I Didn't Go to ICRS Either But...

Just prior to last week's RWA conference in Washington, D.C., the ICRS--International Christian Retail Show--convened in Denver, CO. Just as the RITA and Golden Heart Award winners are announced at RWA, the Christy Award winners--Christian fiction's most prestigious awards--are announced at the ICRS.

The 2009 Christy Award winners are:

Contemporary Romance Category

* Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas Category

* You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords)

Contemporary Standalone Category

* Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)

First Novel Category

* Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan-Lake (David C. Cook)

Historical Category

* Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)

Historical Romance Category

* From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)

Suspense Category

* The Rook by Steven James (Revell)

Visionary Category

* Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House Publishers)

Young Adult Category

* I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers)

The full press release, with book blurbs and author bios, is here.

For more on ICRS, agent Rachelle Gardener gave a pre-conference overview and Publisher's Weekly gives a nice roundup of the event.

You can find blog posts from authors who attended around the blogosphere, like Mary Lu Tyndall, Kaye Dacus, and Debbie Fuller Thomas. (Although I must say, there's not as much of a blogging furor for ICRS as there is for RWA.)

Finally, a "can't miss" annual post comes from literary agent Chip MacGregor, with his conference summary and his take on the strange things offered for sale by Christian retailers and his pick for the year's weirdest one.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia
Tampa Bay Writing Examiner

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.