B&H Publishing Group author Billy Mauldin has been named spiritual adviser to season 13 contestants of American Idol. Mauldin, president and CEO of Motor Racing Outreach and co-author of The Race: Living Life on Track (B&H Books), will offer spiritual counsel and support for contestants under the high-stakes pressure of competition, just like he has for the NASCAR community for more than a decade.

The Race—written in conjunction with Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR Hall-of-Famer and lead NASCAR FOX Sports analyst, and Kyle Froman, Motor Racing Outreach director of development—shares lessons learned in the racing pits and among the NASCAR community. The Race aims to help others with their personal mission by helping readers prepare for it, receive it and live faithfully on mission. It is these same concepts Mauldin hopes to share with the contestants of American Idol.

Logos Bible Software has begun a partnership with Compassion International to help boost sponsorships of needy children.  In an email sent by the software company, Logos offers a $100 gift certificate to anyone who sponsors a child before April 1.

Kim Bangs has been appointed publishing director for Regal Books. A 20-year publishing veteran, she most recently served as senior acquisitions manager for Regal.

Bangs was integral to the development of the new Regal for Women publishing initiative, which focuses on books that encourage transformative change in the lives of women. She is excited about the future for Regal and looks forward to implementing additional new initiatives that market collections of authors to individual target audiences.

Authors Suzanne Burden and Jamie Wright will take part in a Google Hangout on March 21, to discuss the topics related to their book, Reclaiming Eve (Beacon Hill Press). Co-authored with Carla Sunberg, the book takes a multi-generational look at the story in Genesis to discover exactly how and why God designed Eve and what those implications are for today’s Christian women.

Topics that Burden and Wright will discuss in the Google Hangout include: Eve from the Genesis story and why she affects today’s Christian women; God’s original intent for women; practical advice for women who want to fulfill their calling; and how every woman can find a way to serve the Kingdom.

Mark Driscoll personally replied March 18 to the latest controversy surrounding his book, Real Marriage (Thomas Nelson), co-authored with his wife, Grace. In an open letter addressed to Mars Hill Church, where he serves as senior pastor, Driscoll responded to criticism about a marketing firm his church used to help Real Marriage hit best-seller lists.

In the letter, Driscoll said that he has instructed his publisher to cease using “No. 1 New York Times best-seller” on book covers and marketing materials for his titles. 

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announced 36 finalists in seven categories for the 2014 Christian Book Award program. In addition to the category awards, the 2014 Christian Book of the Year, will be bestowed upon one title from all nominees, according to overall impact in the marketplace.

“The Christian Book Awards program is the great equalizer: recognizing excellence among the year’s Christian titles whether the marketing budgets are large or small, the author is known or unknown, or the publisher size large or small,” said ECPA President and CEO Mark Kuyper.

DreamWorks Animation and Netflix have announced a new original VeggieTales series to debut on the world’s leading Internet television network in late 2014. VeggieTales in the House will give families a front-row seat to Bob and Larry’s life off the countertop.

The entire VeggieTales cast, as well as new characters, will be joining the daily adventures as well.