We are delighted to share that two of our novelists – Jo Sheringham and Joy Margetts – have been shortlisted for the Christian Resources Together Fiction Book of the Year Award, 2024! As a company, we feel a definite call to publish high quality fiction that shares gospel themes and values. So it is such an encouragement when authors receive public acknowledgement with a prestigious industry award nomination like this.
The Perfect Companion is Jo Sheringham’s third novel, and her first published by us. It introduces us to Maggie, a wonderfully gentle and engaging protagonist who has found herself consumed by caring for her mother. Isolated by the responsibilities, a weekly service at the local cathedral has become her sole escape. However, its lofty spires, and the God they point to, often seem to soar far above her simple concerns.
But when one morning the diffident preacher’s words are infused with a transcendent life, both he and Maggie begin to discover a courage neither knew they had. As they each follow God’s gentle leading, they find Him intimately involved in their lives and prompting them to bring hope to others – to ‘go forth into the world, in peace’.
Our other nomination is for Joy Margetts’ beautiful novel, The Bride. This is the third novel she has published with us, and is a companion story of The Healing and The Pilgrim. Like them, it is set among the vibrant monasteries and evocative landscapes of thirteenth-century Wales. Through her relatable and inspirational protagonist, Efa, and several supporting female characters, Joy brings the medieval world alive and explores what it was like to be a young woman in a time so very different from our own. Yet common themes of identity and purpose emerge, and the way in which Efa especially responds to these challenges gives us cause to reflect on how we handle difficulties in our own lives.
‘Of all my books, Efa’s story perhaps resonates most closely with my own,’ comments Joy. ‘I have experienced heartbreak, felt unloved and unlovable, unsure of my own worth and purpose. Like Efa, I have also experienced the pursuing love of God. He does not want us to stay feeling heartbroken, unloved and purposeless. Efa learns, as I did, that He longs to both embrace us as Father, and to woo us as His bride, if we will open our hearts to Him. My hope is that Efa’s story encourages others to find healing for their hearts in the love that God offers.’
The award winners are announced later this month at the Christian Resources Together exhibition. A number of our titles have been shortlisted in the past, and Rahil Patel won the biography award for his incredible account of encountering Christ as a Hindu priest, Found by Love.
For now, why not take a look at Jo and Joy’s wonderful novels and find inspiration for your next read!
Photo by William Montout on Unsplash