CHRISTIAN NEWS TODAY NEWS WIRE SERVICE (CNTNewsWire.com 

Marcher Lord Press Author Jill Williamson Wins 2010 Christy Award

Contact: Jeff Gerke,

719-266-8874

jeff@marcherlordpress.com

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, June  -- Jill Williamson, author of the bestselling Blood of Kings Trilogy, won the Christy Award for best book of 2010 in the Visionary category. Her debut novel, By Darkness Hid (Marcher Lord Press 2009), is the first installment in the medieval fantasy trilogy.

The Christy Awards is considered by some to be the Oscars of Christian fiction. Williamson joins ranks with previous Christy Award winners like Jerry Jenkins, Ted Dekker, Francine Rivers, Janette Oke, Steven Lawhead, and Beverly Lewis.

Marcher Lord Press founder Jeff Gerke was at the awards banquet in St. Louis. “I am so thrilled that Jill's book took home the Christy Award in the Visionary category. I truly

believed that one of the other two finalists would win. We were up against 4-time Christy Award winner Karen Hancock and last year's Christy Award winner Tom Pawlik, both of whom are marvelous people and amazing novelists. It sounds like a cliché, but it really was an honor just to be named with those two people. Then to actually win the award this year...it's unbelievable.

And unbelievably wonderful.”

Williamson was unable to attend the awards banquet. “My husband and I were watching the live blog feed in our living room in John Day, Oregon. I saw the text come across the screen and read it a few times to be sure they weren't just announcing the finalists again. My husband said, ‘You won, Jill!’ and I just couldn't believe it. I'm so excited and honored.”

Williamson’s unique style of “fast-paced action, realistic characters, and classic fantasy” expands the boundaries of Christian fiction. According to a recent Publisher’s Weekly review of Williamson’s novel, “Christian fantasy is the wee niche in which this fat book fits, and here’s hoping its quality helps enlarge the niche.”

Originally from Alaska, Williamson currently lives in John Day, Oregon with her husband and their two children. She maintains a blog at www.jillwilliamson.com where you can catch up with her reading, writing, and general excitement about life.

The Christy Awards were established in 1999 to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview; to bring a new awareness of the breadth and depth of fiction choices available, helping to broaden the readership; and, to provide an opportunity to recognize novelists whose work may not have reached bestseller status.

Marcher Lord Press is the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction. Whether it's fantasy you love, or science fiction, time travel, chillers, supernatural The small, independent press bypasses the traditional Christian publishing industry to get Christian speculative fiction directly into the hands of the fans who devour it.

Visit Marcher Lord Press on the Internet at www.marcherlordpress.com