Readers Assembly
Readers Assembly
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Author's Spotlight

Meet the voices shaping our reading journey

In-depth features on the authors our US and European community is reading, celebrating, and engaging with directly.

Anne Morenn
Featured this month
United States Romance & Women's Fiction

Anne Morenn

Anne Morenn is a contemporary romance and women's fiction author whose writing is deeply shaped by her unique life journey. Because she spent decades as a "nomad" before finding her true home, her stories focus heavily on how people rebuild, adapt, and discover who they are.

Selected works

  • Second Chances in Brittany
Shop Anne's books on Amazon

Our Highest Honour

Literary Excellence Award Winners

Presented each year by the Chapter & Verse membership to authors whose work has defined contemporary literature across the US and Europe.

Portrait of Marguerite Vance
2026 LaureateReigning Winner

Marguerite Vance

Literary Sci-Fi · for The Tidewater Engine

For visionary, small-press storytelling that turns quiet science fiction into something luminous and lasting.

Portrait of Orla Brennan
2025 Laureate

Orla Brennan

Gothic Suspense · for Salt House

For atmospheric, independently published work that proves the West of Ireland is a character all its own.

Portrait of Tomas Eklund
2024 Laureate

Tomas Eklund

Nordic Mystery · for The Lighthouse at Önd

For a slow-burn début in translation that gripped readers across two continents and never let go.

Portrait of Carla Benedetti
2023 Laureate

Carla Benedetti

Speculative Romance · for A Map of Borrowed Light

For a tender, genre-blending début that brought a new generation to soft science fiction.

The Roster

More featured authors

Writers from across the US and Europe whose work has shaped recent book club seasons.

Brandon Taylor
United StatesLiterary Fiction

Brandon Taylor

Brandon Taylor is an American writer whose introspective fiction explores friendship, race, and desire in academic settings. His debut Real Life was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, marking him as one of the most thoughtful new voices in US letters.

View on Amazon
Daisy Johnson
United KingdomLiterary Gothic

Daisy Johnson

Daisy Johnson writes mythic, unsettling fiction rooted in the waterways and landscapes of England. With Everything Under she became the youngest author ever shortlisted for the Booker Prize, though her work remains a discovery for many readers.

View on Amazon
Claire-Louise Bennett
IrelandExperimental Fiction

Claire-Louise Bennett

Claire-Louise Bennett is an England-born, Ireland-based writer celebrated for her singular, interior prose. Her cult debut Pond redefined what a novel could be, earning fierce admiration from critics and fellow writers alike.

View on Amazon
Anne Morenn
United StatesRomance & Women's Fiction

Anne Morenn

Anne Morenn is a contemporary romance and women's fiction author whose writing is deeply shaped by her unique life journey. Because she spent decades as a "nomad" before finding her true home, her stories focus heavily on how people rebuild, adapt, and discover who they are.

View on Amazon
Charlie Hudson
United StatesMystery

Charlie Hudson

Award-winning mystery author whose stories blend small-town intrigue, military experience, and unforgettable underwater investigations. Charlie Hudson brings depth and authenticity to every narrative.

View on Amazon
Avery D. Rowan
United StatesMemoir

Avery D. Rowan

Avery D. Rowan is the author of And Then There Was One, a memoir of chosen family, love, faith, and the quiet truths we carry from Chicago’s West Side.

View on Amazon
Graham Wilson
AustraliaMemoir

Graham Wilson

Graham Wilson is the author of Children of Arnhem's Kaleidoscope, a memoir about extraordinary people, landscapes, history, and community.

View on Amazon
Ben Cooper
United StatesFaith & Devotional

Ben Cooper

Ben Cooper is a Christian, husband, father, author, speaker, and beekeeper. In All Nature Sings: A Devotional Guide to Animals in the Bible, he explores Scripture through the wonders of animals and nature, drawing from a lifetime among God's creatures to inspire and encourage.

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Phil Leighton Daly
AustraliaFantasy Fiction

Phil Leighton Daly

Phil Leighton Daly is the author of The Foundlings and the Fisherman from Tumby, an imaginative coastal tale that weaves folklore, wonder, and heartfelt storytelling.

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Tony Rebeiro
AustraliaGeopolitical Thriller

Tony Rebeiro

Tony Rebeiro is a Melbourne-based Australian author, singer, and musician. His high-stakes geopolitical military techno-thriller An Unlikely War explores AI, advanced warfare, hidden agendas, and the cost of power, bringing the story to life through books, music, and cinematic storytelling. Learn more at anunlikelywar.com.

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Lin Wilder
United StatesMedical Mystery

Lin Wilder

A gripping medical-legal thriller writer whose stories plunge readers into high-stakes conspiracies involving medical ethics, federal indictments, and explosive social controversy. Author of A Price for Genius and Mathus Revisited.

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John Wattis
United KingdomMedical & Psychiatry

John Wattis

Professor John Wattis is a leading voice in old age psychiatry, bringing compassionate insight to the mental health needs of older adults. His authoritative yet accessible work has influenced clinical practice across Europe and beyond.

View on Amazon

On Demand

Past Spotlight Sessions

Catch up on conversations with the emerging and under-the-radar authors we love to champion.

Portrait of Tomas Eklund
Replay

Crafting the Slow-Burn Nordic Mystery

Tomas Eklund · Nordic Mystery

May 22, 2026 · 3.1K views

Portrait of Orla Brennan
Replay

Place as Character: Writing the Irish Gothic

Orla Brennan · Gothic Suspense

Apr 24, 2026 · 2.4K views

Portrait of Carla Benedetti
Replay

Where Romance Meets the Speculative

Carla Benedetti · Speculative Romance

Mar 27, 2026 · 1.9K views

Recognition

Spotlight Awards

Each year our members celebrate the overlooked voices our community helped bring to light.

  • 2026

    Members' Choice: Discovery of the Year

    Marguerite Vance — For The Tidewater Engine

  • 2025

    Hidden Gem Award

    Orla Brennan — Best independently published novel

  • 2025

    Translated Voices Prize

    Tomas Eklund — Outstanding début in translation