One of ten finalists selected from nearly 15,000 entries
ALBUQUERQUE, NM, May 21, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Blood Wing, the forthcoming second novella in the Jack Morrison's Blood & Bourbon Mystery Files series, has been named to the shortlist of the 2026 ProWritingAid Novel Beginnings contest. The shortlist of ten writers was selected from 14,570 submissions, placing Blood Wing in the top 0.07% of the field.
Shortlist selection guarantees a minimum prize of $5,000, with the grand prize of $50,000 still in play. The grand prize winner also receives a forty-five-minute editorial consultation with First Ink and a conditional offer of representation from Aevitas Creative Management, one of the publishing industry's leading literary agencies. All ten finalists receive editorial feedback and next-step guidance. Final judging takes place over the next two weeks, with scores from the contest's expert judging panel due May 29.
Blood Wing is set in Long Beach, California, in January 1951, and follows ex-LAPD detective turned private eye Jack Morrison as he investigates the death of a Black night-shift janitor at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant, a case the authorities have ruled an industrial accident. The novella is the second standalone entry in Daniel P. Douglas's hardboiled noir series, following the 2025 release of Blood Tide: A Harbor Noir Thriller.
"Being shortlisted for Novel Beginnings is one of the most meaningful moments in my writing life," said Douglas. "I'm grateful to ProWritingAid, the contest readers, and the judges for recognizing Blood Wing."
The Jack Morrison series is positioned as historical noir, with comparable titles drawn from the work of James Ellroy, Walter Mosley, Lou Berney, and Attica Locke. The San Pedro harbor in Blood Tide was Morrison's old beat. Blood Wing's Long Beach Airport belongs to other men, and they'd rather he leave.
Blood Tide is currently available on Amazon and at major booksellers. Blood Wing's release is pending the results of the Novel Beginnings contest. The author can be found on Substack at his publication, Intelligence Bulletin from Author Daniel P. Douglas.
About the Author
Writing as Daniel P. Douglas, a pen name he shares with his identical twin brother, Phillip Garver has authored short stories and novels across space operas, supernatural westerns, and hardboiled thrillers. His experience as a U.S. Army veteran and former senior analyst in the U.S. intelligence community provides authentic detail for the conspiracy and thriller elements in his stories. Daniel P. Douglas was named a 2014 Foreword Reviews IndieFab Book-of-the-Year Award Finalist in Science Fiction and is a Readers' Favorite Award winner. The pen name's catalog also includes Truth Insurrected, the Richter's War series, Wild Frontier Chronicles, Six-Shooters and Starships, and Blood Tide. Phillip lives in the greater Albuquerque, New Mexico area.
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