"When I brought out the award, Janice opened her eyes and lit up. 'The AWSA award. Look," Keen said. "She brought herself to a painful sitting position, had her hair brushed and posed for one of the last photos of her life."

Chafee died in February, having been diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow in 2003. Her books included If the Prodigal Were a Daughter (Harvest House Publishers) and Sisters: The Story Goes On (Thomas Nelson).

The banquet, sponsored by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA), was held to honor editors and publishing houses best demonstrating outstanding ministry partnerships with their authors.

Awards were given to Harvest House Publishers (Publisher of the Year), Vickie Crumpton of Revell (Editor of the Year) and Erin Healy of WordWright Editorial Services (Fiction Editor of the Year). Cecil Murphey, author of more than 100 books, including 90 Minutes in Heaven written with Don Piper, received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Founder of God Allows U-Turns, Allison Bottke awarded the annual God Allows U-Turns Strength of Choice Award to author Jennifer Kennedy Dean of The Praying Life Foundation.

AWSA founder Linda Evans Shepherd told Christian Retailing the awards were "a reflection of the heart of the writers and publishers who truly want to serve the Lord."

Author Lysa TerKeurst was the keynote speaker, recounting her and her husband's adoption of two Liberian teens, a story she also told on The Oprah Winfrey Show and in O magazine. She told the crowd the "shortest route to God's richest blessings is being truly obedient to God."

Keen provided special music, including a parody, "A Few of my Favorite Things" written by Martha Bolton. Authors Karen O'Connor and Karen Porter presented the Golden Scroll awards.

During the closing moments, author and speaker Carol Kent paid tribute to the recently deceased author Barbara Johnson and led a prayer for her family.

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