The winners of the 2020 Writers’ League of Texas (WLT) Manuscript Contest are:

GENERAL FICTION

WINNER

White Feathers by Claire Mitchell

FINALISTS

TailFins by Hamilton Beazley

Sisters of the Cloth by Monique Danye

The Astronomer and Her Daughter by Erin McGuff-Pennington

The Songs of Keni James by Lee Reed

Naylor in the Coffin by Rust Strong

How to Measure Things No One Can See by M.C. Williams

NONFICTION (GENERAL NONFICTION & MEMOIR)

WINNER (General Nonfiction)

Corrected by Maria Timm

WINNER (Memoir)

Little Dove by Julie Gray

FINALISTS

Baby Rocker: Life and Death in the NICU by Cathy Chapaty

Tender the Dark by Grace Lightfoot Chairez

I've Seen You Naked Over 8,000 Times: Marriage and Other Risks of a One-Night Stand by Ilene Haddad

The R.O.T. War; Texas' Fight for Secession by Donna Marie Miller

Deliverance from Adultery by Sara Parker

HISTORICAL FICTION 

WINNER

The Miracle of Kryshenshok by Danielle Resh

FINALISTS

The Hellions by Mitch Baranowski

TailFins by Hamilton Beazley

Sisters of the Cloth by Monique Danye

Warrensburg by Fleury Sommers

SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY

WINNER

Trap Street by Christopher Kerns

FINALISTS

Seer's Song by Amanda Bennett

The Elementals by Haleigh Dean

The Alistair Scrolls: The Unusual Murder of Countess Abigail Hector by Neil Flinchbaugh

The Miracle of Kryshensho by Danielle Resh

MYSTERY

WINNER

The Alistair Scrolls: The Unusual Murder of Countess Abigail Hector by Neil Flinchbaugh

FINALISTS

Wolf of White Sands by Robert Ashcroft

Hardscrabble Homecoming by K.P. Gresham

Wrongs Hushed Up by Elizabeth Tschurr

The Rich Get Dead by Joy Zeigler

ROMANCE

WINNER

Elise and Jack by Amanda Waters

FINALISTS

A Season of Clarity by Donna Milakovic

Paroxysm by Haley Peck-Law

Elisabeth With an "S" by Sharon Roberts

Winter at Candlesend by Amanda Wenger

THRILLER/ACTION ADVENTURE

WINNER

Mr. Lodol by DF Salvador

FINALISTS

Murder is Personal by BJ Condike

The Redhead at Café Du Monde by Evelyn Donahoe

The Undoing: Escaping the Mob by Francis Hicks

Almirante by Morning by Don M. Patterson

MIDDLE GRADE

WINNER

The Pleiades Puzzle: A Constellation Clues Mystery by Lee Reed

FINALISTS

The God Thieves: Hunger of Ammit by Brad Christy

Lucy Renkin by Parker Dorris

Desert of Dreams by Sarah Kay Ndjerareou

Mae Morgan: Supernatural Detective by Mary Osteen

The Reasoner's Apprentice by Jennifer Tavares

YOUNG ADULT

WINNER

The Color of Gravity by Roger Patrick

FINALISTS

TailFins by Hamilton Beazley

Friday Night Fever by James Brooks

Flower in the Ash by Amélie Corner

Shame Chamber by Sean Craypo

Winners of the manuscript contest are eligible to win a free registration to the WLT's 2020 Agents & Editors Conference; meet with a top literary agent in their category or genre; be recognized during one of the general sessions of the conference and in the printed program (also applies to finalists); and receive valuable, specific written feedback on their work.