The Carol Awards: 2013 Nominations Announced

The Carol Awards are ACFW's recognition for the best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year.

The following are the finalists for the 2013 Carol Awards that were announced earlier this week. The winners will be announced during the 2013 ACFW National Conference in Indianapolis at the Gala on September 15, 2013.

The Christy Awards: 2013 Winners Announced

The winners of the 2013 Christy Awards were announced this week.

Winners were announced and presented with their awards at the 14th annual Christy Awards dinner held Monday, June 24, 2013, at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri.

The following is a list of the winners and the categories they represented.

Featured Author Interview: R.J. Larson

R. J. Larson is the author of numerous devotionals featured in publications such as The Women's Devotional Bible, and Seasons of a Woman's Heart.

Prophet marks her debut in the fantasy genre, the first book in the Books of the Infinite series, acclaimed Christian fantasy fiction inspired by Biblical prophets and kings.

She lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with her husband and their two sons, and is suspected of eating chocolate and potato chips at her desk while writing. 
The following is a June 2013 interview with R.J.

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ENTER THE GIVEAWAY  AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW One copy of the winner's choice of either Prophet, Judge, or King.  Contest open to international entrants. Contest runs from June 24-30 NZDT

Featured Author Interview: Eva Marie Everson

Eva Marie Everson is a successful speaker and the award-winning author of Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, The Cedar Key novels, and the award-winning novelization of Unconditional (based on the movie by the same name). 

From the time she was a little girl, Eva Marie wanted to be a writer. Yet her writing career started with a long walk on a spring day in her 40th year. Then, a case of "mistaken identity" during an AOL Instant Message set the plans God had for her to full speed ahead. Since that time, Eva Marie has gone on to see nearly 30 books published to date.

The following is a June 2013 interview with Eva.

Featured Debut Novelist: Jen Turano

Jen Turano is a graduate of the University of Akron with a degree in Clothing and Textiles, and is the author of the rollicking historical romance series Ladies of Distinction.

Jen grew up in the small town of St. Clairsville, Ohio, where she spent an idyllic childhood riding her purple spider bike, ice-skating on a little pond and reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon books in her tree house. 

When she's not writing, Jen can be found watching her teenage son participate in various activities, taking long walks with her husband and dog, socializing with friends, or delving into a good book. She lives in suburban Denver, Colorado.

The following is a June 2013 interview with Jen.

Featured Author Interview: Kim Vogel Sawyer

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of more than twenty novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. 

Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy.

Kim and her husband, Don, reside in Kansas, where they operate a B&B. Aside from several beloved cats, the couple have three grown daughters and six grandchildren.

The following is a June 2013 interview with Kim. 

Cover Reveal: Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

"She Will Take Your
Own Two Hands

To Save Your Ancient,
Sorrowing Lands."
 

By her father's wish, Lady Daylily is betrothed to the Prince of Southlands. Not the prince she loves, handsome and dispossessed Lionheart, but his cousin, the awkward and foolish Prince Foxbrush. Unable to bear the future she sees as her wedding day dawns, Daylily flees into the dangerous Wilderlands, her only desire to vanish from living memory.

But Foxbrush, determined to rescue his betrothed, pursues Daylily into a new world of magic and peril, a world where vicious Faerie beasts hold sway, a world invaded by a lethal fey parasite . . .

A world that is hauntingly familiar.

Featured Author Interview: Creston Mapes

Creston Mapes is the best-selling author of Nobody, Dark Star, Full Tilt,and his new thriller series, The Crittendon Files. His early years as a reporter inspire many of his novels.

A journalist, copywriter, and editor, Creston works from his home-office in Atlanta for some of the nation's top media companies, and nationally-recognized corporations, including Chick-fil-A, Coke, ABC-TV, and The Weather Channel. In addition to Creston's novels and freelance writing, he has ghostwritten and edited seven non-fiction titles. 

The following is a June 2013 interview with Creston.

Featured Debut Novelist: Joanne Bischof

Joanne Bischof is the author of the Cadence of Grace series, a historical romance set in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home schooled children.

When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life.

The following is a June 2013 interview with Joanne.

Featured Author Interview: Jody Hedlund

Jody Hedlund has written novels for the last 20 years (with a hiatus when her children were young). 
After many years of writing and honing her skills, she finally garnered national attention with her double final in the Genesis Contest, a fiction-writing contest for unpublished writers through ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

Her first published book, The Preacher’s Bride (2010 Bethany House Publishers), became a best seller and has won multiple awards. Since then she’s gone on to publish numerous best-selling and award-winning books.

The following is a May 2013 interview with Jody.

Featured Author Interview: Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble is an American Christian author of romance, romantic suspense and historical fiction. She is also CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. 

Colleen's thirty-five novels and novellas have sold a total of about 2 million copies, and have received numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA, the Holt Medallion, the ACFW Book of the Year, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, the Booksellers Best, and the 2009 Best Books of Indiana-Fiction award.

Colleen says, “Born and raised in the Midwest (Indiana), I grew up on a farm with horses, pigs and chickens. I had plenty of adventure–from being dragged by my pony to running my brother Randy’s motorcycle through a fence. Maybe that’s why all my stories have action and adventure in them.”

The following is a May 2013 interview with Colleen.

Featured Debut Novelist: Katie Ganshert

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she currently writes inspirational romance novels set in present-day America. 

When she’s not busy plotting ways to get her hero and heroine to fall in love, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo. She could talk books all day and is often spotted around town pushing a stroller, walking her dog, and reading—all at the same time.

The following is a May 2013 interview with Katie.

Featured Author Interview: Janice Cantore

Janice Cantore writes police suspense fiction based on her years as a police officer.

A former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years, Janice Cantore worked a variety of assignments, including patrol, administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She's always enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today's Christian Woman before tackling novels. A few years ago, she retired to a house in the mountains of Southern California, where she lives with three Labrador retrievers, Jake, Maggie, and Abbie.

Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired.

The following is a May 2013 interview with Janice.

Featured Author Interview: Lauraine Snelling

Lauraine Snelling is a member of the more than Two Million Books In Print club, but when she first began, she was a mother of three teenagers with a simple dream to write “horse books for kids.” 

Writing about real issues within a compelling story is a hallmark of Lauraine’s style. She also writes for a wide range of magazines and teaches at writers' conferences across the country.

All told, she has over 70 books published, consistently appearing on CBA bestseller lists and frequently featured in the Crossings Book Club.

The following is a May 2013 interview with Lauraine.

Featured Debut Novelist: Beth K. Vogt

Beth K. Vogt is an inspirational contemporary romance novelist who writes happily ever afters woven through with reality, humor and God's lavish grace. She is also a freelance editor and national women's speaker.

An established magazine writer and former editor of Connections, the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth is also the Skills Coach for My Book Therapy, the writing community founded by best-selling author Susan May Warren.

The following is a May 2013 interview with Beth.