Our featured authors and bookish sponsors are busy all year – writing and achieving, connecting with readers, and giving back in the community. Check out recent highlights from Kevin Moul, Ginger Scott, Kacey Shea, Jeremy Scholz and Atmosphere Press.

Kevin S. Moul Wins Grand Prize for Debut Novel

Kevin S. Moul has been named the Shelley Award Grand Prize Winner by Chanticleer Book Reviews & Media for his debut novel, Lander’s Gate. The Shelley Awards recognize excellence in supernatural and paranormal fiction, and Lander’s Gate received the division’s highest honor. Moul accepted the award at the 2026 Chanticleer Authors Conference and International Book Awards ceremony, held in Bellingham, Washington, in April.

Atmosphere Press Invests in Education

Investing in education is one way Atmosphere Press shows up for writers, and not just the ones they publish. In addition to being a sponsor of the Arizona Author Book Festival, the Texas-based publisher supports Learning Bridge – a nonprofit that connects kids in foster care and unhoused youth across Central Texas with tutors they can count on each week, opening doors to real educational support they might not otherwise have. Atmosphere also sponsors the Playa Flamingo Writing Residency in Costa Rica, which annually awards one free residency to a talented author to work on their creative project in beautiful Costa Rica. Click here to learn more and apply to attend the residency.

Book Release and Signing with Ginger Scott, September 8

Valley romance authors Ginger Scott and Kacey Shea will be in conversation at the Bookish Shop in Gilbert on September 8 in celebration of Scott’s upcoming release through Skyscape publishing. Break Point is a college tennis and football romance. Tickets are $20 each and include a copy of Break Point. Get all the details here.

New Middle Grade Fantasy from Jeremy Scholz

Magnus and the Last Dragon is available now in Kindle and releases September 1 in paperback and hardback. Jeremy Scholz writes middle grade and young adult fiction that explores resilience, identity, and transformation. This is his fifth novel.

*When you make a book purchase using one of the links in this post, the Arizona Author Book Festival receives a small commission, which supports the nonprofit SEEDs for Autism programs.