I still can't talk about the books that I judged for this year's Awards, but I can announce the finalists.

2006 Finalists

Contemporary (Stand-Alones)

Grace at Low Tide by Beth Webb Hart (WestBow Press)

Levi's Will by W. Dale Cramer (Bethany House Publishers)

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin (WestBow Press)

Contemporary (Series, Sequels and Novellas)

Living With Fred by Brad Whittington (Broadman & Holman)

Moment of Truth by Sally John (Harvest House Publishers)

The Road to Home by Vanessa Del Fabbro (Steeple Hill)

Historical

Glimpses of Paradise by James Scott Bell (Bethany House Publishers)

The Noble Fugitive by T. Davis & Isabella Bunn (Bethany House Publishers)

Whence Came a Prince by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Press)

Romance

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist (Bethany House Publishers)

Chateau of Echoes by Siri L. Mitchell (NavPress)

In Sheep's Clothing by Susan May Warren (SteepleHill)

Suspense

Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo (WestBow Press)

Last Light by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)

River Rising by Athol Dickson (Bethany House Publishers)

Visionary

Legend of the Emerald Rose by Linda Wichman (Kregel Publications)

The Presence by Bill Myers (Zondervan)

Shadow Over Kiriath by Karen Hancock (Bethany House Publishers)

First Novel

Like a Watered Garden by Patti Hill (Bethany House Publishers)

The Road to Home by Vanessa Del Fabbro (SteepleHill)

This Heavy Silence by Nicole Mazzarella (Paraclete Press)

Next year I'm hoping that the 2007 Christy's have more multicultural authors in the nominations and perhaps in 2008 a mutlicultural category, which also means that the Christy's would need more multicultural judges. Let's do the dadgum thang guys, you know who you are. :)