2009 CHRISTY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The Christy Advisory Board today announced nominees in nine categories for the 2009 Christy Awards honoring Christian fiction. The Christy Awards will be announced during the International Christian Retail Show in Denver this July. For more information about the awards ceremony, and to make reservations, visit the Christy Awards Web site at www.christyawards.com and join the Official Christy Awards Group on Facebook.

The 2009 Christy Awards nominees are:

Contemporary Romance: Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group), Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers), and Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney (David C. Cook)

Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas: Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group), Summer Snow by Nicole Baart (Tyndale House Publishers), and You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords)

Contemporary Standalone: Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers), Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson), and Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas (Moody Publishers)

First Novel: Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan-Lake (David C. Cook), Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler (Bethany House Publishers), and Safe at Home by Richard Doster (David C. Cook)

Historical: Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group), Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers), and Washington’s Lady by Nancy Moser (Bethany House Publishers)

Historical Romance: Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy (Barbour Publishers), From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers), and The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen (B&H Publishing Group)

Suspense: By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers), The Rook by Steven James (Revell), and Winter Haven by Athol Dickson (Bethany House Publishers)

Visionary: The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka (Harvest House Publishers), Shade by John B. Olson (B&H Publishing Group), and Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House Publishers)

Young Adult: The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina (FaithWords), I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers), and On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group).