PETITCODIAC—Sharon L. Fawcett of Petitcodiac, NB has been shortlisted in a national writing competition for her book HOPE FOR WHOLENESS: THE SPIRITUAL PATH TO FREEDOM FROM DEPRESSION.
Fawcett, who is a freelance writer and speaker, was one of Canada’s “Faces of Mental Illness” in Mental Illness Awareness Week’s 2008 Face Mental Illness Campaign. Since 2004 she has been working to generate awareness about mental illness and bring hope to those who are affected by it.
Fawcett’s book was written to build understanding of spirituality’s role in mental health and includes illustrations from her own nine-year battle with major clinical depression, and subsequent decade of freedom from mental illness. HOPE FOR WHOLENESS is a finalist in the Christian Living book category in The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards.
The winner will be announced on June 17 at a black-tie Awards Gala at World Vision’s headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. The Gala is the premier event honouring the work of Canadian writers who are Christian. It will be hosted by Herbie Kuhn, popular speaker and in-house announcer for the Toronto Raptors basketball team.
The contest received a record number of 237 entries from writers in eight provinces. The 30 award categories include non-fiction books, novels, articles, columns, poems, and song lyrics. Fawcett is New Brunswick’s only finalist for a 2009 award.
“I am deeply honoured to be shortlisted for this award,” Fawcett said. “Many readers have told me that Hope for Wholeness has been inspirational to them as they seek healing for their own mental illness or cope with a loved one’s illness. It is rewarding to know that what I learned through a very dark period in my own life is now bringing hope to others.”
The Word Guild is a national association consisting of more than 340 writers and editors across Canada who write from a Christian perspective and publish work in a variety of genres.
To see the complete shortlist of finalists, or to obtain more information about the Gala or The Word Guild, visit www.thewordguild.com or telephone 519-886-4196.
