GRAND RAPIDS, MI (March 8, 2024)—On March 6, 2024, the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference announced the finalists for their annual Selah Awards. In this announcement, twelve Baker Publishing Group fiction titles were selected as finalists, including seven titles from the Revell division and five titles from the Bethany House division.
Two of the twelve combined titles received the honor of being named in multiple categories. Julia Monroe Begins Again (Rebekah Millet) is a finalist in both Contemporary Romance and First Novel, and The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass (Katie Powner) was named in both the General Fiction and Audiobooks categories. The winners will be announced at the Selah Award ceremony on May 29, 2024, during this year’s Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in Black Mountain, North Carolina.
The Selah Awards were created by the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference to celebrate the best in Christian writing, with a focus specifically on published works (either traditionally published or independently published). The awards open each year and accept entries that have been published within the last calendar year, from January to December.
Finalists by category are:
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
The Words We Lost by Nicole Deese (A Fog Harbor Romance, #1), Bethany House; April 2023
After a meeting jeopardizes Ingrid Erikson’s career, she fears her future will remain irrevocably broken. But when the man who shattered her belief in happily-ever-afters offers her a sealed envelope from her late best friend, Ingrid is sent on a hunt for a hidden package and must confront her past before she can find the healing she’s been searching for.
The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Cape Cod Creamery, #2), Revell; May 2023
Callie Dixon sets her goals and reaches them—so how did this executive chef end up in a small ice cream shop on Cape Cod, sharing a room with her cousin and refusing to set foot in the kitchen? It will take the charm of a young boy, and his quiet, steady father, to help her find the answers—and maybe the secret to happiness.
Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet (Beignets for Two, #1), Bethany House; October 2023
With her two boys off to college, forty-year-old Julia Monroe intends to expand her cleaning business in New Orleans, but God seems to have other plans. Samuel Reed, the ruggedly handsome Green Beret who broke her heart more than twenty years ago, has returned to town, and he’s determined to win her back.
FIRST NOVEL
Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet (Beignets for Two, #1), Bethany House; October 2023
With her two boys off to college, forty-year-old Julia Monroe intends to expand her cleaning business in New Orleans, but God seems to have other plans. Samuel Reed, the ruggedly handsome Green Beret who broke her heart more than twenty years ago, has returned to town, and he’s determined to win her back.
GENERAL FICTION
The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner, Bethany House; September 2023
Pete is content in his simple life in a remote Montana town, but elderly widow Wilma is busy meddling in Pete’s life to make up for past wrongs. When the sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up, Pete must confront a difficult past, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at too high a price.
HISTORICAL OR BIBLICAL FICTION
Daughter of Eden by Jill Eileen Smith, Revell; February 2023
Eve has spent all of her days in the Garden, exploring with Adam and walking with their Creator—until the day everything changes. Suddenly she faces darkness she has never before experienced. How will she find the courage to face the unknown future and trust in the promises God has given?
The All-American by Susie Finkbeiner, Revell; July 2023
In this 1950s coming-of-age story, two sisters are left reeling when their father is accused of being a member of the Communist party. Bertha finds a haven with the All-American Girls Baseball League. Flossie finds herself in an unexpected friendship. Both are about to discover how much good there is in the world—even in the hardest of circumstances.
This Is Where It Ends by Cindy K. Sproles, Revell; June 2023
Widow Minerva Jenkins has lived alone in her small mountain home for 40 years, where she has guarded her husband’s deathbed request. When a young reporter comes calling and inquires about a rumored box of gold on her property, an unlikely friendship forms. Will she go to her grave with her husband’s secret, or will the weight of it be the death of her?
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The Maid of Ballymacool by Jennifer Deibel, Revell; February 2023
The only home Brianna Kelly has ever known is Ballymacool Boarding School, but when the son of local gentry arrives at the school to deal with his unruly niece, an unexpected discovery uncovers the truth about her past—and the key to her future.
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl (Ryland & St. Clair, #1), Bethany House; July 2023
Former FBI profiler River Ryland suffers from PTSD after a serial killer case gone horribly wrong and has opened up a private investigation firm with Tony, her former colleague. Their first job is a cold case, but when the past comes back to haunt them, there’s a killer on the loose with River in their sights, set on finishing the job they started.
The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright, Bethany House; April 2023
In 1865, orphaned Daisy Francois takes a housemaid position and finds that the eccentric Gothic authoress inside hides more than the harrowing tales in her novels. Centuries later, Cleo Clemmons uncovers an age-old mystery, and the dust of the old castle’s curse threatens to rise again, and this time, leave no one alive to tell its sordid tale.
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Countdown by Lynette Eason (Extreme Measures, #4), Revell, August 2023
Flight paramedic Raina Price’s past has marched back into her present—and it wants to kill her. With a stalker who knows her well determined to end what he started, US Marshal Vince Correlli vows to protect her at all costs—even if ends his career.
AUDIOBOOKS
The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass by Katie Powner, Bethany House; September 2023
Pete is content in his simple life in a remote Montana town, but elderly widow Wilma is busy meddling in Pete’s life to make up for past wrongs. When the sister Pete was separated from as a child shows up, Pete must confront a difficult past, and Wilma discovers her long-awaited chance at redemption may come at too high a price.
With Every Memory by Janine Rosche, Revell; June 6, 2023
After a tragic accident robs her of the last nine years of memories, Lori Mendenhall comes home to a family completely different than she remembers. As her memory returns and past secrets resurface, it will take all of them to repair what’s been broken and find a new future together.
Baker Publishing Group is pleased to congratulate all these finalists. The full list was announced by contest director Eva Marie Everson in a Facebook Live video, which can be viewed here.
###
The mission of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is to inspire writers to connect with God, other writers, and industry professionals as they embrace their calling with excellence. The conference also provides connection points with God, other writers and industry professionals through onsite events, digital gatherings, and ongoing mentoring opportunities with the goal of fostering a community of believers that comes together to serve God through all aspects of writing.
Baker Publishing Group publishes high-quality writings that represent historic Christianity and serve the diverse interests and concerns of evangelical readers.
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, seeks to uplift readers’ families, faith, and free time with our library of industry-leading fiction and bestselling, Christ-centered nonfiction.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, publishes books that help bring the Christian faith to everyday life. Whether through fiction, Christian living, self-help, marriage, family, or youth books, each Revell publication reflects relevance, integrity, and excellence.
Contact: Anne Van Solkema, (616) 676-9185 x152, avansolkema@bakerpublishinggroup.com
