February 3, 2012—Debut novelist Shella Gillus landed a nomination for an NAACP Image Award in the “Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author” category for her novel The Loom (Guideposts Books, 2011). Award winners will be announced at the annual NAACP gala held on February 17 in Los Angeles.

The Loom is a nineteenth century historical romance about a light-skinned female slave who disappears only to reemerge as a white woman on a plantation. Lydia knew her life as a slave on a Maryland plantation would end at the loom room—the same place on every plantation where slaves, particularly after years in the tobacco and cotton fields, spent their days weaving and making clothes for their masters’ family. Gillus smoothly weaves this original tale, integrating the harsh, revealing truth of this nation’s troubled racial past with the broader, universal themes of love and freedom. The Loom is an engaging, well-written page-turner rich with colorful detail and crisp dialogue.

Gillus is a former pageant winner, a member of the Screen Actors Guild and two-time guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The Loom has received a top rating from Romantic Times magazine, which gave the novel an impressive 4.5 star rating. The reviewer noted, “Gillus’ strong characters may be broken in spirit, but they trust that God will rescue them and show them freedom on the other side.”

To set up an interview with Ms. Gillus or set up a book signing, contact Neil Foote, Foote Communications, LLC, neil@neilfoote.com, 214.448.3765. – JK

Laurence & Zac Sunderland

September 2011 - The sailing Sunderlands have returned to the limelight as Zac and his father Laurence appeared on the new season of the CBS reality show, “The Amazing Race,” which premiered Sunday, September 25^th.

Zac gained fame in 2009, when at 17 he became the youngest person to have sailed around the world alone. His younger sister Abby made international headlines a year later, when she set out to become the youngest person in history to circumnavigate the globe alone. She appeared on media including The View, The Today Show, and CNN’s American Morning to promote her book, Unsinkable.

Now Zac, 19, and his dad are featured in a show that pits 11 teams in a race around the world for a $1-million payday. Among other competitors are Olympic snowboarders, twin sisters, a former NFL tight end and former “Survivor” winners.

”The Amazing Race” airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times. -AH

Elisa Morgan and Shayne Moore with ABC's David Muir

August 5, 2011-ABC’S World News today chose two Alive authors, Elisa Morgan and Shayne Moore, as its “Persons of the Week”.

Elisa and Shayne are women who passionately use their speaking and writing to advocate for women and children. In July, they traveled with eight other like-minded women to Kenya with ONE, the social justice organization founded by Bono. There they met with mothers struggling to raise healthy children in a part of the world stricken with war, famine, drought, and disease. They held babies freshly diagnosed with AIDS, and danced with women in the village streets, all the while sending images and words around the world via their respective blogs.

ABC closed its Friday program with a segment which commended the ONE Moms for their mission of urging everyone to do their part to empower and improve the lives of the world’s neediest women and children.

Elisa, former CEO of Mothers of Preschoolers International, has written over 15 books on mothering, spiritual formation and evangelism and is the publisher of FullFill, (www.fullfill.org) a leadership development resource for women. Shayne [Global Soccer Mom], an original member of the ONE Campaign, shows “everyday people” how to effectively involve themselves in the battle against injustice, disease and poverty. – DAC

“It is an honor to work with a group of authors who are extraordinarily talented, and are using their gifts to change the world,” said Rick Christian, President of Alive Communications.

Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury, America’s number one inspirational novelist, has more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print. Karen, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author has written more than 50 novels with some being adapted for film. Karen’s faith is clearly visible in her novels, in the characters she creates, in her family and in the life she leads.

Stearns

Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision, and has led the relief and development organization to unprecedented growth while calling on the American Church to respond to the global AIDS pandemic. Richard’s best-selling book, The Hole in Our Gospel, challenges the faith community to rise out of apathy to meet the challenges of global poverty and injustice. Richard’s Paul-like faith is matched by the daily transformational work World Vision carries out.

Rue

Nancy Rue was honored at the twelfth annual Christy Awards, which recognizes excellence in Christian fiction. The Christy Award is named after Catherine Marshall’s novel and honors the best fiction in nine categories. Nancy’s book, The Reluctant Prophet, was named the best Contemporary/Series and Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book was named the best novel in the Young Adult Category. Nancy Rue is a best-selling author of over 100 books for ‘tweens and adults. -AH

August 3, 2011

Commenting on the film deal, Alive President Rick Christian said, “Joe Roth and Columbia Pictures bring a talented team of dedicated professionals to this project. With their guidance this exceptional story will reach an even wider audience.”

Responding to the prospect of his family’s story hitting the big screen, Todd Burpo said, “Colton has a simple message for people; heaven is for real. And we’re excited about the possibility of many more people hearing that message through a film.”

Initial interest in Heaven is for Real began to swell soon after its release in late 2010.
As the number of major media interviews escalated, the book started its climb up industry bestseller lists. The family made the rounds on programs like NBC’s Today Show, Dateline NBC, Fox & Friends, and CNN’s Faces of Faith. Publications like People magazine and the LA Times and others such as ABC World News picked up the story. However, when the NY Times ran a feature article titled “Celestial Sales for Boy’s Tale of Heaven,” awareness went to another level.

Now with over 3 million copies sold, Heaven is For Real is the number one selling book in the nation. The NY Times ranks the book at #1 in four overall categories: Print Paperback Nonfiction list; Print Hardcover & Paperback Combined Nonfiction list; E-Book Nonfiction list; and in the #1 position on the Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction list. It is also atop USA Today’s bestseller list and has ranked frequently at the #1 position on Amazon.com. Heaven is also a bestseller at every major retailer, including #1 at Target, Walmart and Sam’s Club.

“We knew we had a great story, however, the response has been phenomenal,” said Kneedler. “Not only has Lynn Vincent crafted another beautiful narrative, but the heart-felt comments from readers are remarkable. And the team at Thomas Nelson has done a fantastic job in packaging and promoting the book worldwide. Heaven is now capturing hearts around the globe as international rights for publication have been acquired in 27 languages. – JK

April 2011

Introduced in 2001, the Retailers Choice Awards have been increasingly acknowledged as an important way of recognizing some of the most significant new life-changing products in the retail industry.

Mark Mittelberg is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and a leading strategist in evangelism and apologetics-oriented outreach.  His books include The Unexpected Adventure (coauthored with Lee Strobel) and Becoming a Contagious Christian which has sold over one million copies worldwide.– LH

The RT Book Review awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles with over 1,000 in attendance.  The winners and nominees are selected by a Romantic Times staff of over 50 reviewers representing the readers’ voice in the women’s fiction industry. RT Book Review Magazine reviews and rates every romance published as well as over 100 books in various other genres.

Terri Blackstock’s latest release, Vicious Cycle, debuted on the NYT bestseller list and hit #1 on the ECPA bestseller list for April.

To learn more about Terri, visit her online at www.terriblackstock.com. —LH

Rick and Debbie Christian co-hosted Gov. Pawlenty May 9 at a pre-announcement luncheon at Colo Springs Broadmoor Hotel, attended by regional business, political and industry leaders.

May 23, 2011–Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced today that he is running for President of the United States, telling voters at a town hall event in Des Moines, Iowa that “it’s time for new leadership, with a new approach.”

“The time has come for America’s president – and anyone who wants to be president – to look you in the eye and tell you the truth,” said the former two-term governor of Minnesota, noting that our entitlement programs are on an unsustainable path and that inaction is no longer an option.  ”If we don’t change directions in 2012, if we do not move quickly and decisively, if we are not willing to chip in to sacrifice some of our own comfort and convenience for the lives and liberties of our children, it may be too late.”

The long-awaited announcement drew cheers at Alive’s Colorado Springs office where a critical step on the Pawlenty Express was made.

“I approached the Governor two years ago to write the book of his life,” said Alive’s President Rick Christian, who ultimately negotiated the deal for his best-selling memoir, Courage to Stand (Tyndale), published in January.  “The momentum is certainly his, and he’s got the record, story, and heart to make it to the finish line.  He’s definitely in it to win it!” said Christian, who with his wife Debbie co-hosted the Governor at a pre-announcement luncheon May 9^th at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

Columnist George Will said earlier this month, “This is the most open scramble on the Republican side since 1940 when Wendell Willkie came out of the woodwork and swept the field. I think people are complaining this is not off to a brisk start. I think that’s wrong. I think we know with reasonable certainty that standing up there on the West front of the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2013 will be one of three people: Obama, Pawlenty and [Indiana Gov. Mitch] Daniels. I think that’s it.”

With Daniels now out of contention, a recent op-ed piece in the Washington Post appears prescient in declaring that Pawlenty may likely be the “last one standing” in the 2012 GOP contest.–RC

Excerpts of Pawlenty’s Announcement Address

“I’m Tim Pawlenty, and I’m running for President of the United States. We live in the greatest country the world has ever known.  But, as we all know, America is in big trouble, and it won’t get fixed if we keep going down the same path.  If we want a new and better direction, we need a new and better President.”

“President Obama’s policies have failed.  But more than that, he won’t even tell us the truth about what it’s really going to take to get out of the mess we’re in. … I’m going to take a different approach.  I am going to tell you the truth.”

“We’ve tried Barack Obama’s way — and his way has failed.  Three years into his term, we’re no longer just running out of money.  We’re running out of time. It’s time for new leadership.  It’s time for a new approach.  And, it’s time for America’s president – and anyone who wants to be president – to look you in the eye and tell you the truth.”

“The changes history is calling on America to make today cannot be shouldered only by people richer than us, or poorer than us – but by us, too. Politicians are often afraid that if they’re too honest, they might lose an election.  I’m afraid that in 2012, if we’re not honest enough, we may lose our country.  If we want to grow our economy, we need to shrink our government.  If we want to create jobs, we need to encourage job creators.  If we want our children to be free to pursue their dreams, we can’t shackle them with our debts. This is a time for truth.”

“No president deserves to win an election by dividing the American people – picking winners and losers, protecting his own party’s spending and cutting only the other guys’; pitting classes, and ethnicities, and generations against each other.  The truth is, we’re all in this together. So we need to work to get out of this mess together. I’ll unite our party and unite our nation, because to solve a fourteen-trillion-dollar problem, we’re going to need three hundred million people.”

“In Minnesota and in Washington, the issues were the same: taxes, spending, health care, unions, and the courts.  But in Washington, Barack Obama has consistently stood for  higher taxes, more spending, more government, more powerful special interests, and less individual freedom.  In Minnesota, I cut taxes, cut spending, instituted health care choice and performance pay for teachers, reformed our union benefits, and appointed constitutional conservatives to the Supreme Court.  That is how you lead a liberal state in a conservative direction.”

Tim Pawlenty

March 21, 2011–Tim Pawlenty, the former two-term Minnesota governor, today took the formal step toward his bid for President by establishing an exploratory committee. The video announcement, made on his Facebook page this afternoon, allows Pawlenty to hire staff and raise money for his widely anticipated run for the Republican nomination and, ultimately, to face-off with Barack Obama in 2012.

“At a young age, I saw up close the face of challenge, the face of hardship and the face of job loss,” Pawlenty said in his two-minute video message, appealing to those facing economic insecurity and calling for backers to help him “take back our government.”

Pawlenty, 50, is the son of a truck-driving father and a mother who died of cancer when he was 16. Raised in the meatpacking town of South St. Paul that was devastated by layoffs in his youth, he worked in a grocery to pay his way through college. His first venture into politics was on the local planning commission and city council, followed by 10 years in the Minnesota House where he served as majority leader before becoming governor in 2002.

“Over the past year I’ve traveled to nearly every state in the country and I know many Americans are feeling that way today. I know that feeling. I lived it. But there is a brighter future for America,” he said, adding: “We, the people of the United States, will take back our government. This is our country. Our founding fathers created it. Americans embraced it. Ronald Reagan personified it. And Lincoln stood courageously to protect it. That’s why today, I’m announcing the formation of an exploratory committee to run for president of the United States. Join the team and together we’ll restore America.”

The Associated Press commented: “Pawlenty’s announcement of the exploratory committee almost certainly will lead to a full-blown candidacy for the GOP nomination in a field that has been slow to form. The winner would face the daunting task of unseating an incumbent president.”

Pawlenty, who released his memoir, Courage to Stand, in January, has been on an extended cross-country book tour that has taken him to early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to build support. His memoir immediately hit #1 on Washington Post’s bestsellers list, and sparked widespread exposure in national print, TV and radio outlets.

“His book signings and speaking engagements have been something of a faux campaign in advance of an all-in decision and stirred tremendous interest in his story and voting record,” said Alive’s president Rick Christian, who negotiated the book deal. “It’s built his name recognition and made him a fixture at Republican events.”

As the first major Republican candidate to file papers with the Federal Election Commission, Pawlenty catapults ahead of other potential contenders to win over party activists and generate support toward the early contests next year.–RC

It was June 10, 2010 when, already four months into the voyage, a rogue wave demasted and rolled Abby’s boat 360 degrees over 2,000 miles west of Australia. Her parents, Laurence and Marianne, lost contact with her and for a time, she was feared lost. Thankfully, rescuers – the nearest of whom were 400 miles away – found her afloat and alive after having spent two days in the perilous waters of a remote region of the Indian Ocean. Worldwide media support followed in celebration of her recovery but now the full story is revealed in Unsinkable, available now wherever books are sold. -AH