2026 Los Angeles Book Festival Honors Neurodivergent Novel’s Obsessions

LOS ANGELES_ A novel centered on a neurodivergent woman’s struggles is the top book of the 2026 Los Angeles Book Festival, which honors the best of the world publishing community.

Author Meg Richman’s Freya the Deer (Rootstock Publishing) tells of a young neurodivergent woman occupied since childhood by a series of obsessions. She is artistic, vegan, unsocial, and utterly honest.

She attends college in the Pacific Northwest, planning to create her own major so she can explore exactly what the soul is. There she falls in love with Caleb, who becomes her new obsession. But when Caleb becomes increasingly radicalized after the death of George Floyd, she must choose between her intense loyalty to him and her moral doubts about violent protest.

This quirky, lyrical debut coming-of-age tale about a complex character is a stunning novel that resonates with vivid storytelling, making it well worthy of top honors.

Other winners in the competition:

BIOGRAPHY/AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

WINNER: Clark Gable, Gone with the Wind, Vol. II — Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince

RUNNER-UP: Faith, Cancer, God’s Miracle — Ray Scott

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

WINNER: A Flower for You — Tasha Nicole Terani

RUNNERS-UP:

BeBe the Not-So-Brave Butterfly — Kimberly Robinson

It’s Okay to Have Feelings — Patricia Miller

The Heart of a Leader — Dr. Josh McConkey

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Bebee the Butterfly — Sabrina Marshall

More Than a Mushroom Hunt — Tonalee Shinabery-King

Vlad: A Vampire’s Secret — Vassi Rombis

Aventuras de Algodón: El gran deseo de Mila — Pali Bermúdez

Fi Yo on the Bayou — Andrew Whitfield

Floo Flocky Doo to the Rescue — David L. Gillespie

Moo-Nay R U Monet? — Loni Belle & J. E. Laufer

Noah and Big Paws — Dale A. Jointer

¿Me Dolerá el Corte de Pelo? — Martha Goldner

COMPILATIONS/ANTHOLOGIES:

WINNER: Blood Moon’s Media Buzz — Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince

RUNNER-UP: Doña Basura Manda: en una Tierra Llena — Martha Goldner

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:

WINNER: The Con Company: Double Actors in Budapest — Gabor Domokos

GENERAL FICTION:

WINNER: Freya the Deer — Meg Richman

RUNNERS-UP:

Shroud of Ice — Sharon Krasny

The Long Farewell — Bob Van Laerhoven

The Fateful Voyage of the Empress of Ireland — Cheryl Roberts Gale

Palimony – Steve Grossman

Black Rain In Little Tokyo — M. Ward Leon

Conniption Creek — Earl L. Carlson

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Born Posthumous — Fish Nealman

The Return of the Flying Boat — Dale Morton

Song of Hummingbird Highway — K.M. Cookie

Song For The Dead — Andrew Cusick

Pirate’s Alley — Thomas J. Leveque

Thank God for the Sinners — Eric Magun

Attacking the Dragon — A. Marc Ross

The Invisible Hand — Douglas Cole

Zetta — Zishan Evans

GENERAL NONFICTION:

WINNER: Cold War California — Gary Francis Powers Jr., Christopher Sturdevant, Franky Ortega

RUNNERS-UP:

Avoiding the Great Filter — Jonathan. H. Jiang, Philip E. Rosen

Before Their Crimes — Dr. Wendy Smith

Unwinding the Imprints of Disease: — Leah K. Hollon

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Book of North American Idioms — Joanna L. Arroyo

Litter Lady Leads — Martha Goldner

GENRE-BASED:

WINNER: KillStarter — John C. Epperson

RUNNERS-UP:

Escala’s Wish — David James

Breathe Easy — Tammy Donahue

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Animalus: Ascent of An Angel — Eric Kok

Ashes and Ruins: Love, War, and the Home Front — K. Lang-Slattery

Railroad Man: Legacies Son — Dan E. Hendrickson

Someone Had to Lie — Jack Luellen

Deadly Decisions – Nancy Mangano

HOW-TO:

WINNER: Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant to Be — Stephen Rue

RUNNER-UP:

One Teacher at a Time – Ken Rand

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The 100-Page Subscription Pricing Book — Felix Mörée

MEMOIR:

WINNER: Mud, Microbes & Medicine — Eliabeth Reed Aden, PhD

RUNNERS-UP:

Self Made Maverick — Dr. Reza Zahedi

Dancing Through the Shadow – Agnes Bristow

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Behind My American Dream — Maggie Zurowska

The Hand I’ve Been Dealt – Barbara J. Mack

A Time Like No Other – Ken Rand

PHOTOGRAPHY/ART:

WINNER: In The Valley of the Shadow — Steven Manchester & Brian Fox

RUNNER-UP:

The Other Worldly Deep — Charles Rawlings

POETRY:

WINNER: How to Find God on the Dance Floor — Marlene Rhein

RUNNERS-UP:

Ireland’s Unparalleled Essence, Vol. I-5 — Norbert G. Gomes

A Flower for You — Tasha Nicole Terani

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

American Storybook — Tod Christensen

Moonlight in My Eyes: Poems — James Richard Hansen

Poetry of the Heart – Reshenda L. Younger

REGIONAL LITERATURE:

WINNER: Emerald City Blues: A Novel — H. Lee Barnes

RUNNER-UP:

When Hearts Heal — Mara Purl

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Saving Marietta: — Joy E. Held

Can Skinwalkers Swim? — Michael Wescott Loder

ROMANCE

WINNER: La Pâte à Bombe: A Novel — Michelle Christensen

RUNNERS-UP:

341 — Robert Richardson

The Next Round — Eva Frances

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Escape – Eve M. Riley

Two Corks in a Curse — Noelle Neal

SCIENCE FICTION:

WINNER: Panacea — Richard Carson Bailey

RUNNER-UP:

Liberation: Book 3 of the Utopia Engine trilogy — Lee Schneider

HONORABLE MENTION:

Five-Quota – Wendy Macgown

SELF-HELP:

WINNER: Embrace Your Shadows — Christina Prokos

SEQUELS:

WINNER: Hollywood High Chronicles Book Seven: Lifetimes — Melissa Velasco

RUNNERS-UP:

Ava — Janet R. Perroni

Ava Again — Janet R. Perroni

Ava’s Connection — Janet R. Perroni

SPIRITUAL/RELIGIOUS:

WINNER: When The Penny Dropped — Renaato Ferreira

RUNNERS-UP:

A Soldier’s Burden – Natia Khaduri

HONORABLE MENTION:

Faith, Cancer, God’s Miarcle – Ray Scott

WILD CARD:

WINNER: Before Their Crimes — Dr. Wendy Smith

RUNNERS-UP:

Blood Moon Productions: Its Origins, Its Oeuvre, Its Sources, Its Legacy — Darwin Porter & Danforth Prince