Congratulations New Authors!

Barbour Publishing Awards Three Contracts to Authors at ACFW

Contact: Angie Brillhart
Barbour Publishing
abrillhart@barbourbooks.com

Uhrichsville, OH—Continuing an annual tradition, editors from Barbour Publishing awarded surprise contracts to several unpublished authors at this year’s American Christian Fiction Writers Conference held in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Barbour has been doing this since at least 2003, and we are pleased to make dreams come true for unpublished authors,” said Rebecca Germany, fiction editor for Barbour. Contracts were awarded to Annalisa Daughety, Susan Sleeman, and Erica Vetsch.

Annalisa Daughety was awarded a three-book contract for her Walk in the Park series. The first book in this series, Love is a Battlefield, will be released in October 2009. Annalisa was also recognized for this book in the Genesis contest for unpublished authors, winning first place for contemporary romance. Annalisa was an American Studies Major/History Minor at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, TN. After college, she worked as a park ranger for Shiloh National Military Park. Using her experiences as a park ranger, Annalisa loves to put the settings of her stories in national parks. She now lives in Memphis, TN. Find out more about Annalisa at www.annalisadaughety.com.

Also joining the Barbour family will be Susan Sleeman. Sleeman’s first cozy mystery, Nipped in the Bud, is slated for release in May/June 2009. Long before she knew she would be one of Barbour’s published authors, Susan had been an avid supporter and promoter of Barbour’s new cozy mystery line, Heartsong Presents—MYSTERIES! Sleeman’s enthusiasm for the inspirational mystery and suspense genres is contagious. Check out her popular review site at http://www.thesuspensezone.com. For a more personal look into the author’s life and works, visit http://www.susansleeman.com. Susan Downs, acquiring editor for the HPM line says, “Susan Sleeman is just the kind of author I’m constantly searching to find. She not only writes a great story, but she also infuses fresh energy and excitement into a perennial reader favorite—the cozy mystery.”

Erica Vetsch was awarded a contract with Barbour’s Heartsong Presents line for her book The Bartered Bride, due to release in the Heartsong Presents book club in November 2009. Erica lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and enjoys her roles as a home-school mom and bookkeeper for the family business, Vetsch Hardwoods, Inc. Visit Erica’s blog at http://onthewritepath.blogspot.com to learn more about her and her current projects. “The Bartered Bride is an engaging, romantic read. I’m excited to work with Erica Vetsch on this book and more in the future for Heartsong Presents,” said JoAnne Simmons, Heartsong Presents editor.