HOLLYWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL NAMES ‘GOODBYE, SWEETBERRY PARK’ FOR TOP HONORS


HOLLYWOOD_ A satirical novel about a newsman grappling with gentrification and deadly snakes is the grand prize winner of the 2025 Hollywood Book Festival, which honors works deserving further consideration from the film, TV and multimedia industries.

Author Josh Green’s Goodbye, Sweetberry Park: A Novel of City LIfe, Creeping Gentrification and Flesh-eating Snakes (The Sager Group LLC) tells the story of Archie “God” Johnson, a veteran journalist who inherits and rebuilds a dilapidated Victorian house in an historic Black neighborhood.

Acceptance follows, but soon, conflict with deceptive developers looking to change the neighborhood arise. Compounding things, deadly snakes are released from the zoo, sparking chaos in the city.

With the help of a reclusive former blues songstress and a zany cast of old friends and millennial newcomers, Johnson attempts to save the neighborhood that saved him—with hilarious, and rather dubious, results.

Green is the competition’s top prize winner with a rich novel that combines the best of satire and action, making it well worthy of its honors.

Other winners in the competition:

GENERAL FICTION:

WINNER: Goodbye, Sweetberry Park - Josh Green

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Grover Wilcox Goes to the Circus - Martin Lastrapes
  • Alejandro’s Lie - Bob Van Laerhoven
  • Usurper - Aaron T. Brownell
  • Uplift - Jessica Mann
  • The Fateful Voyage of the Empress of Ireland - Cheryl Roberts Gale
  • Mahina Rises - John Blossom


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Muddy the Water - Jessica Beebe and Matt Barrows
  • The Layby Murders: The Canonsfield Saga 2 - Michael Hanson
  • Chick Singer - Lorraine Devon Wilke
  • Jhill - Sean O’Neil
  • There’s a Tortoise in My Hair - Calvin Barry Schwartz
  • My Darlings - Marie Still
  • Codename Parsifal - Martin Hill
  • Happy Hour - Elissa Bass
  • Cover for Me - Steven Schindler
  • The Game - Eve M. Riley
  • Thank God for the Sinners - Eric L. Magun
  • Gravity Flow: The Jimmy Whistler Stories - E.M. Schorb
  • Descending Thirds - Nicole Conn
  • To Be - John Blossom
  • Shilpa’s Blue Crayon - Crystal Charlotte (C.C.) Lane
  • Attacking the Dragon - A. Marc Ross
  • Private Lives: A Novel - Gary Reichard
  • When The Rules Don’t Apply - Gerard Shirar
  • Fate Can Toss a Boomerang - Carolyn Summer Quinn
  • The Story of Josette and Daniel - Dr. Katherine A. Korkidis
  • Someone Had to Lie - Jack Luellen
  • Blood for Water - Chad Wilkinson & Mario Cusumano
  • Grave Words - Gerry Lewis
  • The Hijacker Strikes Back - Caroline Omoifo Ilogienbo
  • The Wages of Freedom - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts
  • Beyond the Storm’s Reach - Adele Hewett Veal
  • Vanished, A Valuable African Statue Stolen in Southwest France - Roberta Samuels
  • Missing! - Roberta Samuels
  • Canonsfield 1 - Michael Hanson
  • A Soldier’s Burden - Natia Khaduri
  • The China Paradox - Gerard Shirar
  • Kevin and KatheRINe in the Next Lifetime - Crystal Charlotte (C.C.) Lane
  • To Jerusalem - Natia Khaduri



HOW-TO:

WINNER: Self-Care for the Creative - Stefani Fryzel

RUNNER-UP: Embrace Your Shadows - Christina Prokos


HISTORY:

WINNER: Wonder of the West - Stephen Yanoff

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Blake’s Story, Revenge and Forgiveness - J Arthur Moore
  • Expositions & World’s Fairs - In The Beginning - Bob McGincy


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Good Blood - A Journey of Healing- Irit Schaffer
  • The Wages of Freedom - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts


GENRE-BASED:

WINNER: Wrecked by You - Kate Sweden

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Born of Bombs and Bullets - David A.Dummer
  • Argent - RK Jack
  • A Life Saving Bullet - Krista Beggan

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Running Stop Signs - Nancy Mangano
  • Eldryan Elders - S.G. Blaise
  • Sirens’ Song - S. Catherine Jones
  • Why Birds Fall - Gary Lee Edward Kreigh
  • Devourer from Beyond - RK Jack
  • A Hush at Midnight - Marlene M. Bell
  • Circle of Chesterfield - Gary Lee Edward Kreigh


GENERAL NONFICTION:

WINNER: The Costumes of Hollywood - Coleen Scott, Larry McQueen

RUNNERS-UP:

  • The Doors of Ayahuasca - Gerardo Prat
  • Beyond the Fountain of Youth - Dr. Julian Robert Gershon Jr.
  • Restoring Our Sanity Online - Mark Weinstein
  • American Kings - Seth Wickersham
  • Little Boy I Know Your Name - Mitchell Raff


HONORABLE MENTIONS:


UNPUBLISHED:

WINNER: Tiger Games - Yurie Kiri

RUNNER-UP: The Eighth Sage -Janet Ritz


SCREENPLAYS:

WINNER: Headcase - Chris K. Jones


SEQUELS:

WINNER: Hollywood High Chronicles Book Six - Melissa Velasco

RUNNER-UP: Lost, An Ancient Arabian Rosetta Stone in Sarasota Bay - Roberta Samuels

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Whose Hearts Align - Mara Purl


SCIENCE FICTION:

WINNER: The Brittle Riders - Bill McCormick

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Original Earth, Book One - Timothy JV Rees
  • The Mist From Beyond - RK Jack

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Eldryan Elders -S.G.Blaise
  • Tabula Rasa - Paul L. Centeno
  • Northfield Saga 4: Storm Break - Calvin B. Fisher


MEMOIR:

WINNER: Collateral Stardust - Nikki Nash

RUNNER-UP: Welcome to Katie’s Brain - Katie Kaiser Smith

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Leading with Love - Natia Khaduri
  • Living With A Ghost - Eva Morris
  • Hiding in Plain Sight - I.M. Enough


ROMANCE:

WINNER: Living on a Prayer - Katrina Alexander

RUNNER-UP: Ava’s Connection - Janet R. Perroni

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Blackberry Farm Love - Sherry Ann Jackson
  • Silver Lake Awakening - D.D. Franklin


YOUNG ADULT:

WINNER: Camellia Season - A Novel - Natasha Peterson

RUNNERS-UP:

  • George Petit and the Whispers of Time - Luca Tom Bilotta
  • Memories of Lucinda Eco - Scott T. Barnes
  • That’s My Sister - Adrianna Pakes


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Mission: Red Scythe - C.W. James
  • Mysteries of a Middle Schooler - Dr. Tonmar Johnson
  • The Lost Worlds Book One - Esteban Vazquez
  • Flowers for Papa - Margaret Beaver
  • The Lost Worlds Book Two - Esteban Vazquez


WILD CARD:

WINNER: The Other Worldly Deep -Charles Rawlings

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Headcase, Shock & Denial - Chris K. Jones
  • Blonde Haired Girl’s The Scientist - Jayme Tener
  • Thunderstroke - Terence Ang
  • The Wages of Freedom - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Confronting the White Shadow - Marcus W. Williams
  •  ….And You Can Not Tell Me Why I Must Not Love You Anymore - Natia Khaduri
  • Drifter - Douglas Cole
  • Tainted Love: Hold Me Jesus - Celeste Johnson


CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

WINNER: Benjamin’s Special Memories - Fernando Jackson

RUNNERS-UP:

  • The Enchanted Journey of Remembering with Grandpa - Fernando Jackson
  • Mira & The Magic Pond - Zahra Omar Shansab
  • Porsche the Frog Adventures -Faisal Mirza
  • Captain Polo and the Halloween Party - Alan Hesse
  • GG’s Gigantic Sandwich - Lakaisha Gibson
  • Captain Polo and the Halloween Party - Alan Hesse


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • The Adventures of Clive & Sydney, the Dancing Armadillos: Wet, Slimy, and Green! - Mallory J.Stevens
  • A Kindergarten Story - Tammy Donahue
  • The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 5 - Victor Lodevico
  • Will on Wheels - R.L. Clark
  • The Redheads: Unforgettable Grandpa’s Fairy Tales - Dr. Grand Patrick
  • The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 2 - Jennifer Norman
  • The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 4 - Paul Norman and Leah Lodevico
  • Cousins Crime Solvers - Mystery of Grandma Camp - Hunter Lewis, Holden Lewis, Dylan Sheerin, Lylah Sheerin
  • Milko - Freda Narth and Samuel Narth
  • Mission Baby Tooth Mysterious Quest Book 3 - Carol Hutchinson
  • Welcome to the NIC-Zoo - Paige Pedroli


BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY

WINNER: Clark Gable, King of Hollywood - Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince

RUNNER-UP: Island to Icon - Dreama Denver

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • The Undiscovered Showman - Wayne Olivieri


SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS:

WINNER: The Cosmic Caretaker - Ang Anderson

RUNNER-UP: Agatha’s Angel - Michael C. Vassallo

HONORABLE MENTION

  • Flower Power - Kevin Peace


BUSINESS:

WINNER: The Cherry Pie Principle - Michael Levine

RUNNER-UP: Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive Innovation - Mike Mears