2010 Christy Award Nominees

The 2010 Christy Award nominees were announced today, so I thought I'd share the news here. The award was established in 1999 to honor excellence in Christian fiction (you can read more about the history here).

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

• Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills • Tyndale House Publishers 
• How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
• Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus • Barbour Publishing 

CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS

• Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson • Thomas Nelson 
• The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group 
• Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth • Zondervan 

CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE

• June Bug by Chris Fabry • Tyndale House Publishers 
• The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson • Thomas Nelson 
• Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle • Tyndale House Publishers 

FIRST NOVEL

• The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry • Moody Publishers 
• Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent • Tyndale House Publishers 
• Scared by Tom Davis • David C. Cook 

HISTORICAL

• A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group 
• Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group 
• The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey • Revell Books: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

• Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group 
• A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group 
• The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander • Thomas Nelson 
• The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group 

SUSPENSE

• Intervention by Terri Blackstock • Zondervan 
• Lost Mission by Athol Dickson • Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster 
• The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group 

VISIONARY

• By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson • Marcher Lord Press 
• The Enclave by Karen Hancock • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group 
• Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik • Tyndale House Publishers 

YOUNG ADULT

• Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma • Thomas Nelson 
• The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason • David C. Cook 
• North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

The winners will be announced in a ceremony on June 26, 2010 in St. Louis. Congrats to all the nominees, but a special big congrats to my dear friend Kaye, nominated in the Contemporary Romance category! :)

The Enclave by Karen Hancock

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Enclave
Bethany House (August 1, 2009)
by
Karen Hancock


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Karen Hancock has won Christy Awards for each of her first four novels--Arena and the first three books in the Legends of the Guardian-King series, The Light of Eidon, The Shadow Within, and Shadow over Kiriath. She graduated from the University of Arizona with bachelor's degrees in biology and wildlife biology. Along with writing, she is a semi-professional watercolorist and has exhibited her work in a number of national juried shows. She and her family reside in Arizona.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When Lacey McHenry accepts a prestigious research fellowship at the world-renowned Kendell-Jakes Longevity Institute, she sees it as a new start on life. But a disturbing late-night encounter with an intruder leads to an unexpected cover-up by Institute authorities, and she soon realizes there's more going on than she ever imagined.

She finds a supporter in genetics researcher Cameron Reinhardt. However, Reinhardt is a favorite of the Institute's director, and she can't help wondering if he, too, is in on the cover-up. The brilliant but absentminded researcher turns out to have his own secrets, some of them dark and deadly. The Enclave is characterized by adventure, intrigue, spiritual analogy, and romance, all set in an unusual but fully realized world--one that may have its foundations on earth but which, the more one learns of it, doesn't seem much like the earth we know at all.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Enclave, go HERE