HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL NAMES “THE DUNG BEETLES OF LIBERIA” FOR TOP HONORS

HOLLYWOOD, CA_ A novel with an off-the-wall title that’s based on true events is the winner of the 2020 Hollywood Book Festival, which honors books worthy of greater attention and recognition from the film, television and multimedia industries.

“The Dung Beetles of Liberia: A Novel Based On True Events” by author Daniel V. Meier, Jr. (Boutique of Quality Books) is a fast-paced adventure based on the true account of a young American who arrived in Monrovia in the 1960's, during the lead up to the Liberian Civil War.

College drop-out Ken Verrier spent seven years there as a bush pilot and diamond smuggler just as the stirrings of revolution were emerging. His escapades spanned from horrifying to whimsical and exposes a sordid society upon which the wealthy were feeding and in which the poor were being buried.

Other winners in the competition:

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY

WINNER: Pursuing a Better Tomorrow – Blanca De La Rosa

RUNNER-UP: Kid69 – Sandy McKnight

HONORABLE MENTION:

• The Immigrants – Herbert Ausubel

GENERAL NON-FICTION

WINNER: The 100 Greatest Scenes in Motion Picture History – Anthony G. Puzzilla

RUNNER-UP: Travels with Hafa – Nathan Pettijohn

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• My Shorts: Brief Scenes From My Early Life – Brian Kagan
• The White Field – Douglas Cole
• Hollywood’s Victory Lap – Anthony G. Puzzilla
• Conscious Leadership – Mike Handcock
• The Shadows of a Man – James Sellers
• Ascending Davos – Meghan FitzGerald

GENRE-BASED

WINNER: Moonlight Beach – Yurie Kirie

RUNNER-UP: Seat 24H – Rosemary Rudland

GENERAL FICTION

WINNER: The Dung Beetles of Liberia – Daniel V. Meier, Jr.

RUNNER-UP: Treasure of the Blue Whale – Steven Mayfield

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Newest Profession – Tom Benjey
• The Silence of Jacob Swain – Norman Keifetz
• The Darkness – Robbi Sommers Bryant
• SHIN -- T. Cook
• Brave Rider – Harvey Goodman
• Chief Among Us – L.A. Noble
• Crowman – David Rae
• CSCO: First Station – David Pendleton
• Amen and Amen – Gene Vickers
• Without Expiration – William R. Hincy
• Anthropocene – Dean Gessie
• The Sensation – Norman Keifetz
• Enough – C.D. Tony Hylton

YOUNG ADULT

WINNER: The Redemption – Lauren Hudson

RUNNER-UP: Elkwood – Tracie Elizabeth Pabst

HONORABLE MENTION:

• Mars Away – Jeff Christopher Leonard

WILD CARD

WINNER: Kong Boys – Gerald Yeung

RUNNER-UP: Vestal Virgin: Chosen for Rome – Katherine Spada Basto

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• The Undersea Art of Indonesia – Charles Rawlings Jr., ME CMAS Lobbu, Leah Perez
• Tourist Town – Steve Sheppard
• Catacombs of the Heart – Mathieu Cailler
• Selfless – Lisa Jagmohan
• A Maiden So Bewitching – Colm Herren

SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS

WINNER: Vestal Virgin: Chosen for Rome – Katherine Spada Basto

RUNNER-UP: Angelic Messenger – Shawn E. Lange

BUSINESS

WINNER: Truth to Origin – Gregg K. Jann

HOW-TO

WINNER: How To Prevent Diabetes – Dorris S. Woods

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

WINNER: The First Birthday Party Ever! – Keith Johnson

RUNNER-UP: The Christmas Feast: A Fishy Tale – Diana Pishner Walker

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Four Bears in a Box – Dreama Denver
• Welcome to Chuckle Giggle Nu – Keith Johnson
• No Monsters Here – Vard Feeer

UNPUBLISHED

WINNER: Confessions of a Wild Life – Nadine Condon

SCIENCE FICTION

WINNER: Mars Away – Jeff Christopher Leonard

RUNNER-UP: Cosmic Consequences – William Messenger

SEQUELS

WINNER: An Unbreakable Family – Roberta Bombonato