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will release Love on a Dime, her finalist entry for the coveted Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for Unpublished Authors.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

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. 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.

Nashville, TN—Thomas Nelson Fiction is pleased to announce the signing of Kimberly Cash Tate to a contract to write contemporary romantic fiction.  The division continues to grow its offerings in this genre, signing talented authors to write books appealing to all women who enjoy Christian fiction.

Kimberly Cash Tate is best known for her popular nonfiction book More Christian Than African-American, in which she shares her personal journey: from growing up without God in her life to transformation through accepting Christ in 1994.  She is an alumnus of the University of Maryland, College Park and The George Washington University Law School. She spent nearly ten years practicing law and is now devoted fulltime to caring for her young children.  Tate has also established an extensive library of devotions on her website.

“We could tell immediately that Kim’s voice is special. She has an incredible heart for ministry, and we knew that the deep faith she would bring to her books would capture female readers’ hearts and uplift them in the way only a faith-filled story can. Her stories will offer so much to so many,” said Ami McConnell, Senior Acquisitions Editor.

Tate’s first Thomas Nelson novel, as of yet untitled, is set for publication in the fall of 2010.