River to Redemption Wins a Selah Award!!

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal 29 Comments


“This book had me at the heartstrings right from the get-go.” (Read is to Breathe Review of River to Redemption)

I was sitting here wondering what to write about for my post tonight when I got a Facebook message with pictures from a writer friend, Ginger Biggs Harrington, who was attending the Selah Book Awards event.  Seems my book River to Redemption won the Selah Historical Romance Award. How exciting is that! And I missed being there to pick it up.

I did attend the award ceremony a few years ago when my book Love Comes Home was a Selah finalist.  I had heard how beautiful the North Carolina area is where they have the Blue Ridge Writers Conference and so I thought it would be fun to go check out the scenery. It is as beautiful as advertised. Plus, it was almost on the way to give me an excuse to head on down to see my daughter in South Carolina.  I didn’t expect to win. Of course, I hoped to, but prior to then, my books had been finalists for awards a few times but were always the book bridesmaids and not the winner.

But Love Comes Home changed that. That story not only won the Historical Romance of the Year Award, it also won the Selah Book of the Year. You could have knocked me out of my chair with a feather.  And then when I did recover from the surprise and got up on the stage to get the award from Eva Marie Everson, it looks like I’m ready to dance or speak or who knows. Maybe fly.

I didn’t win the Book of the Year Award this time, but I was very happy to find out River to Redemption won in the Historical Romance category. I wasn’t sure when I sent the book in for the contest if the story would really qualify for a historical romance. It was more historical than romance, but the historical award was paired with Biblical fiction. So I wasn’t sure the story fit there either. And there is romance in River to Redemption. That’s just not the main focus of the story.

The true historical bit about Louis and what he did during the cholera epidemic and how he was eventually repaid by the people of Springfield is what inspired my story. And so when I think of the book I truly believe that Louis, even though he isn’t a viewpoint character, is the heart of my story. Perhaps River to Redemption is a love story in a different way as it features a man who loved the Lord and his fellow man even while he was enslaved. It shows the gratitude of a town that recognized and rewarded that love. And then my fictional characters had to figure out some romantic decisions too. So perhaps the story is a romance, after all.  And I’m very happy to say it is the Selah Historical Romance Book of the Year.

Thanks for letting me share my good news.

Do you like hearing good news from other people? Do you share your good news? If you’ve had some good news lately, share it with us now so we can all smile along with you.

Comments 29

  2. Congratulations! That’s wonderful. I believe that we should encourage one another and bless one another…especially when there is good news! :o)

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      Author

      Yes, we do, Connie. We need good news in our lives and the joy of sharing good times with our friends and family.

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  4. I read your book River to Redemption, and loved it! I am so glad you got the award for this book! You deserved it! It was so well written, that it flowed smoothly. And it kept my attention from page to page. I read a lot of books. Though most of them are really good, I can often stop in places, and come back to it later. River to Redemption is a read-through book. I could not put it down! It grabs your heart from the first page, and keeps it long after you close the last page.

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      Author

      Bessie, what fun to have you call River to Redemption a read-through book! I love that. Of course, all writers like to hear that “I couldn’t put it down” line. The true story of Louis at the heart of the book did seem to give River to Redemption a little extra reason to tug at the heart strings. I appreciate you reading the book and giving me words of encouragement. If you ever do reviews on Amazon or Goodreads, that would be wonderful. Reviews really help a book find readers.

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    Author

    Thanks, everybody. I so appreciate your congratulations and your kind thoughts and even more that you read my story and thought it should win. You all are the best. You have me smiling this morning.

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  9. Congratulations on your book award! I look forward to reading River to Redemption.
    Since my husband and I have to raise our own support for a mission trip we’re going on this summer, the good news is that we’re now fully funded.

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      That is good news, Suzanne. Thanks for sharing it. May you be blessed in all you do this summer on your mission trip.

      I hope you will enjoy The River to Redemption when you get a chance to read it. Sounds as though you have a busy summer coming your way.

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  10. Congratulations, Ann! I’m not surprised you won this award, but a little surprised it wasn’t the Book of the Year. It certainly deserves all sorts of awards in a lot of categories.

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      I appreciate your kind thoughts, Lavon. It would have been fun for the story to be Book of the Year too but I’m just happy it won in its category. The Book of the Year was a book for kids, That Grand Easter Day by Jill Roman Lord. So that was a good one to win this year. We need great Christian books for kids.

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    2. Lavon, I’ve wanted to ask you this question for quite a while now. I’ve only known one person with the same name. Are you by any chance a nurse?

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  13. Congratulations Ann! Great news!
    I think you have other books that deserve to be best book in their catagoiries, too.
    Haven’t read this one yet, but plan to very soon.
    Keep writing Friend. You have much to give to the world.
    Enjoy your reward.

    My best always
    Gail Bennett

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      Author

      You’re too kind, Gail. I’m excited about this award for River to Redemption, but I know there are so many great books out there for readers that are just as deserving to win Best Book awards. But I am blessed to be gifted with a story that readers have enjoyed. I hope you will love this story too when you get a chance to read it.

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  14. Congratulations, Ann!!! This book is one of the best books I have read and in my opinion, it should have not only been the .Historical Romance Book of the Year, but THE Book of the Year!!!

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      I appreciate your kind thoughts, Karen. It’s so good to have reading friends ready to support me and read my books. As I told Lavon, the book that won was for kids, That Grand Easter Morning by Jill Roman Lord. Just the title of that book can make you smile and it’s wonderful that kids have great picture books with a Christian message.

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  16. WooooHooo!!!!!!!!! Congratulations! I knew you were a Winner from the first book I read by you. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! ENjoy the moment forever!!!!!!…..!!!!!! Lots of love to you 👏🏻👏👏🏾👏🏻👏👏🏾👏🏻👊🏽☺️🙂😊😀😅😇😂🤗🎂🍕🍭🍦🍪🚀🌠🌌🎆🎉🎈💓📢🌺💐🌹🌼🌻🌸💐🌺🌼🌹🌷 CELEBRATE ALl night long!!!!!

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