Utah Author Wins Gold Twice in National Book Competition

Upset Victory at the IBPA Book Awards

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH / ACCESS Newswire / May 20, 2025 /Tristellation Media is proud to announce that Secret Sky: The Young Universe (ISBN: 979-8-9864961-5-3) received the Gold Award in the 2025 IBPA Book Awards in two categories:

• Fiction: Science Fiction and Fantasy

• Audiobooks: Children and Young Adult

The IBPA award winners were honored during a live dinner ceremony held on the evening of May 16, 2025 at the Intercontinental Riverfront Hotel in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Previously known as the Benjamin Franklin Awards, the IBPA Book Awards are the premier awards body for small-to-medium press and self-published books.

The upset victory in the Science Fiction and Fantasy category came as a surprise to all in attendance, as this year 's winner is a Middle Grade book competing in what is ordinarily an adult category. Shockwaves were also felt when the leading contender for the category, the annually published Writers of the Future anthology, which has won the Gold Award every year in which it has been a finalist, took Silver instead.

"I never thought I would win," said T. Alan Horne, author of Secret Sky during his acceptance speech. "Not against Writers of the Future. And not just any Writers of the Future, but their 40^th anniversary collection."

Mr. Horne thanked his late mentor, bestselling author David Farland, in his acceptance speech. Horne was later required to return to the stage when Secret Sky: The Young Universe proceeded to win the children 's audiobook category.

A lifelong Utah resident, Mr. Horne has long dreamed of making an impact in the literary world by publishing tales of high adventure that take familiar genres to new places. Secret Sky is his second published book, following his 2022 debut, Advent 9.

Secret Sky: The Young Universe bills itself as the origin story of humanity, as seen through the eyes of a young boy living on a medieval Earth in the early universe, but who experiences dreams of soaring through space as a sentient starship on a pilgrimage to meet the stars themselves, who promise to resurrect his murdered family if he can meet them all. The story features a waking world full of knights, kings, war, and treasure; and a dreamscape full of space battles, science, and cosmic mysteries.

For a complete listing of this year 's IBPA Book Award winners, visit ibpabookaward.org.

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For media enquiries, or to request a review copy of Secret Sky: The Young Universe, contact T. Alan Horne, Tristellation Media, 801-597-0678, admin@talanhorne.com.

SOURCE: Tristellation Media, LLC

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