Tempe, AZ (October 11, 2022)
The ECPA announced 30 finalists for the The Christy Awards program in an online webcast hosted by Christy Hall of Fame author Chris Fabry and ECPA president Jeff Crosby. The Christy Award exists to celebrate excellence in the art of Christian fiction and to honor the power of faith in story.
Three finalists were named in nine categories, except for three ties in the Historical, Historical Romance and Speculative categories. The finalists represent the work of 11 publishers, including 3 independent publishers.
The winners in each category–plus the Christy Book of the Year—will be announced on November 17 at a special Dinner Gala held at The Shinn Center at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2021 Christy Book of the Year author Amanda Cox (The Edge of Belonging) will be the featured speaker that evening, which will also include Christy Hall of Fame inductee Becky Wade (Stay With Me), and bestselling novelist and radio host Chris Fabry (Dogwood) as emcee.
The formal dinner will also include tribute to the literary contributions of Jan Karon, the New York Times bestselling author of 23 books including The Mitford Series novels. Karon will address the evening’s attendees via video as she is unable to attend the occasion. Authors Sarah Loudin Thomas (who directs The Mitford Museum) and Amanda Dykes will present tributes.
The evening will also debut the Amplify Award to honor the program’s best novel which amplifies a multiethnic perspective.
Registration is open for the Winners Gala and the preceding Art of Writing conference at TheChristyAward.com. Bundle rates are available for the two events with the first 100 registered automatically entered to win a complete set of Jan Karon’s Mitford series, including a signed copy of At Home In Mitford.
“It was with great joy that I joined with Chris Fabry to announce the 2022 finalists for these prestigious awards,” stated ECPA president Jeff Crosby. “Stories told powerfully, truthfully, and artfully have the ability to sneak up on us, stay with us, and change us! I congratulate each of the authors whose work has become a finalist and look forward to November when we gather in person to learn the ten recipients of this year’s awards.”
The finalists in the nine fiction categories are:
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
All That Really Matters, Nicole Deese
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
Bookshop by the Sea, Denise Hunter
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Husband Auditions, Angela Ruth Strong
Kregel Publications
FIRST NOVEL
All That Is Secret, Patricia Raybon
Tyndale House Publishers
Recorder, Cathy McCrumb
Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media
Sugar Birds, Cheryl Grey Bostrom
She Writes Press
GENERAL FICTION
The Letter Keeper, Charles Martin
Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery, Amanda Cox
Revell/ Baker Publishing Group
Under the Magnolias, T. I. Lowe
Tyndale House Publishers
HISTORICAL – tie
Between the Wild Branches, Connilyn Cossette
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
Drawn by The Current, Jocelyn Green
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
The Widows of Champagne, Renee Ryan
Love Inspired
Yours is the Night, Amanda Dykes
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
HISTORICAL ROMANCE – tie
As Dawn Breaks, Kate Breslin
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
Hope Between the Pages, Pepper Basham
Barbour Publishing
Shadows of Swanford Abbey, Julie Klassen
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
Until Leaves Fall in Paris, Sarah Sundin
Revell/ Baker Publishing Group
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER
Aftermath, Terri Blackstock
Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Barrister and the Letter of Marque, Todd M. Johnson
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor, Jaime Jo Wright
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
SHORT FORM
A Texas Christmas Carol (in Under the Texas Mistletoe), Karen Witemeyer
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group
Mr. Nicholas: A Magical Christmas Tale, Christopher de Vinck
Paraclete Press
False Pretense, Heather Day Gilbert
WoodHaven Press
SPECULATIVE – tie
A Time to Seek, Tracy Higley
Stonewater Books LLC
Dark Intercept, Brian Andrews & Jeffrey Wilson
Tyndale House Publishers
Recorder, Cathy McCrumb
Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media
Windward Shore, Sharon Hinck
Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media
YOUNG ADULT
A Gently Tyranny, Jess Corban
Wander, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers
Realms of Light, Sandra Fernandez Rhoads
Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media
Shadow, Kara Swanson
Enclave Publishing, a division of Oasis Family Media