2023 HALLOWEEN BOOK FESTIVAL TAPS HORROR NOVEL

HOLLYWOOD_ The story of a man’s quest to find the hidden and horrific secrets of his family is the winner of the 2023 Halloween Book Festival, which honors the best and scariest books of the season.

Author Arjay Lewis’s Digger (Mindbender Press) follows the journey of Joshua Bennet, an ex-reporter who needs some answers about his dad’s tall tales.

Seeking the mysterious gravedigger at the center of the hair-raising reports of his father, Joshua travels to towns with monsters hidden in the shadows. And when he finally meets the aging man of legend, the former reporter finds himself swept up in a supernatural battle between good and evil.

The well-paced and page-turning novel seems like a great fit for adaptation into other media, and is well worthy of top honors in the competition

Other winners:

YOUNG ADULT: 

WINNER: New England Seaside, Roadside, Graveside, Darkside - Steve Burt

RUNNERS-UP:

• Benjamin Weiss and the Divine Prophecy - J.A. Robertson
• The Witchfinder's Serpent - Rande Goodwin

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Changing Tide - Robert Joncas
• The Halloween Warriors Part 1 - Esteban Vazquez
• Botheration - Vito DiBarone

WILD CARD

WINNER: What The Soul Suspects - Mara Purl

RUNNER-UP: Viila and the Doomsday Affair - Roger Danchik

HONORABLE MENTION:

• Adelia of the Coliseum - Cynthia Morrison

GENERAL NON-FICTION:

WINNER: Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire - Marianne O'Connor


SCIENCE FICTION:

WINNER: The Red Frontier - Joseph Cruz

RUNNER-UP: Fallen Hunter - Mike Wyant Jr.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Last Football Player - John Blossom
• Death of Heaven - J.Z. Murdock  

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

WINNER: Cinderella and the Vampire Prince - Wiley Blevins

RUNNERS-UP:

• Grandma's House is Haunted - Stephen G. Bowling
• Bentley's Fantabulous Idea - Miki Taylor

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Bailey Speaks! - Mary Calvert
• The Vampire's Missing Cape - Steve Stables
• Super Scary - D.G. Stern
• What Do You Feed A Bat? - Lee Porter
• A Night Game - Allie Compeau

GENERAL FICTION:

WINNER: The Hallo-Tween Tales - Steven Manchester

HONORABLE MENTION:

• Lake Laps - Staci Andrea
• Blue Jay's Night Club: - Celeste Plowden
• Fraidy Hole - Staci Andrea
• Murder, Mayhem and Ghost Stories - Patricia Crandall

UNCONVENTIONAL ROMANCE:

WINNER: Death Spoon - Bob Oedy


ART/PHOTOGRAPHY:

WINNER: Curves and Angles - Charles E. Rawlings


HORROR:

WINNER: Digger - Arjay Lewis

RUNNERS-UP:

• The Molossus of Old Man Moyer - Joe Lyon
• The Harpsichordist - Celeste Powden

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Hidden Buddha - Jim Ringel
• A Beast Within - Aidan Lucid
• The Haunting of Alfred Lewis - Dianna Houx
• Beneath the Surface - Danya Sabeen

TIME TRAVEL:

WINNER: The Timepiece Legacy - Kevin D. Miller

RUNNER-UP: Save Him - William H. Hayes

FAN FICTION:

WINNER: Vampire Darcy's Desire - Regina Jeffers

FANTASY:

WINNER: Public Display of Aggression - Hugh Fritz

RUNNER-UP: Chronicles of the Enchanted Vanguard:- Luminescence Goh 

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

WINNER: Itsi Atkins’ Blood Manor: America's First Haunted House - Edwin Atkins