It’s time to check in with the international members of American Christian Fiction Writers …
We find out what they’ve achieved over the last few months, and get to know them a little better by asking a seasonal question.
Question time
The FIFA World Cup has just started, so our question (or questions) for our June post are related.
Are our members football fans? If so, what kind of football?
And as a bonus question, who is in the World Cup and do we expect our teams to do well?
One of the things I learned quickly when I lived in London was that what I called football and what they called football weren’t the same thing. They weren’t even played with the same shaped ball!
In fact, the one thing I remember about my first performance review was my manager telling me not to say “soccer” because the game was football (and that Arsenal was better than Tottenham).
I’m not a football (soccer) fan, but New Zealand is in the World Cup for just the third time ever. We’ve drawn one game and lost one game so far, so I suspect we’ll match our previous achievement of not getting beyond the pool stage.
Milla Holt (Norway)
Milla isn’t a football fan in any way, shape, or form. However, her adopted country of Norway qualified for the first time in donkey’s years. Since their qualification was headline news, she don’t expect the team to get very far! And England is playing, still dreaming of winning. Maybe this will be their year?
Michelle Joy (Canada)
Michelle isn’t a big fan of what she calls soccer, although she enjoyed watching her son’s little league games.
She is now working through the edits for her contemporary novel, Pandemic Bride.
Cathy Norville-Rochester (Barbados)
Barbados isn’t in the World Cup, and Cathy prefers tennis to football.
Cathy can share an update about her writing:
One win on my side, though: after a hectic year that saw me put my writing aside while working on a major consulting project, I finally got the first book in my new series to my line editor and set a release date of 1 October.
Terrie Todd (Canada)
Canada is playing in the World Cup and has a superstar named Alphonso Davies, but that’s about all she knows. She says, “We’ve never won or come close. One of my life’s mottos is ‘Sports Shmorts,’ so I’m really not the right person to ask.”
Darlene L Turner (Canada)
No, Darlene isn’t really a sports fan, although she does like hockey, being from Canada and all. Ha ha! Canada does have a soccer team, and Canada is one of the countries hosting FIFA this year.
Natasha Woodcraft (England)
Natasha is from England, and of course they’re playing …
Amanda Wright (Canada)
Canada is playing in the World Cup…and no, she don’t expect them to do well. If it was hockey…another story.
And Amanda has recently finished a manuscript she has been slaving over.
I guess that means we’re a bunch of writers and readers, not sports fans!
Contest and Publishing News
Small Town Harmony by Milla Holt is a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards.
Alaskan Abduction Target by Megan Short made the Publishers Weekly bestseller list.
Echoes of Darkness by Darlene L Turner won the Mystery/Suspense category of the Selah Awards. She also contributed to I Heard the Bells, which won the Anthology category.
Darkfell by Amanda Wright was a double winner in the Selah Awards – Speculative and Debut Novel.
Congratuations, everyone! And here’s some contest use of a different kind …
Debb Hackett and ACFW Viriginia have just launched the 2026 Crown Award. Entries are open until 27 July, and you can click below to find out more:
Debb has also been asked to resubmit by two dream editors. This feels very much like a win whether they buy or not.
New Releases
Rose Among Thornes by Terrie Todd
Released 27 May 2026
Forgiveness is the deadliest force on earth.
War might be raging overseas, but Rose Onishi is on track to fulfill her lifelong goal of becoming a concert pianist. When forced by her government to leave her beloved home in Vancouver and move to the Canadian prairie to work on the Thornes’ sugar beet farm, her dream fades to match the black dirt staining her callused hands. Though the Thorne family is kind, life is unbearably lonely. In hopes that it might win her the chance to play their piano, Rose agrees to write letters to their soldier son.
When Rusty Thorne joins the Canadian Army, he never imagines becoming a Japanese prisoner of war. Inside the camp, the faith his parents instilled is tested like never before. Though he begs God to help him not hate his brutal captors, Rusty can no longer even hear the Japanese language without revulsion. Only his rare letters from home sustain him—especially the brilliant notes from his mother’s charming helper, which the girl signs simply as “Rose.”
Will Rusty survive the war only to encounter the Japanese on his own doorstep? Can Rose overcome betrayal and open her heart? Or will the truth destroy the fragile bond their letters created?
Alaskan Abduction Target by Megan Short
Released 26 May 2026
When Phoebe Tait suspects her husband’s death was no accident, she heads to Alaska searching for answers — only for her young son to narrowly escape a kidnapping. Officer Jock O’Halloran intervenes just in time, but it soon becomes clear that Phoebe’s investigation has made them a target. Now, with danger closing in, Jock must protect Phoebe and her son while they race to uncover a deadly truth. But can he keep them safe from a threat that will stop at nothing to bury the past — no matter the cost?
Something I Haven’t Told You by Pearl Ada Pridham
Released 15 May 2026
Alison, now a happy mother of two, recalls her teen years when a mistake of love led to unfathomable distress. Faced with pregnancy at the age of fourteen, she deals with shame, her father’s rage, choices, and decisions that jerk her into adulthood. Taking comfort in prayer and with her sister as her biggest supporter, along with her mother, friends, a counselor, and a school program for pregnant teens, she finds what is really important in life to her, and succeeds in fulfilling her dreams.
Awakening the Light (The Stronghold of Enjanan Book 1) by Natasha Woodcraft
Released 24 April 2026
In a world that spins around the Eternal Light, Shay’s people are in peril. The mysterious Nahil have arrived, offering prosperity, power, and peace. But wherever they are welcomed, chaos lingers and shadows take root.
Shay has always felt invisible – a dependable son overshadowed by his brilliant siblings. But when Shay’s formidable sister falls victim to the Nahil’s schemes, it’s time for his dormant gifts to awaken, and his faith to be tested.
Because the Nahil aren’t just infiltrating kingdoms. They’re rewriting what people believe is true.
And if Shay cannot embrace the light within, the cost won’t just be his family. It will be everything.
Will Shay embrace the light, or lose everyone he loves to the shadows?
Awakening the Light is the first book in The Stronghold of Enjanan, an epic coming-of-age fantasy series of rising darkness, hidden power, and the quiet courage of those history forgets.
Perfect for readers of sweeping fantasy where belief, identity, and power collide, and where the smallest voice may carry the greatest significance.
Preorders
The Reluctant Healer of Halifax by Terrie Todd
Releases 1 August 2026
Her Family, Her Home, Her Future—All Leveled in One Thunderous Explosion
When life seems weighed down by challenges, there are always pillars of enduring hope and love to be discovered.
Three days ago, Pearline Campbell’s family was whole and Oliver Hamilton still loved her. But upon returning to Halifax disfigured and shellshocked, Oliver ended their relationship. Then came Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the Halifax harbor was leveled by a tremendous explosion. . .and Pearline fears nothing will ever be whole again. Her parents are dead, her brother is missing, and her sister refuses to speak. Pearline must fortify herself to open her home to needy orphans, including an unidentified baby. Where can she find the strength for each new day as misery grips the city?