Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik

Tom Pawlik's debut novel Vanish has received great kudos (it won the 2006 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest). But he's not a one hit wonder. His sophomore novel, Valley of the Shadow, is coming in July 2009 from Tyndale House.

Summary:

Conner Hayden is certain he survived his near-death experience for a reason.

He thinks it’s to save the life—and soul—of Mitch Kent. Mitch’s body remains on life support while his spirit is trapped with the old farmer Howard Bristol in the Interworld—a strange and dangerous dimension that Conner narrowly escaped during his brush with death in Pawlik’s award-winning debut novel, Vanish.

Meanwhile, in the Interworld, Mitch receives a warning from a mysterious stranger: Howard is not who he appears to be, and Mitch must flee immediately. Pursued by Howard and a terrifying, deadly creature, Mitch soon learns the truth about what happened to him and that his only hope of survival lies at the very edge of the Interworld.

Tom also said this at his blog:

The sequel follows the stories of Conner, Mitch and Devon--oh and Howard too, while introducing a couple of new characters as well. I also developed more details around the basic scenario presented in VANISH and added in some new elements of the unknown to keep readers guessing.

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent (Operation First Novel 2007 winner)

Coming in January 2009 from Tyndale is Jennifer Erin Valent's debut novel, which won the 2007 Operation First Novel contest sponsored by the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.

Back Cover Copy:

“The summer I turned thirteen, I thought I killed a man.”

So begins the story of Jessilyn Lassiter, a young girl whose world is torn apart the summer of 1932. When Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, loses her parents in a tragic fire, Jessilyn’s father vows to care for her as his own, despite the fact that Gemma is black and prejudice is prevalent in their southern Virginia town.

It doesn’t take long for the Lassiters to attract the attention of a local band of Ku Klux Klan members, who make increasingly violent threats on Jessilyn and her family.

As she struggles to navigate a complex world of first crushes, loyalties, and betrayals, Jessilyn ultimately discovers what it takes to be a bright light in a dark world.