Outstanding Creator Awards
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Outstanding Creator Awards 
Spring 2023 Results


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OVERALL WINNERS
(Medalists)


Outstanding Creator Award for
Best Fiction Book of Spring 2023


1st Place

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo

“Saving Sophie” Debbie Schrack


2nd Place
​

“The Dagger: The Madigan Chronicles #1” Marieke Lexmond

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo

“Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” Aurora Winter

“A Dream of Shadows” Peter Elliott

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver

“Corruption” Parker Samuels


3rd Place

“Sacred Vengeance” Evangaline Pierce

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe

“Grave Intervention” Shira Shiloah

“The Dirt Bike Detective” Douglas Hoover



Honorable Mentions:

“The Intrepid” Arnie Benn

“The Pirate's Conquest” Charlene Centracchio

“The Last Shadow” Michael Hardy

“The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” Samuel Libraty

“A Machine Divine” Derek Paul

“The Hero Rule” Brandon Hughes




Outstanding Creator Award for
Best Non-Fiction Book of Spring 2023


1st Place

“Start with Collaboration” Lois Sonstegard

“The Stress Book” D. Terrence Foster, MD


2nd Place

“Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864” Fred J. Martin

“SACRED” O'Cyrus

“More Than Just a Pretty Space” Reiko Gomez

“On Sunny Days We Sang” by Jeanette Grunhaus de Gelman


3rd Place

“Badge 149: 'Shots Fired'” Gary Jones

“EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind” Gary S. Berger, MD


“Perception” Different Leaves, Same Roots

Honorable Mentions:

“Saint Bloodbath” Frederick Douglass Reynolds





Outstanding Creator Award for
Best Children's Book of Spring 2023


1st Place
​

“Story Monsters Among Us” Conrad J. Storad

“Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” C. James Sweeney

“Nature Study Buddies” Charlene McIver

“Treasure Isle” Catherine Corcoran

“The Dragon in the Closet” Carolyn Watson-Dubisch


2nd Place

“Kenzie and Bun Bun: First Dance Class” Stephanie Pyles

“Great Big Breath” DW Long

“Mice to Meet You” Sylvia Elba

“Chella Chicken” Travis Shiwji

“Sora Searches for a Song” Once Upon a Dance


“Between the Walls” Tuula Pere

”The Many Questions of Rollie” Cody DeWitt

”Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” Yuqian Wang


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3rd Place

“Mother's Bread Dough” Tuula Pere
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“Finding Joy” Raven Howell

”The Girl Who Loves Lemons” Debbie Vehnekamp

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CATEGORY WINNERS

Outstanding Creator Award for 
Autobiographies, Biographies, and Memoirs


1st Place

“On Sunny Days We Sang” Jeanette Grunhaus de Gelman


2nd Place

“EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind” Gary S. Berger


3rd Place

“SACRED” O’Cyrus



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Historical Fiction


1st Place

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo


2nd Place

“Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” Aurora Winter


3rd Place

“The Pirate’s Conquest” Charlene Centracchio


Honorable Mention:

“Sinful Duty” Philip Burbank Pallette





Outstanding Creator Award for 
Comic Books & Graphic Novels


1st Place

“The Dragon in the Closet” Carolyn Watson-Dubitsch


"Cult Girls" Natalie Grand


2nd Place

“Watch Out! It’s Nolan!” Dark Joseph Ravine
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Outstanding Creator Award for 
Thriller


1st Place

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe

“Corruption” Parker Samuels


2nd Place

“Stumble & Fall” Amy Rivers



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Fantasy


1st Place

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush


2nd Place

“Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” Aurora Winter

“The Dagger” Marieke Lexmond



3rd Place

“Sacred Vengeance” Evangaline Pierce

“A Dream of Shadows” Peter Eliott

“The Magical Tarot Deck” Marieke Lexmond


Honorable Mentions:

“All Grandpas Fish” Jon Coley

“Song of the Sea” Meredith Burton

“Greedy as a Ghoul” Casey Sutton






Outstanding Creator Award for 
Steampunk


1st Place

“A Machine Divine” Derek Paul



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Business



1st Place

“Start with Collaboration” Lois Sonstegard




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Science-Fiction (Sci-Fi)


1st Place

“The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” Samuel Libraty


2nd Place

“The Intrepid” Arnie Benn


3rd Place

“A Machine Divine” Derek Paul

“The Cat Who Fell to Earth” Nick Korolev



Honorable Mention:

​“Diaspora” J.P. Ozuna




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Romance


1st Place

“Saving Sophie” Debbie Schrack


2nd Place

“Valiance” Vaness Caraveo

“A Compromising Position” Diane Merrill-Wigginton

“The Pirate’s Conquest” Charlene Centracchio


3rd Place

“Blood Relations” Glenn Stevens

“Sinful Duty” Philip Burbank Pallette



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Drama


1st Place

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo

“Saving Sophie” Debbie Schrack

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush


2nd Place

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver


3rd Place

“The Billionaire’s List” Cortney Donelson



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Comedy / Humor


1st Place

“Teeth & Crumpets” Joel Shoemaker



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Middle Grade Books


1st Place

“The Dragon in the Closet” Carolyn Watson-Dubisch


2nd Place

“Watch Out! It’s Nolan!” Dark Joseph Ravine

“Sora Searches for a Song” Once Upon a Dance


3rd Place

“Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” Michael Dow



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Illustrated & Picture Books 


1st Place

“Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver, Illustrated by Claudia Gadotti

“You Can Fly, Little Bird” by Tuula Pere, Illustrated by Alexandra Burda

“Mice to Meet You” by Sylvia Elba


2nd Place

“Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” C. James Sweeney

”Kenzie and Bun Bun: First Dance Class” by Stephanie Pyles, Illustrated by Maru Salem-Vargas

“Sora Searches for a Song” by Once Upon a Dance, Illustrated by Scott Partridge


3rd Place

“Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji, Illustrated by Deborah Bello

“The Dragon in the Closet” by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

”Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” by Michael Dow, Illustrated by Kylie Yoshida

“Cult Girls” Natalie Grand


Honorable Mentions:

“Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” by Yuqian Wang

”The Girl Who Loves Lemons” by Debbie Vehnekamp

”Treasure Isle” by Catherine Corcoran, Illustrated by Natalie Lundeen

“Story Monsters Among Us” Conrad J. Storad




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Health


1st Place

“The Stress Book” D. Terrence Foster, MD

2nd Place

“Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” Michael Dow




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Audiobooks


1st Place

“Sora Searches for a Song” Once Upon a Dance


2nd Place

"The Dirt Bike Detective" Douglas Hoover


"The Beast in the Shadows" Douglas Hoover




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Magic & Wizardry


1st Place

“The Dagger” Marieke Lexmond

“Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” Aurora Winter


2nd Place

“The Dragon in the Closet” Carolyn Watson-Dubisch
​


3rd Place

“The Magical Tarot Deck” Marieke Lexmond




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Crime Fiction


1st Place

“Corruption” Parker Samuels


2nd Place

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe

“The Hero Rule” Brandon Hughes


3rd Place

“Sinful Duty” Philip Burbank Pallette




Outstanding Creator Award for 
True Crime


1st Place

“Badge 149- ‘Shots Fired’” Gary Jones


2nd Place

“Saint Bloodbath” Frederick Douglass Reynolds



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Religion


1st Place

“Cult Girls” Natalie Grand



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Self-Help & How-to Books


1st Place

“The Stress Book” D. Terrence Foster, MD

“Start with Collaboration” Lois Sonstengard

“Not Just a Pretty Space” Reiko Gomez




Outstanding Creator Award for
Performing Arts


1st Place

“Sora Searches for a Song” Once Upon a Dance




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Time Travel


1st Place
“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo

2nd Place

“The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” Samuel Libraty



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Christian Fiction


1st Place

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo

“Sacred Vengeance” Evangaline Pierce


2nd Place

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Poetry


1st Place

“SACRED” O’Cyrus


2nd Place

“Perception” Different Leaves, Same Roots


3rd Place

“From Peacock Lane” Emily Evans




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Suspense


1st Place

“A Compromising Position” Diane Merrill-Wigginton

2nd Place

“Stumble & Fall” Amy Rivers




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Action & Adventure


1st Place

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush


2nd Place

“The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” Samuel Libraty

“Treasure Isle” Catherine Corcoran

“The Last Shadow” Michael Hardy

“The Pirate’s Conquest” Charlene Centracchio

“Sacred Vengeance” Evangaline Pierce


3rd Place

“The Intrepid” Arnie Benn

“Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” Yuqian Wang




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Literary & Contemporary Fiction


1st Place

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo
​

“Saving Sophie” Debbie Schrack

2nd Place

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver

3rd Place

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe 


Honorable Mention:

“Green Glass” Tucker Madison






Outstanding Creator Award for 
Multicultural, Multilingual, and Bilingual Fiction


1st Place

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Women's Fiction & Women's Literature


1st Place

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe

“Sacred Vengeance” Evangaline Pierce


2nd Place

“A Compromising Position” Diane Merrill-Wigginton

“The Billionaire’s List” Cortney Donelson


3rd Place

“Green Glass” Tucker Madison

“Stumble & Fall” Amy Rivers



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Children's Motivational & Inspirational Books


1st Place

“Chella Chicken” Travis Shiwji

“Nature Study Buddies” Charlene McIver

“Between the Walls” Tuula Pere

“Great Big Breath” DW Long

“Kenzie and Bun Bun: First Dance Class” Stephanie Pyles


2nd Place

“Mother’s Bread Dough” Tuula Pere

“You Can Fly, Little Bird” Tuula Pere


3rd Place

“A Special Sweater” Tuula Pere

“Watch Out! It’s Nolan!” Dark Joseph Ravine

“Sora Search for a Song” Once Upon a Dance

“Finding Joy” Raven Howell




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Motivational / Inspirational


1st Place

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Teen & Young-Adult (YA) Fiction


1st Place

“Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” Aurora Winter

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo

“Saving Sophie” Debbie Schrack

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo


2nd Place

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush


3rd Place

“The Dirt Bike Detective” Douglas Hoover

Honorable Mentions:

“The Beast in the Shadows” Douglas Hoover

“Diaspora’ J.P. Ozuna

“A Machine Divine” Derek Hackman




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Sports Fiction


1st Place

“Valiance” Vanessa Caraveo

2nd Place

“A Franklin Girl’s Story: Roses” Dave Mayer



Outstanding Creator Award for 
New Age


1st Place

“More Than Just a Pretty Space” Reiko Gomez




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Aging


Honorable Mention:

“Macleish Sq.” Dennis Must




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Horror


1st Place

“Grave Intervention” Shira Shiloah

2nd Place

“The Last Shadow” Michael Hardy




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Mystery 


1st Place

“Grave Intervention” Shira Shiloah

“Corruption” Parker Samuels

“The Dirt Bike Detective” Douglas Hoover

“The Hero Rule” Brandon Hughes


2nd Place

“Pedaling West” E.A. Coe

“The Billionaire’s List” Cortney Donelson


3rd Place

“The Beast in the Shadows” Douglas Hoover

Honorable Mention:

“Sinful Duty” Philip Burbank Pallette




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Short-Stories/Collections/Anthologies


1st Place

“SACRED” O’Cyrus

“Teeth & Crumpets” Joel Shoemaker

2nd Place

“Perception” Different Leaves, Same Roots


3rd Place

“From Peacock Lane” Emily Evans




Outstanding Creator Award for 
War & Peace


1st Place 

“On Sunny Days We Sang”
Jeanette Grunhaus de Gelman

2nd Place

“Mother’s Bread Dough” Tuula Pere

3rd Place

“Between the Walls” Tuula Pere



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Pets


1st Place

“Finding Joy” Raven Howell


Honorable Mention:

“The Myth of the Drowsy Hollow” Jeanne K. Juhos




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Myths & Legends / Fairy Tales / Mythical Creatures / Cryptids


1st Place

“The Dragon in the Closet” Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

“Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” C. James Sweeney

“Sword Above All” Domenic Melillo


2nd Place

“All Grandpas Fish” Jon Coley

“The Beast in the Shadows” Douglas Hoover


3rd Place

“Song of the Sea” Meredith Burton




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Psychological Fiction


1st Place

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver

2nd Place

“Stumble & Fall” Amy Rivers




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Psychology


1st Place

“The Stress Book” D. Terrence Foster, MD




Outstanding Creator Award for 
Political


1st Place 

“Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Reelection in 1864” Fred J. Martin Jr.



Outstanding Creator Award for 
Speculative and Parallel Reality


Honorable Mention:

“Greedy as a Ghoul” Casey Sutton




Outstanding Creator Award for 
History 


1st Place
​

“Abraham Lincoln’s Path to Reelection in 1864” Fred J. Martin Jr.

“EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind” Gary S. Berger

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SPECIAL AWARDS


* These are fun, less formal awards intended to recognize the unique accomplishments of each work. They are still recognized as Outstanding Creator Awards.



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Book Cover”


Winners:

"Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse" Aurora Winter

“Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver

”Diaspora” by J.P. Ozuna




Honorable Mentions:

“Song of the Sea” by Meredith Burton

"The Magical Tarot Deck" by Marieke Lexmond

"Machine Divine" by Derek Paul
​
"The Dirt Bike Detective" by Douglas Hoover


​


Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Writing (Fiction)” 


Winner: 


“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” David Bush

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Honorable Mention:

“The Little Toy Car” Gabe Oliver

“A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott




Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Writing (Non-Fiction)” 


Winners:

“SACRED” by O'Cyrus


“Start with Collaboration” by Lois Sonstegard


Honorable Mentions:

”On Sunny Days We Sang” by Jeanette Grunhaus de Gelman


”Perception” by Different Leaves, Same Roots



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Research”



Winners:

“On Sunny Days We Sang” by Jeanette Grunhaus de Gelman

“Abraham Lincoln's Path to Reelection in 1864” by Fred J. Martin

“EINSTEIN: The Man and His Mind” by Gary S. Berger, MD


Honorable Mentions:
”Saint Bloodbath” by Frederick Douglass Reynolds

”Badge 149: 'Shots Fired'” by Gary Jones



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best World-Building”


Winners: 

“General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” by David Bush

“A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Elliott



Honorable Mentions: 

“Magic, Mystery, and Multiverse” by Aurora Winter

“The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover

“The Magical Tarot Deck” by Marieke Lexmond

“Greedy as a Ghoul” by Casey Sutton

​

Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Character” 


Winners:

Gene Oliver Dixon from ”The Little Toy Car” by Gabe Oliver

Chella Chicken from “Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji



Honorable Mention:

Vazeer the Lash from ”Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott

Barclay Griffith from ”The Hero Rule” by Brandon Hughes

Carrie Brinkley from”Pedaling West” by E.A. Coe

Gabe & Sophie from “Saving Sophie” by Debbie Schrack

Mallory from “The Millionaire's List” by Cortney Donelson

Nana from ”The Dragon in the Closet” by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

Miaow from ”General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms” by David Bush

Asher Auden from ”Machine Divine” by Derek Paul

Diego from ”Valiance” by Vanessa Caraveo

Chase from ”The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover

Leo from ”Between the Walls” by Tuula Pere

Nurse Florence(R) from ”Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” by Michael Dow

Catherine Lawrence from ”A Compromising Position” by Diane Merrill-Wigginton

Alle from ”Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce

Mother from ”Mother's Bread Dough” by Tuula Pere

Eddy from ”A Special Sweater” by Tuula Pere

Eros from ”Blood Relations” by Glenn Stevens

Kedi & Crystal from ”The Cat Who Fell to Earth” by Nick Korolev

John Proctor from ”Macleish Sq.” by Dennis Must

Griff Hunter from ”Corruption” by Parker Samuels

Kris Hellion & Nadia from ”The Last Shadow” by Michael Hardy

Kate from ”Stumble & Fall” by Amy Rivers

Dr. Amir & Patrick Doyle from”Grave Intervention” by Shira Shiloah

Sadie from ”Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” by C. James Sweeney

Nolan from ”Watch Out! It's Nolan!” by Dark Joseph Ravine

Courtney from ”The Girl Who Loves Lemons” by Debbie Vehnekamp

Malfus from ”Greedy as a Ghoul” by Casey Sutton

Sora from ”Sora Searches for a Song” by Once Upon a Dance

Captain Timothy Lockwood from ”The Pirate's Conquest” by Charlene Centracchio

Grandpa Tom from ”All Grandpas Fish” by Jon Coley

Talia Grey from ”Cult Girls” by Natalie Grand

Aksel Bolt, Dr. Allison Yarrow, and Dr. Kioni Kihumba from ”The Intrepid” by Arnie Benn



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Supporting Character”


Winners:

Margarita from ”Valiance” by Vanessa Caraveo

Cosmos & Tara from ”Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver



Honorable Mentions:

Dad from ”The Many Questions of Rollie” by Cody DeWitt

Agent Jackson from ”Diaspora” by J.P. Ozuna

Nascinthe from ”A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott

Barcarole from ”Song of the Sea” by Meredith Burton

Ana Rahela Balenovic from ”The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover

Eli from ”Macleish Sq.” by Dennis Must

Alan from “Cult Girls” by Natalile Grand

Roman from “Stumble & Fall” by Amy Rivers

John from “Green Glass” by Tucker Madison

Joy from ”Finding Joy” by Raven Howell

Edy from “Watch Out! It's Nolan!” by Dark Joseph Ravine

Gabriel from “Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce

Rebecca from “Valiance” by Vanessa Caraveo

Hank from “Franklin Girl's Story: Roses” by Dave Mayer

Nico from “Machine Divine” by Derek Paul



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Villain”


Winner:

Lucy from “The Dagger” by Marieke Lexmond



Honorable Mentions

Silky, Damien, and Sloan from ”Pedaling West” by E.A. Coe

Crimson Reaper (Whaling Ship) from “Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” by Yuqian Wang

Glissando from “Song of the Sea” by Meredith Burton

Miasma from “Machine Divine” by Derek Paul

Mab from “The Magical Tarot Deck” by Marieke Lexmond

Jacob from “The Little Toy Car” by Gabe Oliver

Linda from “Blood Relations” by Glenn Stevens

Donovan from “Corruption” by Parker Samuels

Moogur from “The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” by Samuel Libraty

Alfredo the Ringmaster from “The Last Shadow” by Michael Hardy

Azazel from “Sword Above All” by Domenic Melillo

Geoffrey Lyndon from “The Pirate's Conquest” by Charlene Centracchio





Outstanding Creator Award for
“Hottest Character”


Winners:

Gabriel from ”Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce

Shoshanna from “The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key” by Samuel Libraty



Honorable Mentions:

Ida & John from ”Green Glass” by Tucker Madison

Stefanie Craig & Grant Stevenson from”Sinful Duty” by Philip Burbank Pallette
 
Dr. Kioni Kihumba from ”The Intrepid” by Arnie Benn

Agent Jackson from ”Diaspora” by J.P. Ozuna

Nascinthe from ”A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott

Crimson Sensor from ”Magic, Mystery, and Multiverse” by Aurora Winter

Jennifer from ”The Pirate's Conquest” by Charlene Centracchio

Eros, Christine, Camellia, Laurie from ”Blood Relations” by Glenn Stevens

Talia Grey, Rosa, and Alan from ”Cult Girls” by Natalie Grand



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Cutest Character”


Winners:

Leigh from  ”Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver

Kenzie from  ”Kenzie and Bun Bun: First Dance Class” by Stephanie Pyles

Ballerina Konora from  ”Sora Searches for a Song ” by Once Upon a Dance



Honorable Mentions:

Quinn from "Great Big Breath" by DW Long

Chella Chicken, Bob, and Dale from “Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji

Joy from “Finding Joy” by  Raven Howell

Jax from “The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover

Zachary from  ”Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” by Aurora Winter

The Dragon from  ”The Dragon in the Closet ” by by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

Baby Whale from  ”Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” by Yuqian Wang

Sadie from  ”Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” by C. James Sweeney

Fritzi, Lola, Mr. Beard, Brom Bones from “The Myth of the Drowsy Hollow” by Jeanne K. Juhos

Mice from "Mice to Meet You" by Sylvia Elba




Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Dynamic Duo”


Winner:

Ana & Zachary from  ”Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” by Aurora Winter



Honorable Mentions:

Oliver & Chase from “The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover

Camila & Gaby from “Diaspora” by J.P. Ozuna



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Couple”


Winner:

Gabe & Sophie from “Saving Sophie” by Debbie Schrack


Honorable Mentions:

Diego & Rebecca from “Valiance” by Vanessa Caraveo

Vazeer & Nascinthe from “A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott

Talia & Alan in “Cult Girls” by Natalie Grand

Oliver & Jax from  ”The Beast in the Shadows” by Douglas Hoover

Kate & Roman from  ”Stumble & Fall” by Amy Rivers

Orin & Lucy from  ”The Dragon in the Closet” by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

Alle & Gabriel from ”Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce




Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Weapon”


Winner:

Sword of Judgment from “Sword Above All” by Domenic Melillo



​

Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Moment”
(WARNING: May contain spoilers)


Winner:

* Gene confronting and punching Jacob after years of abuse shortly after quitting his job and having his guitar cruelly destroyed in “The Little Toy Car” by Gabe Oliver



Honorable Mentions:

* Two families from different sides of a war coexist in a makeshift shelter in  ”Mother's Bread Dough” by Tuula Pere

* Susan's speech from ”Sword Above All” by Domenic Melillo

* The opening scene in ”Magic, Mystery, and the Multiverse” by Aurora Winter

* Patrick Doyle (the ghost's) backstory in “Grave Intervention” by Shira Shiloah

* Leigh photographing the owl in “Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver

* Gabe telling his mother and brother, Josh, off in prison when Josh forgets the names of the people he killed in the car crash (from “Saving Sophie” by Debbie Schrack)

* Cali .vs. Leslie in “A Franklin Girl's Story: Roses” by Dave Mayer

* Taking on the Crimson Reaper and saving the baby whale’s mom in “Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” by Yuqian Wang

* Chella Chicken takes flight after years of trying, being doubted by her siamese cow neighbor, and attending college to learn engineering in “Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Funny & Bizarre Moment(s)”

(WARNING: May contain spoilers)


Winner:

* Sadie Sasquatch passing gas in class on her first day of school in “Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” by C. James Sweeney


Honorable Mentions:

* The lines “I’m glad the shark didn’t eat you” and “a pesky shrimp swimming in the wrong direction” (i.e. choking on a shrimp) from “A Compromising Position” by Diane Merrill-Wigginton

* These lines from “Blood Relations” by Glenn Stevens:
 ”...the woman screams so loud during orgasm the entire floor claps when it's over ”/
“I think it's the venom. I think it turned me into a lesbian” /
“...the minute I bite her I turn her into a lesbian” /
”More Oxytocin means more lesbian, right? ” / 
“Some of the women turn more lesbian”;
Also, why is this book 600+ pages long!?!


* John keeps showing up, randomly saving people like he's Superman in  ”Green Glass” by Tucker Madison. Similarly, Ida keeps saving random people in and out of her hospital, being an absolute saint while also being the prettiest female in town and the best/fastest swimmer. John & Ida are presented as the perfect super-people akin to Superman and Wonder Woman—Gary Stu and a Mary Sue; There are times when it feels like an endless cycle of the two characters saving people, swimming, and almost dying; When you establish that a character does a certain thing frequently/daily, you don’t have to keep showing it, the audience probably gets it already and wants to see advancement/progression; A character feels like they’re dying over and over again to the point where you kinda wish they would so we could get on with the plot (we compared them to Kenny in South Park​)

*  ”General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms ” by David Bush might be the most overwritten book we've ever read; Also, how do the hyenas know what Russian roulette is during the first six days of creation (before Russia exists)?

* Vazeer won't shut up about his harbeen thing and keeps describing it in  ”A Dream of Shadows” by Peter Eliott

* These quotes from “Teeth & Crumpets” by Joel Shoemaker:
“...they'd made it all the way to the third grade. They were survivors.” /
“your ass is significant” 


* Griff keeps making lighthearted comments about his sunburns and his need for sunscreen even in life-and-death situations in ”Corruption” by Parker Samuels

* Oliver's crush on Jax in  ”The Dirt Bike Detective” by Douglas Hoover; Also: Oliver's dislike for Ana Rahela Balenovic, a near-perfect Mary Sue with an inspirational backstory as a refugee from a war-torn country. She is a straight-A student with scholarship offers from Ivy League colleges & recognition from the president himself. She is also sometimes helpful and insightful (especially in “The Beast in the Shadows”) despite the fact that Oliver doesn't want to acknowledge or listen to her.

* We’ve collectively read “Macleish Sq.” by Dennis Must about six times and still aren’t exactly sure what happened in it. Here’s what we comprehended: the elderly main character is dying and returns to his hometown. He meets a boy named Eli who inspires hope in the future generation and reminds him of better days. The two are probably related via a scandalous relationship the MC had. The MC may or may not already be dead/experiencing purgatory or the afterlife with his comatose thoughts constantly interrupted by his favorite literary works, namely Moby Dick by Melville. Macleish Sq. itself might be like the gates of Heaven/Hell or the Bifrost/Rainbow Bridge. The MC views Eli as his “Ishmael” and wants him to figuratively float on his coffin (learn from his life/death) as Ishmael floated on Queeqeg’s coffin and learned from the mistakes of Queeqeg and Ahab. … Or something like that…. To the author’s credit, it’s very surreal and dreamlike.

*  ”The Intrepid” by Arnie Benn is written in present-tense and in a matter-of-fact, scientific manner. This makes it sound like a patient's medical report or case study a lot of the time. 
Also: The name Johnny Bang.

* The notion that JWs believe that exercise is the devil. To be fair, that's most people.
(From “Cult Girls” by Natalie Grand)


* Nana's over-the-top killing-spree in “The Dragon in the Closet” by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch; Also: The dragon needing to flash-fry and eat other animals constantly; Also: “Nana, are you a witch?”

* Moogur being Moogur in "The Time Agents: Search for the Leon Key" by Samuel Libraty


* In “Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” the students seem to randomly ask Nurse Florence(R) about how people grow without any real provocation, inciting incident, or motivation besides just being spontaneously curious about this specific topic (for some reason). It was somewhat established that they were interested in taking higher-level science courses, but why this specific topic? It would have made more sense if it had been established that one of them was experiencing puberty or had gotten into bodybuilding (or something along those lines). 

* These lines from  ”Saving Sophie ” by Debbie Schrack:
“...they sell out faster than Trojans on prom night” /
“And let's face it no one can sit on one of these chairs for longer than ten minutes without getting hemorrhoids.”/  ”We walk to the door slowly, hand in hand, while Joe [the dog] sniffs around and pees on some bushes. ” / 
”She stops and stares at me. Her expression goes blank. I wonder if she's going to have a seizure but Joe's just lying on the rug licking his crotch. ”


* Dennis in  ”The Cat Who Fell to Earth ” by Nick Korolev being a stereotypical right-wing, climate-change-denying, religious bigot who somehow comes to admire the wonders of Wicca after finding his partner’s Wicca book and meeting an alien. Also: Most religions are treated like dogmatic, inferior belief systems that blind people to the truth, however, Wicca is treated like the greatest, truest, most eye-opening belief system ever. This might’ve worked if it didn't completely contradict the earlier point and the narrative’s constant insistence that it’s trying to be objective.

* The animals in “The Myth of the Drowsy Hollow” by Jeanne K. Juhos trying to nicely tell Fritzi (the bird) that he’s too short and fat to play Ichabod, a tall and skinny character; Also: This book would’ve made so much more sense if it were just written in prose as a short-story or novel. It was so hard to tell the different characters apart and what the plot was supposed to be in script format; Also: The animal characters talk about each other as if we already know all of this intimate, personal information about each and every one of them (but we don’t), which causes a great deal of confusion while reading; a lot of this information is something that only the owner of the animals probably knows or is aware of, leaving fresh eyes/new readers in the dark-–another reason why prose would’ve worked better because it would’ve given the author an opportunity to explain more of the context behind each animal character.

* Alle talking and acting like she's 12-years-old in “Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce; Also: Tireless, teen-like thirsting for Gabriel, Alle’s “too-gorgeous, totally off-limits guardian angel”

* Camila & Gaby in “Diaspora” by J.P. Ozuna talking like they're toddlers, being compared to toddlers (by the narrator), yet occasionally breaking out in expletives like drunk adults who just returned from an active warzone; Also: The expletive-filled rant about genders—which is supposed to be a profound, eye-opening moment—just seems to come out of left field and seems completely unearned/undeserved; Also: Both boyfriends act like mindless drones 90% of the time and always conveniently appear together (for some reason) doing little to nothing other than waiting on their girlfriends, telling them how "hot" they are and how good a job they're both doing. We compared them to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Hamlet because they have names yet are completely interchangeable and don't really have to exist for the plot to happen. The one time any of the boyfriends does something remotely resembling having a will, Camila has a complete meltdown and gives her aforementioned rant about men and women.

* Mab's over-the-top orgy in “The Magical Tarot Deck” by Marieke Lexmond

* Poor Bob & Dale are implied to have been turned into ground beef in “Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji

* The line “He's not dead, I felt it” from “The Pirate's Conquest” by Charlene Centracchio

* Commas in random places in “Mice to Meet You” by Sylvia Elba




Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Illustrated”


Winner:

“Nature Study Buddies” by Charlene McIver, Illustrated by Claudia Gadotti

“You Can Fly, Little Bird” by Tuula Pere, Illustrated by Alexandra Burda

​
“Mice to Meet You” by Sylvia Elba



Honorable Mentions:

“Cult Girls” by Natalie Grand, Illustrated by Cassandre Bolan

“Sadie Sasquatch Goes to School” by C. James Sweeney, Illustrated by The Ople

“Chella Chicken” by Travis Shiwji, Illustrated by Deborah Bello

“The Dragon in the Closet” by Carolyn Watson-Dubisch

“Sora Searches for a Song” by Once Upon a Dance, Illustrated by Scott Partridge

”Nurse Florence(R), How Do We Grow?” by Michael Dow, Illustrated by Kylie Yoshida

”Kenzie and Bun Bun: First Dance Class” by Stephanie Pyles, Illustrated by Maru Salem-Vargas

”The Girl Who Loves Lemons” by Debbie Vehnekamp

“Mira and the Lost Baby Whale” by Yuqian Wang

”Treasure Isle” by Catherine Corcoran, Illustrated by Natalie Lundeen



Outstanding Creator Award for
“Best Quote”


Winner:

”Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

- Albert Einstein in  ”EINSTEIN: The Man and his Mind” by Gary S. Berger, MD


Honorable Mention:

”Like a beautifully balanced meal, bitterness enhanced the sweetness.”

- From ”Sacred Vengeance” by Evangaline Pierce

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