Christina Suzann Nelson

One of my favorite books from 2009 was The Familiar Stranger, by Christina Berry. This story kept me thinking for weeks, and I’m not just saying that because the author has an awesome first name.

This week the nominations for the Christy Awards were announced, The Familiar Stranger being one of the honored titles. Congratulations, Christina!

Here is the rest of the list. Enjoy these great reads.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills • Tyndale House Publishers
How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus • Barbour Publishing

CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson • Thomas Nelson
The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth • Zondervan

CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE
June Bug by Chris Fabry • Tyndale House Publishers
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson • Thomas Nelson
Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle • Tyndale House Publishers

FIRST NOVEL
The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry • Moody Publishers
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent • Tyndale House Publishers
Scared by Tom Davis • David C. Cook

HISTORICAL
A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group
Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey • Revell Books: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander • Thomas Nelson
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

SUSPENSE
Intervention by Terri Blackstock • Zondervan
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson • Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster
The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

VISIONARY
By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson • Marcher Lord Press
The Enclave by Karen Hancock • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group
Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik • Tyndale House Publishers

YOUNG ADULT
Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma • Thomas Nelson
The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason • David C. Cook
North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

The weather was beautiful today, quite a change from the constant downpours of the last few weeks. I started my day by getting some writing done on my new laptop. Around noon Jason, Ryan and Aleasha went with the Bachos to pick up Ryan’s 4H pigs. They are so tiny. It’s amazing that they will be almost 200 pounds bigger by the beginning of August.

We had a great time outdoors fixing up the pig area and working with the lambs. On beautiful days like today, I’m so happy we have the farm and all the critters. Unfortunately my attitude is not so good when I’m out in the cold rain fixing fence or trying to convince the rams that they need to go back into their field.

This week I’ve been in need of a good laugh, and maybe you could use one too. This video came across my Facebook page twice. It’s so funny, I thought I share it with all of you wonderful blog followers.

Enjoy

The list of ACFW new releases came out today, and it’s big. Have a gander.

1. A Promise Forged, Heartsong Presents Historical Ohio Series
by Cara C. Putman An historical from Heartsong Presents. A
player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
finds challenges and love as she travels with her team.

2. Abbie Ann; Daughters of Jacob Kane, 3rd & final installment
by Sharlene MacLaren An historical romance from Whitaker
House. Abbie Ann, president of the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union in 1907, butts heads with a handsome divorcee, blindsided
when she realizes her utter attraction to him.

3. Blood Ransom; Mission Hope Series, Book 1 by Lisa Harris A
suspense/mystery/thriller from from Zondervan.
A thriller about the modern-day slave trade and those who
dare to challenge it.

4. Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson A suspense/
mystery/thriller from Steeple Hill. When a teacher finds on
the playground a backpack belonging to her long-ago abducted
sister, she turns to the principal, an ex-private detective, to stop
a child-killer fromtargeting her daughter.

5. Chesapeake Weddings by Cecelia Dowdy A romance from
Barbour. Life sends three African American women into a tailspin;
Can these women let God rebuild their tattered hopes when new
romances unexpectedly enter their lives?

6. Code Blue by Richard L. Mabry M.D. A suspense/mystery/thriller
from Abingdon. A doctor finds that returning to her home town
has put her in the midst of conflict and possibly marked her for death

7. Crossroads Bay by Kathleen Kovach A romance from Heartsong
Presents. A beautiful charter boat captain searches for lost treasure
while her real prize is the caterer trying to keep up with her.

8. Damages by Deborah Kinnard A romance from Desert Breeze. A
story of second chances, found in an unexpected place.

9. In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton A suspense/mystery/thriller
from Desert Breeze. Abused by her gypsy ex-boyfriend and left
for dead, Jovana moves to America seeking a new life; two handsome
men desire her heart, but she must choose the right one or end
up in a situation much worse than before.

10. Lorenzo and the Pirate by Rick and Lila Guzman An historical
from Blooming Tree Press. Will Lorenzo Bannister, marooned on
a deserted island with two pirates, ever get home to New Orleans?

11. Love Lessons by Margaret Daley A romance from Steeple Hill
Love Inspired. Alexa Michaels brings a breath of fresh air into Ian
Ferguson's and his daughter's life, but is it enough to make Ian trust
in love again?

12. Lucky Baby by Meredith Efken A women's fiction from Howard
Books/Simon & Schuster. Will adopting an orphan from China bring
Meg and Lewis the happiness they long for?

13. Mountain Peril by Sandra Robbins A suspense/mystery/thriller
from Steeple Hill, Love Inspired Suspense. A woman discovers
violence has once again entered her life when a grisly website sets
the stage for murder and terror on a peaceful college campus.

14. Queen of Hearts by K. Dawn Byrd A suspense/mystery/thriller
from Desert Breeze. Daphne Dean never knew that serving her
country as a spy during WWII would send her into hiding in an
abandoned mental institution with secrets of its own.

15. Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson A suspense/mystery/
thriller from Kregal. As Camden Bristow works to uncover the past
and present mysteries harbored on Crescent Hill, she discovers a
deep family secret hidden within the mansion's walls that could
change her life?and the entire town?forever.

16. Rodeo Sweetheart by Betsy St.Amant A romance from Steeple Hill
Love Inspired. She grew up with a cowboy hat and a pony; he grew up
with designer duds and a silver spoon. Will this mismatched couple
ever be able to lasso their differences?

17. Rooms by Jim Rubart A suspense/mystery/thriller from B&H
Fiction. A young Seattle software tycoon inherits a home on the
Oregon coast that turns out to be a physical manifestation of his soul.

18. Scenarios for Girls, Book 3 by Nicole O'Dell General fiction from
Barbour. Molly Jacobs isn't sure what she should do: Should she follow
through with stealing some clothes for her friends from Magna the
trendy girls clothing store where she works? Or should she do what she
knows is right, even if it means losing her new found popularity?
Scenarios for Girls are interactive books that allow the reader to
choose between alternate endings to make important, moral decisions
for the main characters.

19. Scenarios for Girls, Book 4 by Nicole O'Dell General fiction
from Barbour. Kate Walker joins the swim team and becomes
obsessed with practice and making it through the championships
with flying colors.What will Kate do when she's faced with pressure
from her teammates to take an illegal substance that will help
her swim multiple events in their championship meet? Scenarios
for Girls are interactive books that allow the reader to choose
between alternate endings to make important, moral decisions
for the main characters.

20. Seasons in the Mist; Seasons of Destiny Book 1 by Deborah
Kinnard A romance from Sheaf House. An eager historian, a time
portal, and intrigue in King Edward III's court.

21. She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell An historical from Bethany
House. As Clara Carter makes her debut, she realizes it's not just her
heart at stake--the future of her family depends on how she plays the
game.

22. Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson An historical from
Bethany House. Sixteen Civil War widows join the Ladies Emigration
Society and head west to claim homesteads, only to find their
organization has other plans. . . involving the word "brides.

23. Sworn to Protect by Diann Mills A suspense/mystery/thriller
from Tyndale. Border Patrol Agent Danika Morales is caught up in a
conspiracy and her life is at stake.

24. The Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough A romance from
Barbour. Three mail-order brides arrive expecting to marry the town
marshal. But he didn't order a bride. A contest to discover which bride
would make the best wife turns into mayhem when there is a fourth
anonymous entry.

25. The Cowboy's Baby by Linda Ford A romance from Love
InspiredHistorical. The prodigal returns but is he too late for a
second chance?

26. The Word Unleashed, Book 2 of Face in the Deep by Steve Rzasa
A sci-fi/fantasy/futuristic from Marcher Lord Press. Baden Haczyk's
adventure continues as he tries to keep the last Bible safe from the
religious secret police.

27. Too Close to Home, Book 1 of the Women of Justice Series by
Lynette Eason A suspense/mystery/thriller from Revell. An FBI
agent and a detective must track down a killer of teenage girls
before his next victim hits Too Close to Home.

28. Wildflower Hearts, Book 1 in Series Set in North Dakota by
Vickie McDonough A romance from Barbour. Three siblings who
live on a ranch face problems and romance in the North Dakota
Badlands

29. Wildflowers of Terezin by Robert Elmer An historical from
Abingdon Press. In Denmark's darkest days, is it duty, faith...or
love?

Happy readings,

Christina