The Christy Award 2024 Finalists

Today was so fun watching and listening to ECPA President and CEO, Jeff Crosby, and author, Chris Fabry list The Christy Award finalists! I've been blessed to have read quite a few of these books over the past year! We've even had several of these authors join our monthly online Inspired Readers Book Club! Their names are in bold, two of them this year (Toni Shiloh and Amanda Wen).

Books with an asterisk * are ones I've read. Books with two asterisks ** means I have the book, but haven't read it yet. Many of the books have come from authors, publishers, and book tours. Some I've listened to via audiobook or purchased myself. Any of the book titles that have links with them are ones I've reviewed either on my website or on Goodreads. Click through if any interest you to learn more about the stories and read my review.

If you're interested in checking out any of these books, head to my Amazon Storefront where I'm an Amazon Associate, which means I might earn a few pennies (I have yet to earn anything) if you make a purchase through my link! Here you go: Mimi's Storefront.

Young Adult (tie):

The Looking Glass Illusion - Sara Ella*

Offsides - Lori Z. Scott

Once a Queen - Sarah Arthur

Sky of Seven Colors - Rachelle Nelson*

Contemporary Romance (tie):

Her Only Wish - Shelley Shepard Gray

Indigo Isle - T.I. Lowe

The Rhythm of Fractured Grace - Amanda Wen**

The Thing About Home - Rhonda McKnight

First Novel:

A Fifth of the Story - Dr. Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes

An American Immigrant - Johanna Rojas Vann

On Moonberry Lake - Holly Varni**

General Fiction (tie):

He Should've Told the Bees - Amanda Cox*

The Last Exchange - Charles Martin

The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass - Katie Powner

The Year of Jubilee - Cindy Morgan

Historical:

Appalachian Song - Michelle Shocklee*

The Foxhole Victory Tour - Amy Lynn Green*

The Warsaw Sisters - Amanda Barrett*

Historical Romance:

A Winter by the Sea - Julie Klassen*

Of Love and Treason - Jamie Ogle**

The Seamstress by Acadie - Laura Frantz**

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller:

8 Down - Kimberley Woodhouse**

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater - Jaime Jo Wright*

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau - Jaime Jo Wright*

Short Form (2 ties):

Beauty Bright - Cara Putman

The Poppy - Sara Davison

The Shifting Current - Dani Pettrey*

Star of Wonders - Crystal Caudill

You Make it Feel Like Christmas - Toni Shiloh*

Speculative:

Estuary - Lisa T. Bergren*

In This Moment - Gabrielle Meyer*

Lumen - J.J. Fischer*

Shadowcast - Crystal D. Grant*

A Token Of Love By Carrie Turansky

A Token of Love

by Carrie Turansky

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764241062

I have read all but one of Carrie's books and have loved all of them. I like that she's found her niche and creates unique stories. I am on her launch team and the publisher sent me her book for review.

Summary:

Separated by centuries, the lives of two women intertwine through their shared pursuit of love, truth, and justice.

In 1885 London, Lillian Freemont embarks on a treacherous journey to reunite with her long-lost niece, Alice, who was abandoned at the Foundling Hospital eight years ago. Fueled by her sister's plea and armed with the gold token that identifies her niece, Lillian teams up with investigative reporter Matthew McGivern to expose the grim reality of the shadowed streets of London. As Lillian and Matthew unravel the mystery of Alice's disappearance, their partnership blossoms into one of shared purpose and undeniable attraction.

In present-day London, Janelle Spencer finds herself unexpectedly running the Foundling Museum. When filmmaker Jonas Conrad arrives to document the museum's history, their collaboration takes a surprising turn as they uncover articles from the past that shed light on a haunting connection to the present. As Janelle becomes caught between exposing the truth and protecting the museum's reputation, she must decide if she can risk everything for what she believes.

My Review:

Another terrific book by Carrie Turansky! She does such a great job with time split stories. Typically my favorite timeline is historical, and that was true for this story as well. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed both of them, but I always have a propensity to lean toward loving the historical one more.

I think we as a society tend to forget there's nothing new under the sun. That includes how terribly people can treat one another. That's evidenced in this story in both 1885 and current day, but obviously in different ways. We also see that there are those who will champion a worthy cause!

First we meet Lillian, a widow, who is reunited with her estranged sister, and finds out her niece was left at the Foundling Hospital as a baby. What she learns from her first visit to the hospital takes her on a journey to unravel the mystery of her missing niece along with a handful of other young girls. She's joined (begrudgingly) by Matthew who is a reporter for a well-known newspaper. Together, they seek to find out what's happened to the girls!

While it was clear what direction this was going to take, I thought it was an interesting take on human trafficking, but not shocking because people were targeting the most vulnerable even then. I thought this time period was well written and I really loved Lillian's tenacity.

In the current day, Janelle is the acting director of the Foundling Museum. She finds out rather quickly that filmmaker, Jonas Conrad, wants to do a documentary about the museum in time for the museum's fundraising gala. What they find along the way about the Hospital's past leads them on a search for the truth! I really enjoyed following along as Janelle and Jonas learned more about the orphans, the families, and the hospital's history. It's a reminder of how difficult it can be to track down information from so long ago, but how well a puzzle can come together when you have all of the right pieces.

There was a lovely thread of faith woven through both timelines, which I always appreciate.

About the Author:

Carrie Turansky is the award-winning author of twenty-one inspirational novels and novellas and a winner of the Carol Award, the International Digital Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She loves traveling to England to research her Edwardian novels, including No Journey Too Far, No Ocean Too Wide, Across the Blue, and the Edwardian Brides series. Her novels have been translated into several languages and have received starred reviews from Christianbook.com and Library Journal. Learn more at carrieturansky.com.

The Art of Writing 2024 + GIVE AWAY

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for The Art of Writing 2024, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I can't wait to get together with all of these authors and incredible industry leaders!

About the Conference

The Art of Writing conference will be held on November 14 in Chicago at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, Chicago/Downers Grove. The focused four-session conference will bring together writers, storytellers, and publishing curators for training and connection. Hear from Christian publishers, agents, authors, and thought leaders on the Art of Writing for today’s market.

Session One: The Balance of the Art of Writing and the Business of Publishing

A panel of Christian fiction publishers and agents discuss market changes and current trends and address your most important questions with Tyndale Fiction publisher Karen Watson and agents Danielle Egan-Miller and Cynthia Ruchti.

Session Two: Processing Pain through Writing and Reading Christian Fiction

In a special LIVE Moody Radio conversation, author and host Chris Fabry will lead a discussion of how pain helps writers process their lives and can help readers do the same with therapists turned authors Amanda Cox and Kelly Flanagan 

Session Three: Authors as Marketers: How to Build a Thriving Ecosystem 

Join Andrea Garcia, senior marketing manager at Tyndale House Publishers, as she helps you navigate how to be an author-marketer, explains how your author channels can work together, and assures you that you can have fun spreading the word about your books. 

Session Four: What Is Christian Fiction? Writing for a Broader Audience 

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, has the audience for Christian fiction shrunk or broadened? Does that or should that change the way you write your novels? How much should you write with your audience in mind versus letting your creativity lead and find its own audience? A panelist of authors will cover these questions and more!

 

Learn More about The Art of Writing 2024

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The Christy Award Finalists Reveal

Christian fiction fans are invited to register and watch the free webcast announcement of The Christy Award finalists in nine categories live on September 12 at 11 a.m. CST, featuring Christy Hall of Fame author Chris Fabry and ECPA president Jeff Crosby. Winners will be announced on November 14 during The Christy Award Winners Gala in Chicago at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center, Chicago/Downers Grove.

“With each passing year I am more aware of the power that stories have to communicate goodness, truth, beauty and hope in our world,” states ECPA president Jeff Crosby. “And because of that, I am honored to be associated with the annual Christy Gala which honors excellence in Christian fiction and the Art of Writing conference that nurtures the work of writers of faith and contributes tools as they refine their craft.” The Christy Award® is a program of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and is the foremost award honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction since 1999. For more information about ECPA, visit ECPA.org. For more information about the Christy Awards and Art of Writing conferences, visit ChristyAwards.com or email TheChristyAward@ecpa.org

Register Now for The Art of Writing & The Christy Award events

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive their choice of The Art of Writing registration OR print copies of The Christy Award finalist titles for one category!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 6, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 13, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Christmas At Sugar Plum Manor By Roseanna M. White

Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor

by Roseanna M. White

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764242922

Ever a fan of Roseanna M. White's the opportunity couldn't be passed up to read her next novella. And that cover! It absolutely screams Christmas. The publisher sent me her book for review.

Summary:

The Nutcracker and Edwardian-Era England combine to weave a magical tale of love and friendship at Christmastime.

As the beloved stepdaughter of the Earl of Castleton, Lady Mariah Lyons cherishes her home at Plumford Manor, but her idyllic world will be threatened when the estate passes to Cyril Lightbourne, a childhood friend she hasn't seen or heard from in years. Once, Mariah dreamed their friendship would kindle into something more, but that was before she heard Cyril was courting the cruelhearted Lady Pearl. Now Mariah is willing to welcome him as a friend and pray he will be the heir her stepfather needs, but she'll keep her heart locked safely away from anyone with such poor taste.

Cyril Lightbourne has long avoided returning to Plumford Manor, yet he reluctantly arrives in time for Christmas. When his friendship with Lady Mariah reignites, he finds himself caught between his affection for her and her family's misunderstanding of his attachment to Lady Pearl. Then, more trouble arrives in the form of a Danish lord on a mission to win Mariah's hand by Christmas. Will the magic of the holiday season help lead to the discovery of true love, or will duty to country leave all longing for what could have been?

My Review:

What a fun and festive story!

In Christmas at Sugar Plum Manor, we meet Mariah along with her family as they prepare for the Christmas season. They also learn they'll be hosting the young man who will be taking over the manor one day as well as a Danish lord, both of whom may be vying for Mariah's attention.

Cyril met Mariah when they were young children and neither are sure they'll be able to claim the same friendship now that they're adults. Cyril seems like a humble young man who struggles with his identity and worth. Mariah is whimsical and utterly delightful. She cares for the people her stepfather oversees as the lord of the Manor.

I had moments where I imagined Mariah as either Rapunzel or Ana from the Disney movies. Cyril was such a genuine guy, you couldn't not like him, even when he was putting his foot in his mouth. Søren, the Danish lord reminded me of Hans from Disney's Frozen. Don't even ask me about Mariah's siblings. They were always just so cross... about everything!

Because this was a novella, misunderstandings weren't able to last long, and quite honestly, the men being direct and saying what they mean instead of lying was very refreshing. That doesn't mean there wasn't a bit of deception and misleading with some characters.

I was a bit surprised at the ending, but happily so! This story definitely has the charm of a 19th century English Christmas! It certainly made me wish I could try one of Plumford Manor's cook's sugar plums!

About the Author:

Roseanna M. White (RoseannaMWhite.com) is a bestselling, Christy Award-winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books . . . . to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.

Lethal Standoff By DiAnn Mills + GIVE AWAY

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! I absolutely LOVE DiAnn's suspense. Seriously, I devour her books faster than she can write them! I can't wait to get this one started!

About the Book

Title: Lethal Standoff 

Author: DiAnn Mills 

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers 

Release Date: September 3, 2024 

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Thriller

Justice can be elusive. Family secrets can be deadly. The stakes are high, and the clock is ticking in a volatile criminal case filled with unanswered questions. And Carrington Reed is running short on time to piece together clues that will solve the puzzle.

Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed is called to the scene when reports come in that fifteen hostages are being held by the Kendrix brothers in an abandoned house in south Texas. When she arrives on site, Carrington quickly learns that the brothers are armed and refuse to release their victims, a group of undocumented immigrants, until the local police identify their father’s murderer. 

Working closely with Levi Ehrlich, a handsome investigative reporter who has covered some of Carrington’s negotiations in the past, she finds herself being undeniably drawn to him. Carrington digs deeper into the death of the Kendrixes’ father and begins to notice that some details surrounding his death aren’t adding up. 

As Carrington investigates the brothers’ claims and tries to piece together their motive for taking innocent people captive, it soon becomes clear that they are trying to hide something and that revenge for their father’s death may not be what they’re really bargaining for after all. To protect the hostages and ensure the brothers don’t carry out the rest of their sinister plot, Carrington must get to the bottom of one family’s secret and the truth they’re trying so hard to hide before time runs out. 

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills delivers pulse-pounding romantic suspense about secrets, betrayal, and finding a path to forgiveness.

• Includes discussion guide for book groups.
• A clean contemporary thriller from Christy Award-winning author DiAnn Mills
• For fans of action-packed romantic suspense in the vein of Lynette Eason, Irene Hannon, and Dani Pettrey
• From the popular author of Facing the Enemy

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | Bookshop

Also Available:

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Book Excerpt

Phone in hand, I hurried from my parked truck and raced to where police cars barricaded the entrance to the street where Henderson held his family. A reporter blocked my way between vehicles. She rammed a mic in front of my face.

“Carrington Reed, do you think this standoff will have a peaceful resolution?”

My blood boiled. The last time I had verbally unleashed on her aggressive means to get the best story, she lied in her article about my concern for those in danger. I paused long enough to give her eye contact. “My goal is always a peaceful solution. Excuse me, I need to talk to HPD.”

“Are the police advocating a violent takedown?”

“No.” I sidestepped around her and ignored her shouts.

Aaron stood in front of the home and waved. He had the appearance of average—average height, weight, gray eyes, brown hair, and shoulder span— but nothing about his physical appearance showed his intense scrutiny of a crime scene. His rating as one of HPD’s finest hit my respect button.

“Good to see you. I’d like the man’s cell number,” I said. “I assume my cell phone is routed through the command center too?”

“Sure thing.” He gave me the information. “The wife’s name is Christine, and the son’s name is Rand.”

I nodded my thanks and pressed in the digits. A man answered on the second ring.

“Nick, this is Carrington. I’m standing beside a police car outside your house, and I’d like to help you.”

“I . . . leave me alone.” He spoke fast and loudly. “I’m busy.”

“What do you need?”

“You can get rid of all those cops. I can’t breathe.”

About the Author

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels with threads of romance. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone's story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure? 

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, the Selah Award, and the Golden Scroll; and been finalists for the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award and the Carol Award. 

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. 

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She's an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. diannmills.com.

Connect with DiAnn by visiting diannmills.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a copy of Lethal Standoff and Facing the Enemy, as well as a Texas themed item!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight September 3, 2024 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on September 10, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!