Tempe, AZ (September 30, 2021)
The ECPA has announced its 28 finalists in nine categories for the The Christy Award program in an online webcast hosted by Christy Hall of Fame author, Chris Fabry. 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 Fiction categories, with one tie in the First Novel category. The finalists represent the work of 13 publishers, including six independent publishers.
The winners in each category—plus The Christy Award Book of the Year—will be announced via webcast on October 28 at 7 pm central time. The Winners Gala will feature famed The Chosen series director and creator, Dallas Jemkins, along with 2020 Book of the Year author Amanda Dykes with a special tribute to the literary impact of the late Walter Wangerin Jr. by bestselling author Philip Yancy and playwright Pete Peterson. The evening’s emcee will be the winsome award-winning author Chris Fabry.
Registration is open for the free Winners Gala webcast, along with the five-part Art of Writing webinar series kicking off tonight. Recordings are available to those who register.
“At a Christy Awards Gala years ago, the late Eugene Peterson reminded all of us in attendance that the holy work of writing and publishing stories can ground readers in the world of God’s grace,” states Jeff Crosby, ECPA president. “The 2021 finalists of the Christy Awards represent just that: books artfully conveying stories that not only entertain and captivate, but ground us in the amazing grace of God. I congratulate each of the authors and publishers represented on this list of finalists.”
THE FINALIST
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Just Like Home, Courtney Walsh, Sweethaven Press, 9781735527604
Some Bright Someday, Melissa Tagg, Larkspur Press, 9780997964264
Stay with Me, Becky Wade, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764235603
FIRST NOVEL
A Noble Calling, Rhona Weaver, Two Oaks Press, 9781734750003
The Edge of Belonging, Amanda Cox, Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800737405
Rain, Dana McNeely, Mountain Brook Ink, 9781943959921
Roots of Wood and Stone, Amanda Wen, Kregel Publications, 9780825446689
GENERAL FICTION
Set the Stars Alight, Amanda Dykes, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764232671
The Water Keeper, Charles Martin, Thomas Nelson, 9780785230915
The Way It Should Be, Christina Suzann Nelson, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764235399
HISTORICAL
Like Flames in the Night, Connilyn Cossette, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764234330
Under the Tulip Tree, Michelle Shocklee, Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496446077
The White Rose Resists, Amanda Barratt, Kregel Publications, 9780825446481
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
A Portrait of Loyalty, Roseanna M. White, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764231834
The Prince of Spies, Elizabeth Camden, Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group, 9780764232138
When Twilight Breaks, Sarah Sundin, Revell/Baker Publishing Group, 9780800736361
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER
Port of Origin, Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry, Harris-Gentry Suspense, 9798640219463
Relative Silence, Carrie Stuart Parks, Thomas Nelson, 9780785226185
Unknown Threat, Lynn H. Blackburn, Revell/Baker Publishing Group, 9780800737955
SHORT FORM
A Match Made at Christmas, Courtney Walsh, Sweethaven Press, 9798697320600
Joy to the World: Far as the Curse is Found, Amanda Barratt, Kregel Publications, 9780825446696
Joy to the World: Wonders of His Love, Erica Vetsch, Kregel Publications, 9780825446696
SPECULATIVE
Extinction Island, Janice Boekhoff, Lost Canyon Press, 9781948003063
Forsaken Island, Sharon Hinck, Enclave Publishing, 9781621841357
The Story Hunter, Lindsay A. Franklin, Enclave Publishing, 9781621841227
YOUNG ADULT
Dust, Kara Swanson, Enclave Publishing, 9781621841265
Mortal Sight, Sandra Fernandez Rhoads, Enclave Publishing, 9781621841203
Rebel Daughter, Lori Banov Kaufmann, Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, 9780593125816