Interview with the 2026 Fiction Winners

Congratulations to the 2026 fiction winners of the Gibson Prize!

Caprice Moore won first place with the first page of her novel-in-progress, A Fire Rekindled.

Redeemed villain is Caprice’s top favorite trope, and much of her writing reflects that. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, which she uses both to torture and heal characters. Caprice released her Grinch-inspired debut novel as a newsletter freebie!

A Fire Rekindled will actually be book 2 in an interconnected series. (The first is available now.) The original thought came from several dreams Caprice turned into a story idea!

Caprice says the world needs Christian fiction to combat fiction written by non-Christians and give options that will shine the light. "If we don’t write fiction that is just as impactful, gripping, and immersive that will give that satisfying “wow”, then people will find it elsewhere. As writers, we have the opportunity to dive into readers’ hearts. While there, we have the responsibility to reflect Christ. Let’s not forget, this can be done whether you’re writing Christian fiction or general fiction." You can find out more about Caprice’s novels on her website: https://capricealizah.wpcomstaging.com/

Heather Griffin won second place with the first page of her novel-in-progress, Songs Worth Forgetting.

Heather Griffin's debut novel, a nerdy Christian rom-com, releases in January 2027 (ARC sign-ups are open now!)

Heather has won three chili cook-offs and jokes to her husband that "I am now his trophy-wife (haha!)."

She started writing in 2023, and says it has been life-changing. "God graciously opened doors so I could quit my corporate job and transition to be a stay-at-home mom, romance author, and part-time line editor for Quill & Flame publishing house."

"Songs Worth Forgetting began as a serious-toned dual-timeline story, where a magical piano ties together the lives of a 1950s woman and a modern-day woman. Turns out, the original plot was just way too sad for me! Because I grew up playing piano and wanted to feature a magical instrument, I didn't discard the idea; instead, I'm shifting the focus entirely to the modern-day FMC. It'll be a magical rom-com companion novel to the WIP I'm pitching this summer."

Heather shares her thoughts on why Christian authors are so needed: "Last week, I listened to a webinar where Steve Laube shared that 30,000 books are published EACH day on Amazon. As Christians, our stories and lives have a purpose: to fulfill the Great Commission. To do that effectively, we must write the best stories possible to penetrate an oversaturated market. It's also one of the reasons I try to encourage, beta read, and edit for Christian author friends for free. Quality determines readership, and we can't share Christ's love through our stories if people won't read our books. It is so important we lift each other up."

Learn more about Heather Griffin's writing: https://www.theheathergriffin.com