—Media—
Awards
Nikki Arana
Short Bio:
Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of women’s fiction, essays, poetry, and magazine articles whose work has been published in the United States and Canada. She has won several national awards, including the American Christian Fiction Book of the Year for Women's Fiction - twice, and the Beacon Award. Her book, The Winds of Sonoma was named One of the Top 20 Books of the Year by Christianbook.com. Nikki is also the recipient of the Excellence in Media Silver Angel Award. All of her books deal with social, political, and spiritual issues that confront society today. She is an experienced speaker and has presented numerous, highly successful workshops on the craft of writing. Nikki also serves persecuted Christians who are under the threat of death through her ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted.
Long Bio:
Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of women’s fiction, suspense, essays, poetry, and magazine articles whose work has been published in the United States and Canada.
Nikki has won several national awards, including –
The Evangelical Christian Publisher’s Award for Fiction - The Next Target
The American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year for Women's Fiction (The Carol Award) – Twice
The Beacon Award for Excellence in Romance
The Write Touch Award
Her novel The Winds of Sonoma was named One of the Top 20 Books of the Year by Christianbook.com
The Excellence in Media Silver Angel Award,
Nikki was also honored by her home state of Idaho with the Jessie Cameron Alison Writer of the Year Award and the Idaho State Writer of the Year Award
Public Speaking
Nikki is an experienced speaker and has presented numerous, highly successful workshops on the craft of writing. She has been a keynote speaker, a featured speaker and presented workshops in the following venues:
RWA National Conference
Willamette Writers Conference
Idaho Writer’s League State Conference
Inland Empire Chapter of Romance Writers of America Retreat
Real Life Ministries Book Club
Benewah County Writers Conference
About Nikki
All of her books deal with social, political, and spiritual issues that Christian's face today. The Winds of Sonoma, touched on immigration. In the Shade of the Jacaranda, dealt with abortion. The Fragrance of Roses, dealt with the need to have more minorities donating to bone marrow registries. As I Have Loved You, is about a single mom whose college age son gets mixed up with the wrong girl. The situation is complicated because the son has Attention Deficit Disorder. The Next Target, is about the need for Christians to minister to Muslims who are here in the United States. That’s a thought provoking subject. She writes about these issues to raise public awareness.
She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Nikki lives with her husband of fifty years in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They have two grown sons and 3 grandchildren! She would love to hear from you.
Christian Book Award Winners for 2013
The 2013 Christian Book Award Winner for Fiction.
THE NEXT TARGET by Nikki Arana
The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) has announced the winners for the 2013 Christian Book Awards. Presented annually to the finest in Christian publishing since 1978. The ECPA presented the 2013 awards at an awards banquet held Mon., Apr. 29, 2013, during the ECPA Leadership Summit at World Outreach Church outside Nashville, Tenn.
Five finalists are selected in each of seven categories: Bibles, Fiction, Children, Inspiration, Bible Reference, Non-Fiction, and New Author. A stringent judging process is followed by judging panels specially selected for each category. The top-scoring book in each category is named the Christian Book Award winner. The Christian Book of the Year is chosen among the finalists to represent Christian publishing's highest quality and greatest impact for 2013. It is among the oldest and most prestigious awards program in Christian publishing.
Arana’s novel, The Next Target, was inspired by her ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted, which helps keep alive Christians who are under the threat of death. She presents a powerful novel of intrigue with a compelling twist on Muslim-Christian relations. The novel’s heroine, Austia Donatelli, a young widow with an underground evangelistic ministry to Muslims near L.A., discovers a friend, someone close to her heart whom she recently led to Christ, has been murdered. Suddenly, Austia, her ministry, and everyone she cares about are thrust in the crosshairs of a terrorist organization. As the extremists zero in, she must unravel the deception surrounding her and protect innocent lives, including her own.
Set in the U.S. and focused on a challenging call to Christians in today’s world, The Next Target captures the drama of terrorist-themed novels while challenging readers to consider what price they would be willing to pay to share their faith. Publishers Weekly, in a rave review, wrote, "Arana's vivid imagery is imbued with spiritual force and her pacing is fiercely powerful."
Past winners have included New York Times Bestselling authors Joel Rosenberg, Karen Kingsbury, and Ted Dekker.