Congratulations to all the authors who are on the Inspy Award Shortlists! If you are unfamiliar with the Inspy’s here is a short explanation from their website:

About the INSPYs:

We feel nothing compares to excellent faith driven fiction, but it can be difficult to weed through the multitude of books published each year in both the Christian marketplace and the general market to find the very best of them. We found ourselves longing for a way to really bring attention to the books that inspire and move us.

What makes the INSPYs unique among award programs is that we invite nominations from both the Christian booksellers’ domain and the general marketplace. The INSPYs are not about conforming to expectations, they are about faith. Additionally, this program is organized and judged by book bloggers who have considerable experience and knowledge of books published for both the CBA markets and the general market. It is our sincere hope that the INSPYs will serve readers in their search for the very best of faith inspired literature being published today.

2013 Shortlists

General Fiction

• Into the Free by Julie Cantrell
• Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke
• The First Gardener by Denise Hildreth Jones
• The Messenger by Siri Mitchell
• Stardust by Carla Stewart

Romance

• To Whisper Her Name by Tamera Alexander
• Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden
• Love’s Reckoning by Laura Frantz
• Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann
• My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade

Mystery/Thriller

• Gone to Ground by Brandilyn Collins
• A Plain Death by Amanda Flower
• Placebo by Steven James
• Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig 
• Proof by Jordyn Redwood

Literature for Young People

• Wreath by Judy Christie
• With a Name like Love by Tess Hilmo
• Dead Man’s Hand by Eddie Jones
• There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones
• Cake: Love, Chickens, and a Taste of Peculiar by Joyce Magnin

Speculative Fiction

• Caught by Margaret Patterson Haddix
• The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo
• Freeheads by Kerry Nietz
• Soul’s Gate by James L. Rubart
• Daystar by Kathy Tyers

I am so honored to be a judge for the Mystery/Thriller category and  am really looking forward to some fabulous reading in the coming weeks!  All the links are to Goodreads, so check out these excellent books.