Georgia. Named after the groundbreaking novel by Catherine Marshall, the awards
honor the best in Christian fiction.
The popularity of Christian fiction
has exploded in recent years—but the concept is certainly not new. In the Bible,
the prophet Nathan used a fictional story about a family’s favorite lamb to
confront King David with his sin. Jesus, like many rabbis of his time, used fictional
stories, known as parables, to teach and challenge His listeners, setting the
example for Christian novelists today. And then there’s the first modern-day
Christian novel—The Pilgrim’s Progress
by John Bunyan—published in February 1678, and still a popular read.
Though Christian fiction isn’t new,
it has gained not only in popularity but in respectability as well. And for the
past eleven years, The Christy Awards have been doing their part to raise that
profile. The Christy Awards were handed out Monday, July 11, at the
International Christian Retail Show in Atlanta, Georgia.
The idea for the awards came up in
1999 when an editorial meeting at Bethany House Publishers turned to discussing
the need for an award to recognize memorable fiction that might not attain
bestseller status. Soon, those present were exploring ways to also bring
further awareness to the breadth and quality of novels published for the Christian
market, and to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and
publishing of Christian novels.
Carol Johnson, then VP of Editorial
at Bethany House and a founding member of the Christy Advisory Board, chaired
that original meeting. “We thought Catherine Marshall’s Christy would
provide a good headline as representative of the genre,” she says, explaining
the name behind the annual fiction awards. Following that meeting, she called
some industry friends at other publishing houses. “And we met that year for a discussion
of the possibilities.”
An advisory board was made up of representatives
of Christian publishers and retailers to guide and expand the initiative. The
first Christy Award banquet was held the following summer, during the Christian
Booksellers Association retail show in 2000. That first banquet honored books in
six categories.
“The
Christy Awards acknowledge the unique role that storytelling has in
communicating deep truths about God and His love and interaction with humankind
throughout history,” says Donna Kehoe, tapped by the founding group to
run that first program. Eleven years later, Kehoe serves as executive director
of the Christy Awards. “When a panel of judges gives
a novel a Christy Award, they’re saying that the author has skillfully
interwoven characterization, plot, theme, and other criteria for a good novel
in this work—and that’s something to celebrate.”
Over the years, the Christy Awards
has grown into a gala event that is one of the highlights of the annual International
Christian Retail Show. In fact, it is nearly impossible today to imagine ICRS
without the Christy Awards. “Among the awards for excellence in Christian
fiction,” notes Cynthia Ruchti, author and board member of American Christian
Fiction Writers, “the Christy Awards hold a revered spot.”
ACFW president Margaret Daley
agrees. “The Christy Awards are the industry’s way of acknowledging exceptional
Christian fiction.”
Christy Award 2011 Winners and Finalists
Contemporary Romance:
Sworn to Protect
by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House)
Blood Ransom
by Lisa Harris (Zondervan)
Indivisible
by Kristin Heitzmann (WaterBrook
Press)
Contemporary
Series, Sequels, and Novellas:
The Reluctant Prophet
by Nancy Rue (David C. Cook)
The Thorn
by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House)
The Waiting
by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell
Books)
Contemporary Stand-alone:
Almost Heaven
by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House)
Lady in Waiting
by Susan Meissner (WaterBrook
Press)
A Season of Miracles
by Rusty Whitener (Kregel
Publications)
First
Novel:
Heartless
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House)
Crossing Oceans
by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House)
A Season of Miracles
by Rusty Whitener (Kregel
Publications)
Historical:
While We’re Far Apart
by Lynn Austin (Bethany House)
Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther
by Ginger Garrett (David C. Cook)
For Time & Eternity
by Allison Pitman (Tyndale House)
Historical Romance:
The Girl in the Gatehouse
by Julie Klassen (Bethany House)
She Walks in Beauty
by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House)
Within My Heart
by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House)
Suspense:
The Bishop
by Steven James (Revell Books)
The Bride Collector
by Ted Dekker (Center Street)
Predator
by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)
Visionary:
To Darkness Fled
by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord
Press)
Konig’s Fire
by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord
Press)
The Last Christian
by David Gregory (WaterBrook Press)
Young
Adult:
Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book
by Nancy Rue (Zondervan)
The Charlatan’s Boy
by Jonathan Rogers (WaterBrook
Press)
The Healer’s Apprentice
by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)