The Crime Fiction Indie Gold Awards today announced the winners of its inaugural contest recognizing outstanding independent authors in the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres. The Indie Gold Awards celebrates emerging and established indie writers from around the world who are producing compelling crime fiction outside traditional publishing channels.
Taking the Grand Prize for Contest #1 are Nancy Merritt Bell and Michael McKinley for their spy thriller The Glamour of Evil. The novel introduces Maddie Lynch, a Vatican spy in a new thriller series inspired by the mystery and intrigue surrounding the Vatican and its secret intelligence operations.
Bell and McKinley, a wife-and-husband writing team, bring extensive creative backgrounds to the project. Bell is an editor and author, while McKinley is a film producer and author of more than twenty books.
“Independent writers are producing some of the most exciting work in crime fiction today,” said James Dain, founder and sponsor of the Indie Gold Awards. “Our judges were impressed by the creativity, passion, and storytelling talent demonstrated by the authors in our first contest. We’re proud to shine a spotlight on these writers and help them gain recognition with readers.”
Gold Finalists
The following authors were named Gold Finalists for Contest #1:
- Seth C. Kadish — Murderers Row
- Andrea Barton — The Man in the Dam
- Tessa Silverberg — Fresh Love and Rotting Grey
- Julie Warmke-Robitaille — Family Ties
- Astrid Elisabeth Guaaker — The Village Phantom
- Pamela Rose Gardner Scee — Sister Mary’s Angels
- Stephanie Abbott — London Blue
- Willow Healy — The Nine Tailed Fox
- Bryan Alaspa — Echo Protocol
- Marlene Bell — Lies to Forever
Silver Finalists
Silver Finalists include:
- Julie Warmke-Robitaille — You Think You Know
- Lynda McDaniel — Up the Creek
- T. B. Ross — Thunderclap
- Caleb Ford — What Lies Through Smoke
- Kay Brooks — Mirror Image
- Mercedes Shupe — Desert of Guilt
- Albert R. Bender — Her Time Was Up
- Dust Kunkel — Fly Stone Fly
- Nick Matsas — Midnight Son
- Caleb Ford — Smoke & Mettle
Bronze Finalists
Bronze Finalists include:
- Rosa Christian — Escape to Danger
- John J. Domina — Good Flyers
- Devon Walsh — Challenger
- Adityaelango A — Aira-aj Academy
- Tiphanie Huber — Slay a Vampire
- Michael Allen Scott — Breakfast of Scorpions
- Craig Wilson — Append Logger
- Rick L. Brown — Two Lands
- Michael Francis Noonan — Monster of the Deep
- Rasa Christian — Ruth in Pieces
Entries were evaluated by an international panel of judges including award-winning authors Joslyn Chase and Karmen Špiljak, both recognized voices in modern suspense and crime fiction.
“The indie publishing world is exploding with talent,” said Dain. “One of our goals is to give hardworking authors recognition they can proudly use in marketing their books and reaching new readers.”
The Crime Fiction Indie Gold Awards celebrates excellence in independent mystery, thriller, and suspense writing. Founded by bestselling author James Dain, the awards aim to highlight outstanding indie authors and provide valuable promotional recognition within the rapidly growing independent publishing community.
The Indie Gold Awards contest #2 is now open and accepting submissions.
