Christy Finalists, a New Pettrey Thriller, and a Zoom Chat Date
BIG week in bookish news, friends! Awards, a new release to celebrate, and a chance to hang out with four historical romance authors LIVE. Let’s dive in!
The 2026 Christy Award® Finalists Are In!
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association just announced the 35 finalists for the 2026 Christy Award®, spanning nine fiction categories and 13 publishers! Winners will be announced November 6 here in Nashville — and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone.
Congrats to our own Christy Award finalists Cara Putman for The Accused (Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Kregel Publications) and Robin Lee Hatcher forTo Reveal a Reckless Love (Short Form, RobinSong, Inc.)! 😊🎉🎉
More on attending The Christy Awards.
New Release Alert: Three Steps Behind by our own Dani Pettrey
FBI forensic botanist Harper Grace returns to Jeopardy Falls to heal — only to find her friend Taylor has died under suspicious circumstances. Teaming up with PI Deckard MacLeod, she’s pulled into a race-against-time mystery that’s classic Pettrey: heart-racing, twisty, unforgettable. Congratulations, Dani!
Grab Your Favorite Drink & Join me this Wednesday Night!
I’m hopping on Zoom this Wednesday, Sept 16, 6–7 PM CT, with fellow Tyndale authors Christine Hill Suntz, Roseanna M. White, and Jenelle Hovde for a live Crazy4Fiction chat about our newest releases. I’ll be sharing the true history behind In These Hills — Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Miss Mary Bobo’s, and the fight for suffrage in 1905 Lynchburg. Bring your questions, and you could win books and swag!
👉 Register here for Wednesday’s LIVE Chat (6pm central)
Lastly, thanks for welcoming In These Hills into the world!
If you’ve already read In These Hills, thank you! And if you’ve left a review, know that I’m hugging you from my corner of Nashville.
If you’re anywhere near Lynchburg, TN this Saturday, I’d LOVE to see you at Miss Mary’s where I’ll be signing copies of In These Hills in the front parlor. Come on in for a visit. They have lunch seatings that day at 11AM, 1PM, and 3PM. Lunch reservations are encouraged as seats at Miss Mary’s fill up fast! But you don’t have to have lunch to attend the signing. I hope to see you there!
MISS MARY BOBO’S BOOK SIGNING
Lynchburg, TN
This Saturday, September 19
Noon – 2:30PM
details here
So tell me . . .
📚 Have you read any of the Christy Award finalists? If yes, which ones were your favorites? And if you’re planning on being at Miss Mary’s on Saturday, please let me know so I can watch for you. 🙂
Blessings from Nashville,
Tamera
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I have read 3 of the Christy finalists – The Bitter End Birding Society, From the Valley We Rise, and The Collector of Burned Books. I can’t pick a favorite; all were so good. I have 2 on reserve at the library – The Lawyer and the Laundress and Through Water and Stone. I finished reading In These Hills yesterday and loved it. So many good quotes but my favorite is “Hold your principles with conviction, and your neighbor with compassion”. Looking forward to the virtual book discussion Wednesday evening. I am currently enjoying reading Deborah Raney’s series The God Who Sees and am on book 2.
Thank you, Ruth! I’m so glad you’re enjoying The God Who series!
Ruth, great for you for having read that many of the Christy finalists. And I love Deb’s God Who series. Thank you too for reading In These Hills. 🤍 Appreciate you!
So happy your book is out in the world now, Tammy! It’s another winner!
Aw, thanks, my friend. Your handprints are all over it—and I’m so grateful.
I have read The Collector of Burned Books – so good. I have Robin’s book and two of Deb’s The God Who series. Congratulations on your release.
I haven’t read Roseanne’s latest yet, Betty, but I have it waiting and am eager to! Hugs to you, friend. Appreciate your presence here.
I‘ve read
– Every hour until then
– The voice we find
– The Lawyer and the Laundress
– The collector of burned books
– From the valley we rise
I loved all of them. From the valley we rise might be a favourite, but all of them were worth reading.
Whoa, Eli, you get the prize for most read! I have From the Valley We Rise on my kindle right now. LOVE Elizabeth’s writing, and have for years.