Are you looking for more book ideas? I shared my first list of 5 Christian Authors to Read to get you started, and I’m not kidding when I say “get started.” I knew there were lots of top-notch authors to share, but I didn’t realize there were hundreds. Offering these lists to you will keep me busy for a long time. Here are 5 female Christian fiction authors I’d like to introduce you to.
Like last time, I have two guidelines:
- These are contemporary authors whose books I have read and enjoyed.
- The authors are award-winners. (Honestly, I might change this rule because sometimes authors write great books but the timing isn’t right for an award.)
In this particular list, I decided to focus on female Christian authors. I don’t have the statistics, but a quick Google search brings up so many more female Christian fiction authors than male. In my next list, I’ll focus on male fiction authors–I just need to get busy reading a few more before then!
This list also happens to feature authors I have met. Lucky for me, I can call one of them a friend, but to the others, I was one of a crowd where they spoke or taught. Still, meeting them in person adds a layer of connection for me.
Read on for 5 female Christian fiction authors I think you’ll love. I hope this list will lead you to some new favorites.
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#1. Kristy Cambron
If you love historical novels set in enchanting cities like Paris, London, Dublin, and Boston, you should pick up one of Kristy Cambron’s many books. You’ll be hooked.
You can start anywhere, but The Lost Castle is a great historical romance that spans three time periods: the French Revolution, World War II, and the present day. I have a touch of French in my heritage, and I studied the language many years ago, so this castle-story set in the Loire Valley kept me turning the pages.
She has a new book coming out in 2024 and plenty of backlist books for you to devour. I took one of her classes at the ACFW 2023 Annual Conference and chatted with her as a potential agent for my book. There’s something about meeting an author in person to make me feel an extra special connection. She’s a kind creative who encourages writers everywhere.
#2. Katherine Reay
Katherine Reay says she writes “love letters to books,” so if you are a bibliophile, then she’s the author for you. She also loves history, and she brings that love to many of her stories, including The London House, a split-time novel about Britain’s World War II spy network.
Others, like Dear Mr. Knightley and Lizzy and Jane are contemporary stories that weave in her love of classic novels through the characters, the plots, and the love of classic books.
Still others, including the The Printed Letter Bookshop and Of Literature and Lattes, feature cozy and quaint bookstores. You can almost smell the nutty coffee and the crisp pages (even if you’re reading on your Kindle). I’d recommend starting with The London House, but you can’t go wrong with any of her books!
I met Katherine at her book launch for The London House at a local bookstore. It’s a treat to get some behind-the-scenes peeks into the process behind writing a novel from the author. Katherine was thoughtful, articulate, and inspiring to writers.
#3. Rhonda Ortiz
I have a special place in my heart for Rhonda. She’s a friend, a member of my local writing group, a mentor, and the bonus? She’s a gifted writer. I’m also amazed at how she juggles her full life with a husband, six children, and an old house. And she writes beautifully.
Her first two books in the Molly Chase series, In Pieces and Adrift, will surprise and delight you with their depth of characters and spot-on dialogue. These are historical romances with a clever spy plot woven throughout, and as one reviewer writes, “refreshingly alive” without the “schmaltzy sweetness” found in many romances. Her characters face conflicts that will make you think, but you will not have to work hard for the sweet stories.
Let me give you the opening lines from In Pieces (which won the 2020 ACFW Genesis Award for Historical Romance) and you’ll get a taste for her style:
“Molly Chase should have been in church. Not skulking in the alley behind the merchant buildings like a common thief. Not braving the March weather or hoping the few men wandering the streets near Boston Harbor would overlook her horse and wagon. She needed to raid Papa’s warehouse before his creditors did.”
#4. Lynn Austin
Like me, Lynn Austin is a Michigander. The first two books I read were because of the setting– Holland, Michigan, my home city. Her historical duology, Waves of Mercy (Waves of Mercy and Legacy of Mercy), tells the story of Anna and her grandmother, Geesje. Weaving faith, history, and romance together, Lynn writes gripping stories with rich characters.
In fact, eight of her novels have won Christy Awards for excellence in Christian Fiction. She was even named to the Christy Award Hall of Fame in 2013. And that’s just scraping the surface of awards Lynn’s books have won. She is truly a talented writer.
She’s also an encouragement for other writers. I’ve been blessed to hear her speak twice to our local writing group where she shared her writing journey and some of the lessons she’s learned.
#5. Amanda Barratt
Last but certainly not least on this list: Amanda Barratt. (She’s also a Michigan gal.) Recipient of the Christy Award and the Carol Award and self proclaimed history nerd, Amanda writes historical novels about a variety of eras, but her favorite is World War II:
“In times of some of the greatest evil and inhumanity our world has ever known, there emerged glimmers of courage, resilience, and sacrifice. The juxtaposition of those fragments of light against the darkness is extraordinarily powerful and inspires me as I write.”
Amanda Barratt, About Amanda
Amanda has written 17 novels and novellas, and she’s a Michigander (The Mitten State is full of great authors!). And she’s young enough to be my daughter.
As a Lutheran, I was eager to read My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love. You may know Bonhoeffer’s name as the German pastor and theologian famous for his resistance to the Nazis. However, few know of the love story that filled the last few years of his life. A love story “that rivals any romance novel.” Reviewers call My Dearest Dietrich “as beautiful as it is brave” and “one of the most impeccably researched books I have ever read in any genre.”
Love learning about Christian authors? Check out my (always growing) list of recommended authors. Who are your favorite Christian authors to read? Favorite Christian books?
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