The Christy Award Gala

Chris Fabry

Chris Fabry is an award-winning author of more than 80 books, including Saving Grayson and his latest, The Forge, based on the Kendrick Brothers film. He has won five Christy Awards and was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2018. Chris has also written several series of novels for young adults, nonfiction titles, and film novelizations, which include the Kendrick brothers' War Room, Overcomer, and Lifemark. Additionally, Chris hosts Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio, which received the 2008 Talk Personality of the Year Award from the National Religious Broadcasters. He can also be heard daily on Love Worth Finding, featuring the teaching of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers, and weekly on Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, which he co-hosts with his wife, Andrea. A native of West Virginia and a 1982 graduate and inductee into the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism Hall of Fame at Marshall University, Chris and his wife live in Arizona and are the parents of nine adult children.

Chris has hosted of The Christy Award Celebration for five years.

Michelle Shocklee

Michelle Shocklee is the author of numerous award-winning historical novels, including All We Thought We Knew, the 2025 Christy Award Book of the Year, and Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award. Her bestselling novel, Under the Tulip Tree, is a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Although she grew up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Santa Fe, New Mexico, she and her husband, Brian, raised their family in Austin, Texas. With both her sons now grown and happily married, Michelle and Brian make their home in Tennessee where they enjoy the unique opportunity to work together as Estate Caretakers on a gorgeous 250-acre gentleman’s farm.

Amanda Cox

Amanda Cox is a three-time Christy Award–winning author whose novels include ECPA bestsellers Between the Sound and Sea, The Bitter End Birding Society, and He Should Have Told the Bees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and theology and a master’s degree in professional counseling. She crafts stories that invite readers to journey alongside authentic characters and explores themes of hope, healing, and belonging. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and three children.

Nicole Deese

Nicole Deese is a Christy and Carol Award-winning, bestselling author of hope-filled, humorous, and heartfelt contemporary romance novels. When she's not sorting out character arcs and story plots of her own, she can usually be found listening to an audiobook and multitasking at least four different chores at once. She’s a hoarder of sparkling water, a lover of long walks and even longer talks with friends, and a seeker of fun and adventure at all times. She lives in small- town, Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two freakishly tall teenage sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.

Amanda Dykes

Amanda Dykes likes to cook up stories wherever she goes, whether that's hiking a mountain trail, kayaking a big blue lake, savoring the chance to meet wonderful readers and hear their true stories, or chasing to keep up with her 4 kids on their many varied adventures. An ECPA, Parable Group, and Amazon bestselling author, each of her five novels have been finalists for the Christy Award, with two winning and her debut, Whose Waves These Are, being named a Christy Award Book of the Year. She's also the author of the new-in-2026 picture book, The Lamplighter, and the children's nature exploration + devotional book, A Pocketful of Wonder.

J.J. Fischer (Jasmine)

Jasmine's writing dream began with the anthology of zoo animals she painstakingly wrote and illustrated at age five, to rather limited acclaim. Thankfully, her writing (but not her drawing) has improved since then. She is a clinically-trained psychologist but no, she cannot read your mind. When she isn’t killing defenseless house plants, pretending she can play the piano, eating peanut butter out of the jar, or memorizing funny film quotes, she and her husband David are attempting to keep their Aussie backyard free of flesh-eating arachnids and dragon-sized crocodiles. Honestly, it’s a miracle she finds the time to write any books. You can learn more about her at jjfischer.com.

Rhonda McKnight

Rhonda McKnight is the author of the 2025 Christy Award winning novel, BITTER AND SWEET and the 2024 Emma Award winner The Thing About Home. She has also written several other award-winning bestsellers, including Unbreak My Heart and An Inconvenient Friend. She writes book club fiction and romance about complex characters in crisis. Her goal is to touch the heart of women with the themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope. In addition to penning 28 novels, Rhonda had a 24 year career with Family & Children Services. She teaches fiction writing through her virtual writing workshop and provides developmental editing services. Rhonda is the mother of two adult sons and a very spoiled Jack Russell. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, she writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home.

Amanda Wright

Amanda Wright, a Christy Award winner for her debut novel Darkfell, loves crafting fantastical stories with heroes and heroines who struggle against spiritual forces and their own human weaknesses. She writes as a form of worship to her heavenly Father and prays that her stories will help draw her readers closer to Jesus. When not writing, Amanda can be found wrangling her kids and menagerie of pets. Sir Gunner—her goofy black horse who thinks he's actually a dog—is often the first to hear of her latest story ideas as they explore hidden places on the vast mountainsides. With dozens of fantastical tales parading through her mind, Amanda looks forward to many years of adventures...both in real life and on the page.