We're delighted that four of the individual pieces in Christmas with Hot Apple Cider won The Word Awards.
Our Winners
Glynis Belec, who won for Christian Market Short Script for her play, "The Search," a modern-day retelling of the story of the Magi. Three wise women who are looking for Jesus are puzzled to discover than the star has led them to busy department store.
Marguerite Cummings, who won for her Christian Market Personal Experience Story, "Baby in the Manger," about her older sister's struggle with a strange illness when she was fourteen, and her family's attempts to help her. With Marguerite is Stephen Kennedy, editor of Testimony, which sponsored that award.
Sally Meadows, who not only won The Word Award for her Christian Market Short Story "A Blessed Christmas," but earlier this year won the Inscribe Christian Fellowship Award for published short stories for "No Greater Gift," her other story in Christmas with Hot Apple Cider!
Sally was unable to get to the Gala, but you can read the story behind her story here.
Eleanor Shepherd, who won for her General Market Personal Experience Story, "I Knew You Would Come," a true story of an event that happened during her time working with the Salvation Army in France.
Eleanor was also unable to get to the Gala but you can read the story behind her story here.
Our book, Christmas with Hot Apple Cider: Stories from the Season of Giving and Receiving, didn't win its category (Specialty Book) in The Word Awards.
It was, however, up against some serious competition, including Good Grief People: Easing the Sting of Death by Recognizing and Respecting the Individuality of Grief and the Reality of Hope, which involved several of our Hot Apple Cider writers.
The winner was Seven Whole Days, an art/poetry book written by Malcolm Guite, who is from England, and illustrated by Faye Hall of Winnipeg, MB. Seven Whole Days, which was published by Castle Quay Books Canada, was also shortlisted for the Grace Irwin Award, which went to the "Best Book" overall, so we were obviously in tough company!
Nine of the individual pieces in our book were shortlisted, but since three of them were in the short story category and two in the personal experience category, there was no way they all could have won!
Several Writers Who Have Had Pieces in Previous Hot Apple Cider Books Also Won
Marcia Laycock, Paul Boge, Sheila Wray Gregoire, and Carolyn Arends (3 awards!).
The Other Individual Pieces From Our Book That Were Shortlisted
“Christmas, 1940” by Ray Wiseman
“Christmas Behind Barbed-Wire Fences” by Tina Michele Weidelich
“Light of The World 2.0” by Rose Scott
“No Room?” by Robert White
“Seven Silver Dollars” by Valentina Gal
We managed to get a number of our Hot Apple Cider writers together for a quick photo.
Back row from your left, Marguerite Cummings, Ray Wiseman, Armig Adourian, Angeline Fast-Vlaar, me (N. J. Lindquist), Tina Michele Weidelich, Glynis Belec, Ruth Smith Meyer, Melony Teague, Les Lindquist, Krysten Lindquist (who helps with photos), Darryn Lindquist? (Gramps let her in), Carol Ford.
Front row from your left: Valentina Gal, Cori Mordaunt, June Stephenson, Vilma Blenman, Carolyn Wilker, Ann Brent, Susan Stewart.
The "Moment" of the Evening
An excerpt from The Word Awards' press release...
"The most inspirational aspect of the 2018 Gala that attendees will not soon forget, was the acceptance speech of Castle Quay’s 2018 Best New Canadian Manuscript Award Winner, Kevin John White from Huntsville, ON. Kevin shared in complete humbleness and gratefulness for the mercy of God in his life.
As an alcoholic, homeless man, White moved in with Steve and Julie Hill, beginning his recovery with their love and support. White expressed his thankfulness to the Hill family and especially Julie when he had her join him on stage. Communicating his gratefulness for the influence she had on his life, Kevin insisted they accept the award together. He shared how it had been Julie Hill who planted the idea for his journals to become a book. As White finished his heartfelt speech, a thunderous applause was heard throughout the building as people rose to their feet for a standing ovation.
Kevin's winning manuscript, Dancing on a Razor, is described as "a collection of short stories taken from the life of Kevin John White, a homeless alcoholic street beggar. What begins as a journal penned by the trembling hand of a hopeless wino, gradually changes into a powerful realization of God’s love for a terribly broken man. It is as he writes this 'book' that Kevin sees God’s hand through all his years of wandering aimlessly across the country, and he is undone by the amazing grace God has poured over him for so long."
We hope Kevin's book will be published soon.