HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL NAMES “HOLLYWOOD CLOWN” WINNER

HOLLYWOOD, Ca. _The inside story of the competitive and political world of children’s birthday parties of Hollywood’s rich and famous is the grand prize winner of the ninth annual Hollywood Book Festival.

Jason Lassen’s “Hollywood Clown” (Big Muddy Books) tells the story of a young actor who decided to perform at children’s parties instead of waiting tables. Filled with big names and funny stories, the book takes readers on a journey of self-discovery that ends with Lassen’s realization that money and fame aren’t the markers of true happiness.

His book will be honored on July 26 at a private awards ceremony at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the home of the first Academy Awards.

Other winners in the competition:

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY

WINNER: Lamb of Legacy: A Child’s Survival in Hitler’s Berlin – Edeltraud F. Fellendorf

RUNNER-UP: The King of Casinos – Andy Martello

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Tears for my City – Dean Dimitrieski
  • All I Could Be – Miyoko Hikiji
  • The Rebel Figure in American Literature and Film – Audry Lynch
  • Queue Jumper – Jill Perry
  • America’s Got Talent Winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. – Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr./Rick Robinson
  • Still Standing: A Survivor’s Story – Hope Concordia
  • A Monster Got Me – Bruce Bates
  • When Angels Die – Caroline De Chavigny
  • A Predisposition for Grit – Steve Loporcaro
  • Betrayed – David J. Bernard/Bette Price
  • Death at 40 – Cheryl A. Shaffer



WILD CARD:

WINNER: Down One Side and Up the Other – Peter Shikli

RUNNER-UP: Law of the Desert Born: A Graphic Novel – Louis L’amour (adapted by Charles Santino, et. al)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Private Svoboda – Steven R. Roberts with Alexander von Svoboda
  • Adventure Inward – Jonathan Wunrow
  • 8 Keys to Wholeness – Donna DeNomme
  • The Undiscovered Goddess – Michelle Colston
  • Swanson at Sundown – Jack Ryan
  • L.A. a la Cart – Richard Asperger
  • The Fringes of Hollywood – Mary Lou Taylor
  • The United States of Theocracy – Janet K. Humphreys, Ph.D
  • Murder in the Haunted House – Carolee Russell
  • Time and Forever – Susan B. James
  • Surveillance on the Down-Low – W.M. Sanguine



YOUNG ADULT:

WINNER: Alchemy’s Daughter – Mary A. Osborne

RUNNER-UP: The Binding – Kimberly J. Rosengrant

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Demon’s Prize – Jennifer Maimone
  • Saving Dr. Block – L.M. Vincent
  • The Umpire – William Francis
  • Tess 2.0 – Briley Webb
  • TaleSpins - Michael Mullin
  • 84 Ribbons – Paddy Eger
  • You Are Here: The WriteGirl Journey – edited by Keren Taylor
  • Exit Point: A Hidden Secrets Novel – Alicia Sanftleben
  • There is a Dragon in My Closet – Raymond Leo Blain
  • Wizdom and Pandora – Krista M. Woodard
  • The Fairy Fly – Lori Lopez
  • A Healing Heart – Melissa Hanson



GENERAL FICTION

WINNER: The Co$t of Living – M.L. Pressman

RUNNER-UP: The Life & Mimes (& Zombie Apocalypse) of Ripper the Clown – Jake Aurelian/Ripper the Clown

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Courier – Terry Irving
  • Drumbeats – Julia Ibbotson
  • Alex and the Color of the Wind – Piero Rivolta
  • Forbidden Child – James Aiello  
  • The Pitcher – William Hazelgrove
  • A Vision of Angels – Timothy Jay Smith
  • Favors and Lies – Mark Gilleo
  • The Rat-boys of Karalabad – Zulfiqar Rashid
  • I Was a Pilot for the Mob – David Samuels
  • Dark Days for White Knights – Dick Jackson
  • Two Performance Artists Kidnap Their Boss and Do Things with Him – Scotch Wichmann
  • The Apple Orchard – Erik Jacobsen
  • The Dandy Vigilante – Kevin Daley
  • Deadly Whispers – Richard L. Hatin
  • The Keeper – Martha Carr
  • Operation Pure – F.J. Sands
  • Singing to the Lions – Robert A. Gisclair
  • Digital Darling: An American Story – Rick Roberts
  • Strum – Nancy Young
  • Ameera Unveiled – Kathleen Varn
  • Sable Shadow and the Presence – William Peace
  • Ruby Silver – Randall Reneau
  • So Too My Love – Harvey Goodman
  • The Man Who Moiled for Gold – David G. Rasmussen
  • Patriot – A.S. Bond
  • Mirage – Amelia M. Gabriel
  • The Art Procurer – Jeff Ridenour
  • My Life with Wings – Hal Marcovitz
  • The Coin – Maria Elena Alonso-Sierra
  • Liquid Gold – Owen Sullivan
  • Casablanca Connection – Barrie Edward
  • Run of the Mill – Dave Patten
  • The Silver Spoon – K.T. Archer
  • Wings of Love and War – Patrick Ellsworth Taylor
  • If Two Are Dead – J. Arvid Ellison
  • Most Delicious of Privileges – Thomas Lane
  • Helen of Troy – Tess Collins
  • Fire & Water – Betsy Graziani Fasbinder
  • The Jacket Trick – Andre Hansson
  • Zero Alternative – Luca Pesaro
  • Jackie – Samuel C. Newsome
  • The Day the Sun Cried – Lizbeth Novelliere
  • Status Quo – Henry Mosquera
  • The Man Who Was Tricked to Death – William A Silverton
  • The Broken Circle – David P. Bridges
  • Jiro’s Dream – Philip Groves
  • The President’s Ultimatum – John Cavi
  • Burger Fun – James Bauer
  • Iris and the Keeper’s Empire – Francoise Nduwimana
  • Riders of the Tides – Fredrick Cooper
  • Burning Sapphires – Suresh K. Goswami



HOW-TO:

WINNER: DUI: The Next Day – Melanie Beauchamp

RUNNER-UP: UNIQUE – How Story Sparks Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement – Sylvia Lafair

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Cuss Control – James V. O’Connor


GENRE-BASED

WINNER: A Silent Prayer – Samreen Ahsan

RUNNER-UP: The Price of Guilt – Patrick M. Garry

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • In The Shadow of Lies – M.A. Adler
  • The Brutal Illusion – Stephen Jared
  • Hush Now – L.A. Green
  • If it Bleeds – Darryl Dawson
  • Remembrance – Nathan Smith Hipps
  • Hotlanta! – Mark Nielsen
  • Flash Bang – Kellen Burden
  • Buried Threads – Kaylin McFerrin
  • Evolution of a Wine Drinker – Alicia Bien
  • Neb The Great – Shadows of the Past – A.K. Frailey
  • In Each Darkness – Cynthia R. Mitchell
  • Quest of the Warrior Maiden – Linda C. McCabe
  • Reign of the Black Flame – B. B. Vayk



SEQUELS

WINNER: An Animal Life – Howard Krum

RUNNER-UP: Beyond the Dust Bowl with a Pocket Full of Peanuts – Ron Hughart

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Tesseract Converged – V.A. Ebeling
  • Hack & The Intruders – The Sequel – Lee-Ann Shewchuk



SPIRITUAL

WINNER: The Rockin’ Chair – Steven Manchester

RUNNER-UP: There’s a Place – Sharkie Zartman

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Questions – Directions to Who You Are – Tim W. Turner
  • Dark Horse Spirit – Beyond Redemption – Margaret E. Johnson
  • To the Faithless and the Unbelieving Bertram Grey – Kevin Garrett
  • Ancient Wisdom, Modern Master – Lila Ivey
  • My Extraordinary Life – Monica Sucha Vickers
  • Alter Your Reality – Sharmila Rao
     


CHILDREN’S BOOKS

WINNER: Under the Rainbow – Katherine Reynolds

RUNNER-UP: A Little Goes A Long Way – Ashley Mills Monaghan/illustrated by Vivian Nguyen

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Old but not Expired – Anita Telle/illustrated by Denis Proulx
  • Norman and the Bully – Heather Young
  • Curio A Shetland Sheepdog and Friends – Jeanette A. Griver
  • The Princess Fables – Marc Clark
  • September’s Big Assignment – Dr. Bena R. Hartman
  • Higgledy Piggledy: A Tale of Four Little Pigs – B. Seymour Rabinovitch/Rebecca S. Treger/illustrated by Mari Gayatri Stein
  • Magic in the Sea – Amanda Russo
  • Bucket Filling from A to Z – Carol McCloud and Caryn Butzke/Glenn Zimmer
  • The Toki-Girl and the Sparrow Boy – Claire Youmans
  • The Dalmation Plantation – Teresa Anderson
  • A Midnight Song – C.L. Peck
  • Superhero Tracker Club – Finity Frost
  • The First Birthday Party – Keith Johnson
  • Last Day of the Season From A Baseball’s Point of View – Ron Hughart
  • The Naughty Knot – Mary nne Lipousky-Butikas



GENERAL NON-FICTION:

WINNER: Hollywood Clown – Jason Lassen

RUNNER-UP: Maximum Insecurity: A Doctor in the Supermax – William Wright

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • The Things That Keep Us Up at Night – Victoria Sutton
  • Kill-Crazy Gang – Jeffery S. King
  • Flying on Film – Mark Carlson
  • Reaching for the Moon – Julia Park Tracey
  • A Thousand Sunny Days – Jason Phinney
  • Christmas in Heaven – Cecelia Leeman
  • Had to Take a Break – Clayton Dorn Coburn/illustrated by Sharon Dorn Gill
  • Fibromyalgia and Other Chronic Painful Conditions – Dr. Jeffrey Loomer
  • Playing Big – Kim Flynn
  • Red Flags for Primary Teachers – Katie Johnson
  • Flowing with the Go – Elena Stowell
  • Pillow with a Heartbeat – Nancy Stanley



SCREENPLAY

WINNER: Tears for My City – Dean Dimitrieski

RUNNER-UP: Death Factor – Trustin Howard

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Extended Vacation – Deb Schense



SCIENCE FICTION:

WINNER: The Presence – Paul Black

RUNNER-UP: Among the Veils – Bret Alexander Sweet

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • The Samsara Effect – Paul Black
  • The Fountain of Youth – Jon Maas
  • Cryo-Man – Kevin George
  • The Martian Pendant – Patrick Ellsworth Taylor, M.D.
  • A Time To Every Purpose – John Hooper
  • Iron Shinto – Patricia Stewart Shiu
  • The 6th of Six – J.K. (Keith) Wilson



UNPUBLISHED
WINNER: Destiny’s Child – V.S. Kalah
 

HISTORY

WINNER: Young Soldiers, Amazing Warriors – Robert Sholly

RUNNER-UP: Walking to Forest Grove – Ken and Kris Bilderback

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • There’s the Rub – Joseph M. Humbert
  • But By the Chance of War – Richard C. Lyons



BUSINESS

WINNER: Edgy Conversations – Dan Waldschmidt