PASTRY CHEF’S SAGA IS TOP BOOK IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOOK FESTIVAL


LOS ANGELES_ The story of a young pastry chef’s struggles to establish herself in a major L.A. kitchen is the top book in the 2026 Southern California Book Festival, which honors the best books of the fall.

Author Michelle Christensen’s La Pâte á Bombe (Sibylline Press) is the story of Fiona McConnell, who grew up helping her dad run his catering company while dreaming of pastry chef stardom.

When her culinary idol and boss, Julia Stone, fires the head and pastry chefs at one of L.A.'s most acclaimed restaurants, Fiona steps up to prove she belongs in the kitchen. But the heat turns up when Julia brings in the legendary and fiercely ambitious Liam Auclair as head chef.

His mission? To earn L.A.'s first three Michelin stars, no matter the pressure it puts on the team. As Fiona fights to rise in the cutthroat world of fine dining, she meets Rory Martin, a charming vintner with a love of food, wine, and surfing. But when ambition, identity, and desire collide, Fiona has to decide: will she chase perfection or choose what's real?

This fine debut novel promises to be the launching pad for great things from the author, and is well worthy of top honors.

Other winners in the competition:

GENERAL NONFICTION:

WINNER: Before Their Crimes - Dr. Wendy Smith

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Sticky, Sexy, Sad - Treena Orchard
  • True Crime and Consequences - David Lyons


HONORABLE MENTIONS:


ROMANCE:

WINNER: Living on a Prayer - Katrina Alexander


POETRY:

WINNER: Send Down the Master in Person - A. Keith Carreiro

RUNNERS-UP:


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Simple Words of Rhyme - Gwendolyn Williams
  • Tapestry of Silence - Loakreddy Prishitha Reddy
  • Never say - Never - Irakli Nadareishvili



SELF-HELP:

WINNER: Embrace Your Shadows - Christina Prokos


YOUNG ADULT:

WINNER: Hollywood High Chronicles Book Six - Melissa Velasco

RUNNER-UP: George Petit and the Whispers of Time - Luca Tom Bilotta

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Split - Michael Swartz



GENERAL FICTION:

WINNER: La Pâte á Bombe - Michelle Christensen

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Ready for the World - Driver’s Education - Charmeljun Gallardo
  • The Monuments Must Bleed - Clifton Wilcox
  • Thank God for the Sinners - Eric Magun
  • After You, My Dear - PJ Ellis
  • Under Strange, Strange Skies - Don Stansberry


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Asayi, An Autistic Teen’s Journey to Topple a Shogun in Medieval Japan - Sharon Curcio
  •  Song of Hummingbird Highway - KM Cookie
  • Silent Code - Jessie Clark
  • Lenswoman in Love - Kim Gottlieb-Walker
  • Ava - Janet R. Perroni
  • Keeper of the Fallen Angels - Clifton Wilcox
  • Swimming with Manatees - Bill Bennett
  • The Escape - Eve M. Riley
  • Once Upon a Safehouse - Carolyn Summer Quinn
  • Breathe Easy - Tammy Donahue
  • The Game - Eve M. Riley
  • The Case Against Jasper - Clifton Wilcox
  • Someone Had to Lie - Jack Luellen
  • Ava Again - Janet R. Perroni
  • Dream Me Dead - Laurie Elizabeth Murphy
  • killing brumbies - Sue Andrews
  • GENE-IUS - Sharon L. Wenger
  • The Return of the Flying Boat - Dale Morton
  • Prophets of War - Jack Brown
  • Ava’s Connection - Janet R. Perroni
  • Abbot Lane - Jim Layeux
  • Charlie’s Wings - Karl L. Stewart
  • Demonology: The Bond - Kadeem Locke
  • The Pulse of the City - C.D. “Tony” Hylton III


COMPILATIONS/ANTHOLOGIES:

WINNER: Gravity Flow: The Jimmy Whistler Storeis - E.M. Schorb


CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

WINNER: Stories of Jesus - Kama Bodman

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Welcome to the NIC-ZOO - Paige Pedroli
  • Happiness is for Everyone - Paula Price
  • It’s Okay to Have Feelings - Patricia L. Miller
  • The Heart of a Leader - Dr. Josh McConkey


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Lawrence Likes to Dance - Don Stansberry
  • Wally’s Window: A Tasty Adventure in Picky Eating - Christy Donohue
  • The Adventures of Captain Polo: Polo in Brazil - Alan Hesse
  • Holly and the Magic Bunny - Kateryna Dronova
  • The Old Secret at Hotel Oregon - Debbie Noble Black


MEMOIR:

WINNER: As We Bloom - Mia Bolton

RUNNER-UPS:

  • Being Broken - Geoffrey R. Jonas
  • Running From Tragedy - Michael Salsbury
  • Walking on Thin Ice - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts
  • Unexpected Gift - Rony Jane



WILD CARD:

WINNER: Before Their Crimes - Dr. Wendy Smith

RUNNERS-UP:

  • Raven’s Daughter: The Story Keeper - Wendy Halley
  • The Blues Don’t Last Always - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Walking on Thin Ice - Re’Gena Bell-Roberts
  • Running Stop Signs - Nancy Mangano


SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS:

WINNER: Identity Crisis: Who Am I, Really? - M.J. Kelley II

RUNNER-UPS:

  • Look Up Look In Look Out - Lisa Taylor
  • On the Edge - Adria Sanders


HONORABLE MENTION:

  • Rise of a Lightworker - Will Sibley



HOW-TO:

WINNER: Must: Becoming the Person You Were Meant to Be - Stephen Rue

RUNNER-UPS:

  • True Crime and Consequences - David Lyons
  • In Defense of Crime - Richard E.H. Phelps II


HONORABLE MENTION:

  • What Lights You Up? - Mary Olson-Menzel



BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY:

WINNER: El futuro del médico - Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli

RUNNER-UP: Expositions & World’s Fairs - In the Beginning - Bob McGlincy

HONORABLE MENTION:

  • La voz del médico - Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli



REGIONAL LITERATURE:

WINNER: Secrets of the Shield - Dennie Currie

RUNNER-UPS:

  • A Tissiack: A Sierran Siren - Charles Weeden
  • When Hearts Heal - Mara Purl


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

  • Can Skinwalkers Swim? - Michael Wescott Loder
  • Song of Hummingbird Highway - K.M. Cookie



UNPUBLISHED WORKS:

WINNER: The Murdered Front - Kevin Engelking

RUNNER-UP: Nursing Her Fractured Family - Louis Tong