NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS
®
CELEBRATING SELF & INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING EXCELLENCE
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SPEAKERS BUREAU
Many of our Award-Winning authors are available for speaking engagements, interviews, podcasts, and the like. Their talents and accomplishments range widely across many genres, please see the lists below to find highly engaging experts in their field today.
Featured Award-Winning Author Speakers
(Contact Authors Directly for Your Booking)

Leadership, Creativity, and Marketing Leader
Aaron Templer
Author, agency owner, professional trainer/professor, musician, and creative mind, Aaron Templer bridges marketing, leadership, and creativity creases with 20+ years of perspective and bias-breaking.

Author
Andy Becker
Andy Becker is an award winning author whose elegant gift books inspire gardening and environmentalism.

Author, Performance Consultant , Speaker
Bill Blokker, Ed.D.
Bill Blokker, Ed.D. is a passionate and informative speaker. He has an unwavering belief that the impossible is possible! He will share insights about how people overcame crushing circumstances to achieve extraordinary results.

Author/Entertainer
CJ Morgan
Professional celebrity impersonators portray Jack Nicholson and Dolly Parton

HARVEST YOUR HAPPY: A Farm Girl's Guide to Leading, Succeeding and Living Your Best Life
Camilla Gray-Nelson
I share 4-legged wisdom with my 2-legged audience. How to lead, love and achieve, "animal style!"

Award-winning author
Cindie Schooner-Ball
Cindie is an award-winning author and retired fire service captain.

Author
Danny R. Smith
Retired L.A. Sheriff's homicide detective, author of detective novels and true crime.

Memoirist, Poet, Fiction Writer, Literature and Writing Professor
Deirdre Fagan
Widow, Wife, Mother of Two, Memoirist, Poet, Fiction Writer, and Professor

ChIC - Chief Improvement Catalyzer
Diane Helbig
As a business advisor and trainer I serve business owners and professionals who wish to improve their outcomes and realize greater happiness. I am also an award-winning speaker and author, and podcast host.

Author
Donna Huston Murray
Donna Huston Murray’s cozy mystery series features an amateur sleuth much like herself, a DIY headmaster's wife with a troubling interest in crime. The latest Gin Barnes’ FOR BETTER OR WORSE was a Finalist for the National Indie Excellence Award for mysteries, and the first two novels in the Lauren Beck mystery/crime series won Honorable Mention in genre fiction from Writer’s Digest.
In 2022, Donna became the tenth inductee into her high school’s Lifetime Achievement Award Hall of Fame. To hint that she’s still writing, the plaque reads, “…and more,” below her listed books.
When she isn’t plotting mayhem, Donna assumes she can fix anything until proven wrong, calls trash-picking recycling, and, although she should probably know better by now, adores Irish setters.
Donna and husband, Hench, live in the greater Philadelphia, PA, USA, area.

Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker, City Mayor, and Business Professor
Ed Eng
From Corporate Success to Civic Leadership: Dr. Ed Eng, Former Fortune 500 Executive Turned Mayor, Inspires in His Debut Book “The Accidental Mayor.”

award-winning novelist and nonfiction author
Fran Hawthorne
After decades as a journalist covering healthcare and business ethics, Fran Hawthorne returned to her childhood passion: fiction. Her second novel, I Meant to Tell You, has won or is a finalist for seven awards.

Author of A Common Thirst and other resources
Gary Boelhower
I am an author of children's stories, poetry, and resources to help make wise decisions. I am professor emeritus at The College of St. Scholastica and have spent a career helping others access their own inner wisdom and act for the common good.

Inspirational Speaker/Author/Founder of Pajama Program
Genevieve Piturro
thor, INspirational Speaker

Award-winning author and veteran
George Hayward
Air Force veteran and award-winning author George Hayward tells a little-known, morally conflicted story of heroism, duty, honor and obligation.

Death by Design
JOHN HARRISON GRAVES
John has received three national book awards for his works of fiction and non-fiction.

Storyteller
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith is a Wisconsin novelist, podcaster, blogger, and editor. Her debut novel, published in March 2022, won the 16th Annual Juror’s Choice Award from NIEA, the 2022 PenCraft First Place Award for Women’s Fiction, and is one of the Women’s National Book Association’s 2022 Great Group Reads

Fearless Female Tech Leader/ Future of Work
Marva Bailer
Marva infuses positive energy with her current, real-world perspective gained through her career as a sales, leadership, executive and employee engagement, and marketing leader, from startups to blue chip brands, including IBM, Amazon, Splunk, and Twilio

Author and Spiritual Director
MaryEllen Weber
MaryEllen Weber, is an award-winning children's book author and spiritual director who is passionate about inviting others to awaken to Divine Presence within and without.

My Dog Is My Relationship Coach/Maureen Scanlon/Certified Lifecoach, Relationship Expert, Speaker, Podcast Host
Maureen Scanlon
I am passionate about helping people find the best versions of themselves!

Author
Melva Haggar Dye
I began my writing career mid-life following years of travel, observation and experiences. I'm a people person, and that has translated into what I do best: characterization!

Author
Michele Kwasniewski
Michele's colorful experiences from her fifteen+ year career in the entertainment industry inspired her to write THE RISE AND FALL OF DANI TRUEHART trilogy.

Author
Nick Holmberg
Nick Holmberg won NIEA's 2021 Best New Fiction category for his novel The Emergent. He uses elements of several genres and storytelling modes to engage and challenge the reader on perspective and social issues.

Zen Rohatsu
Nora D'Ecclesis
Nora D'Ecclesis presents seminars on the topic of "The Paths To Spirituality" from the zen perspective. Her experience includes small companies, non-profits, and retreat seminars on zoom or in person in the USA and UK.

Award Winning Author, Producer, Public Relations Consultant
Pamela Hamilton
Pamela Hamilton is a producer, public relations consultant, and author of the multi-award-winning historical novel, Lady Be Good. Her career has encompassed the fields of broadcast journalism, filmmaking, and publishing.

Author
Patrick Dylan
Advocate for ending the stigma surrounding mental illness after supporting my wife through several years of acute psychosis.

Author (Memoir)
Patrick Riccards
From 2017 through 2020, Patrick Riccards served on the coaching staff for the West Windsor-Plainsboro (NJ) Wildcats Cheer team, working with WWP’s Junior Pee Wee, Pee Wee, and Junior Varsity squads. His PW squad took second place at YCADA Globals and his JV squad earned a top 10 finish at Pop Warner Natio

Former Congressman/Keynote Speaker/Author
Ric Keller
Ric Keller served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Today, Congressman Keller is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and attorney. He speaks on the topics of civility in the workplace, leading with humor, networking for introverts, and how to build a happy life.

Award Winning novelist and nonfiction author
Sharon Mabry
Professional singer turned novelist. Her debut novel, The Postmaster's Daughter,set in East Tennessee, is a literary fiction performance that shows Mabry’s ear for character details and her ability to weave a murder plot that keeps the reader’s interest to the very last page.

Author
Susan Simone
Oral Historian, Writing Workshops in Prisons, Documentary Photographer

Groovy Girl
casey cui (a.k.a., Maritza Roño Refuerzo)
Ms. Cui's debut novel, Groovy Girl, is about a young, feisty Filipino-American girl whose world turns topsy-turvy when her 19-year-old wunderkind sister is diagnosed with colon cancer, amid the chaos of an animated, dramatic extended family. Groovy Girl is the 2022 winner of the National Indie Excellence Award for Asian American Pacific Islander Fiction, a 2022 finalist at the American Fiction Awards for Multicultural Fiction, and was short-listed for the 2022 Hawthorne Prize, sponsored by the American Writing Awards..
More Award-Winning Author Speakers
Author
Dr. Nicole Elaine Avery
Website/URL:
Nicoleelaineavery.com
Author and Editor, The Ones who Remember: Second Generation Voices of the Holocaust
Rita Benn
Website/URL:
Multi-Award-Winning Author and Screenwriter - The First Harm: A Medical Thriller
Steven Piskula
Website/URL:
Author/Children's Books
Barbara Valenza
Website/URL:
potato-publishing.com
Author of a Christian memoir about my daughter's diagnosis with a rare genetic disorder and our subsequent journey through a clinical trial.
Tammy Coulter
Website/URL:
tammycoulterauthor.com
Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker & Business Leader helping women build confidence & resilience, foster self-love habits and rise into leadership positions, without the burnout.
Jenna Banks
Website/URL:
Author/nonfiction and novelist/distinguished professor
Laura Katz Olson
Website/URL:
Author, All the Monsters Are Here: Thirteen Spooky Tales
Aaron Ray Ballard
Website/URL:
Author, LGBTQ Family-Friendly Children's Books
Tom Tracy - Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Website/URL:
author, suspense/women's fiction/mysteries, social worker
Carla Damron
Website/URL:
carladamron.com
School Leadership from A to Z: How to Lead Well Without Losing Your Way
Bradley James Davies
Website/URL:
The Pirate's Conquest
Charlene J. Centracchio
Website/URL:
Author
Ben Hamilton
Website/URL:
chasinghistoryproject.com
Scientist, Author of "Baby Ecology: Using Science and Intuition to Create the Best Feeding, Sleep, and Play Environment for Your Unique Baby"
Anya Dunham, PhD
Website/URL:
BLOOD BEFORE DAWN (Book 2 of the Dung Beetles of Liberia Series)
Daniel V. Meier Jr.
Website/URL:
https:/DanielMeierAuthor.com
Author / Holocaust History - The Spirit of Ruchel Leah
Lester Blum
Website/URL:
Author/Illustrator, Author of “How to Draw Adorable”
Carlianne Tipsey
Website/URL:
Writer and Journalist
John F Duffy
Website/URL:
JohnFDuffy.com
Author
Juliet Rose
Website/URL:
authorjulietrose.com
Author/Fiction/Editor of COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES
Mark Wish
Website/URL:
Author
Darryl Busink
Website/URL:
US labor historian, oral history specialty, Pacific Coast maritime labor research focus
Harvey Schwartz
Website/URL:
True crime Journalist and author of "The Alaskan Blonde"
James T. Bartlett
Website/URL:
Author of Southern Gothic/Royal Biographical Fiction/YA Fantasy
Sophia Alexander
Website/URL:
Author, Children's Health Book Series, Manager of Dow Creative Enterprises
Michael Dow
Website/URL:
Multi-Award-Winning Author, Senior Medical Writer, and Creative Director
Dr Danielle Camer
Website/URL:
Fiction Author, Empowerment Speaker, Blogger, Content Marketing Specialist
Anju Gattani
Website/URL:
Multi-Award-Winning Author, Screenwriter, RN, Wildlife Rehabber
Alexandrea Weis
Website/URL:
Author of Ultimate Mix Tape series, ’80s music expert, owner of TLC Book Design
Tamara Dever
Website/URL:
Author
Christine Reed
Website/URL:
aloneinwonderland.com
Multi-Award-Winning Author of The Munchkins Series/MG-YA Fantasy
Candice Zee
Website/URL:
Trying Not to Drown
Cindy Horrell Ramsey
Website/URL:
cindyhorrellramsey.com
Author of Deep Knowing. Pioneering educator redefining how we learn & know.
Kim Hermanson, Ph.D.
Website/URL:
Master Executive Coach/Facilitator/Trusted Advisor
Phyllis Sarkaria
Website/URL:
sarkariagroup.com
Stalked by Demons, Guarded by Angels: The Girl with the Eating Disorder
Simone Yemm
Website/URL:
Founder, CEO, & Editor-in-Chief of GGV Publishing Company, LLC
Germinal G. Van
Website/URL:
The Art of Being a School Counselor: Leading with Confidence, Compassion, and Authenticity
Nancy L Regas, MS, MFT, PPS
Website/URL:
Author
Irene J. Steele
Website/URL:
Irenejsteele.com
Author
Jenn Bouchard
Website/URL:
jennbouchard.com
Throwing Thunder: Awakening the Forces of Nature in Every Woman (Kendra Ward / personal development )
Kendra Ward
Website/URL: