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You can watch previous festivals, author interviews, and more on our YouTube Channel. If you’d like to see how the festival works, you can watch individual sessions, featured speakers, and the book awards.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 1, 2025

The Faith & Fellowship Book Festival Announces the Winners of this year’s Angel Book Awards.

Nonfiction

Honorable Mention – A Trustworthy Anchor: God’s Hope & Encouragement in the Storms of Life by Shirley Quiring Mozena

Third place – 25 Symbols of Christmas: Finding Jesus—A Devotional by Annie Yorty

Second place – Reclaimed: A Course to Guide You Through Betrayal & Infidelity Trauma by Stephanie Broersma

First place – Stitching Your Story Piece by Peace: A 13 Week Devotional Pursuing the Peace of God by Naomi Fata

Children’s ages 2-8

Honorable Mention – Little Sprout Says Yes! by Jennifer E. Tirrell, Illustrated by Lissette Blanco

Third place – Phooey Kerflooey vs. The Fancy, Fancy Teacup: Phooey Tales, Spring #1 by Kristin Joy Wilks

Second place – I Don’t Like Kindness (Picking the Fruit (of the Spirit)) Book #3 by Dawn Caldwell De Wulf, Illustrated by Jen Grafton

First place – When I Talk to God, I Talk about Feelings

by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins, Illustrated by Lisa Fields

Children’s ages 8-12

Honorable Mention – Just a Piece of Stone by Mary Ann Hake

Third Place – Disaster! Around the Bend by P. Lynn Halliday

Second Place – Road Trip Redemption, Book 3 in Road Trip Rescue, by Becca Wierwille

First Place – Paws-itive Inspirations: 90 Devotions for Kids and Dog Lovers by Michelle Medlock Adams & Wendy Hinote Lanier

Young Adult

Third Place – The Painted Fairytale by Lara d’Entremont, Illustrated by Ellie Tran

Second Place – Ride a Summer Wind by Ann Cavera

First Place – The Revelation of Emery Audubon by Ann Roecker

Historical Fiction

Honorable Mention – Heidi’s Faith, Rugged Cross Ranch, Book 4 by Jill Dewhurst

Third place – Whatever it Takes: A Split-Time Sisters in Arms Novel by Sarah Hanks

Second place – A Song of Deliverance, The Singing Silver Mine, Book 1 by Donna Wichelman

First place – What I Left For You, Echoes of the Past, Book 3 by Liz Tolsma

Mystery/Suspense

Honorable Mention – Inheritance, The Seekers Series, Book 2 by J.A. Webb

Third place – Waterfall, The Waterfall Mysteries by Linda K. Rodante

Second place – Death Under the Ice, Trouble in Pleasant Valley, Book 4 by Deborah Sprinkle

First place – Lethal Standoff by DiAnn Mills

Contemporary

Honorable Mention – Every Life Filled with Purpose, A Weldon Novel, Book 3 by Shelia Stovall

Honorable Mention – Take My Hand by Ane Mulligan

Honorable Mention – Love’s True Home, True Calling, Book 2 by Lori DeJong

Third place – Escape to Whispering Creek by Barbara M. Britton

Second place – Love’s True Measure, True Calling, Book 3 by Lori DeJong

First place – New Creations by Sarah Hanks

Speculative

Third place – Bronze Circle by Becky A. Little

Second place – Starry Starry Night, Time Passengers Novel by D.K. Till

First place – The Root of the Matter, The American Puritans, Book 1 by Lynne Basham Tagawa

Novella

Third place – Heart of Honor, Hearts of the West, Book 3 by Patience O’Brien

Second place – Nazar’s Journey, Time Passengers Novel by Paul T. Mascia

First place – Jingle Bell Matchmakers, from A Match Made at Christmas by Lori DeJong

The purpose of the awards is to promote excellent books with a Christian worldview. The fees help support the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival, whose purpose is to connect readers with Christian authors. The judges are independent avid readers and not affiliated with the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival. FFBF is an activity within the Mordecai Brown Legacy Foundation, a registered 501c3 charity.

You may be wondering what the Faith and Fellowship Book Festival is. That’s understandable because there aren’t many book festivals out there featuring Christian books and authors. If you’d like to know how this all came about, read our history here. First of all, we’ll tell you what a book festival is not.

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​Our Book Festival is not…

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a writers’ conference. There may be writing workshops or questions about the writing process, but the focus is on books and authors. Some attendees may be writers, but all attendees are readers.

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A book festival is different from a book fair. Book fairs are typically massive bookshops, a place to purchase books. You may purchase books at our festival (and we hope you do!) but a festival goes further. A festival is interactive. You will have the opportunity to ask questions of the authors and learn more about the books from those who created them. This allows readers to make informed choices about the books they’ll buy.

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Our Book Festival is…

a place to meet new authors and hear about the inspiration behind their books. A place to hear the most well-read Christian authors in the market today talk about their writing journey and what inspires them. A place where you can ask questions and meet new book lovers. A place where you can purchase books for yourself and for gifts in a manner that supports the authors.

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Our festival is a great place to learn about the very best books out there. That’s why we sponsor the Angel Book Awards. The awards are presented live at the end of the festival.

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Our festival is non-profit. Our aim is to connect readers with Christian authors and books they might not know about otherwise. The festival committee receives no compensation. We are authors too, and we have a heart for connecting readers and authors. We want to celebrate the work these authors have done and the way they’ve followed through with what God put on their hearts. We hope you’ll want to celebrate that too, and join us!

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It all started with a simple conversation . . . 

In 2016, authors Cindy Thomson and Yolonda Tonette Sanders were sitting next to each other at the book festival where they first met a few years earlier. The 2016 Presidential Election was only a few weeks away and unlike many of the conversations happening around them, neither author wanted to talk politics. So, they talked books and festivals, each sharing her idea about an event where Christian authors and readers could come together in fellowship to celebrate works that honored God. With similar visions, Cindy and Yolonda realized that they had something else in common — neither woman had tried to move forward because each didn’t know where to begin. Thus, they decided to join forces and not know what they were doing together.

In the weeks immediately following their conversation, the women got busy, emailing and planning this endeavor. They were blessed to have many supporters jump on board such as their pastors, the bookseller, and authors who quickly signed up to be at this event. Two women who didn’t know what they were doing began this journey by faith, taking one step at a time, believing God would help put all the pieces in place. And He did.

The Faith and Fellowship Book Festival seeks to do something that no other festival has done — focus only on Christ-centered works. Cindy and Yolonda have enjoyed their time at other festivals and hold nothing against them. They simply want the work of their hands to glorify God. The authors who will be at the FFBF have varied genres of fiction and nonfiction, but all books meet the objective of the festival founders.  At the end of the day, may readers find their lives enriched by the authors’ words.