Believe it or not, I’m a newbie
to Christian fiction. Only been reading Christian novels
in the last three or four years, when I began attending
Christian writers conferences. Yet, in no time many authors
have found their way into my heart.
When the following authors publish
a new book, I snatch it off the shelf and hug it tightly. Don’t
worry the local Christian bookstores are used to me by now,
and kindly look away, while I get all slobbery. I encourage
you to find your own favorite authors to get sloppy over,
perhaps beginning with these:
The rest of my favorite authors are in alphabetical order
(I thought that best, since, well, how do you rank these all
these award-winning greats?):
Kristin Billerbeck http://www.kristinbillerbeck.com/
The queen of the Christian chick lit genre. Where it all began,
ladies. My favorite book(s): The Ashley
Stockingdale series
and The Spa Girls series.
Allison Gappa Bottke http://www.godallowsuturns.com/
Ali is amazing! Do you have a jogging partner that is always
two steps ahead of you and challenges you to step outside your comfort zone? That’s
my Ali. I’ve probably learned more from her—panting
and sweating—of the practical side of proposals and
marketing than anyone. She is talented, driven and hungry
for whatever God is going to do next. Love you, Ali. My favorite
book(s): God Allows U-Turns series, You
Can’t
Do It All and A Stitch in Time.
Mindy Starns Clark http://www.mindystarnsclark.com/mindy.html
Can you say, “Fun and Informative”? I’m new
to Mindy’s books, but I’ve been devouring them,
well, like chocolate. She’s also in our Philly American
Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) group. My favorite
book(s): The Tulip series.
Brandilyn Collins http://www.brandilyncollins.com/index.html
Ohmigosh,
wanna stay up all night reading thrillers that will make
you sleep with the lights on? You’ll love her like
I do! My favorite book(s): too many to list,
but I’ll
start with The Hidden Faces series
Ted Dekker http://www.teddekker.com/
Ted can
creep you out pretty quickly. I’d always prided myself
in being able to figure out who dunnit pretty early in most
novels. Ted got me as a forever fan when he zinged me with
Three. I had 2/3’s figured out, but that last third
. . . woo-hoo! My favorite book(s): most all his books, Three,
and Black, Red and White series
Eva Marie Everson http://www.evamarieeverson.com/
Eva Diva is a Southern Belle in the truest sense. Any writers
out there? She taught me more about dialog in the shortest
period of time, than anyone else. She also has a deep love
for Israel. See why I love her? My favorite book(s): The Shadow Series, The
Potluck
series, co-authored with Linda Evans Shepherd.
Robin Jones Gunn http://www.sisterchicks.com/
I haven’t read her other books, but the chick lit books
were cathartic to me. As a Type A personality, I don’t
do real well in the relationship arena. Robin’s Sisterchick
series helped me get in touch with my sisterhood-side. My
favorite book(s): The Sisterchick series.
Randy Ingermanson http://www.rsingermanson.com/
I’ve yet to see an author so driven to teach writing
and marketing. His website is a veritable gold-mine for authors.
Randy’s writing is pithy and hilarious. He also is a
regular visitor to a Messianic synagogue, so we know some of
the same people. How can I not love an author whose main characters
in one series were Messianic Jews. Or, that he was able to
get my engineer husband’s nose out of a tech magazine
and into a novel. My favorite book(s): City
of God series and
Double Vision.
Neta Jackson http://www.daveneta.com/
Do love
her transparency and open heart. My favorite book(s): The
Yada Yada Prayer Group series.
Siri Mitchell http://www.sirimitchell.com/
I can’t believe how young she is. But my favorite book
of hers impacted my life in a powerful way. Watch for Siri,
everyone. My favorite book(s): Kissing Adrien.
Gayle Roper http://www.gayleroper.com/
Gail is
a new favorite author--though she's been writing a long time. She can nail a mystery with a power
stapler at twenty paces. I’m in awe. I’ll be
reading all Gayle’s books! My favorite book(s): Allah’s
Fire.
Carrie Turansky http://www.carrieturansky.com/
The
den mother of the Philly ACFW group. Carrie is relative new
to the fiction realm, however, you’ll be seeing more
of her. Her soft-spoken manner—both in writing and
in-person—will
only cushion the powerful impact she serves on issues many
have not touched. She’s also the one I run to when
I need someone to kiss my writing boo-boos. My favorite
book(s): Along Came Love and Wedded
Bliss.
Linda Windsor http://www.lindawindsor.com/
The
den mother of the Delaware ACFW group. Linda has a heart
as wide as the moon. She’s funny and so incredibly talented,
sometimes when she lectures, I have to remember to swallow.
I’m new to her writing, though she has been a successful
author in both the ABA and CBA markets. Enjoying getting
to know both her and her writing. My favorite book(s): The
Moonstruck series.
