Winners to be revealed at The Christy Award Gala on November 6 in Nashville at program featuring bestselling authors PATTI CALLAHAN, JAMES RUBART, BECKY WADE – and a tribute to the legacy of JANETTE OKE in inspirational fiction.
Gala preceded by afternoon Art of Writing Conference led by top authors and publishers including LYSA TERKEURST, JAMES RUBART, ANNE BOGEL, and more!
A record 30 Christian fiction titles were named as finalists for the 2019 Christy Awards, including three ties. Presented by the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association), The Christy Award exists to celebrate excellence in the art of Christian Fiction and to honor the power of faith in story.
“The 30 Christy Award finalists represent the best in Christian fiction as determined by a panel of highly qualified judges,” said ECPA president Stan Jantz. “ECPA is grateful to the publishers who submitted these titles, and we congratulate the 30 authors who are telling such compelling stories. We are excited about The Christy Award Gala and the Art of Writing conference, where so many writers and publishers will gather to celebrate the writing craft.”
The Nominees for the best novels of the year in nine categories are:
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe
Carla Laureano
Tyndale House
Falling for You
Becky Wade
Bethany House
Wait For Me
Susan May Warren
Revell
FIRST NOVEL
The Baggage Handler
David Rawlings
Thomas Nelson
Engraved on the Heart
Tara Johnson
Tyndale House
The Plum Blooms in Winter
Linda Thompson
Mountain Brook Ink
GENERAL FICTION
No One Ever Asked
Katie Ganshert
WaterBrook
Send Down the Rain
Charles Martin
Thomas Nelson
We Hope for Better Things
Erin Bartels
Revell
HISTORICAL (tie)
A Rumored Fortune
Joanna Davidson Politano
Revell
Of Fire and Lions
Mesu Andrews
WaterBrook
The Seamstress
Allison Pittman
Tyndale House
Shelter of the Most High
Connilyn Cossette
Bethany House
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
A Defense of Honor
Kristi Ann Hunter
Bethany House
Becoming Mrs. Lewis
Patti Callahan
Thomas Nelson
With this Pledge
Tamera Alexander
Thomas Nelson
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER
Called to Protect
Lynette Eason
Revell
Every Wicked Man
Steven James
Berkley
Mind Games
Nancy Mehl
Bethany House
SHORT FORM (tie)
A Shot at Love (The Christmas Heirloom)
Sarah Loudin Thomas
Bethany House
Catching Christmas
Terri Blackstock
Thomas Nelson
Falling for Grace
Janet W. Ferguson
Southern Sun Press
Legacy of Love (The Christmas Heirloom)
Kristi Ann Hunter
Bethany House
VISIONARY (tie)
Mark of the Raven
Morgan L. Busse
Bethany House
Shivering World
Kathy Tyers
Enclave Publishing
The Story Peddler
Lindsay A. Franklin
Enclave Publishing
The Wounded Shadow
Patrick W. Carr
Bethany House
YOUNG ADULT
The Crescent Stone
Matt Mikalatos
Wander
Fawkes
Nadine Brandes
Thomas Nelson
The Warrior Maiden
Melanie Dickerson
Thomas Nelson
Winners will be announced at The Christy Award Gala, to be held the evening of Wednesday, November 6 in the new George Shinn Event Center at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. The semi-formal dinner event will feature bestselling authors – who are also finalists this year – PATTI CALLAHAN (Becoming Mrs. Lewis) and Book of the Year winning author BECKY WADE (True to You, Falling for You). The Gala will be hosted and emceed by bestselling author JAMES RUBART, who was the 2018 winner in visionary for The Man He Never Was.
The Christy Award Gala program will also include a special tribute to the legacy of JANETTE OKE – pioneer of inspirational fiction – in the 40th anniversary year of her seminal classic Love Comes Softly, which has sold more than 1.6 million copies and was made into one of the most watched series of the Hallmark Channel. In 2020 Hallmark is renewing the seventh season of the When Calls the Heart television series, based on Janette’s book series of the same name. Her more than 70 novels have sold over 30 million copies and have been translated into 14 languages.
Tickets are on sale now for the Gala and the preceding Art of Writing Conference at a bundle rate of $119.
For the third year, ECPA will also host The Art of Writing Conference, held the afternoon of the Gala – from 1 to 5:30 pm – and featuring four intensive seminars for writers and publishers:
- Reaching the Heart of Readers with LYSA TERKEURST, NYT bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 ministries and COMPEL training
- “Next-Level” Writing with JAMES RUBART, bestselling author and co-founder of Rubart Writing Academy
- Casting Novel Characters Using the Enneagram with ANNE BOGEL, author (Reading People), blogger (Modern Mrs. Darcy) and podcast host (What Should I Read Next?)
- Publishing Pros Share Their Secrets about Marketing with publishers Dave Schroeder (B&H), Michele Misiak (Revell), Amy Green (Bethany House), Steve Laube (Enclave), and Anne Bogel (author/podcaster/blogger)
Tickets for the Art of Writing conference and The Christy Award Gala are available for a special bundle price of only $119. Each individual event tickets are $89. Register at ChristyAwards.com.
About The Christy Award®
The Christy Award is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999, and is named for Catherine Marshall’s novel, “Christy,” which has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 1967. ECPA assumed ownership and administration of the award in 2017 to focus and grow the unique opportunity of fiction in Christian publishing.
About ECPA
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content.
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2018 Christy Awards: Becky Wade Wins ‘Book of the Year’
2017 Christy Winners: Charles Martin wins ‘Book of the Year’