In less than two months, five hundred or more writers will converge on Denver for the annual American Christian Fiction Writers conference. It's a highlight of my year for many reasons, but one of the most exciting things about the conference is recognition of the winners of two contests sponsored by ACFW: The Genesis winners (for unpublished authors) and the Book of the Year winners for inspirational books published the year before (2008 this time). It's a time of celebration and rooting for your favorites. I'm tickled to see many of my writing friends nominated for this year's honors. Some really good books here. For fiction lovers, you can't go wrong by reading one of these nominated books. This years finalists . . .
2009 American Christian Fiction Writers
Book of the Year Contest Finalists
DEBUT AUTHOR
A Passion Most Pure (Julie Lessman)
Courting Miss Adelaide (Janet Dean)
Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
Hero, Second Class (Mitchell Bonds)
In the Shadow of the Sun King (Golden Keyes Parsons)
LITS
Faking Grace (Tamara Leigh)
Picket Fence Promises (Kathryn Springer)
Single Sashimi (Camy Tang)
Sweet Caroline (Rachel Hauck)
Truffles by the Sea (Julie Carobini)
LONG CONTEMPORARY
Lookin Back Texas (Leanna Ellis)
One Holy Night (J.M. Hochstetler)
Stuck in the Middle (Virginia Smith)
Summer of Joy (Ann H. Gabhart)
Symphony of Secrets (Sharon Hinck)
LONG CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Along Came a Cowboy (Christine Lynxwiler)
Controlling Interest (Elizabeth White)
The Convenient Groom (Denise Hunter)
Finding Stefanie (Susan May Warren)
Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black & White (Claudia Mair Burney)
LONG HISTORICAL (6 finalists due to a tie)
The Apothecary’s Daughter (Julie Klassen)
Calico Canyon (Mary Connealy)
Deep In the Heart of Trouble (Deeanne Gist)
From A Distance (Tamera Alexander)
I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Cathy Gohlke)
My Heart Remembers ( Kim Vogel Sawyer)
MYSTERY
The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (A.K. Arenz)
Death on a Deadline (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
Drop Dead Diva (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls (Nancy Mehl)
Of Mice . . . and Murder (Mary Connealy)
NOVELLAS
The Cookie Jar (Janet Lee Barton in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Dressed in Scarlet (Darlene Franklin in Snowbound Colorado Christmas anthology)
Santa’s Prayer (Diane Ashley in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Snowbound for Christmas (Gail Sattler in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
Stuck On You (Rhonda Gibson in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
SHORT CONTEMPORARY
Buffalo Gal (Mary Connealy)
Clueless Cowboy (Mary Connealy)
Family Treasures (Kathryn Springer)
Her Unlikely Family (Missy Tippens)
White as Snow (Janice Thompson)
SHORT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Bayou Paradox (Robin Caroll)
Broken Lullaby (Pamela Tracy)
Countdown to Death (Debby Giusti)
Forsaken Canyon (Margaret Daley)
Killer Cargo (Dana Mentink)
SHORT HISTORICAL
Family of the Heart (Dorothy Clark)
Masked by Moonlight (Allie Pleiter)
Reckless Rogue (Mary Davis)
Return to Love (Susan Page Davis)
Sandhill Dreams (Cara Putman)
SPECULATIVE
The Book of Names (D. Barkley Briggs)
DragonLight (Donita K. Paul)
The Restorer’s Journey (Sharon Hinck)
Shade (John B. Olson)
Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Theodore Beale)
SUSPENSE
Anathema (Colleen Coble)
The Black Cloister (Melanie Dobson)
Fossil Hunter (John B. Olson)
Lonestar Sanctuary (Colleen Coble)
Perfect (Harry Kraus)
WOMEN'S FICTION (7 finalists due to a tie)
A Month of Summer (Lisa Wingate)
Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
My Sister Dilly (Maureen Lang)
The Perfect Life (Robin Lee Hatcher)
The Shape of Mercy (Susan Meissner)
Stepping into Sunlight (Sharon Hinck)
Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon (Debbie Fuller Thomas)
YOUNG ADULT
The Big Picture (Jenny B. Jones)
The Fruit of My Lipstick (Shelley Adina)
It’s all About Us (Shelley Adina)
The Owling (Robert Elmer)
Trion Rising (Robert Elmer)
CONGRATULATIONS to the finalists. Thank you for writing your dreams!
3 comments:
I was so excited to read this list of finalists. As far as I'm concerned, they all deserve to win. I was so thrilled to see so many of my friends on this list, and I'll be rooting for all of them come September.
You and I can relax this year, huh? No Genesis nerves, and too early to be worried about a BOTY contest. :)
Next year I'm sure I'll be rooting you on in the debut author/WF categories!
LOL! My book doesn't release until next year, so I have TWO years to be in the cheerleading section. I predict you will start raking in the awards much sooner than I will. Actually, I'm relieved . . . you won't be in the debut category when I finally qualify, and my story is so different, I'm not sure I'll even get a nod. I'm just grateful, grateful, grateful that it's being pubbed.
Lots of good names there. Many received multiple awards - very cool.
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