Christy Award Finalists Announced

It's always exciting to see a name you know on a finalist list for a big award. And I was thrilled to see my friend Jill Williamson's name on the Christy award list. Jill's first book, By Darkness Hid, has been getting lots of great press.

Here's a quote from one review:

"This thoroughly entertaining and smart tale will appeal to fans of Donita K. Paul and J.R.R. Tolkien. Highly recommended for CF and fantasy collections." --Library Journal

If you aren't familiar with the Christy award, here's what the website says about it:

The Christy Award is designed to:

• Nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview.
• Bring a new awareness of the breadth and depth of fiction choices available, helping to broaden the readership.
• Provide opportunity to recognize novelists whose work may not have reached bestseller status.

And now, for the terrific lineup:

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 (Yay! Whoo!)
–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

Winners will be announced on June 26.

I was lucky enough to be in New Orleans the night By Darkness Hid took the 2010 Eppie, but I won't be in St. Louis on June 26 to see the Christy winners announced. Instead, I'll be at ALA in Washington, DC. But I'll be able to check it out via:

2010 Award Ceremony Liveblog

Reflections releases today!

Today, Shadowfire Press releases Reflections, my short dark fantasy with a Halloween theme. Halloween's my second favorite holiday of the year.

Reflections was such a fun story to write, too. A well-written detailed description in a novelty catalog actually sparked the idea for it. Among the pages of Halloween costumes, the photo of a crystal ball caught my interest. Set on a three-legged scrolled pedestal which, according to the description, symbolized "beginning" or "birth." The ball represents the universe and what is to follow.

Of course, after reading that, I had to research crystal balls. The practice of scrying, or gazing into crystal balls, dates back to the Druids. The other story components just fell into place from there. Hope you'll check it out!

At Lissa’s Halloween party, all hell breaks loose – literally.

Here's the story excerpt:
When Lissa removed the pan of popcorn shrimp from the oven, the tiny forms reminded her of mangled body parts, twisted and mutilated. She scraped the image from her mind as she transferred the shrimp onto a serving platter. Such thoughts had plagued her since Selena had set her grandmother’s old crystal ball on the dining room credenza and hung the matching mirror above it.
“Did you remember the cocktail sauce?” Lissa called to her roommate, who was still fussing with her costume in the bathroom.
“It’s in the bag on the counter.” Selena’s voice carried across the living room like a disembodied spirit.
A chill passed over Lissa. She had to stop this, it was ridiculous. She shook off the chill as she carried the platter to the table, but halted in fear. Out of the corner of her eye, dark shapes moved inside the mirror, escaped its confines, then soared to the ceiling. When she gasped and whirled to face it, the mirror was flat, static. The only image in it was hers.
That scared her more than anything.
She wasn’t even ready, and people would be showing up soon.




Cate Masters’ novels, novellas, short stories and flash fiction appear at epublishers The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press, Wild Child Publishing/ Freya’s Bower and Shadowfire Press. Her flash and short stories appear at such web zines as Cezanne’s Carrot, The Battered Suitcase, A Long Story Short, Dark Sky Magazine, and The Harrow. Visit her online at www.catemasters.com, www.catemasters.blogspot.com or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.