COTT's 2015 Laurel Award Winner

2015

LAUREL AWARD WINNER!


On September 2, 2015, The Bound Heart took home Clash of the Titles's fifth annual Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel's first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined The Bound Heart to be the worthiest to receive the 
2015 Laurel Award.

Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Dawn Crandall for her exemplary writing. We wish God's richest blessings on her future work.

 

About The Bound Heart:
One accidental kiss. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt’s world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn’t have the time or the desire to fall for her friend Lawry Hampton. However, with Vance out of the country and Lawry constantly at her side, Meredyth can’t help but wonder if what’s holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from their unfortunate past.



When Vance comes home to stake his claim on Meredyth, will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she’s convinced she deserves? Or will she find the strength to accept that God’s plan for her life could include redemption... and quite possibly the love of her best-friend?

PURCHASE YOUR COPY
Now in PAPERBACK!LISTEN TO A RADIO INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!

About Dawn:

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010. That is the year she shared with her husband her long-time dream of writing books. He encouraged her to quit her job and to pursue her passion to write stories. Apart from writing books, Dawn also recently became a mother—she and her husband were blessed with a baby boy in March 2014. She also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Connect with Dawn online:

www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com
www.FaceBook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst
www.twitter.com/dawnwritesfirst
www.APassionforPages.blogspot.com
www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst
dawncrandallwritesfirst@gmail.com

Announcing the 2015 Laurel Award!

2015 LAUREL AWARD WINNER

 

Author Dawn Crandall's novel

The Bound Heart

is the winner of Clash of the Titles's fifth annual Laurel Award.

 

CONGRATULATIONS, DAWN!

 

Dawn will receive the following: a beautiful banner to display on her website; a year-long page on COTT dedicated to the winning book, The Bound Heart; a "Heart of the Matter" radio interview with author and Christian Authors Guild board member, Cynthia L Simmons; a feature tour on COTT's Blog Alliance; a lovely plaque.

The Bound Heart was chosen by a panel of judges who narrowed the list of competing novels to three. From there, the panel put their choices to a straight vote. Dawn's novel, The Bound Heart, took home the crown.

Special thanks to each of our judges who volunteered their time to this contest!

BRIEF SUMMARY OF The Bound Heart:

One accidental kiss from Lawry Hampton. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt's world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn't have the time or the desire to fall for her best friend...

Stay tuned for the full-length feature of Dawn's winning novel, The Bound Heart!

PURCHASE THE BOOK ON AMAZON

 

COTT Victory Goes To...

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations to Dawn Crandall! Her book, The Captive Imposter, won this month's clash!

 Thank you all for voting, and a special thank you to all of our authors this month!

Here are a few of our voter comments:

• Dawn Crandall is a very gifted writer. She is a master @ blending romance & suspense !

• Dawn!  You know I love your books so much that I dream about the character!! :)

• I love the writing style of Dawn Crandall. This is one of my favorite books. Keep up the good work Dawn

• The Everstone Chronicles series is not to be missed! The characters are so absorbing and their story compelling. Readers, keep a look out for these and future stories by author Dawn Crandall! You will be glad you did. YaY, Dawn Crandall; thank you for sharing your story adventures.

 

~~~

The Captive Imposter by Dawn Crandall

Sent away for protection, hotel heiress Estella Everstone is living under an assumed name in the awkward presence of her ex-fiance. However, as hotel manager Dexter Blakeley, slowly captures her heart, will the layers of family secrets and the knowledge of her true identity end up severing his love for her?
~~~

The Captive Imposter is book three in THE EVERSTONE CHRONICLES. Here are some reviews for the series:

PRAISE FOR THE EVERSTONE CHRONICLES

“Romantic! Engaging and absorbing! Dawn Crandall brings America’s Gilded Age to life on the page with vintage amour and emotional depth.”— KRISTY CAMBRON, author of The Butterfly and the Violin

“Visit a bygone era filled with romance, intrigue, and characters who will stay with you long after you close the book. Dramatic and engaging, THE EVERSTONE CHRONICLES is one series you won’t want to miss.”— MICHELLE GRIEP, author of Brentwood’s Ward

PRAISE FOR THE HESITANT HEIRESS

*Winner of the 2015 Gayle Wilson Award for Excellence Romance Writers of America book contest

“Delving deep into the human heart with prose as polished as beach stones, THE HESITANT HEIRESS is a marvelous romance and an impressive debut.”— LORI BENTON, author of Burning Sky

“Dawn Crandall is a new author to watch!”— ELIZABETH CAMDEN, author of Against the Tide and Beyond All Dreams 

PRAISE FOR THE BOUND HEART

“Dawn Crandall’s second novel in the Everstone Chronicles is an intense, powerful journey of one woman’s search for true love and true forgiveness. It is a beautiful reminder to us that nothing is too broken for God to piece together with the power of his grace. Lawry is a delightful and consistent hero worth falling for and Meredyth’s desperate longing for wholeness comes to its full completion in being loved well! Absolutely beautiful.”— PEPPER BASHAM, author of The Thorn Bearer (May 2015)

“In THE BOUND HEART, Dawn Crandall creates a cast of broken characters whose struggles spoke to me from the prologue.”— CARA PUTMAN, author of Shadowed by Grace

PRAISE FOR THE CAPTIVE IMPOSTER

“Dawn Crandall is a fresh new voice in inspirational romance, and her latest offering, THE CAPTIVE IMPOSTER, does not disappoint! Estella is sweet but imperfect, intelligent but not harsh. Blakeley is handsome: mysterious and contradictory, the perfect Byronic hero. Is Estella the woman to soften his hardened heart and is he the man to help her put her past firmly behind her? Creepy, mysterious settings with lots of lush, sensory details escort the reader through the pages as we wonder—will her secret spill? As more and more people learn the truth about this imposter, that coming reveal might just change everything.”— SANDRA BYRD, author of Mist of Midnight (March 2015)

“A blend of elegant drama and mystery, THE CAPTIVE IMPOSTER tells the story of a love unexpected. Dawn Crandall quickly became a favorite author with her first two books, and the element of hidden identity in The Captive Imposter entwines with the style I’ve come to expect from Crandall—resulting in one satisfying read.”— RACHELLE REA, author of The Sound of Diamonds (June 2015)

Find them all on Amazon:

Book 1, The Hesitant Heiress

Book 2, The Bound Heart

Book 3, The Captive Imposter

~~~

 

{About Dawn Crandall}

Dawn Crandall writes long inspirational historical romantic suspense. She has a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University and lives in northeast Indiana with her ever-supportive husband, her three cats [Lilly, Pumpkin and Clover] and their newest addition, a little baby boy named Rhett (March 2014).

A former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn didn't begin writing until her husband found out about her long-buried dream of writing a book. Without a doubt about someday becoming traditionally published, he encouraged her to quit her job in 2010 in order to focus on writing The Hesitant Heiress. It didn't take her long to realize that writing books was what she was made to do. Dawn is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary.

Dawn is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, secretary for the Indiana ACFW Chapter (Hoosier Ink), and associate member of the Great Lakes ACFW Chapter.

COTT's April New Releases

Hostess: Michelle Massaro

 

Writing Gladiators.... Step into the ARENA!

Welcome to another Clash here at Clash of the Titles! Below are FIVE New Releases, hot off the presses in April, for your entertainment. They all look wonderful to us, but YOU will decide which one takes Top Honors this month.

Please check out the covers and descriptions below and vote for the one that most appeals to you. The one that would be at the top of your To-Be-Read Pile. You may vote ONCE, and the polls will remain open through next Tuesday night.

The Captive Imposter by Dawn Crandall

Sent away for protection, hotel heiress Estella Everstone is living under an assumed name in the awkward presence of her ex-fiance. However, as hotel manager Dexter Blakeley, slowly captures her heart, will the layers of family secrets and the knowledge of her true identity end up severing his love for her?

Diamonds or Donuts by Lucie Ulrich

With her wedding put on hold, and her fiance halfway across the world, Sarah Alexander makes some much-needed changes. A new job in a new town are just what she needs to wait out her fiance's absence, but what is she to do when a handsome policeman enters the picture?

Pesto & Potholes by Susan M. Baganz

Renata moves to escape the monsters of her past and finds refuge at a church in and in the friendship of Antonio. Savory pesto combine with the inevitable potholes in the process of healing define their journey to . . . love.

Sedona Sunset by Tanya Stowe

Alexander Summers investigates art theft for UNESCO. His quest for the source of priceless pottery leads him on collision course with Lara Fallon's search for answers, putting her heart and her life in danger.

Waking Beauty by Sarah E. Morin

When fairy-Gifted Princess Brierly opens her eyes after a century-long snooze and finds a guy hovering over her with puckered lips, can she trust he’s not just another dream? What if Sleeping Beauty refused to wake up?

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