Honors and Awards

                                                                                 

 Recent Recognitions

lao-book-launch-nov-21-2015May 7, 2015 — Silver Award — The Crowder Quill Magazine (“Talking Pitchers”)

October 24, 2015 — Third Place—Missouri Writers’ Guild Fall Semi-Flash Fiction Contest (“First Do No Harm”)

February 11, 2016 — Third Place—Joplin Writers’ Guild Romance Writing Contest (“Last Look”)

April 30, 2016 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2016 President’s Awards – First Place Award for Magazine Article (“Talking Pitchers”)

June 5, 2016 – First Place in Flash Fiction for the 2016 Well Versed: Under Lock and Key anthology – Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild (“Maybe Next Time”)

June 9, 2016 – Purple Dragonfly Book Award – First Place in Biography and Historical Nonfiction for Luella Agnes Owen: Going Where No Lady Had Gone Before

July 6, 2016 – Luella Agnes Owen: Going Where No Lady Had Gone Before earned the Story Monster Approved! Seal (Books Worth Devouring)

October 13, 2016 – Second Place—Joplin Writers’ Guild Fall Writing Contest (“The Flames of Fall”)

October 13, 20162016 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Luella Agnes Owen: Going Where No Lady Had Gone Before – Bronze Medal Winner in the Non-fiction Chapter Book Category

November 2, 2016—Missouri Writers’ Guild Fall Fiction Contestmoonbeam-4

First Chapter—Young Adult Category: First place (Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary)

Flash Fiction—Historical Category: First place (“Monster Slayers”)

November 18, 2016-Ozarks Writers League 2016 Writing Contest—First Place (“Surviving Joplin’s EF-5 Tornado”)—               Crawford Poetry Prize: Courage in Adversity

November 18, 2016-Ozarks Writers League 2016 Writing Contest—Second Place (“As the Snowflakes Fall”)—Haiku Poem

February 9, 2017 — Joplin Writers’ Guild Romance Writing Contest — Second Place (“Lost at Sea”)

April 29, 2017 — Rock Springs Review 2017 Fiction Contest — Second Place (“Monster Slayers”)

April 29, 2017 — Rock Springs Review 2017 Poetry Contest — Second Place (“Tea for Two”)

April 29, 2017 — Rock Springs Review 2017 Nonfiction Contest — Second Place (“The Lord Gave You a Brain to Use”)

May 6, 2017 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2017 President’s Awards – First Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“A Deadly Global Enemy”)

May 6, 2017 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2017 President’s Awards – First Place Award for Best Juvenile Book (Ruth Law: The Queen of the Air)

May 6, 2017 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2017 President’s Awards – First Place Award for Best Column (Three SMTO Health Columns)

May 6, 2017 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2017 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Poem (“Alone on Stage”)

May 11, 2017 – The Crowder Quill Magazine – Bronze Poetry Award for “Final Spring”

May 11, 2017 – The Crowder Quill Magazine – Gold Fiction Award for “The Flames of Fall”

June 12, 2017 – Purple Dragonfly Book Award – First Place in Biography and Historical Nonfiction for Ruth Law: The Queen of the Air

October 4, 2017 –  2017 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary – Silver Medal Winner in the Young Adult Fiction – Mature Issues Category

October 4, 2017 –  2017 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Ruth Law: The Queen of the Air – Bronze Medal Winner in the Non-fiction Chapter Book Category

October 11, 2017 — Saturday Writers 2017 Writing Contests — “Any Sin/Virtue Goes” Poetry — Third Place (“Lost at Sea”)

November 1, 2017 — Ruth Law: The Queen of the Air nominated for the 2018 Amelia Bloomer Project List

November 16, 2017 –  2017 Royal Dragonfly Book Award for Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary – Honorable Mention in the Relationships Category

November 17, 2017 – Ozarks Writers League 2017 Writing Contest—First Place: Crawford Poetry Prize (“Ozark Spite Dolls”)

November 17, 2017 – Ozarks Writers League 2017 Writing Contest—First Place: Historical Non-Fiction (“The Gift that Changed Medical History”)

November 17, 2017 – Ozarks Writers League 2017 Writing Contest—First Place: Travel/Destination (“Make Alaska Your Family’s Next Vacation Destination”)

November 17, 2017 – Ozarks Writers League 2017 Writing Contest—Second Place: Memoir (“Childhood Magic”)

December 14, 2017 – 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Award for Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary –  Outstanding Abuse Awareness Book in the Director’s Choice Awards

December 14, 2017 – 2017 Human Relations Indie Book Award for Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary – Bronze Winner-Pre-Teen/Teen Human Relations Children’s Indie Book Category

                                                              lao-book-launch-nov-21-2015

February 18, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Fall Fiction Contest—First Chapter—Horror Category:   First Place  (“A Rare Find”)

March 8, 2018 – Missouri Southern State University—Dept. of English and Philosophy’s Frankenstein Week Scary Story Contest—Community Category: First Place  (“The Viral Spiral”)

April 28, 2018 — Saturday Writers 2018 Writing Contests — “5th-Year Milestones” Prose Contest — Honorable Mention (“Silenced Voices”)

May 10, 2018 – The Crowder Quill Magazine – Gold Fiction Award for “A Rare Find”

May 12, 2018 – 2018 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–2nd Honorable Mention in Poetry, Rhymed-Short for “Last Look”

May 12, 2018 – 2018 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–2nd Honorable Mention in Poetry, Rhymed-Long for “Pet Peeve”

May 12, 2018 – 2018 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–2nd Honorable Mention in Essay for “Childhood Magic”

May 12, 2018 – 2018 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–Third Place in Young Adult Short Story–Fiction for “A Rare Find”

May 19, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Juvenile Book (Spice Secret: A Cautionary Diary)

May 19, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Short Story (“The Flames of Fall”)

May 19, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Newspaper Article (“A Call for More Help to End Prescription Abuse”)

May 19, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Poem (“I’ll Haunt You”)

May 19, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 President’s Awards – Third Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“The Gift that Changed Medical History”)

July 12, 2018 — Rock Springs Review 2018 Nonfiction Contest — First Place (“Childhood Magic”)

July 12, 2018 — Rock Springs Review 2018 Poetry Contest — Third Place (“Space Travel”)

                                                                                                   

July 17, 2018 — Ollie the Autism-Support Collie received the Story Monsters Seal of Approval

August 1, 2018 — Selected as the Kansas/Missouri SCBWI PAL Author of the Month for August 2018  (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)

August 29, 2018 — “Vietnam Vignettes: The Trauma and the Therapy” selected as an Honorable Mention in the Interview Category for Proud to Be: Writing By American Warriors, Volume 7. (Missouri Humanities Council / Southeast Missouri State University)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—Third Honorable Mention: Tell Me a Story (“Fruitless Communication”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—First Honorable Mention: My Favorite Day in Nature (“From Weeding to Wisdom”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—First Honorable Mention: Search for Excellence Award (“Childhood Magic”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—Second Place: Inspirational Essay Award (“Hit by Lightning”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—Second Place: The Showcase Award (“The Magic of the Ozarks”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—First Place: Space Journey (“The Bus Ride”)

October 13, 2018 – Ozark Creative Writers 2018 Writing Contest—First Place: Tell Me Why (“The Persistence of Pride and Prejudice”)

October 20, 2018 – Carter County Poetry Society (KY)—Second Honorable Mention: Appalachian/Kentucky Theme Category (“Sundays at Wolf Creek Dam”)

October 20, 2018 – Carter County Poetry Society (KY)—Second Place: Spiritual/Inspirational Category (“Michelangelo’s Pieta”)

October 20, 2018 – Carter County Poetry Society (KY)—First Place: Shakespearean Sonnet Category (“Forever Joined”)

November 10, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 Autumn Writing Contest—Second Place: Non-fiction (“Sunday Afternoons”)

November 10, 2018 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2018 Autumn Writing Contest—Second Place: Poetry (“Flames in the Wind”)

November 16, 2018 – Ozarks Writers League 2018 Writing Contest—First Honorable Mention: Crawford Poetry Prize (“Haunted Habitat”)

November 16, 2018 – Ozarks Writers League 2018 Writing Contest—Third Place: Western Short Story (“The Saintly Outlaw”)

November 16, 2018 – Ozarks Writers League 2018 Writing Contest—First Place:  Wilshire Short Story (“Be of Good Cheer”)

November 24, 2018 – Springfield Writers’ Guild 2018 Fall Short Story Contest—First Honorable Mention (“Hellebore Hell”)

December 6, 2018 – Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) 2018 Writing Competition — Ollie the Autism Support Collie named as a finalist in two categories:  Series of Illustrations or Paintings and Children’s Book

                                                                                                                                                                                            

January 31, 2019 – 2018 Green River Writers Writing Contest (KY) – First Place: Category 11 – Here There Be Dragons – Poetry (“Everyday Dragons”)

February 10, 2019 – Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) awarded Ollie the Autism-Support Collie the Maxwell Medallion in the Children’s Book Category in Manhattan, New York

February 23, 2019 — Saturday Writers 2019 Writing Contests — “President’s Contest” Prose Category — Third Place (“Hellebore Hell”)

February 23, 2019 — Saturday Writers 2019 Writing Contests — “President’s Contest” Essay Category — First Place (“From Weeding to Wisdom”)

April 1, 2019 — Weaver the Diabetic-Alert Retriever received the Story Monsters Seal of Approval

May 4, 2019 – 2019 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – 1st Honorable Mention in Poetry, Rhymed-Long for “Everyday Dragons” 

May 4, 2019 – 2019 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – 2nd Honorable Mention in Essay for “From Weeding to Wisdom” 

May 4, 2019 – 2019 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – 2nd Place in Nonfiction Feature Article for “The Magic of the Ozarks: Poppets and Spite Dolls”

May 4, 2019 – 2019 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – 3rd Place in Flash Fiction for “The Microscopic Manipulator”  

May 9, 2019 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Honorable Mention Nonfiction Award for “The First Time Getting Paid”

May 9, 2019 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Silver Fiction Award for “The Viral Spiral”

June 1, 2019 — 2019 Always Buying Books Short Story Contest – First Place Award for “Full of the Dickens”

June 9, 2019 — Second Place in Poetry for the 2019 Well Versed anthology — Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild (“Sundown”)

June 13, 2019 — Joplin Writers’ Guild Poetry Contest – Second Place for “Harvesting Souls”

June 16, 2019 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2019 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“More than Glory in the Morning”)

June 16, 2019 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2019 President’s Awards – Second Place Award for Best Newspaper Article (“Research Needed on Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction”)

June 16, 2019 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2019 President’s Awards – Third Place Award for Best Poem (“Lost at Sea”)

June 16, 2019 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2019 President’s Awards – Third Place Award for Best Short Story / Best Juvenile Short Work (“Sonic Sam of Boston”)

June 16, 2019 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2019 President’s Awards – First Place Award for Best Short Story / Best Juvenile Short Work (“A Rare Find”)

July 22, 2019 – Saturday Writers Poet Laureate Poetry Contest – Honorable Mention Award (“Plein-Air Writing”) 

July 22, 2019 – Saturday Writers Poet Laureate Poetry Contest – Third Place Award (“Morphing in the Stacks”) 

July 27, 2019 – Joplin Writers’ Guild Science Fiction Short Story Contest – Second Place Award (“A Hunger for Life”)

August 26, 2019 – Missouri Humanities Council – First Place Award Interview Category for Proud to Be – Southeast Missouri State University (“Keith Eugene Fiscus–A Life of Service”)

September 20, 2019 – Ozarks Writers League 2019 Writing Contest—First Honorable Mention:  Crawford Poetry Contest (“Honoring the Plant Doctor”)

September 20, 2019 – Ozarks Writers League 2019 Writing Contest—Third Place:  WIP First Page (“Manumission”)

September 20, 2019 – Ozarks Writers League 2019 Writing Contest—First Place:  Western Romance (“A Ruse for Romance”)

September 20, 2019 – Ozarks Writers League 2019 Writing Contest—First Place:  Wilshire Short Story (“One-Two-Three”)

October 12, 2019 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—First Honorable Mention: Sisterhood Story Challenge Award (“Sadie Morgan of Lonesome Gulch”)

October 12, 2019 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Paint to Pen (“Depicting Both the Past and the Future”)

December 2, 2019 – Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) 2019 Writing Competition — Weaver the Diabetic-Alert Retriever named as a finalist in two categories:  Graphics–Series of Illustrations or Paintings and Books–Children

February 29, 2020 – 19th Amendment Poem Contest – Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry – Locust Grove, OK – 2nd Place Professional Category (“Not to Be Denied”)

March 1, 2020 – Two Terrible Days in May: The Rader Farm Massacre selected as a Montaigne Medal Finalist – Eric Hoffer Book Award Committee

April 30, 2020 – Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13 selected as a finalist in the Nonfiction—Children’s Category of the 30th Annual Midwest Book Awards (Midwest Independent Publishers Association-MiPA)

May 2, 2020 – 2020 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – 4th Honorable Mention in Category 16: Short Story for “Full of the Dickens” 

May 2, 2020 – 2020 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–1st Place in Category 14: Short Story-Juvenile for “Food for Thought (or Idiom Schmidiom)” 

May 2, 2020 – 2020 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest – Won Category 32 – Best Juvenile Book (for ages 1-12) for Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13


May 16, 2020 – Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13 selected as the winner in the Children’s Picture Book Non-Fiction (All Ages) Category of the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group)

May 18, 2020 – Two Terrible Days in May: The Rader Farm Massacre selected for Honorable Mention distinction in the Middle Reader Category of the Eric Hoffer Book Awards

May 30, 2020 – 2020 Colorado Book Awards – Winner in the Anthology Category – Rise: An Anthology of Change (Northern Colorado Writers, LLC—Boulder, CO)

May 30, 2020 — Saturday Writers 2020 Writing Contests — “Poet Laureate Contest” — Third Place (“Make Your Time Count”)

June 5 2020 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – 40th Anniversary Edition – Honorable Mention Nonfiction Award for “Remember the Flames”

June 5, 2020 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – 40th Anniversary Edition – Bronze Fiction Award for “A Ruse for Romance”

July 2, 2020 – 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – Honorable Mention in Animals/Pets for Weaver the Diabetic-Alert Retriever

July 2, 2020 – 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – Second Place in Biography/Autobiography for Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13 

July 2, 2020 – 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – Second Place in Historical Fiction for Two Terrible Days in May: The Rader Farm Massacre 

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for the Show Me Award (Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for the Howard Kelly Holladay Memorial Award for the Best Article or Essay on U. S. Military History (“Keith Eugene Fiscus: A Life of Service”)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – Third Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“The Endurance of Valerian”)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for Best Newspaper Article (Better Living: “Prevent Pain You Wouldn’t Wish on Your Worst Enemy”)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for Best Short Story (“Silenced Voices”)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Juvenile Short Story (“Fruitless Communication”)

July 15, 2020 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2020 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Poem (“Sundown”)

July 24, 2020 – 14th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards (NIEA) – Finalist in the Juvenile Non-Fiction Category for Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13 

July 25, 2020 — Saturday Writers 2020 Writing Contests — “Everything Children’s Contest” — Honorable Mention (“Food for Thought/or Idiom Schmidiom”)

September 11, 2020 – Ozarks Writers League 2020 Writing Contest—2nd Place:  Magazine Article (“Datura: Toxic Beauty”)

September 11, 2020 – Ozarks Writers League 2020 Writing Contest—3rd Place:  Memoir & Creative Nonfiction (“A Little Different”)

September 11, 2020 – Ozarks Writers League 2020 Writing Contest—Honorable Mention:  Humorous Short Story (“Food for Thought/or Idiom Schmidiom”)

September 11, 2020 – Ozarks Writers League 2020 Writing Contest—1st Place:  Western Short Story (“The Sage Grouse and the Bandit Queen”)

September 11, 2020 – Ozarks Writers League 2020 Writing Contest—1st Place:  Flash Fiction (“Dark Star, Bright Light”)

October 13, 2020 – Hugh Armstrong Robinson: The Story of Flying Lucky 13 received the Bronze Medal in the Non-Fiction – Chapter Book Category of the 2020 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards

November 1, 2020 – 2020 Carter County Poetry Society Contest  – Second Honorable Mention for Category 2-Prose Poem (“Flames in the Wind”)

November 1, 2020 – 2020 Carter County Poetry Society Contest – Honorable Mention for Category 9-Ballad (“Mountain Lovers”)

November 9, 2020 – Ruth Law: The Queen of the Air selected to receive the 2021 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Children’s Literature Award

February 27, 2021 — Saturday Writers 2021 President’s Contest — Poetry — Second Place (“Amorphous Doubt”)

February 27, 2021 — Saturday Writers 2021 President’s Contest — Prose — Third Place (“Bottomless Fear”)

February 27, 2021 — Saturday Writers 2021 Pen & Paint I Contest Winner — Poetry — (“Nature’s Script”)

April 24, 2021 – Columbia Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild – 2021 Well Versed Anthology—First Place Award for Nonfiction – “Childhood Magic”

May 1, 2021 – 2021 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–Honorable Mention in Category 2: Essay for “Childhood Magic”

May 1, 2021 – 2021 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–3rd Place in Category 20: Unpublished Middle Grade Book for “Hypatia”

May 4, 2021 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Silver Fiction Award for “Dancing with the Devil”

May 4, 2021 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Silver Nonfiction Award for “At the Mercy of a Killer”

May 4, 2021 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Special Merit Award for Best COVID Entry for “Our New Normal”

June 30, 2021 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2021 President’s Writing Contest – Finalist Award for Best Poem (“Harvesting Souls”)

June 30, 2021 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2021 President’s Writing Contest – Third Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“Remember the Flames”)

June 30, 2021 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2021 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for Best Short Story (“A Ruse for Romance”)

June 30, 2021 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2021 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Juvenile Work (“Food for Thought”)

June 30, 2021 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2021 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Newspaper Column (“Davis Stars in Memorable Afternoon”)

October 22, 2021 – Ozarks Writers League 2021 Writing Contest—Honorable Mention: Crawford Humorous Anecdote (“The Last Laugh”)

October 22, 2021 – Ozarks Writers League 2021 Writing Contest—Honorable Mention: Haiku (“Stream Salvation”)

October 22, 2021 – Ozarks Writers League 2021 Writing Contest—3rd Place:  Western Short Story (“Waiting at Home”)

October 22, 2021 – Ozarks Writers League 2021 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Historical Fiction (“The Christmas Angel”)

October 22, 2021 – Ozarks Writers League 2021 Writing Contest—1st Place:  Nonfiction Article (“Cheating the Grim Reaper”)

November 4, 2021 – The Copperfield Review Quarterly nominated “The Sage Grouse and the Bandit Queen” for a 2021 Pushcart Prize

February 26, 2022 — Saturday Writers 2022 President’s Contest — Poetry — Third Place (“Pity Poor Pluto”)

February 26, 2022 — Saturday Writers 2022 Pen & Paint I Contest Winner — Poetry — (“The Plant Doctor”)

May 7, 2022 – 2022 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–2nd Place in Category 2: Essay for “Mountain or Molehill”

May 7, 2022 – 2022 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–4th Honorable Mention in Category 6: Article: Inspirational for “The Wedding Game”

May 7, 2022 – 2022 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–2nd Place in Category 7: Article: Non-fiction Feature for “Tragedy at Buffalo Creek”

May 7, 2022 – 2022 Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc. (OWFI) Writing Contest–3rd Place in Category 14: Short Story-Short (Juvenile) for “Edinburgh Manor”

May 17, 2022 – Hypatia – Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar selected as a finalist in two categories (CHILDREN’S/JUVENILE (NON-FICTION) CATEGORY and the CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK (NON-FICTION) (ALL AGES) CATEGORY) of the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Awards 

June 24, 2022 — Saturday Writers 2022 Feb., March, & April Poetry Contest — Theme: Mountains, Bodies of Water, & Prairies — Third Place (“Mountain Lovers”)

July 3, 2022 – 2022 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – Honorable Mention in Animals/Pets for TAPETI: The Moon’s Keeper

July 3, 2022 – 2022 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – First Place in Historical Nonfiction for Hypatia: Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar

July 3, 2022 – 2022 Purple Dragonfly Book Award – First Place in Biography for Hypatia: Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar

July 5, 2022 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2022 President’s Writing Contest – Third Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“At the Mercy of a Killer”)

July 5, 2022 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2022 President’s Writing Contest – Second Place Award for Best Poem (“Make Your Time Count”)

July 5, 2022 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2022 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Short Story (“The Sage Grouse and the Bandit Queen”)

July 5, 2022 – Missouri Writers’ Guild 2022 President’s Writing Contest – First Place Award for Best Children’s Book (Hypatia: Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar)

July 30, 2022 — Saturday Writers 2022 Everything Children’s Contest — Theme: Any Earthly Element Goes — Honorable Mention (“The Superstition Mountains”)

August 3, 2022 – Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things nominated “Coming Home” for Sundress Publications’ 2023 Best of the Net Anthology

October 4, 2022 – 2022 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Hypatia: Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar  Bronze Medal Winner in the Non-fiction Chapter Book Category

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—Second Honorable Mention: Travel Article Award (“Experience Maine”)

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—Third Place: Repurpose a Quote Award (“The Quandary”)

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Senior Moments Award (“Coming Home”)

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Hometown Newspaper Column Award (“Ice Cream Cones”)

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Creative Non-fiction Award (“One Little Mistake”)

October 15, 2022 – Ozark Creative Writers’ Conference Writing Contest—First Place: Things That Go Bump in the Night Award (“A Night in the Old Lehi Hospital”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—Honorable Mention: Inspirational Romance (“Still My Everything”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—3rd Place:  Haiku (“Deluge”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—3rd Place: Crawford Poetry Prize (“Eleventh-Hour Epiphany”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—3rd Place: Memoir (“Mountain or Molehill”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—2rd Place: Humorous Short Piece (“Welcome”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—2rd Place: Western Short Story (“Whatever It Takes”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—2rd Place: Newspaper Column (“Ice Cream Cones: St. Louis, the Ozarks, and the World”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—1st Place: Western “Faction” Short Story (“Mind Over Matter”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—1st Place: Humorous Anecdote (“The Enduring Error”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—1st Place: Juvenile Short Story (“Rite of Passage”)

October 28, 2022 – Ozarks Writers League 2022 Writing Contest—1st Place: Ozarks History Article (“Selling False Hope and Empty Promises”)

February 1, 2023 – Hypatia:  Ancient Alexandria’s Female Scholar selected for the Bronze/Third Place Award in the Young Readers Category of the 2023 Feathered Quill Book Awards

May 8, 2023 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Silver Fiction Award for “Edinburgh Manor”

May 8, 2023 — The Crowder Quill Magazine – Silver Nonfiction Award for “Cheating the Grim Reaper”

May 15, 2023 – TAPETI—The Moon’s Keeper – selected as a finalist in the Children’s/Juvenile Early Readers/Chapter Books (Fiction) Category of the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards 

July 5, 2023 – 2023 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards – Bass Reeves: Legendary Lawman of the Wild West awarded First Place in the Biography/Autobiography Category and Second Place in the Historical Nonfiction Category of the 2023 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards

August 12, 2023 – 2023 Carter County Poetry Society Annual Contest – First Honorable Mention for “Between the Pages”

August 12, 2023 – 2023 Carter County Poetry Society Annual Contest – Third Place for “Eleventh-Hour Epiphany”

August 12, 2023 – 2023 Carter County Poetry Society Annual Contest – First Place for “Down the Dreadnought”

August 12, 2023 – 2023 Carter County Poetry Society Annual Contest – First Place for “Old Sayings Need to Kick the Bucket”

September 23, 2023 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Annual Awards – Third Place Award for Best Magazine Article (“The Original Ant Man”)

September 23, 2023 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Annual Awards – Third Place Award for Best Children’s Book (Tapeti: The Moon’s Keeper)

September 23, 2023 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Annual Awards – Third Place Award for Best Short Story (“Secret Thoughts”)

September 23, 2023 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Annual Awards–Second Place Award-Best Newspaper Article (“Everyone Loves a Cone’s Cold Comfort”)

September 23, 2023 – Missouri Writers’ Guild Annual Awards – First Place Award for Best Poetry (“Ozark Spite Dolls”)

October 9, 2023 — Saturday Writers 2023 August Poetry Contest — Honorable Mention (“Marilyn’s Specialty Supper”)

October 9, 2023 — Saturday Writers 2023 Pen & Paint II Contest Winner (Tribe: “Storm-Bird”)

October 14, 2023 –Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Second Hon. Mention: Travel Article(“Sail Away Down the Mighty Mississippi”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Second Honorable Mention: From Dusk to Dawn (“The Wendigo”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Third Place: Tales from the Trip (“Once was Enough”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Third Place: Haiku Award (“Silver Rain Droplets”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Third Place: Oxbow Award (“Whatever It Takes”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Third Place: A Fish Out of Water Tale (“The Uninvited Guest”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Historical Romance (“Just Come Home”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—Second Place: Flash Fiction Award (“Why Not?”)

October 14, 2023 – Ozark Creative Writers Conference Writing Contest—First Place: Hometown Nostalgia Column (“Way Down Yonder: Pawpaws”)

October 18, 2023 – 2023 Firebird Book Awards – Bass Reeves: Legendary Lawman of the Wild West awarded First Place in the Children’s Biography Category (Speak Up Talk Radio)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—3rd Hon. Mention: Memoir & Creative NF (“The Mane Event”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Hon. Mention: Magical Ozarks Moments (“Soul-Stirring Magic”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—Hon. Mention: Short Story set from 1400 to 1900 (“Just Come Home”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—3rd Place: Crawford Poetry Prize (“A Neutral Life”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Historical Fiction (“Soaring Like the Birds”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Travel Article (“Sail Away Down the Mighty Mississippi”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Juvenile Short Story (“The Grey Lady”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Magical Realism Story (“The Return”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Western Short Story (“More Than One Way to Skin a Cat”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—2nd Place: Humorous Short Piece (“The Welcoming Wash”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—1st Place: Hometown Newspaper Article (“Way Down Yonder: Pawpaws”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—1st Place: Ozarks Article (“Two Bills and a Bathhouse”)

October 27, 2023 – Ozarks Writers League 2023 Writing Contest—1st Place: Christmas Quandary (“Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive”)

March 2, 2024 — Saturday Writers 2024 Pen & Paint I Contest Winner (Poetry)—“Stepping Stone to Stumbling Block”

March 2, 2024 — Saturday Writers 2024 Pen & Paint I Contest Winner (Prose)—“Forest Bathing”       

March 9, 2024 – Bass Reeves: Legendary Lawman of the Wild West selected as the winner of the Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction Category in the 2024 SPUR AWARDS (Western Writers of America)