* Essence of an Artist, Loren Ellis, Pen Culture Solutions * Ellis River, Nicki Ehrlich, Bay Feather Books * Dylan Dover: Into the Vortex, Lynne Howard, The Conrad Press * Doorways to Transformation, Karen Kinney, Winged Bird Press * Dewees Cochran: The Artist and Her Dolls, Ann M. * Devil's Night, Thomas Stacey, Outskirts Press * Deep Waters of Destiny, Pete Carlson, Calumet Editions * Dancing for Our Tribe, Sharon Hoogstraten, Shikaakwa Press * Cult Girls, Natalie Grand, Comic Book Historians * Competing on Thought Leadership, Robert Buday, IdeaPress Publishing * Company of Women, Doug Villhard, Mabel Publishing * Catching Rain, Sandi Paris, BalboaPress * Campfires, Kids, and the Outdoors, Geremy Olson, 241 INK Productions * Busting Free, Amanda Savage Brown, Ph.D., LCSW, Open Up Books * Beyond the Parentheses, Susan Ford, Author Academy Elite * Attribution, Linda Moore, She Writes Press * Ask The Brindled, N'ou Revilla, Milkweed Editions * Armadillo Antics, Bill Martin Jr and Michael Sampson, Brown Books Kids * Antisexist, Lynn Schmidt, PhD, Bobo Publishing * American Sycamore, Lisbeth White, Perugia Press * Allegiance to Winds and Waters, Anne Winkler-Morey, Wise Ink Maidenberg, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW-R, Morgan James Publishing Hassan Khalili Ph.D, Breakwater Books Ltd. Below are the current and previous short-listed entries in alphabetical order by book. This small list or 'short list' of finalists is an honored distinction of its own and is announced publicly during the spring of each award year prior to the grand prize announcement. Less than 5% of the nominees become grand prize award finalists. Miranda worries the police will ignore the woman’s murder for fear of bad publicity and because of Miranda’s former job as an “escort,” an euphemistic attempt to soften that she sometimes was a prostitute, makes her keenly aware of how little regard the city officials have for the nude “entertainers.” Another similar murder heightens Miranda’s sense of injustice.Eric Hoffer Book Award Gold Seal © The Eric Hoffer ProjectĪs the annual judging draws to a close, the Eric Hoffer Award announces a small set of grand prize award finalists. Pandora worked for the Artists and Models exhibit, a decidedly non-family section in which fairgoers could sketch nude women who posed on a stage. In “City of Secrets,” Miranda investigates the murder of Pandora Blake, whose body, marked with an anti-Semitic slur, was found on the opening day of the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, commonly called the World’s Fair. Although she is prone to depression and even self-destructive acts, Miranda is a survivor.

Her intriguing past as a Red Cross nurse during the Spanish Civil War, later a paid escort and now a private detective only scratches the surface of this complicated, flawed woman. That freshness is present from the start with the appearance of Miranda Corbie.

City of Secrets by Kelli Stanley