kept low--well below the industry standard for competitions of a similar caliber, there are multiple categories for entry--any author or publisher can nominate one or more of their books for an award, in multiple categories--a full list of American Writing Awards categories can be found below or on page 3 of the entry form, unpublished manuscripts are allowed entry--a great way to increase your book’s chances of future publishing offers, and all entrants submit their book digitally, as a PDF or eBook--avoiding the expenses and headaches of traditional mail. Our team of expert judges--Industry Professionals, Authors, College Professors--assesses your work in a fair and competent manner. Entries are judged based on multiple writing skills, which include an author's story-telling ability, transitions, hooks, pacing, character development, dialogue, grammar, punctuation, and overall impact. We are your chance to get noticed and we are dedicated to awarding excellence. You’ve put tremendous time and energy into your work--by winning our awards, you permanently build your credibility as an established author. Sign up now and get your work the attention it deserves.
*Did you know? The American Writing Awards has THREE unique categories for OLDER books?--the Legacy Fiction, Legacy Nonfiction, and Legacy Children's Book categories accept books older than four years. Give your timeless book a chance at an award.
*Did you know? Finalists from previous years can enter the AWAs. Give your book a second shot at greatness.
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2023 AWA CATEGORIES
2023 AWA CATEGORIES
2023 AWA CATEGORIES
OFFICIAL 2023 AWA CATEGORIES
Did you know? The American Writing Awards has THREE unique categories for OLDER books?--the Legacy Fiction, Legacy Nonfiction, and Legacy Children's Book categories accept books older than four years. Give your timeless book a chance at an award.
Did you know? Finalists from previous years can enter. Give your book a second shot at greatness.
Check out our NEW full list of categories.
· Animals/Pets – General
· Anthologies – Non-Fiction
· Art
· Autobiography/Memoirs
· Best Cover Design – Fiction
· Best Cover Design – Non-Fiction
· Best New (Debut) Fiction
· Best New (Debut) Non-Fiction
· Biography – General
· Business – General
· Business – Entrepreneurship & Small Business
· Business – Management & Leadership
· Business - Motivational
· Business – Personal Finance/Investing
· Business – Sales
· Children’s Educational
· Children's Fiction
· Children's Interactive
· Children's Non-Fiction
· Children’s Picture Book
· Children's Religious
· Cookbooks
· Education/Academic
· Fiction – General
· Fiction – Anthologies
· Fiction – Fantasy
· Fiction – Historical
· Fiction – Horror
· Fiction – Inspirational
· Fiction – LGBTQ Fiction
· Fiction – Multicultural
· Fiction – Mystery/Suspense
· Fiction – New Age Fiction
· Fiction – Novelette (7,500 to 17,500 words)
· Fiction – Novella (17,500 to 40,000 words)
· Fiction – Religious
· Fiction – Romance
· Fiction – Science Fiction
· Fiction – Thriller/Adventure
· Fiction – Women's Fiction
· Fiction – Young Adult
· Health – Addiction and Recovery
· Health – Death and Dying
· Health – Diet and Exercise
· Health – General
· History – General
· History – Military
· History – United States
· Home & Garden
· Humor/Comedy/Satire
· Law
· Legacy – Children’s Book
· Legacy - Fiction
· Legacy - Non-Fiction
· LGBTQ – Non-Fiction
· Multicultural Non-Fiction
· Non-Fiction – Narrative
· Parenting & Family
· Performing Arts – Film, Theater, Dance, Music
· Photography
· Poetry – Anthologies
· Poetry - Contemporary
· Poetry – General
· Poetry – Narrative
· Poetry - Religious
· Political - Fiction
- Political - Non-Fiction
· Religion
· Self-Help
· Social Change
· Spirituality
· Sports
· Travel
· True Crime – Non-Fiction
· Young Adult – Non-Fiction
· Western
· Women's Issues
SUCCESS STORIES
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
"Getting a positive review from americanwritingawards.com was great for my book. It opened doors to the media attention that previously didn't exist, gave me instant credibility as an author, provided an avenue for awards, and...it increased sales. My awards and review are just the beginning of the many ways my small investment with americanwritingawards.com is paying off."
Craig Ohlau, author of The Sons of Chester and Kings of the County League
COURAGE AND DREAMS
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
"Still on Cloud 9 about having my book selected as WINNER of one of the three History categories by the 2022 American Writing Awards. The amazing story of the C.R. Patterson and Sons Company—the first Black automobile manufacturers—is taking me places that I never could have imagined. I can’t wait to share the story on the big screen."
Christopher Nelson, author of The C.R. Patterson and Sons Company: Black Pioneers in the Building Industry, 1865-1939
THANK YOU
RECOGNITION LEADS TO EXPOSURE
THANK YOU
"I feel honored to have been chosen as a Hawthorne Prize shortlister, especially with my novel being about a young Filipino-American girl, as in not super mainstream. It speaks volumes about the respect that your judging panel has for diversity in stories and in writers. I am so grateful for this opportunity!"
Maritza Refuerzo, Author of Groovy Girl
SMALL SAMPLE OF OUR DIVERSE LIST OF AWARD-WINNING PUBLISHERS
