Hollywood Book Festival Honors ‘Goodbye, Sweetberry Park’ With Top Award
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
Josette – 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:
Go For Third – Derek Volk
They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance – Léonie Rosenstiel
The Cosmic River – Deborah A. Forrest, Ph.D
Raspberry Wars – Sherwood A. Devisser
Why Not? – Teri Leigh Rouse
The Music Therapy Studio – Rick Soshensky
Own Your Color – Shikha Bajaj
Going for It! -Dr. Paul Salfen
South Node Shaman – Shaman Melodie McBride
The Beyond is Part of the Here Now – June Raleigh
The Tennis Champion Who Escaped the Nazis – Felice Hardy
Good Blood – A Journey of Healing- Irit Schaffer
Living in the Twilight Zone – Kevin Peace
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
RUNNERS-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
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
The Adventures of Clive & Sydney – Mallory J.Stevens
Captain Polo and the Halloween Party – Alan Hesse
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