Photo (L to R) Top Row: Tate, Feldman, Wiman, Temblador; Row 2: Connally, Glass, Lanier; Row 3: McCall, Tafolla, O’Brien, Barton; Row 4: Novales, Mendez, Lopez, Bowles; Row 5: Aston, Smith, Faruqi, Garcia. 

Read on and rejoice in our stellar Texas authors’ awards, accolades, and achievements we’ve learned of since our last Texas Authors’ Awards Roundup. 

Alexa Aston’s PORTRAIT OF THE DUKE, Book 1 in her Suddenly a Duke series, took first place, Best Historical Regency, in The BookFest Fall 2023 Awards. 

Chris Barton’s GLITTER EVERYWHERE! was named to three prestigious lists: National Public Radio’s Books We Love 2023, Kirkus Reviews’ Best Picture Books of the Year, and New York Public Library’s Best Books for Kids 2023. 

David Bowles’s ANCIENT NIGHT was selected for Fanfare 2023, The Horn Book’s list of the Best Books of 2023. SECRET OF THE MOON CONCH, by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall, earned a spot on New York Public Library’s Best Books for Teens 2023.  

The Writers Guild of Texas announced THE FACELESS MAN by BJ Condike as its Kathryn McClatchy Flash Fiction Contest Winner. Also awarded were “Rescue Out of This World” by Alice Wooten—2nd place; “A Love Story” by Jimmie Kepler—3rd place; and “Song of the Siren” by T. A. Seitz—Honorable Mention 

Celeste Connally’s ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A LORD was named a Top 20 Best Mysteries of 2023 by the editors at Amazon Books. 

Saadia Faruqi is a finalist in the chapter book category for the 2024 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for SAVING SUNSHINE. Winners will be announced in January. 

THE PUTTERMANS ARE IN THE HOUSE by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman was named to the Texas Library Association’s 2024 Lone Star Reading List. 

Rose Garcia’s novel FAE AWAY won 2nd place in the Young Adult—Fantasy/Sci-Fi category of the PenCraft Book Awards. 

Seraphina Nova Glass’s thriller novel ON A QUIET STREET will be developed as a limited series by Fox’s MarVista group. 

Julia Heaberlin’s NIGHT WILL FIND YOU made the Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2023 list in the Thriller & Suspense category. 

FOR THE MINDS AND WILLS OF MEN by Jeff Lanier won 2nd place in the Fiction/Intrigue category of the PenCraft Book Awards. 

Diana López won a place on the Texas Library Association’s 2024 Lone Star Reading List with her book LOS MONSTRUOS: FELICE AND THE WAILING WOMAN. 

ANIANA DEL MAR JUMPS IN by Jasminne Mendez earned several accolades including being a Spirit of Texas TLA Pick, named as a New York Public Library Best Middle Grades Book, and named to the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Multicultural Children’s Books of 2023 list. 

Keka Novales earned a 2nd place award, Children—Mystery and Wonders, in the PenCraft Book Awards for ¡HOLA LOLA! LOLA AND THE TOOTH FAIRY MOUSE MYSTERY. 

Tim O’Brien’s book AMERICA FANTASTICA was named a Shelf Awareness 2023 Best Books of the Year in the Fiction category. 

Dr. Sanderia Faye Smith is the 2023 recipient of the Yvonne Porter Endowed Residency at Southern Methodist University.  

Carmen Tafolla’s WARRIOR GIRL is a finalist in the chapter book category for the 2024 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. 

JERRY CHANGED THE GAME! by Don Tate was selected for the Children’s Book Council’s 2024 Best STEM Books award list.  

HALF OUTLAW by Alex Temblador won a Bronze Medal in the Rudolfo Anaya Best Latino Focused Fiction Book Award at the 2023 International Latino Book Awards. 

Christian Wiman earned a spot on the Shelf Awareness 2023 Best Books of the Year list in the Nonfiction category for ZERO AT THE BONE. 

The Writers’ League of Texas announced its 2023 Manuscript Contest Winners: 

CONVERSATIONS IN THE DARK by Annette Pearson—General Fiction 

PIANO GIRL by Claire Poole—Historical Fiction 

THE TIGER’S PAW PRINT: A MEMOIR OF MYTH AND DESIRE IN THE HIMALAYAS by Calla Jacobson—Memoir 

OF MOONS AND MONSTERS by Victoria Tatum—Middle Grade 

JACOB’S WELL by Lauren Jane Redmond—Mystery 

JUNE SIMPLE by Elizabeth McBride—Romance 

TRAVELER by Alyssa Cami—Science Fiction/Fantasy 

518 ROSEBROOK by Deana Lisenby—Thriller/Action Adventure 

BETWIXT by Susan Arscott—Young Adult 

Click here for a full list of winners and finalists in each category.