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Thomas Nelson’s Fiction Division launched in January 2004 under the leadership of Allen Arnold, Senior Vice President and Publisher. The division has grown by leaps and bounds, but its goal remains the same: to reach the broadest possible audience with the best possible stories – always written from a Christian worldview. “We listen closely to the readers and retailers to deliver the optimal mix of genres, formats and prices for our novels. And in just five years, we’re honored to be the #1 Christian Fiction publisher  – with more than one out of every five novels bought at Christian Retail last year published by Thomas Nelson,” said Arnold.  “We’re grateful, humbled, and passionate to see what God has in store for us in the next five years.”

The ABA’s Indie Next List is “drawn from bookseller-recommended favorite handsells, epitomizing the heart and soul of passionate bookselling.”

Southern Living touts Seitz’s skillful storytelling in Saving Cicadas in their December 2009 review of one of their “favorite picks” for Christmas gifts: “A road trip takes on special meaning for 8-year-old Janie. She, along with her sister and grandparents, joins her mother’s quest to find her absent father. Janie doesn’t uncover the answers she expects from the journey. But she—and all of the author’s well-drawn characters—does find out about redemption and miracles.”

On Wednesday, December 9, Seitz will be honored at a book launch celebration and cocktail party at the Florence Crittenton Home in her hometown of Charleston, SC.  She will sign copies of Saving Cicadas  in exchange for donations made directly to the Crittenton home, which has provided shelter and support in South Carolina for single mothers facing unplanned pregnancy since 1897.  Blue Bicycle Books will be on hand to sell copies of Seitz’s other award-winning novels.

Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native.  She weaves enchanting tales of redemption filled with unforgettable characters and a refreshing Southern voice, including novels like The Spirit of Sweetgrass and A Hundred Years of Happiness (a 2009 Book Award nominee for Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance). A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Journalism, she also holds a bachelor’s degree in illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Nicole shows her paintings—also featured as the covers of her books—in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children.

During the two hour party, fans will swap stories and answer trivia questions about Rachel and her books for chances to win prizes: signed copies of The Sweet By and By and Rachel’s previous library of novels like Diva NashVegas, iTunes and Amazon giftcards, and Sara Evans CDs.

“Friends, family and fans bless me all year. So for my birthday, I wanted to give back. A cyber birthday party is a fun way to gather people from all over, give away prizes, chat about our favorite birthdays and make some new friends,” said Hauck.

Best-selling and award-winning author Rachel Hauck lives in central Florida with her husband, Tony, a pastor.  A graduate of Ohio State University, she left the corporate software marketplace in 2004 to write full time.

Fans can RSVP for the party by visiting the Facebook invitation: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=328733530067&ref=mf.

The first four in the promotion ship from Thomas Nelson on November 14 and include: Chosen by Ted Dekker, Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter, Without a Trace by Colleen Coble, and Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman.  Four more titles will release in March 2010.

In addition to the incredible value for titles priced at 80% off original retail, these special editions also include exclusive extras: introductory letters to new readers from the authors, bonus excerpts of the next novels in the series.  The Chosen special edition is in hardcover format with custom end-sheets and includes an excerpt from the graphic novel.

“Thomas Nelson Fiction excels at growing long-term brands because we never stop investing in our authors’ backlists. It would make no sense to sell $14.99 novels for $2.99 – unless you believe so much in the content that you knew for each discounted book sold you were creating a new fan who would then buy future installments in the series at full price. That’s a huge win for the reader, retailer, author and publisher,” said Allen Arnold, Senior VP and Publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction.

According to data reports from ECPA, averaging marketshare value over 2009, Thomas Nelson is the top provider of fiction at Christian retail.

Together with acclaimed Christian fiction novelist Kathryn Cushman, Walsh has developed a fictional trilogy about one woman’s growing awareness of the presence of angels. The romantic series will highlight the protagonist’s transforming encounter with God’s truth and grace.

Recently named the #1 Christian Fiction Publisher for the first half of 2009,* Thomas Nelson is focusing its efforts on continuing to grow its fiction roster and publish books that appeal to readers through a fresh approach to spirituality and how Scripture impacts human lives.

“Given the current climate of interest in stories featuring interaction between human beings and the supernatural, we believe the time is right for a fiction series about encounters with angels—a series grounded in Scripture and co-authored by two incredibly talented authors,” said Allen Arnold, Sr. Vice President and Publisher of Fiction.

The first novel in the series is slated for publication in August 2010.

“I find myself at the beginning of a whole new adventure as I take my first step into the world of fiction,” said Walsh. “God placed a desire in my heart some time ago to study the ministry of angels in the lives of believers and in God’s plan of redemption. It has been a life-changing quest. I am very excited to be working with the award-winning fiction team at Thomas Nelson whose passion and clear vision have given wings to this dream.”

Walsh is the author of bestselling and award-winning titles like The Heartache No One Sees, Get off Your Knees & Pray, the Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, and her latest, Let Go: Live Free of the Burdens All Women Know.  The 2009 Women of Faith tour will bring her exposure in 30 cities. She co-hosted television’s “The 700 Club” and her own talk show “Heart to Heart with Sheila Walsh” on the Family Channel. Walsh is currently earning her Masters in Theology.

Cushman’s novels—A Promise to Remember and Waiting for Daybreak (Bethany House, 2007 and 2008)—are commercial successes that have been described as “writing in the style of Karen Kingsbury and Jodi Picoult.” Her third novel, Leaving Yesterday, will release in October 2009.

Contact: Katie Bond, Publicist

*According to PubTrack Quarterly Category Analysis Reports for January – June, 2009, published by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Cara Lynn James will release Love on a Dime, her finalist entry for the coveted Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for Unpublished Authors. Love on a Dime is first in a series of historical romance novels set in Newport, Rhode Island, during the Gilded Age of the 1890s, slated for a June 2010 release. A native New Englander, James now lives in northwest Florida near the Gulf Coast. A member of Romance Writers of America, the Faith, Hope, and Love Chapter of RWA, and the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA, James is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

Kelly Long’s Amish romance series, Designed by Love, features novels each inspired by popular Amish quilting patterns. The series is set among the Old Order Amish of rural north-central Pennsylvania, whose adage “there is no beauty without function” is exemplified by their superb handmade quilts.  The first novel in her series, Sarah’s Garden, is slated for July 2010 release.
Making Long’s Amish series particularly distinctive, the author grew up, as an Englisher, in a community with a high population of Amish residents.  Long is an alumnus of Pennsylvania State University and the University of New Hampshire where she received numerous writing scholarships. She is a high school humanities teacher in Marietta, Georgia.

Caroline Friday’s first novel, a Southern historical romance titled The River Flows, is set in 1920s North Carolina and slated for release in April 2011. Friday is the award-winning writer of eleven screenplays, one of which inspired The River Flows. Friday is also a founder and Executive Vice President of Sixth Day Media, LLC, a family and faith-based film finance and production company headquartered in the Atlanta area.

* PubTrack Quarterly Category Analysis Reports for January – June, 2009, published by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

As the #1 Christian Fiction Publisher in 2009,* Thomas Nelson Fiction is also the leading publisher of Young Adult Christian Fiction, dominating the Christian Booksellers Association’s Top Ten YA best-seller lists with 35 hits thus far this year.

J. S. Lewis is best known for his popular Grey Griffins series, a YA fantasy trilogy inspired by Arthurian legends but set in modern-day middle America. More than 850,000 copies of the series have sold since the first installment, The Revenge of the Shadow King, released in 2006 from Scholastic, Inc.

“When we heard that Jon wanted to write a YA series that gave more expression to his faith, we were thrilled.  Adding Jon to our roster is a major milestone in growing our YA offerings to the next level. We know Jon will continue to change readers’ lives with high-quality, faith-informed stories only he could write,” said Amanda Bostic, Acquisitions Editor, Thomas Nelson Fiction.

Lewis’s first Thomas Nelson novel will be the start of a new series set for launch in January 2011.

“There has been a story calling to me for years; I finally had to stop everything and listen,” said Lewis. “The end result is this new trilogy with Thomas Nelson about a young man who doesn’t realize that one person can truly change the world. He wants to give up on life, but fate has something very different in store. Add some monsters, giant robots, and jet packs, and I couldn’t be more excited about the project.”

Lewis earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Arizona State University before co-authoring the Grey Griffins series with his boyhood friend, Derek Benz. The authors are currently working on a Grey Griffins spin-off series for Little, Brown & Company.

For more information on J. S. Lewis, visit the author’s website <http://www.greygriffins.com/index.html> .

*According to PubTrack Quarterly Category Analysis Reports for January – June, 2009, published by ECPA.

Contact: Katie Bond, Publicist
kbond@thomasnelson.com

Thomas Nelson’s Fiction Division launched in January 2004 under the leadership of Allen Arnold, Senior Vice President and Publisher. The division has grown by leaps and bounds, but its goal remains the same: to reach the broadest possible audience with the best possible stories – always written from a Christian worldview. “We listen closely to the readers and retailers to deliver the optimal mix of genres, formats and prices for our novels. And in just five years, we’re honored to be the #1 Christian Fiction publisher  – with  one out of every five novels bought at Christian Retail since the beginning of 2009 published by Thomas Nelson,” said Arnold.

Thomas Nelson had 23 of the top 50 Christian Fiction bestsellers during the first quarter and 21 of the top 50 in the second quarter. Eric Wilson’s bestselling movie novelization Fireproof and Erin Healy and Ted Dekker’s first collaborative suspense novel Kiss remained in the top 10 during both quarters.

With many major releases still to release this fiscal year, Thomas Nelson is well-positioned to remain the leader in Christian Fiction. Upcoming titles include: Green: Book Zero in the Circle Series by New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, An Amish Christmas by best-selling author Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller and Barbara Cameron, The Sweet By and By by multiplatinum recording artist Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck, The Long Way Home, the second title in the bestselling Young Adult series from Edgar Award-Winning author Andrew Klavan and Hand of Fate, the second novel in the New York Times bestselling series by Lis Wiehl with April Henry.

“We’re grateful, humbled, and passionate to see what God has in store for us in the next five years,” concluded Arnold.

Contact: Lindsey Nobles
Director of Corporate Communications
tel: (615) 902-1109
fax: (615) 902-1110
email: lnobles@thomasnelson.com
web: www.thomasnelson.com