Since 1999, The Christy Awards™ have honored Christian novels of excellence, imagination, and creativity. The Christy Award™ is designed to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview and showcase the diversity of genres. The Award is named for Catherine Marshall’s enduring bestselling novel, Christy, published in 1967.
When I was a teen I read my mom’s copy of Christy, a novel about the author’s mother who went to the Smoky Mountains as a young teacher and fell in love with the unique people and a Scottish doctor there. It has always been one of my favorite books, showcasing the beautiful Appalachians with depth and beauty and a shattering realism. I then read Marshall’s nonfiction books on faith which are also remarkable and timeless.
When I wrote my first story at age 7, I wish I could have glimpsed my ninth novel winning this wonderful award. It is considered the pinnacle of publishing and something I never thought one of my books would attain. When I attended the Christy gala and experienced that wondrous moment when the first line of the winning novel is read aloud, I closed my eyes and savored something that might never come again, an award that holds such history and meaning to me growing up in Appalachia.
In other words, I’m thrilled! A list of the other finalists & winners can be found here which make a fine reading list. Thank you to the Christy folks who work tirelessly on behalf of excellence and edification through the written word and to publishers like mine, Revell, and readers perhaps most of all.
