Good evening, readers! After months of reading, the Advisory Board has settled on a INSPYs 2014 shortlist for our seven categories in this year’s awards. As always, we are grateful for your excitement and all those tweets you sent out to raise excitement. As with every year, there are books left off the shortlists because of limited placement and after pooling our various reads and collaborative reading plus the discussion that comes with that, we try to find the best in each category that best represent their genre. Hopefully, we’ve done that and we are now able to hand the winning decision over to our talented panels of judges.
Before sharing the shortlists, I do want to give a shout-out to my fellow Advisory Board bloggers who have been patient and kind in my first year being a part of this program – ladies, thank so much for being wonderful friends and some of the best in this blogging community. You’re talented and I respect your opinions as well as the work you’re doing in the Christian fiction scene. Love “hanging out” with you all, and am grateful to be a part of this team! Thank you.
Without further ado, that official announcement is up on the blog! With bleary eyes, paper cut fingers and reading-in-bed hair, the Inspy Awards Advisory Board has come out of reading hibernation to announce the 2014 shortlist contenders. A daunting task was placed before us to pick just 5 books in each category from a long list of 150 nominated by readers and bloggers around the world. After careful consideration and deliberation, the INSPYs Advisory Board is pleased to announce that the following books have been shortlisted in the 4th annual INSPY Awards.
2014 INPSYs Shortlists
DEBUT FICTION
- Burning Sky by Lori Benton
- Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta
- A Bride for Keeps by Melissa Jagears
- The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim
- Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
GENERAL FICTION
- When Mountains Move by Julie Cantrell
- To Know You by Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel
- Widow of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green
- Wings of Glass by Gina Holmes Iscariot by Tosca Lee
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE/ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
- Wishing On Willows by Katie Ganshert
- Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter
- Talon by Ronie Kendig
- Shattered by Dani Pettrey
- Take A Chance on Me by Susan May Warren
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
- Though my Heart is Torn by Joanne Bischof
- Love’s Awakening by Laura Frantz
- A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund
- The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen
- Duchess by Susan May Warren
SPECULATIVE FICTION
- Hero’s Lot by Patrick W Carr
- Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore
- Anomaly by Krista McGee
- Memory’s Door by James L Rubart
- The Rising by Lynn Chandler-Willis
MYSTERY AND THRILLER
- Dark Justice by Brandilyn Collins
- Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering
- The King by Steven James
- Poison by Jordyn Redwood
- Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales by Randy Singer
LITERATURE FOR YOUNG ADULTS
- Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
- Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon
- The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill
- Hurt by Travis Thrasher
- Captives by Jill Williamson
Congratulations to all of the nominated authors and shortlist contenders! We now turn the job over to our judges to select a winner in each category. Winners will be announced June 28th.
Are you still in need of a judge? I had no idea this was going on haha
We're set for this year, Raquel, but please do consider next year. :)
I'm SO excited. To get started and to see some of my beloved favorites in the Debut category.
*HUGS* You gals are SO appreciated.
We're excited to let you all get started, Juju. Cannot wait to see which you all pick as the winners.
*HUGS BACK* Thank you all for your enthusiasm in helping us!
Ooooh, can't wait. There's going to be some hard decisions here for sure (especially in the debut category- Pitting Burning Sky against Dear Mr. Knightley??? And of course, Born of Persuasion had some of the most beautifully-styled writing I've read in a modern novel.) I'm quite glad I'm not judging in that category, 'cause I doubt I'd ever come to a decision. I'm really excited to work on the YA category, though. :D
(oh, and Rissi, do you have my email address? I was planning on doing a cover reveal for my first novel sometime this month, and I wanted to know if you were interested in participating with that)
Our excitement is WAY high, Hayden! We're thrilled to have you on board and are eager to discover which novels you bloggers pick to win. :) That debut category is tough but it's great to have good competition.
No, I don't have your email address. If you'd like to include me in a mailing for your cover reveal, I'd be glad to participate. My email is listed at the top of this blog under the "envelope icon." :)
Yay! I'll send you an email, then :)
Thank you, Hayden! I got your email and am excited to put that post together – always enjoy working on cover reveals. :)
This is so exciting! I've read a few of them, have several waiting on my kindle, and most of the rest my library has. I need to get to reading. :)
Fun! I'm so thrilled with all of the INSPYs excitement this year – thank you all for being so fun to interact with and to help us get the word out. Hope you enjoy reading along, Tammy. :)
Love, love, love these shortlists! I can't wait to see which books win. I think it's going to be tough to decide!
Yay! Glad you liked the short lists, Tressa – and I agree! Everyone will have a tough time. How to choose!? ;)
I love coming across new reads!!
xo TJ
http://www.hislittlelady.com
As do I, TJ. Makes the reading world more fun. :)
Thanks for visiting.