Whitney Award Winners

2007 Whitney Awards

*****

Best Novel of the Year

On the Road to Heaven

by

Coke Newell

*****

Best Novel by a New Author

Dragon Slippers

by

Jessica Day George

*****

Best Romance/Women's Fiction

Counting Stars

by

Michele Paige Holmes

*****

Best Mystery/Suspense

Sheep's Clothing

by

Josi Kilpack

*****

Best YA/Children's

Fablehaven 2: Rise of the Evening Star

by

Brandon Mull

*****

Best Speculative

Book of a Thousand Days

by

Shannon Hale

*****

Best Historical

Out of Jerusalem: Land of Inheritance

by

H. B. Moore

*****

Lifetime Achievement Awards went to:

Dean Hughes, Jennie Hansen and Anita Stansfield

*****

Attending this Whitney Award Gala was so exciting! I got to meet so many wonderful and talented writers in person and got to be apart of writing history in the making. If you think of what the Emmy Awards are well the Whitney Awards are the same but for LDS fiction writers.

A funny moment for me was when all three lifetime achievement award winners happen to gather together as soon as I walked up to shake Dean Hughes hand.

I just stood in there in awe and said " Well, let me get a good look at greatness."

Dean Hughes said "You have a camera for a picture?"

I said "I don't want a picture I just want to stay and stare at you three!"

They got a good laugh and so did I.

The Whitney Awards are named after the Apostle Orson F. Whitney who lived over a hundred years ago. The reason this award is named after him? Because of a grand and profound speech he gave. Here it is a piece of that speech he declared-

"We shall yet have Milton's and Shakespeare's of our own. . . . In God's name and by His help we will build up a literature whose tops will touch the heaven, though its foundation may now be low on the earth."

Anyone can nominate a novel published during the previous calendar year in any of seven categories, and a final academy of industry professionals will vote on the final ballot. Nominations are being taken for books published in 2008 by LDS authors at the Whitney Awards website: http://www.whitneyawards.com/

Remember that novels can be entered into more than one category--for example, mystery/suspense and best novel of the year. This is exciting for me and all other writers and readers of LDS fiction. Spread the word, nominate your favorite books and be a part of this amazing opportunity to be heard and sing the praises of the Milton's and Shakespeare's among us.