The Jewish Publication Society is holding events in November and December in New York City featuring scholars James L. Kugel and Lawrence H. Schiffman, co-editors of Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture. The events are free, open to the public, and will include book signings.

Center Street author Ted Dekker is on tour promoting his latest novel, Outlaw (Center Street/Hachette, Oct. 22). The 18-city Outlaw Tour launched in Dallas on October 22 and has included stops in Houston, Washington, D.C., and Nashville; upcoming events are in Columbus, Oh., (tonight, October 30), Chicago, San Diego, and other cities, concluding Nov. 17 in Phoenix. Tour information is at www.theoutlawtour.com, where participants can register for a chance to win one of five free all-access event packages, which include a backstage pass, reserved front-row seating, and an autographed copy of Outlaw.

Kregel title A Season of Miracles by Rusty Whitener (2010) has been made into a feature film, which released nationally October 1. The movie—about a group of twelve-year-olds in a Little League baseball championship in the 1970s--was produced by Elevating Entertainment and directed by its founder, Dave Moody. The film is being distributed in the U.S. by Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment and screened in select theaters, as well as released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Combo Pack on October 1 and sold by retailers including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Lifeway Christian Stores, Family Christian Stores, iTunes, and others. Elevating Entertainment has also optioned Whitener’s sequel, A Season of Mysteries (Kregel, April).

Master Books has won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, announced October 3. Big Book of Earth & Sky won the gold medal in the Best Activity Book--Educational, Science, or History category. Co-Editors Carolyn Reeves and Bodie Hodge created a 15-foot vertical chart illustrating the Earth and sky, from the inner core to the outer atmosphere. The Moonbeam Awards were created in 2007 by Michigan-based book marketing firm Jenkins Group and are judged by youth educators, librarians, booksellers, and book reviewers. For the full list of winners, click here.



WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group and Westar Media Group are producing and distributing a 30-minute radio special featuring bestselling author Liz Curtis Higgs talking with radio host Chris Fabry about her latest book, The Women of Christmas: Experience the Season Afresh with Elizabeth, Mary and Anna (WaterBrook Press, Sept.). Christian radio stations can sign up to air the 30-minute special or a series of 60-second vignettes about the three women central to the story of Jesus’ birth. Higgs is a Women of Faith conference speaker and the author of 31 books, with more than 4.5 million copies in print, including her bestselling nonfiction titles, Bad Girls of the Bible, Unveiling Mary Magdalene, and The Girl’s Still Got It, and her award-winning Scottish historical novels inspired by the biblical book of Ruth, including Here Burns My Candle and Mine Is the Night, a New York Times bestseller.

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s 2013 Top Shelf Book Cover Awards were announced October 22 at the PUBu Design Ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois. The Top Shelf Book Awards were created to celebrate the best book designs in Christian publishing and are judged by three top designers in the industry based on appropriateness, concept, and execution. The winning covers will be featured in a printed annual that will be distributed to industry professionals.

The Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) is accepting nominations until November 15 for the 2014 Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award. The CSPA Book of the Year Award recognizes titles from small publishers for outstanding contribution to Christian life. Nominees must have been published in 2012 or 2013 by a publisher or self-published author with annual revenues of $400,000 or less. Nominated books in 12 categories must be Christian in nature and intended for the Christian marketplace, printed in English, and for sale in the U.S. For complete guidelines, eligibility, and the nomination form, go to http://www.christianbookaward.com.