We’re thrilled to announce that W. L. Hawkin’s upcoming historical novel was shortlisted for the HNS 2026 First Chapters Competition. The Rum Runs Red was inspired by True Crime — the murders of Bill Gillis and his seventeen-year-old son aboard the Beryl G. The book is set in British Columbia during American Prohibition (1924).

The Rum Runs Red is a fast-paced tale of deception, greed, found love, and redemption, set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties.

—JP McLean, Supernatural Thriller Writer