Congratulations to Harvey House and Joseph Karl Publishing for Wins at Catholic Press Awards

CWG members Nancy Carabio Belanger and Michele Elena Bondi were recently awarded at the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada’s centennial celebration and annual convention. Nancy Carabio Belanger’s Olivia’s Gift (Harvey House, 2010) won in the category of Best Book by a Small Publisher. Michele Elena Bondi’s house, Joseph Karl Publishing, won two awards for its work in leading souls to Christ. The 2011 Catholic Press Awards were held at a banquet in Pittsburgh, honoring newspapers, magazines, books, and publishers for their contributions to the Catholic press in 2010.

“First and foremost, I am grateful to God, because without Him, I could not do any of this,” says Nancy. “I am honored and humbled to accept this award from my peers at the Catholic Press Association.” She says her prayer is to continue to write books for children and teens that explore and celebrate what it means to be a true Catholic.

“Olivia’s story is the gift itself to young readers who may be in dire need of turning in a different direction other than popular fiction,” the judges wrote. “While it is a Catholic story by nature, this is a story of the human spirit and the fact that teenagers and young adults are already experiencing their own profound stories of faith and God…It is a refreshing and realistic reprieve from what teenagers today are currently very distracted by—vampires.”
The sequel to Olivia and the Little Way, which won a Catholic Press Award in 2009, Olivia’s Gift continues the faith journey of pre-teen Olivia, who has a devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux and tries her hardest to imitate the Little Way of serving God. The two multiple-award-winning books are now part of Catholic school and religious education curricula in schools and parishes in the United States and abroad.

Reviews have met the praise of the Catholic Press judges. “With Olivia’s Gift, talented author Nancy Carabio Belanger delivers another treat for young readers, and the young at heart who love them,” says Lisa M. Hendey of The Handbook for Catholic Moms, “You’ll be entertained and inspired by this story of loving and serving others, which should be on the required reading list for every Catholic school.”

Olivia’s Gift can be found on Amazon and at Harvey House Publishing. Harvey House Publishing’s books are distributed by Ignatius Press, The Distributors, and for the library market, Quality Books Inc. Nancy Carabio Belanger’s Harvey House Publishing has provided books for children that celebrate the Catholic faith, the gift of life, modesty, and a wholesome childhood since 2008.

Joseph Karl Publishing, at http://godisatworkinyou.com/, offers exceptional quality, award-winning books for adults, teens, preteens, and children. Founded in 2009, Joseph Karl Publishing works to encourage, inspire, and continue the faith formation of the more than one billion Catholics worldwide, and to lead souls to Christ. Their books adhere to Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Catholic Writers Conference Just Weeks Away

The third annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE will take place August 3-5, 2011, at the Scanticon Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, PA. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild (CWG) and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), it will be held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show. The Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

Go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/ for more information on this exciting event.

Catholic Writers Chat

Sunday night from 9-11 pm EST.  Non-members are welcome. Click on http://catholicwritersguild.org/index.php?name=Content_2&pid=1 to participate.

Catholic Writers’ Retreat

Mark October 5-9, 2011 on your calender, for Your Words is My Delight, a Catholic Writers’ Retreat in Lansing, Michigan. Writers will enjoy three spiritually-enriching days of daily Mass, adoration, the sacrament of reconciliation and many hours of writing time. Talks will explore how God speaks to and encourages writers through Scripture, papal writings and other topics in order to promote faith-filled writing.

Click here or go to catholicwritersguild.org for more information.