2006 Christy Awards

The Christy has been called the Oscar of Christian fiction. Over two dozen publishers submit novels, and the winners are announced every July at ICRS, the International Christian Retail Show. It's not small potatoes.

Of this year's seven winning novels, I have read three:

Contemporary - Dale Cramer, Levi's Will (Bethany). I loved this one and blogged about it here. I believe this is Mr. Cramer's second Christy. Levi's Will has racked up other honors, too. It was named Booklist's "best Christian novel of the year" and was named one of Library Journal's "Best Books of 2005." Sit up and take notice. This guy is an excellent writer.

Suspense - Athol Dickson, River Rising (Bethany). This is one is a prize, too. Deeply Christian, lyrical, intriguing. I loved it.

Romance - Deeanne Gist, A Bride Most Begrudging (Bethany). This one is dearest to my heart because Deeanne is a friend of mine. A historical set in Colonial Virginia, it's lively, funny, and heartbreaking by turns. I wrote a post about Bride, too, here, but it's sort of buried in the archives. Look for the August 11, 2005 post.

The list of nominees includes some other authors whose writing I have enjoyed, too. I especially enjoy Siri Mitchell and Brad Whittington. I wish everybody could have won. That's not how contests work, but congrats to all.