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We have a new release from author Jill Lynn!
THE SUMMER OF KEEPING SECRETS is a captivating story about a single summer that could completely break a family apart—or bring them back together.
With a Colorado lakeside setting, plenty of family drama and a murder mystery from the past, this is a captivating summer read perfect for your beach bag or lazy afternoons on the deck.
Congratulations Jill!
Happy release day to author Terry Stokes!
Countless people, including (and sometimes especially) those from religious backgrounds, are exploring radical ideas.
In Jesus and the Abolitionist, Stokes introduces readers to the ancient practice of anarchy and how it intersects with Christian beliefs and values. We see how beliefs about God, humanity, divine-human interaction, the Bible, and more can be illuminated and faithfully reformulated through an anarchist lens. This view, which Stokes calls anarchist Christianity, seeks to abolish tyrannical systems that do not recognize the changing values of our times and that disempower the people.
We can build an ethical world--one built on structures of care--and anarchy might just be the unlikely key.
Congratulations Terry!
Happy release day to author Kaitlin Curtice!
In this children’s picture book, an Indigenous boy invites new friends to share in beloved traditions as he celebrates the joy of summer and his love for Earth and Creator, reveling in the warmth, light, and fun of the longest days of the year.
Congratulations Kaitlin!
Happy release day to author Cara Putman!
In this suspenseful novel, Janae Simmons left the small town of Kedgewick, Virginia, ten years ago to pursue her legal career and never looked back –until a professional mistake leads her to her grandmother's historic carriage house and to the town where her past threatens to find her.
Carter Montgomery, director of the local art museum, is embroiled in a scandal involving stolen paintings. After he enlists Janae's help in unraveling the mystery, an attorney turns up dead and things begin to spiral. Carter and Janae confront a looming question: What dark truths lie beneath the surface, waiting to be exposed?
Congratulations Cara!
Happy release day to author Kristy Cambron!
In her latest release, The British Booksellers, You've Got Mail meets Downton Abbey for rival booksellers who get a second-chance romance they never expected.
In this historical novel of the Forgotten Blitz, a found family of booksellers must set aside their differences and fight to save their community and each other during England's single most devastating event of WWII.
From the English countryside to Coventry's cobblestone streets, and a pair of bookshops in the heart of a community. . . The British Booksellers highlights how books can bring us together, even in the most uncertain times.
Congratulations, Kristy!
Happy release day to author Becca Kinzer!
Becca's second novel "Love in Tandem" hits shelves today.
In this rom-com, Charlotte is perfectly content leading a quiet life in her small hometown. Zach is an adventurer with unquenchable wanderlust. The two couldn’t be any more opposite if they tried. But a tandem bicycle and a 500-mile road trip just might change all that.
Congratulations, Becca!
We are excited to announce the newest member of our team!
Candice Marie Benbow is a writer who has written for various outlets including ESSENCE, Glamour, Religion News Service, VICE, Andscape at ESPN and the Me Too Movement. Her first book, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough, was released in 2022. She is also a highly sought after ghostwriter and writing coach.
Rachelle Gardner, founder and president of Gardner Literary, says, “Candice is a natural leader with her finger on the pulse of our current culture. Her eye for important topics and her passion for mentoring writers make her a natural for the role of literary agent. Having been her agent for several years, I’m excited to work with Candice in a new capacity and I’m confident she’ll build a successful client list and serve her authors well.”
Benbow situates her work at the intersection of faith, feminism and culture, and amplifying underrepresented voices within publishing is her deepest motivation. Moving forward, she plans to focus her efforts on representing authors of nonfiction, with particular interest in pop culture, memoir, leadership and Christian living, including Bible studies and devotionals.
Welcome, Candice!
Happy release day to Sarah Bessey!
For anyone who has doubted and questioned their faith, done some deconstructing, and landed in a place where they want to reimagine what faith can be rather than walk away… the ultimate handbook is here.
Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith shows us a way to reconstruct a faith centered on compassion, truth, and inclusion. A guided journal is also available as a companion.
With her trademark warmth, compassion, and gentle humor, Sarah Bessey is a shepherd for our curiosity, giving space for our questions and tools to help us find what we need.
Congratulations, Sarah, on this beautiful new work!
Happy release day to Jamie Ogle for her debut novel – Of Love and Treason!
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AD 270. In the wake of the Roman emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety.
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Drawn to Valentine's courage and conviction, Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the mounting troubles at home. While the pair begin to hope for a future beyond the treacherous empire, a past debt and a staggering betrayal collide, and they must fight for their lives . . . and wrestle with trusting a God who can restore sight yet does not always keep His followers from peril.
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Congrats, Jamie! And shoutout to her agent, Kristy Cambron.
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I'm so happy to announce that after working alongside me for more than five years, serving first as Administrative Assistant and currently as Operations Manager, Sherri Wilson Johnson has been promoted to Associate Agent.
Sherri's expertise and dedication have been instrumental in the agency's success, as she has been involved on every level of agency operations and author relations.
She has begun building her client list while being mentored by the other agents, with whom she will share clients until she is promoted to full literary agent. She will initially focus on the Christian market, with particular interest in women's fiction and contemporary romance. She is also seeking faith-related nonfiction, especially personal development, psychology and wellness.
Sherri is going to be a fantastic agent and we are thrilled to have her on our team!
I'm thrilled to announce Kristy Cambron has been promoted to Vice President of Gardner Literary!
Kristy is an integral part of our team, serving as literary agent for the last two years. She has a keen understanding of the publishing industry, a passion for nurturing talent, and a commitment to delivering exceptional results for her authors.
In her new role as Vice President, Kristy will continue to play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of Gardner Literary while serving her clients in her ongoing role as literary agent.
Congratulations, Kristy!
Happy 2024 from Rachelle, Sherri, Ashley and Kristy!
So happy for author Kayla Craig, whose beautiful book "Every Season Sacred" hit the ECPA bestseller list!
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Congratulations, Kayla!
We got out of the escape room with one minute to spare! The Gardner Literary team got paired up with a nice couple, and together we cracked the code. Good times!
Happy release day to author Kaitlin B. Curtice!
I'm excited about this beautiful children’s book. WINTER’S GIFTS is available now and is perfect for Native American Heritage Month & the holiday season.
Kaitlin’s book is about our spiritual connection to nature and is the first in a series celebrating the seasons. It’s gorgeously illustrated by Gloria Félix.
“Winter’s Gifts is the tale of a young Potawatomi girl named Dani whose family celebrates the darkest season of the year by treasuring the slowness that winter brings. Dani’s schoolmates think it’s silly to think that Earth gives us presents, but on a magical snowy day, her family and Creator give Dani the courage to teach her friends about the gifts of winter—resting, remembrance, and gratitude. Can Dani help them receive winter’s gifts?”
Congratulations, Kaitlin, on your first children’s book!
Happy release day to author Matthias Roberts!
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Holy Runaways speaks to people who are feeling ignored, oppressed, or rejected by their religious community and church, offering a path forward built on speaking truth, deep listening, and acting with compassion.
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Psychotherapist Matthias Roberts reaches out to those who, like him, want to understand the religion they've run from and erect a new faith on firmer foundations. He concludes that the best blueprint for a new spiritual home requires reimagining ourselves, God, and our very definition of faith.
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Congratulations, Matthias!
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Happy release day to author Kayla Craig!
Every Season Sacred is a weekly invitation to grow spiritually alongside our children. It’s an invitation to ask big questions, embrace faithful rhythms, and experience God’s mysterious, loving presence together.
You don’t have to have all the answers, but you can tend to your own soul and to your family’s flourishing. This book offers beautiful reflections, encouragement, and discussion prompts to help you.
Congratulations, Kayla!
Happy release day to author Jamie Bruesehoff!
"Raising Kids Beyond the Binary" is a brave and groundbreaking work helping parents navigate the emotional, spiritual, and logistical landscape of raising a gender-diverse child.
The book calls upon people of faith and the Church to love and affirm young people in who God created them to be.
Rising above the raging political and religious debates, this book is a bold and joyful acceptance and celebration of transgender and gender-diverse children and those who love them.
Congratulations, Jamie, on the release of your first book!
Happy release day to author Kat Armas!
Many Christians today are seeking to disentangle biblical teaching from power structures that marginalize women and people of color. There's a hunger for a new kind of devotional that offers refreshing and relevant ways to connect with God and the Bible—ways that challenge readers to seek out a more liberated and embodied faith.
In her 40-day devotional "Sacred Belonging," Kat shows us that reading the Bible with fresh eyes allows us to experience God in new and liberating ways.
Congratulations, Kat, on your second book!
Happy release day to author Kathi Lipp!
"The Accidental Homesteader: What I’ve Learned About Chickens, Compost, and Creating Home" hits shelves today.
Kathi shares the hard-won wisdom she’s gained on her homestead journey to help you accomplish more at home, gain fresh perspective, and give yourself grace in the process.
Highly practical, humorous, and inspirational, "The Accidental Homesteader" will encourage you to live with more peace, joy, and contentment.
Congratulations, Kathi!
Congratulations to my client Erin Quinn-Kong! The Publishers Marketplace announcement for her debut novel, HATE FOLLOW, is today's Deal of the Day. We're excited for this book to hit the shelves in October, 2024. Thanks to publisher William Morrow Books and editor Asanté Simons for the partnership.
Congratulations to scholar, theologian, and clinical psychologist Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes on the release of your new book!
“Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves” is a course on nourishing our souls, with daily readings, prompts and prayers on practicing self-compassion, setting boundaries, accessing pleasure and joy, identifying priorities, and establishing routines that reflect our values.
This is the self-care book we’ve been needing! Our spiritual selves need tending and this book guides us along the way.
Happy release day, Dr. Chanequa!
I am so excited about this book! Dietitian Leslie Schilling offers us insight and tools to recognize the lies of diet culture and to free ourselves from them.
FEED YOURSELF helps us understand diet culture myths, fight the lies we've been sold, and discover the truth about our health and well-being.
This book is so full of truth and so freeing! Leslie teaches us how to step away from shame and guilt, how to trust our own bodies, how to identify what our bodies really need, and how to find freedom in food and learn to define health for ourselves.
Thank you, Leslie Schilling, Sport Dietitian & Nutrition Therapist, for this wonderful book! Congratulations and happy release day.
When Amanda first told me she wanted to write a book about the "emotional prosperity gospel," I couldn't say YES fast enough!
Many Christians deny the prosperity gospel—the idea that God wants you to be healthy and wealthy— but embrace its more subtle spin-off, the emotional prosperity gospel, the belief that happiness and spiritual euphoria will follow if you believe the right things and make the right choices.
In Holy Unhappiness, Amanda Held Opelt grapples with her own experience of disillusionment when life with God didn’t always feel the way she expected it to feel. She examines some of the historic, religious, and cultural influences that led to the idolization of positive feelings and the marginalization of negative feelings.
This book will resonate with so many Christians who are wondering why their faith doesn't feel like it's supposed to. Amanda breaks it all down and helps us conclude that there is holiness to be found even in our unhappiness.
Congratulations to Author Sarah Ladd on the release of her latest novel! “In the Shelter of Hollythorne House” is a regency featuring second-chance love and forbidden romance. Happy release day, Sarah!
Congratulations to author Marcie Alvis Walker on the release of her debut book!
I knew from the first time I read Marcie’s words that she was a writer whose words would be world-changing. A writer I’d be honored and thrilled to walk alongside.
The reviews are in and everyone agrees. This is a must-read, gorgeous piece of work.
I am so very proud of Marcie for this beautiful book and the incredible journey it represents. Happy release day!
Querying authors, we're looking for adult closed door romance, suspense or romantic suspense geared toward the CBA and General market. No DMs. See submission guidelines: https://rachellegardner.com/submissions
So proud of our client Amanda Held Opelt for being a finalist in the Christian Book Awards for her wonderful book, A Hole in the World. Congratulations!
https://christianbookawards.com/finalists.html
The agent gets paid when the author gets paid.
THIS BOOK. Y’all, this book. This one has been needed for so long!
In Sensual Faith, Lyvonne Briggs, MDiv, ThM draws on a womanist perspective to exhort Black women to overcome religious shame and love their bodies. It’s time to practice a spirituality that harmonizes our bodies with pleasure and sexuality.
The world has made Black women feel as if their bodies are mere instruments, and Christianity has positioned sexuality as evil. In this book, Lyvonne gently shows women how to reclaim what has been theirs all along.
Filled with wellness rituals, journal prompts, affirmations, and practices, Sensual Faith shows us how to celebrate our bodies as our very homes.
I am so very proud of Lyvonne for this beautiful work. Happy release day!
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