ACFW Book of the Year Finalists

Every year, the American Christian Fiction Writers host a contest of fiction from the previous calendar year. The finalists are named and then, in September, at the annual conference, the winners of each category are announced.

Here is the list of Book of the Year finalists for 2009 (in alphabetical order):

2009 American Christian Fiction Writers

Book of the Year Contest

Finalists

Debut Author

• A Passion Most Pure (Julie Lessman)
• Courting Miss Adelaide (Janet Dean)
• Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
• Hero, Second Class (Mitchell Bonds)
• In the Shadow of the Sun King (Golden Keyes Parsons)

Lits

• Faking Grace (Tamara Leigh)
• Picket Fence Promises (Kathryn Springer)
• Single Sashimi (Camy Tang)
• Sweet Caroline (Rachel Hauck)
• Truffles by the Sea (Julie Carobini)

Long Contemporary

• Lookin Back Texas (Leanna Ellis)
• One Holy Night (J.M. Hochstetler)
• Stuck in the Middle (Virginia Smith)
• Summer of Joy (Ann H. Gabhart)
• Symphony of Secrets (Sharon Hinck)

Long Contemporary Romance

• Along Came a Cowboy (Christine Lynxwiler)
• Controlling Interest (Elizabeth White)
• The Convenient Groom (Denise Hunter)
• Finding Stefanie (Susan May Warren)
• Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black & White (Claudia Mair Burney)

Long Historical (6 finalists due to a tie)

• The Apothecary’s Daughter (Julie Klassen)
• Calico Canyon (Mary Connealy)
• Deep In the Heart of Trouble (Deeanne Gist)
• From A Distance (Tamera Alexander)
• I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires (Cathy Gohlke)
• My Heart Remembers ( Kim Vogel Sawyer)

Mystery

• The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (A.K. Arenz)
• Death on a Deadline (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
• Drop Dead Diva (Christine Lynxwiler, Sandy Gaskin, and Jan Reynolds)
• For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls (Nancy Mehl)
• Of Mice . . . and Murder (Mary Connealy)

Novellas

• The Cookie Jar (Janet Lee Barton in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
• Dressed in Scarlet (Darlene Franklin in Snowbound Colorado Christmas anthology)
• Santa’s Prayer (Diane Ashley in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
• Snowbound for Christmas (Gail Sattler in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)
• Stuck On You (Rhonda Gibson in A Connecticut Christmas anthology)

Short Contemporary

• Buffalo Gal (Mary Connealy)
• Clueless Cowboy (Mary Connealy)
• Family Treasures (Kathryn Springer)
• Her Unlikely Family (Missy Tippens)
• White as Snow (Janice Thompson)

Short Contemporary Suspense

• Bayou Paradox (Robin Caroll)
• Broken Lullaby (Pamela Tracy)
• Countdown to Death (Debby Giusti)
• Forsaken Canyon (Margaret Daley)
• Killer Cargo (Dana Mentink)

Short Historical

• Family of the Heart (Dorothy Clark)
• Masked by Moonlight (Allie Pleiter)
• Reckless Rogue (Mary Davis)
• Return to Love (Susan Page Davis)
• Sandhill Dreams (Cara Putman)

Speculative

• The Book of Names (D. Barkley Briggs)
• DragonLight (Donita K. Paul)
• The Restorer’s Journey (Sharon Hinck)
• Shade (John B. Olson)
• Summa Elvetica: A Casuistry of the Elvish Controversy (Theodore Beale)

Suspense

• Anathema (Colleen Coble)
• The Black Cloister (Melanie Dobson)
• Fossil Hunter (John B. Olson)
• Lonestar Sanctuary (Colleen Coble)
• Perfect (Harry Kraus)

Women’s Fiction (7 finalists due to a tie)

• A Month of Summer (Lisa Wingate)
• Every Good and Perfect Gift (Sharon K. Souza)
• My Sister Dilly (Maureen Lang)
• The Perfect Life (Robin Lee Hatcher)
• The Shape of Mercy (Susan Meissner)
• Stepping into Sunlight (Sharon Hinck)
• Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon (Debbie Fuller Thomas)

Young Adult

• The Big Picture (Jenny B. Jones)
• The Fruit of My Lipstick (Shelley Adina)
• It’s all About Us (Shelley Adina)
• The Owling (Robert Elmer)
• Trion Rising (Robert Elmer)

Congratulations to these authors! Looking forward to the award's banquet in September!