Award-winning author, speaker and hope advocate Johanna Vendel received an International Christian Book Award for her memoir Unseen Tears, Beneath the Mask! during the awards celebration in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
For Johanna, this recognition represents far more than a literary milestone. It honors a message born from real pain, carried by faith and transformed into purpose. The book gives language to the tears people hide, the battles others may never see and the quiet strength it takes to continue when life feels unbearable.
“I give God all the glory for taking my pain and turning it into purpose. To anyone silently struggling: please hold on. Your story is not over. There is still hope.”
— Johanna Vendel
The award-winning book
Unseen Tears,
Beneath the Mask!
This courageous memoir looks beyond the faces people present to the world and speaks to the pain so often concealed behind a smile. Through honest reflection and faith, Johanna invites readers to acknowledge their hidden wounds, release the burden of pretending and take the first brave steps toward healing.
Its central reminder is tender but powerful: removing the mask is not weakness. It can be the beginning of freedom, purpose and a life rebuilt with hope.
About the author
Johanna Vendel:
writing hope from lived experience
Johanna Vendel is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, editor, screenplay writer, songwriter and host of Give Me Hope with Johanna. She is the CEO and Founder of The Prestigious International Hope Book Awards and Founder of Voices of Hope Magazine.
Born in South Africa and now living in the United States, Johanna writes from a life marked by profound loss, perseverance and faith. After enduring the deaths of six close family members and seasons in which hope felt painfully distant, she chose to turn her experiences into words that could help others feel seen and less alone.
Her work reaches across memoir, grief support and fiction, but every title carries a shared conviction: pain can become purpose, faith can carry us through the darkest seasons and no life is beyond the reach of hope.
Books by Johanna Vendel
Six books. One enduring message of hope.
Life? Think Again!!
A testimony that pain does not have the final word.
Navigating Through Losses and Grief? Think Again!!
A compassionate companion for those learning to live through grief.
Unseen Tears, Beneath the Mask!
A memoir about hidden wounds, silent battles and the courage to remove the mask.
Still Standing — When Grief Couldn’t Finish Me…
A declaration that grief could not destroy purpose.
Echoes of an Orphan’s Heart
A heartfelt exploration of loss, belonging and the enduring need for love.
Plotting the Murder of Sabrina
A work of fiction that reveals another dimension of Johanna’s storytelling.
A milestone with a greater purpose
The award honors one book.
The message belongs to everyone who needs hope.
Johanna continues to write, speak and build platforms that help authors turn their stories into encouragement for others around the world.