Bonnie MacDougall, author of Those Who Live, has been named a finalist for Author of the Year 2025 in the Fiction – Mystery/Thriller category by the International Impact Book Awards. Her work stood out among hundreds of submissions, earning praise for its emotional depth, originality, and the powerful way it connects with readers. This recognition honors not just her storytelling but the lasting impression her novel has made on both the judging panel and a growing community of readers. 

Her novel Those Who Live follows two cousins, Chinle Davis, and Mae Godwin, as they dig into a disturbing family mystery involving the deaths of six infant girls over three generations. What begins as a search for answers slowly shifts when Chinle starts recovering memories of her own childhood accident, one that left her physically changed and emotionally scarred. As both women uncover painful truths and face challenges in their personal lives, the story becomes a deep exploration of memory, identity, and hidden family secrets. 

Bonnie MacDougall is a lifelong writer and former professor of English literature. She holds advanced degrees from Columbia University and has taught at several respected institutions. Those Who Live is her third novel, and she continues to write from her home in Vero Beach, Florida.