Sing Down the Moon Receives a 2026 IPPY Silver Medal

I’m honored to share that Sing Down the Moon has received a Silver Medal in the Southeast Fiction category at the 2026 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs).

The Independent Publisher Book Awards have celebrated independent voices for thirty years, recognizing books that contribute to the rich and diverse landscape of publishing. To have Sing Down the Moon included among this year’s medalists is deeply meaningful to me.

Writing this novel was an act of faith—faith in story, in community, and in the complicated, beautiful people who inhabit the American South. I am grateful to everyone who helped bring the book into the world, especially the team at Mercer University Press, fellow writers who encouraged me along the way, and readers who welcomed these characters into their lives.

Awards are never created in isolation. They reflect the support, generosity, and belief of countless people who walk alongside a writer on the long road from first draft to finished book.

Thank you to the IPPY Awards for this recognition, and thank you to everyone who has read, shared, recommended, and championed Sing Down the Moon. I couldn’t be more grateful.