DEBUT AUTHOR
In the Shadow of the Sun King  (Golden Keyes Parsons)

LITS
Sweet Caroline  (Rachel Hauck)

LONG CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
The Convenient Groom (Denise Hunter)

SUSPENSE
Anathema (Colleen Coble)
Lonestar Sanctuary  (Colleen Coble)

WOMEN’S FICTION
The Perfect Life (Robin Lee Hatcher)

ACFW boasts over 1800 members worldwide—authors, editors, agents, publicists and aspiring writers—working “to promote Christian Fiction through developing the skills of its authors, educating them in the market, and serving as an advocate in the industry.” Award winners will be named at this year’s annual conference in Denver, CO, September 17-20, at a ceremony to be held Saturday night.  Winning authors will receive plaques; their editors will also be recognized.

Booksellers Best Award – Inspirational Fiction
Sponsored by Greater Detroit RWA
Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble 

Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award
Sponsored by Faith, Hope and Love chapter of RWA (for Christian fiction authors belonging to RWA)
Where Do I Go? by Neta Jackson

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. was awarded six of Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards. The awards were announced on Monday, July 13th at the International Christian Retail Show in Denver, Colorado. Thomas Nelson received more any other publishing house and walked away with a fifth of the cumulative awards.

“There are two things about Retailer’s Choice Awards that make them among the highest honors in the industry,” said Michael S. Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson. “First, the awards are selected by Christian retailers, who work on the front lines helping Christians strengthen their spiritual journey. Second, the awards are judged on a product’s ability to inspire, encourage, and affirm Godly living. I am so proud of our team.”

The Thomas Nelson winners are:

• The Word of Promise Next Generation: New Testament Audio Bible (Audio)
• Baby’s First Bible (Bibles: General)
• What in the World Is Going On? by David Jeremiah (Bibles - General)
• Fireproof by Eric Wilson (Fiction: General)
• Looking Up When Life Is Looking Down by Beth Moore (Gift Books)
• Chronological Study Bible Campaign (Marketing/Promotion Campaign)

Products nominated for the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards must include clear Christian content, message or worldview. Retailers judged the 250 nominations in 30 categories on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christ-like living. For more a complete listing of the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards, visit www.retailerschoiceawards.com.

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications   

tel:    (615) 902-1109    

fax:  (615) 902-1110
cell:  (615) 476-5984    

e-mail:  lnobles@thomasnelson.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) Thomas Nelson, Inc. announced today that thirteen of its products or campaigns have been chosen to be finalists for Christian Retailing’s 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards. Products or campaigns nominated for the 2009 Retailer’s Choice Awards must include clear Christian content, message, or worldview. Retailers judge nominations on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to people’s hearts and evoke emotion, open people’s minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

The winner in each category will be announced on Monday, July 13, during the International Christian Retail Show in Denver, Colorado. Winners will appear in the August 10 issue of Christian Retailing. The Thomas Nelson finalists are:

The Word of Promise Next Generation, New Testament - Audio
Chronological Study Bible - Bibles (Devotional/Study)
Baby’s First Bible - Bibles (General)
The Voice, New Testament - Bibles (General)

Sweet Dreams Princess by Sheila Walsh - Children’s Non-Fiction

What in the World Is Going On? by David Jeremiah - Church and Culture

Fireproof by Eric Wilson - Fiction (General)

Sinner: A Paradise Novel by Ted Dekker - Fiction (Mystery and Suspence)

Walking with God by John Eldredge - Personal Growth/Prayer

A Baby Changes Everything by Tim Nichols, K.K. Wiseman, and Craig Wiseman - Gift Books

Looking Up When Life is Looking Down by Beth Moore - Gift Books

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore - Backlist

Chronological Study Bible Campaign - Marketing/Promotion Campaign

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes.  For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

Contact:    Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel:    (615) 902-1109
fax:  (615) 902-1110
cell:  (615) 476-5984
e-mail:  lnobles@thomasnelson.com

According to the organization, what makes the HOLT Medallion unique is its purpose of reflecting the actual marketplace. Judging panels are comprised only of avid romance readers who are looking for “a good read, a book they would buy and an author they would follow.” Editors, agents, and writers are not eligible to judge.

The HOLT Medallion has been awarded annually since 1995. This year’s winner will be announced at the 29th Annual National RWA conference in Washington, D.C., July 15-18, 2009.

John Kirby, Director of The Word of Promise Next Generation, expresses the pride of everyone who worked on the project: “What an honor to have won this prestigious award and to have been surrounded by such inspiring nominees who are heroes of mine,” he says.

It is no surprise that this star-studded cast of voices captures the attention of both Audies® judges and the young people of their generation.  Stars like Cody Linley and Emily Osment of “Hannah Montana,” Corbin Bleu of “High School Musical,” American Idol’s Jordin Sparks, Sean Astin of “The Lord of the Rings,” and rising star Anna Sophia Robb are just a handful of the talented young people bringing the Bible to life for teen and tween listeners.

The Word of Promise® Next Generation was born out of a startling realization: a whole generation is missing the truths of the Bible.  According to a Barna survey of professing Christians, many young Christians today don’t believe in some of the very foundations of the faith—Satan is real, Jesus was sinless, and the Bible is all true.  On top of that, the study also found 43% of Christians who accept Jesus as their Savior do so before reaching the age of 13, and 64% before turning 18.  It seems today’s youth just won’t read the Bible, but Thomas Nelson hopes and believes they will listen.

“This award belongs to so many talented people,” says Carl Amari, Producer of the project. “I am personally humbled and thankful for the opportunity to produce a project that has the power to speak truth into young lives. I am thankful to the Audio Publishers Association, but more importantly to our Lord, for trusting me and my team with His Word and allowing us to be used to further the kingdom.”

The ICB (International Children’s Bible) New Testament, the bestselling and most readable translation created especially for today’s youth, comes to life in The Word of Promise® Next Generation as a full audio dramatic presentation.  The words leap off the page with incredible sound effects, a compelling new contemporary musical score, all produced in dramatic audio theater.  The same high quality Bible experience is available in a 21-hour, 20 CD set as well as a MP3 format so that youth can download it onto their music players to listen on-the-go.  Now, the same great content is also available in MP3 on a reusable USB flash drive bracelet for even the most tech-savvy young listeners.

In September, Thomas Nelson will unveil the complete cover-to-cover Dramatic Audio Theater™ adult production of the NKJV Bible when The Word of Promise® Old Testament Audio Bible and The Word of Promise® Audio Bible are released.  The Word of Promise® Audio Bible features a star-studded cast, including Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, and Lou Gossett, Jr. as John.

The Audies® Awards recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.  The Audies® are sponsored by The Audio Publishers Association (APA), a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards and represent the interests of audiobook publishers.  Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.

Contact:    Abby Barnhart
Publicist
Tel:    (615) 902-2932
Email: abarnhart@thomasnelson.com

McConnell’s career at Thomas Nelson spans twelve years.  She helped launch the dedicated fiction line at Thomas Nelson in 2003, then named WestBow Press.

“This is a major honor for Ami and shows what a major strength she brings to our team every day,” said Allen Arnold, Senior VP and Publisher for Fiction.

ACFW will announce the Editor of the Year during a banquet at the 2009 ACFW Conference to be held September 17 – 20 in Denver.

Love Starts with Elle   by Rachel Hauck (Ami McConnell, editor)
The Convenient Groom  by Denise Hunter (Amanda Bostic and Leslie Peterson, editors)
The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher (Ami McConnell and Leslie Peterson, editors)

The RITA Award, sponsored by the Romance Writers of America, is considered the romance publishing industry’s highest award of distinction for authors, also recognizing and honoring the editors of exceptional novels. Named for the first RWA president, Rita Clay Estrada, the award honors romance fiction published in the previous year.  Finalists are named in twelve categories from a submission pool of more than 1,000 novels and novellas.  Winners of this year’s awards will be announced July 18, 2009 at RWA’s 29th Annual National Conference to be held in Washington, D.C.

The unique awards process brings readers, librarians, and booksellers together to select their top categories as well as choose the winning titles. Their decisions are based on editorial excellence, professional production, originality of the narrative, author credentials relative to the book, and the value the book adds to its genre. The winners will be announced at a special program during BookExpo America being held at the Javits Center in New York City on May 29th.

THE THOMAS NELSON FINALISTS ARE:

Together by Tom Sullivan and Betty White
(Audio Fiction)
Sometimes you can’t see what matters most until it’s gone. Brenden McCarthy feels like he’s lost everything. His fiancee. His independence. And his passion for life. All due to one tragic misstep while mountain climbing that cost him his sight. But he’s about to gain the last thing he ever expected. A big-hearted black Labrador named Nelson who’s given one last shot at being a Seeing Eye dog. Both are beyond hope and resigned to live alone. And both are about to experience a bond of friendship that develops when they least expect it. Together is a heartwarming story for anyone who’s ever lost sight of what matters most in life . . . but has hope that there’s more. Together is written by two of Hollywood’s strongest dog advocates–Emmy Award-nominated actor and singer Tom Sullivan, and his dear friend and Emmy Award-winning actress Betty White.
Red Helmet by Homer Hickam
(Audio Fiction)
Forever unlucky in love, Song Hawkins has the reputation of being a cold-hearted yet beautiful businesswoman. But everything changes when this New Yorker finds the man of her dreams in Cable Jordan, the manager of a West Virginia coal mine. After they marry, it quickly becomes apparent Cable has no intention of leaving his beloved hometown of Highcoal. Reluctant at first, Song is soon swept up in the strange, funny, and always interesting highjinks of the little mining town’s quirky citizens. But things turn deadly serious when, to save her husband and her town, she must put on the red helmet of the new coal miner and make a life-changing sacrifice. West Virginia native Homer Hickam is best known for his novel Rocket Boys which was made into the movie October Sky.

The Word of Promise® New Testament MP3 Audio Bible
(Audio Nonfiction)
This award-winning scripted dramatization of the New King James Version (NKJV) of the New Testament is presented in a compelling, dramatic audio theater format. The project features the talents of actors such as Jim Caviezel (”The Passion of the Christ,”), Michael York (”Romeo & Juliet,” “Austin Powers”), Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach (”Prison Break,” “Hemingway”), Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Lou Gossett, Jr. (”An Officer and a Gentleman,” “Roots”), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (”According to Jim,” “Father of the Bride”), Ernie Hudson (”Ghostbusters,” “Miss Congeniality”), and Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei. Complete with production by AFTRA Award winner Carl Amari, an original music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti (Abba Pater & The Shooter), and movie-quality sound effects produced, engineered, and mixed at Cerny American Creative in Chicago–an award-winning facility ranked in the Top 3 in the nation for sound design headed by the acclaimed director JoBe Cerny. A CD format is also available.

Reflections of God’s Holy Land: A Personal Journey Through Israel
by Eva Marie Everson and Miriam Feinberg Vamosh
(Travel Essays)
This unique armchair tour of Israel which includes four-color photographs, related scriptures, historical and archaeological information about each area, and a description of what it looks and feels like to be there today. Providing more than a coffee table book of slick photographs, authors Everson and Feinberg Vamosh (one Christian from America, one Jewish from Israel) enlighten readers with a deeper understanding of the land of Israel–the land that holds not only God’s story but the story of His people.

Contact:    Brenda Smotherman
Publicist
tel:    (615) 902-2231
fax:    (615) 902-1132
email: bsmotherman@thomasnelson.com