We Have A Winner!

The votes for the first ever Readers’ Choice – Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction are in and counted. We have a winner! Some important pieces of business. Special thanks to each person who voted. Your participation made this […]
on Dec 3, 2009 · 7 comments

The votes for the first ever Readers’ Choice – Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction are in and counted. We have a winner!

Some important pieces of business. Special thanks to each person who voted. Your participation made this award possible!

A few well-meaning folks filled out the survey, indicating in the first question that they had not read any of the books. Because the sole requirement for participation was reading at least one of the nominations, those ballots were discarded.

In addition, a number of ballots marked as a second and/or third choice the same title they marked as a first choice. We counted the first choice but ignored the vote for second and/or third (since it’s not possible to consider a book your second or third choice when you’ve already declared it your first).

Despite the fact that 15 books were nominated, our winning novel claimed over 35 percent of the total number of first place votes. What’s more, the winner finished with over 50 votes more than the second place book.

Taking into consideration selections as the second or third choice, our winner received votes on over 50 percent of the surveys.

Clearly, readers have spoken.

The winner of the 2009 Readers’ Choice – Clive Staples Award for Christian Speculative Fiction is

 

DragonLight by Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook)

I can’t help but think how fitting it is for Donita’s concluding book in the Dragon Keeper Chronicles to be the first winner of the CSACSF since one of her earlier volumes was the first book featured by CSFF Blog Tour.

Congratulations for this reader recognition, Donita!

*Cross posted at A Christian Worldview of Fiction.

Best known for her aspirations as an epic fantasy author, Becky is the sole remaining founding member of Speculative Faith. Besides contributing weekly articles here, she blogs Monday through Friday at A Christian Worldview of Fiction. She works as a freelance writer and editor and posts writing tips as well as information about her editing services at Rewrite, Reword, Rework.
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  1. Jumping up and down, Screeching, Mid-air Somersaults, Tears, Laughing, Jumping Jacks, and the Snoopy Happy Dance.. Well, tears and laughing. The other activities are done with my wild imagination if not my body. I am thrilled. How fantastic! Incredible! Or as said in the Princess Bride: Inconceivable!
    But fortunately, some forward thinking people conceived of this award and brought it to fruition.
    I am excited that this award has been established. We are going to have years and years of high quality High Fantasy coming our way. The Speculative Fiction Genre is such a fertile field in which to plant seeds of the hope, the truth, and the beauty of our wonderful Savior.
    Bless all of you who write to the Glory of God and Bless all the readers. Who-hooo! We have the hope to be shared. Keep those stories coming.

  2. Donita!!! This is so exciting – and you so deserve this prestigious award! Congratulations!
    And everyone out there, if you haven’t read the DragonKeeper Chronicles, go read them NOW 🙂

  3. Matt Byers says:

    Donita, this is so awesome! An amazing novel from an amazing woman…Congratulations to you on this wonderful award. Like Kim said, everyone go out and read these books! They are the BEST! We are all so proud of you! Thanks to God for inspiring these fantastic tales in Donita’s heart, and thanks to you, Donita, for writing for Him that others may come to know His love, His Son. Woot! DragonLight- Clive Staples Award 2009!!!

  4. Krysti says:

    Congratulations, Donita! I’m so happy that I got back online (finally!!!) and discovered you’d won this award!

  5. Cris Jesse says:

    Congrats, Donita! I’ve heard a lot about your other books and I hope to read them this coming year.

    Is there a list of who made 2nd and 3rd place?

  6. Irene Hunt says:

    I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the 1st four books of the DragonKeepers Chronicle. However my local Barnes & Noble Bookstore does not have the 5th book, DragonLight, and I would like to know where I can find a store that carries it in Modesto CA. This has been a great series and hard to put down. I am 77 yrs of age and enjoy Dragon stories. Congratulations on your award.

What say you?