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Literary Titan Silver Book Award
Celebrating the brilliance of outstanding authors who have captivated us with their skillful prose, engaging narratives, and compelling real and imagined characters. We recognize books that stand out for their innovative storytelling and insightful exploration of truth and fiction. Join us in honoring the dedication and skill of these remarkable authors as we celebrate the diverse and rich worlds they’ve brought to life, whether through the realm of imagination or the lens of reality.
Award Recipients
Filaments by KZK Zuganelis Kasling
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Hell Hounds
Hell Hounds is a supernatural fantasy that dives deep into the clash between Heaven and Hell, following the fateful child of both realms. The story begins with Archangel Michael and the demon Asmodeus creating a fragile pact, one that binds their worlds through a child destined to protect both sides. As the centuries pass, the novel follows this lineage, hunters, demons, angels, and mortals all entangled in a fight that questions loyalty, destiny, and love. There’s blood, betrayal, and tenderness tucked into moments of brutal war. It’s a saga of balance, between faith and sin, light and dark, family and fate.
The pacing runs hot and cold, but when it hits, it really hits. The dialogue snaps with grit, and the characters, especially Sully, the tormented hunter, and Mick, the brave yet uncertain daughter of an archangel, carry the story with heart. There’s something raw about the way author Barb Jones blends divine mythology with modern grit. She makes angels and demons feel human, with jealousy, doubt, and love that burns like fire. The fight scenes pop off the page. But the quiet moments, the ones between Sully and his father Asmodeus, or Mick facing Lucifer, those are where the book truly breathes.
There are a lot of names to follow and many battles happening at once. I had to slow down to keep up with who was scheming against whom. Yet, there’s a certain charm in the chaos. It feels intentional, like the author wanted the reader to drown in the same storm her characters are fighting. There’s power in that confusion, it mirrors the war between Heaven and Hell itself. The prose isn’t polished, but it makes the mythic feel intimate, like you’re eavesdropping on gods and monsters having very human arguments.
I’d recommend Hell Hounds to anyone who loves dark fantasy with heart. To readers who crave a world where angels curse, demons cry, and love defies kingdoms. If you’re the type who likes your stories bloody and soulful, with just enough chaos to keep your pulse up, this one’s for you.
Pages: 162 | ASIN : B0FJ7M7S9Y
PURGATORY – THE PALACE
C.M. Byron’s Purgatory is a haunting and emotional dive into the mind of someone living on the edge of their own sanity, guilt, and empathy. It begins with a raw depiction of mental illness and trauma, framed by the structure of the UK’s Mental Health Act, before unraveling into a dark, surreal journey through the mysterious Blackthorn Palace. The protagonist, a woman running barefoot from her past and her pain, finds herself in a Gothic world where empathy itself is both a gift and a curse. The story mixes psychological realism with supernatural metaphor, exploring themes of loneliness, trauma, redemption, and human connection through the lens of those society has cast aside.
Byron writes with such unfiltered honesty that it’s hard not to feel what the main character feels. There’s a rhythm to the prose that swings between poetic and brutal. At times, the writing feels heavy, even chaotic, but that chaos feels intentional. It mirrors the narrator’s fractured state of mind. The descriptions of Blackthorn Palace are lush and cinematic. But what hit me hardest were the quiet moments. The confessions, the loneliness, the small flashes of humanity that peek through the darkness. Byron doesn’t shy away from pain. They sit with it, let it breathe, and that’s what makes the story so powerful.
There are moments where the dialogue drifts into the surreal, and I found myself unsure what was real or imagined. But maybe that’s the point. Purgatory isn’t meant to be clean or clear. It’s meant to be felt. It’s a story about people who are too sensitive for the world, who see too much and can’t turn it off. I loved that it doesn’t romanticize mental illness or trauma, it just tells the truth of it. The characters are broken but not beyond repair, and that made me feel something rare: hope. I caught myself rereading certain lines, not for meaning but for how they made me feel in my gut.
Purgatory left me thinking long after I closed it. It’s heavy, emotional, sometimes disturbing, but also strangely comforting. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever felt unseen or misunderstood, to those who find beauty in the dark corners of the mind.
Pages: 320 | ASIN: B0FR24B4RH
Ghost Writer
Arjay Lewis’s Ghost Writer is a haunting, twisting tale that begins with a bitter divorce and spirals into the supernatural. The story follows Joe Riley, a washed-up novelist who inherits his late uncle’s cabin deep in the Poconos. What starts as a man’s desperate retreat to escape his failures turns into a psychological unraveling filled with eerie noises, mysterious pages that write themselves, and the blurred line between inspiration and possession. At its heart, it’s about creativity, grief, and the price one pays when the muse turns monstrous.
This book gripped me right away. Lewis writes with an easy rhythm that feels like an old friend telling you a story over a drink. The voice is sharp, cynical, and soaked in the kind of regret that only comes from living hard and losing often. Joe’s bitterness feels real. His loneliness cuts deep. There’s humor too, dark and dry, that makes the pain go down easier. What I liked most is how the writing itself mirrors Joe’s mental decline. Sentences start crisp and clear, then grow jagged and strange as his sanity unravels. It’s the sort of book that keeps you awake at night, not because you’re scared of ghosts, but because you recognize the ghosts inside yourself.
The supernatural element creeps in slowly. At first, I wasn’t sure if what Joe was seeing was real or just his hangover talking. That’s what makes it so effective. Lewis never rushes the reveal. Every scene in the cabin feels heavy with memory and regret, every creak in the floorboard feels like a heartbeat. The book plays with the idea that creation and madness might be neighbors. I loved that. It’s not flashy horror; it’s quiet, psychological, and deeply human.
I’d recommend Ghost Writer to anyone who loves stories that blend the eerie with the emotional. Fans of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones or Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House will feel right at home here. It’s for readers who enjoy slow burns, flawed characters, and the unsettling feeling that maybe the scariest thing in the room is your own mind.
Pages: 322 | ASIN : B0CWYCWPVS
My Nightmare
The Other Side follows a young detective who is killed in the line of duty, and instead of ascending to Heaven chooses to reside in the Veil, where he has to destroy an ancient beast set on feeding on the living’s souls. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
First, I want to thank the entire team at Literary Titan for their hard work and dedication with helping independent authors. Thank you for everything you do. To answer your question we must travel back to my childhood. When I was eleven years old I began having a recurring nightmare where I had passed away and become a ghost. I would follow my family around the house trying to get their attention, but no matter how hard I tried, no one could see or hear me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I would realize something was with me in this in between world. I couldn’t see what it was, I just knew it was wicked and it wanted my soul. This unseen entity would chase me through the house and I would always wake up, sweaty and with my heart pounding, right before it could get me. Like most nightmares of your youth it faded over time. But the impression it left on me never diminished. So when I decided to write my first novel, it was a no-brainer for me to write about my nightmare.
Mitch is an interesting character with his flaws, yet he remains likable and relatable. How do you go about creating characters for your story?
I really enjoy creating characters. It’s my favorite part of creating my stories. For years I was a warehouse manager, and part of my job duties was hiring new employees. I always enjoyed interviewing prospective team members. Every person is unique, and it was always interesting learning a little bit about that person’s background and why they wanted to work for the company and why they thought they would be a great team member. And that’s how I create my prospective characters. I have them sit down and do a full interview inside my head and write down their responses. Of course, it’s more personal and thorough than a mere job interview, but the same principles apply. I learn everything about my characters and have fun doing it.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I wanted to explore love, the power of family, and the goodness in the human soul in the face of unimaginable horror. The Other Side is a horror novel, but that doesn’t mean we can’t highlight some of the positive aspects of the human condition. Mitch shows us all the power of love trumps the power of evil. He’ll do anything to protect his family and friends. And I believe it is important to highlight the positive aspects of humanity because most of what you see on the news and online highlight the worst parts of us. So yeah, The Other Side is a horror novel with gory depictions and an enigmatic, evil villain, but at its heart is love, family, and the power of good triumphing over evil.
Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?
When I wrote The Other Side I meant for it to be a standalone story. Since then, I’ve had hundreds of readers asking me the same question. So now, I have plans on making the adventures of Mitch and Sophia into a trilogy. But first, I have another novel in the editing phase of production and I’m putting the finishing touches on another manuscript. So stay tuned!
Author Links: GoodReads | Bookbaby
After being shot and killed in the line of duty, and passing up his chance to enter heaven so he can watch over his family, Mitch finds himself in The Veil, a dangerous plane of existence where unwanted souls and unspeakable evil dwell. Now an ancient beast that feeds on the souls God doesn’t want has its eyes set on Mitch, and it won’t stop until it possesses his soul.
What follows is a battle between good and evil with the fate of every soul in the living world hanging in the balance. Can Mitch destroy the ancient evil and protect his friends and family? Or will the beast from the pits of hell take Mitch’s soul and be unleashed upon the living world?
An Eye for Vengeance
An Eye for Vengeance follows Jedidiah McAllister, a humble rancher turned relentless avenger after his wife and daughters are brutally murdered. What begins as a Western quickly spirals into something far more haunting, a supernatural revenge saga soaked in grief, rage, and a strange kind of spiritual corruption. Through a curse known as “the Eye,” Jed is given the terrible gift of seeing into men’s souls and sending them to Hell. The story unfolds as a mix of gritty frontier realism and mythic horror, blurring the line between man and monster.
The writing style has this cinematic edge, like an old Western painted in blood and dust. Every description feels tactile: the sting of the ropes, the dry wind over the prairie, the glow of the campfire. But what really sells it is the voice. Jed narrates in a tone that’s equal parts grit and poetry, like a man talking to ghosts. There’s a moment when he visits the graves of his wife and daughters and whispers, “I’ll make it right.” I actually had to pause there. You feel his exhaustion, that single thread of purpose keeping him alive. At times, the prose gets heavy, repetitive even, but it fits the story. Vengeance isn’t clean or quick; it’s a slow, choking fire.
What surprised me most was how spiritual the story becomes. The Crow medicine man and Windsong aren’t just background characters; they’re the moral counterweight to Jed’s descent. Their words about balance and the danger of letting vengeance consume you echo through the entire book. There’s a moment when the medicine man tells Jed, “ vengeance is like fire. It burn bright, but if you not careful, it consume everything. Even you,” That line stuck with me. It’s as if the author wanted to remind us that vengeance isn’t justice, it’s rot disguised as purpose. Yet, the author never makes Jed’s rage feel unjustified. He lets us walk that knife’s edge with him.
By the end, I found myself both rooting for Jed and fearing what he’d become. The “Eye” isn’t just a power, it’s a metaphor for how trauma rewires a person, how obsession takes hold and won’t let go. The book doesn’t let you look away from that. It’s violent, yes, but also deeply human in its depiction of love turned to wrath. I finished it feeling shaken and oddly hollow, which I think is exactly what the author intended.
I’d recommend An Eye for Vengeance to readers who love dark Westerns with a supernatural twist, think The Revenant meets The Crow. It’s not an easy read; it’s harsh, bloody, and emotional. But if you like stories that make you feel something raw, something uncomfortable yet real, this one delivers in spades. It’s the kind of book that lingers in your head long after you close it, like the echo of a gunshot across an empty plain.
Pages: 227 | ASIN : B0FRJJLHD3
An Indoctrinated Horror Enthusiast
Witches and Pumpkins, Fur and Fangs is a collection of twenty short stories surrounding Halloween, bringing together tales of monsters, goblins, ghosts, witches, and everything scary. What was the inspiration for creating this collection of stories?
I got the idea for this collection after I saw the movie Trick ‘r Treat. I first watched that movie in 2009, which also happened to be the year I started writing for the first time. I remember thinking how amazing it was that the movie (almost) had a little bit of everything in it, and how it all took place in the same town on the same night. I thought to myself how cool it would be if a book or movie literally had EVERYTHING in it. Something like that movie, but on a grander scale. A year later, I wrote Jack of the Lantern. After that, I kept adding stories, always making sure they stood alone on their own, but secretly including Easter eggs that connected them to the others. I took the secondary characters from previous stories and threw them into the spotlight for their own stories. I made sure each one either addressed a different type of monster, or revolved around a different Halloween tradition or legend. Almost every character in the book appears multiple times. ‘Science Make Me Mad’ and ‘Can You See Me’ feature the same mad scientist antagonist. The librarian from ‘Hob Gob’ is a main character in ‘Incorporeal Beings’. Things like that. I encourage anybody reading to try to pay attention to the characters and all the connections, because there’s a lot of them.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
I became an indoctrinated horror enthusiast since I was eleven. I was a child of the 90’s and grew up on late night television specials like Joe Bob Brigg’s Monstervision every Friday and Saturday night. I would catch Sunday afternoon showings of American Werewolf in London and Children of the Corn, complete with commercial breaks, just to find out later that the only parts they really cut out when editing for television was the nudity and cursing. All the scary parts were mostly still intact. I became fascinated with all things scary, and as a teenager I began reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I write other stories in the realm of science fiction or fantasy, but I always end up leaning towards the darker sides of things.
Do you have a favorite story in this collection, and if so, what makes it so appealing to you?
I have a couple. ‘Jack of the Lantern’ has always held a special place in my heart. Not only was it my first to write, it was also my first short story to ever get published. When I was reading these stories again for this collection, I stopped at ‘Incorporeal Beings’. I remember telling myself, “Wow I actually wrote this. This is pretty damn good.” I like a good ghost story, especially when it becomes clear that the ghosts are a real threat and can actually kill you. That story was a lot of fun to write.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am actively working on a novel entitled I Don’t Want to be a Monster. Imagine if Dexter was the Wolfman; that’s the basic concept. It’s about a werewolf who targets serial killers, rapists, child molesters, etc. I currently have several interested parties requesting the manuscript, and I’ve been given an early December deadline to complete (it’s almost done!). Hopefully you’ll be seeing that one soon.
Author Links: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
Introducing Lovecraft to Children
Cats of Ulthar: A Tale Reimagined follows a family of cats on the eve of returning home, where a father recounts to his children the tale of their grandfather, which begins as a bedtime story and becomes a dark memory of captivity, vengeance, and rebirth. What inspired you to reimage the famous H.P. Lovecraft story?
I have been a graphic novelist for over twenty years. The majority of my work has been reimagining Lovecraft for a new generation; largely introducing Lovecraft to children. It started with Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom. That story spawned two other books in the series and three animated movies from them. My latest book before “Cats”, introduced children to Lovecraft’s character Herbert West. I’m honored to state that my work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune and Rue Morgue magazine.
What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?
Horror has intrigued me since I was young. It touches on the most primal, darkest side of humanity. I wrote Cats of Ulthar because I loved the original story, but also because it allowed me to delve into modern-day themes that the original did not. This story, wrapped in a bedtime story, deals with questions over modern-day authority, the line between freedom, and what we call “a pitchfork mob”.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
Honestly, the final scene. This is a bedtime story, but the young cubs never hear what truly happens because they fall asleep. The father reveals he would never tell them the ugly side of this story because he wants to protect them from the ugliness of the world. It rang true to me as a natural protective moment coming from a parent, but that parent also wishes to unburden himself as an adult and relieve himself of some of the ugliness in the world.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I just finished a futuristic short story about A.I. It defines comfort as a prison. It was inspired by seeing people turning to A.I. to make their lives easier. Slowly watching society turn to A.I. for the “comfort”, or an easy way to create “art”, or even book a vacation, haunts me deeply because I do not see it ending well. I also am fleshing out a graphic novel that is most definitely horror. I can’t predict when the next book will be released because creating stories in this form takes many people, but being a graphic novelist has been my passion for many decades, and I will never stop creating.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
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