The Southern Independent Book Award (SIBA) folks have justannounced their finalists, among whom is River Jordan, who just spoke at theCalvin Conference. Though River is a finalist in the non-fiction category, she would tell you, "I also write fiction!" Here’s the list of SIBA's fiction and non-fiction finalists:

 Fiction

The Beach Trees by Karen White (New American Library)

The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe (GalleryBooks)

The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew (Kensington)

Iron House by John Hart (St. Martin’s Press)

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (Random House)

Nonfiction

Lions of the West by Robert Morgan (Algonquin Books of ChapelHill)

Praying for Strangers by River Jordan (Berkley)

Upheaval in Charleston by Susan Millar Williams and StephenG. Hoffius (University of Georgia Press)

Working South by Mary Whyte (University of South CarolinaPress)

You Don’t Sweat Much for a Fat Girl by Celia Rivenbark (St.Martin’s Griffin)