 Summerside Press led the way when the
Christian fiction community gathered to celebrate the best of the
year and look to the future, during the weekend.
The Guideposts imprint took three of
the main prizes in the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)
annual Carol Awards, named in honor of longtime Bethany House
Publishers Editor Carol Johnson, who helped pioneer the modern
Christian fiction genre. She was among almost 700 published and
would-be authors, editors, agents and other industry professionals at
the ACFW prize-giving banquet Saturday in St. Louis, at the end of
the group’s three-day conference. Summerside took awards for Romantic Suspense (The Silent Order by
Melanie Dobson), Long Historical (Sons of Thunder by Susan May
Warren) and Long Historical Romance (Love Finds You in Homestead,
Iowa, also by Dobson). Tyndale House Publishers earned two Carols—for Women’s Fiction
(Beaded Hope by Cathy Liggett) and Debut Author (Crossing
Oceans by Gina Holmes)—as did Barbour Publishing for Mystery
(The Camera Never Lies by Elizabeth Goddard) and Novella (A
Trusting Heart by Carrie Turansky, published in Christmas
Mail-Order Brides). Celebrating its 10th anniversary with a
record attendance reflecting what organizers said was the continued
growth of Christian fiction, the ACFW conference featured educational
sessions for prospective and seasoned authors alike. There were also
discussions on industry trends, including how the rise of e-book
sales might impact the fiction category. Other Carol winners were: Long Contemporary—Never Say Never
by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); Long
Contemporary Romance—Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman (Thomas
Nelson); Suspense/Thriller—Predator by Terri Blackstock
(Zondervan); Speculative Fiction—König’s Fire by Marc
Schooley (Marcher Lord Press). Short Contemporary—A Father for
Zach by Irene Hannon (Love Inspired); Short Contemporary
Suspense—Night Prey by Sharon Dunn (Love Inspired Suspense);
Short Historical—Her Healing Ways by Lyn Cote (Love Inspired
Historical); Young Adult: Anything But Normal by Melody
Carlson (Revell/Baker Publishing Group).
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