It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the author-editor pair announcement!
Drum roll please…
Winners
BLOODFLOWER - K.J. Harrowick - @KJHarrowick
Adult Science Fantasy
Editor: Carly -Bornstein-Hayward @fromcarly
Ecologist Jàden wields starship fuel like magic, marking her as a dangerous weapon. When she wakes from 4000 years of hypersleep on a terraformed moon, she’s determined to find her reincarnated lover and escape to the stars.
THE SAVAGE WAY by Rebecca Wilcox - @Wilcox_RL
Adult Science Fiction
Editor: Elizabeth Buege @ekbuege
Ex-sniper Ryoko sees her asteroid-mining ship as the perfect place to raise her young daughter and their sentient AIs in peace. But when aliens kidnap her and her crew, imprisoning them in a deadly militia research lab, she'll have to pick up her rifle and face the trauma of her past if any of them are to have a future.
ANHINGA by Alex Gotay - @magellenkay
Adult Horror
Editor: Jeni Chappelle @jenichappelle
When murder upends Penny's life, she takes refuge with a pair of tragic cousins in the mysterious Gallagher House, where a lurking evil threatens to devour her. 1922 Crimson Peak X Carmilla.
CASCADIA by Avery Brown - @brn_avery7
Adult Dystopian/Thriller
Editor: Tera Cuskaden @TeraCus
When Keisha was offered a criminal rehab diversion program on a private island rather than an extended stay in prison, she knew there would be "strings" attached. But even she was surprised by the sadist predilections of Sesian, her program sponsor with more power than god. When an advocacy group contacts her for help, Keisha must choose between relative safety with a monster, or fighting against him for justice.
BURNING CAINE by Janet Oppedisano - @JanetOppedisano
Adult Romantic Suspense
Editor: Miranda Darrow @Miranda_Darrow
Claims adjuster investigating a fatal house fire hires a sexy Italian art conservator to authenticate the charred remains of a million-dollar painting. Or was it a forgery? Secrets, murder, and passions catch fire in this romantic suspense.
A YEAR WITH MR. BITTER GOURD by Sophia Zhang - @yuchiverse
YA Contemporary
Editor: Tiffany Grimes @theqtiffany
Growing up faithless and Asian American in the South is hard enough, but 17yo Melanie also has to deal with her parents' constant fighting. When a stranger's promise of escape spirals into abuse, Melanie must choose between saving her first love and saving herself.
VIOLET MOON by Kayla Maurais - @kayla_maurais
YA Sci-Fi
Editor: Natasha Hanova @NatashaHanova
Timber fails his Coming of Age ceremony and is sent back in time where another failure could mean the annihilation of a planet and his crew.
THE UNTITLED by L. Jo. King - @jokingwriter
YA Fantasy
Editor: Bethany Hensel @bethanyhensel13
Some destinies can't be denied. Others need rewritten entirely. This ain't your grandmother's damsel. asexuality + satire + island of misfit toys. Princess Bride if Buttercup saved the day.
HARDWIRED by Becca Taylor (RR Taylor) - @RRTwriting
Adult Romantic Suspense
Editor: Holly Ingraham @holly_ingraham
When P.I. Jake Hardington and Detective Larkin Hardroe are forced to work together, unwanted sparks between them risk Larkin’s job and possibly Jake’s life. Together they’ll have shoot and sneak their way through crime bosses, serial killers, dirty cops and the mob with the hope of finding some hard-won love, if they don’t shoot each other first.
CIRCUIT by Madelyn Knecht - @MadelynKnecht
YA Sci-Fi
Editor: Megan Manzano @Megan_Manzano
FMA x Crier's War: Conscripted into a war he never wanted to be a part of, Circuit is assigned to fix the volatile (and handsome?) bot, Asher. When he discovers he has powers that challenge the government, he must work with Asher to get revenge on his creators and to survive.
AN ARSONIST'S GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL by Mackenzie Reed - @mackenziemreed7
YA Thriller
Editor: Katie McCoach @katiemccoach
17-yr-old Izzy found her calling in the family business: professional arsonists. But when she burns down the home of her crush—and almost his mother along with it—she wonders who actually hired her for the job and if she was set up to commit murder.
PAPER GIRL by Laura Wareck - @LauraMWareck
YA Mystery
Editor: Kyra Nelson @kyramnelson
Aspiring reporter Leona's latest scoop gets personal when she receives a new lead on her father's murderer. Veronica Mars x Little White Lies
THE MANY GHOSTS OF MAGNI LAMONT by Maggie Derrek - @MaggieDerrick
YA Paranormal
Editor: Michelle Rascon @editorrascon
When teen witch Magni offers to help her crush figure out why she's being haunted, she uncovers a secret that's far worse than the relentless spirit stalking their every move.
SANA'S SUITORS by Noreen - @naziaso
Adult Women's Fiction
Editor: Megan Records @meganrecords
Tired of her family's matchmaking over chai and chats, Sana decides to follow her heart, only to have it lead her in two directions: a cute barista and a sexy coworker.
LOVING TROUBLE by Sarah Storin - @SarahStorin
Adult Contemporary Romance
Editor: Heidi Shoham @heidishoham
Morgan may no longer be the trouble-making teen she used to be, but when she returns home to Montana, she finds herself in trouble with the sheriff--her very grown-up teen crush, whose family and hers are entwined by tragedy and small-town secrets.
UNLOCK THE NIGHT by Sasa Hawk - @SasaHawk
YA Fantasy
Editor: Maria Tureaud @Maria_Tureaud
Siphoning magic from her half-dead father, Elia does what she must to keep the family store open. Until a customer asks the impossible--craft a magical door to end a war. Simple, except that door opens to a forbidden world...where Elia is wanted for genocide.
EVERNIGHT by Jessica Grossman - @jessica_13212
YA Fantasy
Editor: Hannah VanVels @hannahvanvels
A fae prince devises a sadistic contest: 13 enter the palace on the solstice, and the one who brings the hearts of the other 12 contenders “wins” the prize as his consort. Raegan risks death to twist the rules, as who could expect a fae to lie?
Runners-Up
Carly Bornstein-Hayward's pick
THEIR KEEPERS by Tara Rajan - @naintararajan
YA Fantasy
Elizabeth Buege's pick:
THE SAGA OF MOUNTAIN, EARTH, & SEA by E.P. Larsson - @E_P_LWB
Adult Fantasy
Jeni Chappelle's pick:
DURGA by Geetha Krishnan - @ormakal
Adult Fantasy
Tera Cuskaden's pick:
CINDERS OF YESTERDAY by Jen Karner - @Articulatedream
Adult Contemporary Fantasy
Miranda Darrow's pick:
GIVEN BEAUTY FOR ASHES by Toyin Adekola - @ToyinAdekola1
Adult Women's Fiction
Tiffany Grimes's pick:
CUTE MUTANTS by SJ Whitby - @sjwhitbywrites
YA Fantasy
Natasha Hanova's pick:
HAVE WE MET by Camille Baker - @camilliemill
Adult Contemporary Romance
Bethany Hensel's pick:
HEY, BLACK GIRL by Nicole Knight-Justice - @nknightjustice
Adult Literary
Holly Ingraham's pick:
GOING CUCKOO, GROWING RICH by Anu Roy - @anu_roy
Adult Women's Fiction
Megan Manzano's pick:
HOLLOW HILL by Brandon Reed - @Brandon_ReedS
YA Speculative
Katie McCoach's pick:
THE COWARD'S DAUGHTER by R.E. Singer - @RSingerWriting
YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Kyra Nelson's pick:
THE JOURNEY WE SHARE by Suneil Kamath - @SuneilKamath
YA Contemporary
Michelle Rascon's pick:
MIDNIGHT OFFERINGS by Rachel Hailey - @Rachel_Hailey
Adult Urban Fantasy
Megan Records's pick:
STORMSONG by Ariana Celeste - @ariana__celeste
Adult Fantasy
Heidi Shoham's pick:
A HEARTBEAT AWAY FROM YOU by Ann M. Miller - @annmillerauthor
YA Contemporary Romance
Maria Tureaud's pick:
ETCHED IN GLASS by Miki Hua - @mikihuawrites
YA Fantasy
Hannah VanVels's pick:
WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF? by Tommy Delk - @tommywrites
YA Thriller