At an awards gala sponsored Sunday by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, the American Christian Fiction Writers group honored novelists writing in 11 categories. Publishers Revell and WaterBrook/Multnomah each bagged two awards, and the writers group spread the rest of its recognition among seven different publishers, including B&H Publishing, which earlier this year announced the curtailment and redirection of its fiction line.
Debut novelists Katie Ganshert (Wildflowers from Winter, WaterBrook) and Nicole Quigley (Like Moonlight at Low Tide, Zondervan) were among the winners, as was veteran writer Jane Kirkpatrick (Where Lilacs Still Bloom, WaterBrook). Frank Peretti, who helped develop the Christian fiction niche with his groundbreaking thriller about spiritual warfare, This Present Darkness (1986), was given a lifetime achievement award. Julie Gwinn, formerly with B&H and now with Abingdon Press, was named editor of the year; Natasha Kern was honored as agent of the year. A complete list of winners is available here.
