BEYOND THE BOOK: GET TO KNOW THE FINALIST AUTHORS

ADD ON: Special Morning Gathering of Authors & Readers

Meet and hear the hearts of the 2026 finalist authors in this intimate time of connection between authors and their readers.

Amanda Dykes

Amanda Dykes likes to cook up stories wherever she goes, whether that's hiking a mountain trail, kayaking a big blue lake, savoring the chance to meet wonderful readers and hear their true stories, or chasing to keep up with her 4 kids on their many varied adventures. An ECPA, Parable Group, and Amazon bestselling author, each of her five novels have been finalists for the Christy Award, with two winning and her debut, Whose Waves These Are, being named a Christy Award Book of the Year. She's also the author of the new-in-2026 picture book, The Lamplighter, and the children's nature exploration + devotional book, A Pocketful of Wonder.

Jeff Crosby

Jeff Crosby is the president of ECPA and an organizational leader and writer who has spent more than four decades working in the world of words and ideas through roles in bookselling and book publishing. He is the author of "The Language of the Soul: Meeting God in the Longings of Our Hearts" (Broadleaf, 2023), "World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading" (Paraclete Press, 2025), and the editor and compiler of "Days of Grace Through the Year" (IVP, 2007), a collection of meditations drawn from the work of bestselling author Lewis B. Smedes. He is currently at work on "The Spirit in the Sky: The Power of Music in Our Search for Graceland" (Bloomsbury, 2026). His previous written work has appeared in numerous publications including CRUX, Conversations Journal, Living Lutheran Magazine, Urban Faith, Books & Culture, Christian Retailing, Publishers Weekly, Together (UK) and ExploreFaith.org.

Our featured 2026 Finalist Authors will be posted here after the Finalist Reveal webinar on September 11.

We thank the following organizations for their promotional support: