Local author’s Orca novel wins national award
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Submitted by Gene Helfman.
“In the Realm of the Whales” is Lopez Island author Gene Helfman’s second novel about the Southern Resident killer whales. Helfman’s 2021 novel, “Beyond the Human Realm,” won national awards for animal, literary and contemporary fiction. Now his 2025 sequel, “In the Realm of the Whales,” has received similar high honors, this time the 20th Annual National Indie Excellence® Award for Animal Fiction.
The 2025 sequel follows the life of Marina, an orca born and raised in captivity and an uncooperative performer. Two Indigenous teenagers with orca clan roots struggle to repatriate Marina with her wild family. The only problem: they failed to consult with Marina, who has never known freedom nor had any interest in it. The project appears hopeless until the teens discover a shared, inherited ability. Despite Marina’s intransigence, the teens — helped by Marina’s biological family and two orca researchers — convince her to decide between captivity and freedom. Marina chooses freedom, and the real trouble begins.
The National Indie Excellence® Awards are an established leader in independent publishing, recognizing “exceptional books from self-published authors, small to mid-sized presses, and university presses across all genres … evaluating titles on both literary merit and the quality of design, presentation, and production.”
Helfman has authored text and general reference books on fish, sharks and marine conservation. With a Ph.D. in ecology from Cornell University, Helfman taught animal behavior, fish biology and conservation ecology at the University of Georgia for 30 years before moving to Lopez Island. “I decided to try writing fiction rather than technical books and research publications in an attempt to reach a broader audience with my conservation message.” Profits from all of Helfman’s books are donated to marine conservation.
Both orca novels are available at local bookstores and online from major distributors. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/author/genehelfman or reach him directly at genehelfman@gmail.com.
