2024 Author of the Month Suggestions Please!

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

One of the most popular challenges each month is our featured Author of the Month challenge. One of my favourite parts of said challenge is that the list of the 12 featured authors each year is based largely upon suggestions made by our group as a whole.
So, with that in mind, give me some ideas of authors you'd love to see featured in this next year here on CFD! As long as they mainly write Christian fiction, they can be from a variety of subgenres (historical, Amish/Plain, suspense . . . etc!).

[Simone]

Lisa Phillips
Alana Terry
Carrie Stuart Parks
Nancy Mehl
Leslea Wahl
Dan Walsh
Creston Mapes

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Great suggestions, Simone! Thank you!

[Staci, Book Awards Specialist]

Good suggestions Simone! I'll second Lisa Phillips.

My recommendations:
Jocelyn Green
Suzie Finkbeiner
Jen Turano

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Thanks, Staci!

[Andrea, Hospitality Coordinator]

My suggestions:
Kellyn Roth
Kathryn Cushman
Katherine Reay

[Crystal]

I would love to see each month alternate between a female author one month and a male author the next!

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

That's a great idea, Crystal! Hopefully we'll get more nominations of male authors!

[Karen]

My suggestions:

Female authors:
Dani Pettrey
Lynette Eason
Laura Scott
Christy Barritt
Marta Perry
Mary Alford
J. Carol Nemeth
Susan May Warren
Helen Gray
Jill Eileen Smith
Dana Mentink
JoAnn Durgin (also uses pen name Julianna Desmond)

Male authors:
Davis Bunn
Jerry B. Jenkins
Charles Martin
Tim LaHaye
Mike Curtis (haven't read any of his yet but have several on my TBR list)
Ace Collins (haven't read any of his yet but have several on my TBR list)

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

A note: if you see one of the authors you were planning on nominating on the list already, please do mention that you want to second (or third, etc!) the nomination. The more people I know want to read a particular author, the more likely it will be that the author will be featured at some point in 2024!

[Simone]

For male authors, I second Tim LaHaye. I also like Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and C.S. Lewis. Joel C. Rosenberg is another one on my TBR with his book The Twelfth Imam.

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Wow! There are a lot of suggestions of authors I've not yet read here. (Cool!)
Thank you for your suggestions, everyone . . . please keep 'em coming! (I will have a final list shortly after Christmas so everyone can start planning for 2024.)

[Heather]

I third Tim LaHaye, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Dan Walsh, C.S. Lewis, and Joel Rosenburg (not read, but also on my TBR list). I'd also like to nominate a few, please.
Male authors: Robert Whitlow, Gilbert Morris, Randy Singer
Female authors: Cara Lynn James, Wanda Brunstetter, Neta Jackson, Catherine Palmer, Mesu Andrews

[Crystal]

Agreeing with the ones already suggested:
Dan Walsh (would love to see him in December bc he has four different Christmas books I believe.)
Dekker
Peretti
Whitlow

Would also suggest:
James Rubart

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

There are a few authors in this list (love that you've all seemed to 'run' with the idea of alternating female and male authors every other month!) that I'm not familiar with.
I'm looking at a few names that have been 3rded in the nominations . . . specifically Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. In looking at their author pages here on GR, it looks like they might be similar to each other in that they both write sci-fi-ish suspense. Am I correct? I'd like to feature one or the other if what they write is similar to each other. Do y'all have a preference one over the other? (Note that I have not read anything by either author, though both are on my TBR list.)

[Crystal]

That’s a hard choice but I’d cast my vote for Dekker.

[Loraine]

I second:
Lisa Phillips
Carrie Stuart Parks
Nancy Mehl
Dan Walsh
Jocelyn Green
Jen Turano
Katherine Reay
Dani Pettrey
Lynette Eason
Christy Barritt
Susan May Warren
Jill Eileen Smith
Dana Mentink
Davis Bunn
Jerry B. Jenkins
Charles Martin

I'll add:
Carrie Stuart Parks
Carrie Turansky
Elaine Cooper
Tracie Peterson

[Simone]

I'd go with Dekker then too.

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

We've got so many suggestions at less than 24 hours into the 'suggestion period'! I love it!
That said, I'm going to give y'all until day's end on Sunday (10 December) to get your nominations/seconds/thirds in. After that, I'll take a final tally on which authors have the most 'votes' behind them and make a list from there.
Thank you SO much for your help!

[Brittany]

I'll second:
Dani Pettrey
Susan May Warren

I'll add:
Teresa Tysinger
Carolyn Miller
Liz Johnson
Valerie M. Bodden
Pepper Basham
Gabrielle Meyer
Natalie Walters

[Charlene]

This is my favourite challenge :)

I vote for the following already mentioned many times above :
Lisa Phillips
Jen Turano
Dan Walsh (M)
Dani Pettrey
Susan May Warren
Jill Eileen Smith
Charles Martin (M)
Robert Whitlow (M)
Gilbert Morris (M)
James Rubart (M)
Lynette Eason
Christy Barritt
Liz Johnson
Gaberiel Meyer

Here are my recommendations
History
Michelle Shocklee
Erin Bartels
Liz Tolsma
Rachel Scott Mcdaniel
Katie Powner

Biblical
Connilyn Cossette
Angela Elwell Hunt

Contemporary
Tari Faris
Christine Dillion
Becky Wade
Janine Roche

Suspense
Lisa Harris
Terri Blackstock
Susan Sleeman

Christian fiction
Chris Fabry (M)
Christine Suzanne Nelson
Cynthia Ruchti

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

just a note that if you see an author that has been nominated and 'seconded' a few times that does NOT end up being featured in 2024, it is most likely that the author has been featured in the past 5 years (since 2019)

[Andrea, Hospitality Coordinator]

I second Christine Suzann Nelson. Love her books!

[Heather]

I’d also go with Dekker.

[Sherri]

I'm game for any of these! They're either favorites or NTM that gives me a chance to try them.

[Kelli]

I second or third :)
Jocelyn Green
Lisa Phillips
Lynette Eason
Susan May Warren
Robert Whitlow
Randy Singer

I would also nominate:
Shelley Shepherd Gray
Liz Tolma
Amy Lynn Green
Kristy Cambron

[Kelli]

Also second Susan Sleeman!

[Jenn]

I think most of my list of authors have already been mentioned.

Susan May Warren
Dani Pettrey
Natalie Walters
Lisa Phillips
Lynette Eason
Joel C Rosenberg
Dan Walsh (I haven't read anything by him, yet, but I've been meaning to)
Connilyn Cossette

I dont think I saw any of these authors mentioned, yet:
Roseanna M White
Elizabeth Camden
Amanda Cabot
Ruth Logan Herne
Tessa Afshar
Kara Isaac

[Loraine]

Peritti and Dekker have written several books together. Maybe do them as a combo!

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Loraine wrote: "Peritti and Dekker have written several books together. Maybe do them as a combo!"
Stay tuned in 2024 for a monthly challenge that focuses on writing pairs like this!😉

[Lauri]

My author of the month nominations

Misty Beller
Marybeth Skwarczynski
Melissa Tagg
Carrie Fancett Pagels
Naomi Rawlings
(my NTM authors slated for 2024)
also,
Tricia Goyer
Heidi Chiavaroli
Crystal Caudill
Stephania McGee
Lynn Gentry
R. Marshall Wright (a lesser known author that everyone should read!)
Tamera Alexander

[Carole]

I'd like to second...
Dan Walsh
Jocelyn Green
Kathryn Cushman
Katherine Reay
Robert Whitlow
Neta Jackson
Cynthia Ruchti
Chris Fabry
Amy Lynn Green
Heidi Chiavaroli

[Lynnette]

I second, third, or whatever number we are up to:
Lynette Eason
Terri Blackstock
Joel C. Rosenberg
Creston Mapes
Dan Walsh

And add:
Colleen Coble
Lisa Wingate

[Natalie]

I'll add Linday HJareel and Rachel Fordham . All the other options alsdo soudn good to me.

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Natalie wrote: "I'll add Linday HJareel and Rachel Fordham . All the other options alsdo soudn good to me."
Do you mean Lindsay Harrel, Natalie? I want to make sure I record the correct name.🙂

[Crystal]

Kate wrote: "Natalie wrote: "I'll add Linday HJareel and Rachel Fordham . All the other options alsdo soudn good to me."
Do you mean Lindsay Harrel, Natalie? I want to make sure I record the correct name.🙂"

Hey there Kate! Is it too late to weigh in? I threw out some male names but wanted to weigh in one others suggestions. I love the suggestions for:
Misty Beller
Marshall Wright
Connilyn Cossette
Angela Elwell Hunt
Charles Martin
Creston Mapes
Katie Powner

[Kate, Challenge Fun Distributor]

Not too late, Crystal!