Photo: L to R; Top Row: Bajaj, Goodman, Cobb, McIlvain. Row 2: Youn, Mullen, Wright, Dennis, Garcia. Row 3: Burkey & Breakfield, Peyton, Toalson, Daily. Row 4: Barrs, Anderson, Jones, Boehm. Row 5: Lanier, Garza, Novales, Dunlap. 

Since our last Texas Authors’ Awards Roundup, we’ve learned of even more awards and accolades that have been showered upon Texas authors. Way to represent literary Texas! 

AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS: 

Jessica Lee Anderson’s Naomi Nash series received the Gold Award for Best Chapter Book Series from the 2023 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. 

Varsha Bajaj's THIRST was the middle grade category winner of the South Asia Book Award, given annually by the University of Wisconsin. 

ML Barrs’s essay, “Confessing Ain’t Easy,” was the winner in the Adult Non-Fiction category in the San Francisco Writers Conference Contest. The SFWC will publish an anthology of all the winners and finalists in December.  

Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey’s ENIGMA TRACER earned 2nd place Thriller/Suspense, and THE KILLER ENIGMA earned 2nd place in Mystery/Cozy in the Fall 2023 BookFest Awards. 

Diann Floyd Boehm’s BOOMER, THE CURIOUS BUNNY earned 3rd place in the Children & Animal Books category of the Fall 2023 BookFest Awards. 

Julia Daily was the winner in the Family Saga category of the American Book Fest  2023 American Fiction Awards for her novel, THE FIFTH DAUGHTER OF THORN RANCH.  

James R. Dennis’s poetry collection, LISTENING DEVICES, won the Poetry: Religious category of the American Book Fest 2023 International Book Awards. 

Sydney Dunlap won the Gold Medal in the Pre-Teen Fiction/Mature Issues category of the 2023 Moonbeam Awards for her book, IT HAPPENED ON SATURDAY.  

Rose Garcia won 2nd place in the Young Adult-Fantasy/Sci-Fi category of the 2023 PenCraft Book Awards for her book, FAE AWAY. 

Jeff Lanier’s FOR THE MINDS AND WILLS OF MEN earned second place in the Fiction-Intrigue category of the 2023 PenCraft Book Awards. 

Chris Mullen’s ROWDY~TO CATCH A KILLER was named winner in the Western category of the American Book Fest 2023 American Fiction Awards. His book ROWDY~RESCUE was named a finalist. 

Keka Novales won 2nd place in the Children-Mystery & Wonders category of the 2023 PenCraft Book Awards for her book, HOLA, LOLA! LOLA AND THE TOOTH FAIRY MOUSE MYSTERY.  

Pamela Wright won the Sweet Romance Category of the Faith, Hope, & Love Christian Writers 2023 FHLRCA Reader’s Choice Award for her book, FINDING HER AMISH HOME. 

AWARD FINALISTS: 

Cristina Rivera Garza is a finalist in Nonfiction for the 2023 National Book Awards for her work, LILIANA’S INVINCIBLE SUMMER. 

Tracey Rose Peyton is on the shortlist for The Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize for her novel, NIGHT WHEREVER WE GO. 

Rachel Patton Toalson’s THE FIRST MAGNIFICENT SUMMER was longlisted for BookPal’s Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) awards. 

Monica Youn is a finalist in Poetry for the 2023 National Book Awards and for her book,  FROM FROM: POEMS, which was also longlisted for the 2023 Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize.  

The Chanticleer International Book Awards 2023 Laramie Book Awards Long List for Americana Fiction included these Texas authors: 

Thomas Goodman—THE LAST MAN: A NOVEL OF THE 1927 SANTA CLAUS BANK ROBBERY 

KS Jones—CHANGE OF FORTUNE, and TASTEFULLY TEXAS 

Julia Brewer Daily—THE FIFTH DAUGHTER OF THORN RANCH 

Myra Hargrave McIlvain—THE KNOTTED RING 

OTHER ACCOLADES: 

May Cobb’s book, THE HUNTING WIVES, will soon be a television series by the STARZ Network.