In this special podcast episode we feature the five finalists for WFWA's 2025 Rising Star Award for unpublished debut women's fiction in a roundtable discussion about their manuscripts, their greatest challenges as new writers, how the organization has helped them in their writing journey, and where they'd like to be five years from now. They also share a glimpse into their books and what inspired their stories. Featured are Kristin Adams (Finding Moonstone), Alice Lyon (The Last Seven Days of Harper Balan), Lori Singaraju (All Other Ground), April Wright (The Other Hula Dancer) and Jeanette Zaichkin (Late Bloomer).