LAWRENCE, Kan.—The Christy Awards Advisory Board is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2016 Christy Awards honoring excellence in Christian fiction. Award winners will be announced via an online event at www.christyawards.com at 4 p.m. (EDT), Mon., June 27, 2016.
“For sixteen years we have hosted the awards at a dinner held in conjunction with the International Christian Retail Show,” said Donna Kehoe, executive director of the Christy Awards. “We value memories of the synergy among authors, agents, media, and all those in the publishing industry; the challenges given by outstanding keynoters; and the legacy of honoring those who write powerful, faith-infused stories. Due to the changing nature of the industry, however, we are transitioning to new ways of acknowledging the winners while remaining committed to awarding and promoting excellence in Christian fiction.”
The 2016 Christy Awards finalists are:
CONTEMPORARY
▪ The Art of Losing Yourself by Katie Ganshert (WaterBrook Press)
▪ As Waters Gone By by Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon Press)
▪ The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate (Tyndale House Publishers)
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE/SUSPENSE
▪ Falling Like Snowflakes by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
▪ Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
▪ The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck (Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
CONTEMPORARY SERIES
▪ Anna’s Healing by Vannetta Chapman (Harvest House Publishers)
▪ Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
▪ Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt (Howard Books)
FIRST NOVEL
▪ The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker (Tyndale House Publishers)
▪ Irish Meadows by Susan Anne Mason (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
▪ A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
HISTORICAL
▪ The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert (Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
▪ Secrets She Kept by Cathy Gohlke (Tyndale House Publishers)
▪ The Wood’s Edge by Lori Benton (WaterBrook Press)
HISTORICAL ROMANCE (Four finalists due to a tie in scoring)
▪ Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
▪ The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White (Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
▪ Luther and Katharina by Jody Hedlund (WaterBrook Press)
▪ To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander (Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
SUSPENSE
▪ The Bones Will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks (Thomas Nelson, a division of Harper Collins Christian Publishing)
▪ Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
▪ Vendetta by Lisa Harris (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
VISIONARY
▪ The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart (Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
▪ A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes (Enclave Publishing)
▪ Waking Beauty by Sarah E. Morin (Enclave Publishing)
YOUNG ADULT
▪ The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker (Tyndale House Publishers)
▪ Rebel by R.J. Anderson (Enclave Publishing)
▪ To Get to You by Joanne Bischof (Independently Published)
CONGRATS to all the finalists!! (Hyperlinks in the press release will take you to reviews or author interviews on this blog. And clearly I need to read more Young Adult fiction lol. That category is sadly linkless.)
I’ve only read two, and on the INSPY short list, 2 again. Feeling like a slacker 😉
LOL – more for the TBR lists 😉
It’s going to be so hard to choose!!! I have read most of them and I loved them all.
These lists really are a great way to find new books to read. 🙂 And Carrie, thank you, thank you for your diligence in helping to spared the word!
When I first got back into reading these were the lists I stalked to find what books I should start with!!