Blogging With Carol

Love Blooms In Winter by Lori Copeland

2012-01-26T23:28:00.000-08:00

Hey, it is still Winter here!

What a wonderful time to read Love Blooms In Winter! Pauline is the sweet little older lady next door in a town so tiny it fits on five acres! Mae runs the Post Office, but every day she and her brother check on Pauline several times a day because she doesn't have any kin nearby. Quite frankly, Pauline isn't doing so well and it is almost more than Mae and her brother can handle to try to care for Pauline and all her critter "babies" in addition to the other things that need to be done. Mae is very fond of Pauline and knowing she needs full time care, she decides to find her relatives so they can help. Sweet little Pauline never married, so there aren't any kin of a husband or children to help her. The only person she can find is a man named Tom. Mae starts sending Tom letters imploring him for his help with his relation. Tom can't remember a Pauline and at first he thinks this is a prank. But maybe he does have a Great-Aunt Pauline. How are you suppose to know someone you never knew is kin to you or not anyway?

When a second letter comes Tom decides it is time to go check out the situation and see what he can do. What happens next he never expected, and Mae sure didn't! After all, for the last six years she has had the same finace with the same old dead tired repeated patterns who is going to set a date for their wedding...one day. After all, as year after year rolls by she is sure he will do more than just say one day I will marry you, but in six years he has yet to move their relationship forward to the next level.

Little does Mae know, nor does Tom, that with his arrival everything is about to change. Lives, love and a lot more are waking up and many things are about to bloom in the coldest part of Winter.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Love Blooms in Winter Harvest House Publishers (January 1, 2012) by Lori Copeland
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. Lance and Lori have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. Lance and Lori are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.

Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market. In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him. It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market. To date, she has had over 100 books published.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A romantic new book from bestselling author Lori Copeland that portrays God’s miraculous provision even when none seems possible.

1892—Mae Wilkey’s sweet next-door neighbor, Pauline, is suffering from old age and dementia and desperately needs family to come help her. But Pauline can’t recall having kin remaining. Mae searches through her desk and finds a name—Tom Curtis, who may just be the answer to their prayers.

Tom can’t remember an old aunt named Pauline, but if she thinks he’s a long-lost nephew, he very well may be. After two desperate letters from Mae, he decides to pay a visit. An engagement, a runaway train, and a town of quirky, loveable people make for more of an adventure than Tom is expecting. But it is amazing what can bloom in winter when God is in charge of things.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Love Blooms in Winter, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0736930191

Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey

2012-01-25T11:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday Dear Readers!

Today we are going to talk about Where Wildflowers Bloom by Ann Shorey. I had not read one of her books before, but the name of this one drew me. I also like the cover. This is the story of a young lady named Faith. She lives in a little town that borders on being not a town because Nobel Springs is just very small. Her Grandfather runs the mercantile, but their family has suffered great losses. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Wives, and more are all dead because of the war. Brave much loved family members have marched off to war never to come home again. Faith's heart hurts over the man she cared for who never came back home, and her brother and father who gave their lives in service to their country. Faith hurts so much, that she hasn't formed solid roots, and all she wants to do is leave and go out West. Oregon is where she thinks her life will be what it should be, only convincing those around her is not so easy.

While she is waiting to go to Oregon, and running the mercantile so her Grandfather can work on his memoirs,

she starts finding a wonderful friend in Rosemary. Rosemary is shunned in her community because she worked as a nurse during the war. She worked to save lives of brave men, yet she is rejected by the town who feels her job made her as close to a woman of ill-repute as she could get and not actually be one! After all, touching mens' bodies like that - well it is just beyond not proper for a lady! Even so, Faith finds herself drawn to this woman, and her brother Curt. Curt works at the livery, and he too fought in the war.

Just as Faith was getting her life lined up as she thought it should be, Royal Baxter comes back from the war. Here is the man she thought she would marry one day, and now, after all this he is interested in her! Or is he really? She is dealing with the issues surrounding the mercantile, including robberies, wanting to sell it but her Grandfather isn't totally agreeable, trying to sort out who she is suppose to spend her life with, keeping the store a-float and helping her friends. Is what she thinks is her heart's desire really her heart's deepest desire, or does God have other plans for her life?

This was a very easy to read book that showed not only the settings and preparations of settlers planning or considering transplanting themselves far off, but also a good strong book about making friends and the ties that truly bind us to the lives and plans we are suppose to have if we are open to God's path for us.

Carol

About the Book:

The War Between the States stole a father and brother from Faith Lindberg-- as well as Royal Baxter, the man she wanted to marry. With only her grandfather left, she dreams of leaving Noble Springs, Missouri, and traveling west to the Oregon Territory to start a new life, away from the memories that haunt her. But first she must convince her grandfather to sell the family's mercantile and leave a town their family has called home for generations.

When Royal Baxter suddenly returns to town, Faith allows herself to hope that her dreams might come true. Does he truly love her? Or could another man claim her heart? Will she find that following her dreams may not mean leaving home after all?

About the Author:

Ann Shorey has such a wonderful write up about herself, and her work that I just highly recommend you go read her web site! http://www.annshorey.com/novels.html

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

Chasing Mona Lisa is not your every day book. It has a nice bit of history included, and plenty of chasing and drama. The brave females in this book, Gabi and Colette are the main ones, were quite courageous. We have one loving finace, and man who thinks he wants to be a husband. This book centers around Paris, and the Louvre, and of course, Mona Lisa. Colette works in the Louve during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Her job is to protect the Mona Lisa at all costs. To keep her hidden and safe until Paris is free and safe again. The man she is in love with could be working for the Germans, but she isn't sure, and she is being blackmailed. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring wants the famous work for more than one reason. One is he collects fine art, and the other is as a National Treasure he can use the Mona Lisa as leverage to get what he wants when the fighting stops and more power grabs come into play.

This book has several twists and turns and over all was an interesting read. I think what was most interesting to me was how Paris was effected by the Nazi regime, and how misguided some people were about who was in charge at that time. I took a great deal of Art History in college, which is one reason I choose to read this book and see what the authors did.

Carol

About The Book:

One enigmatic smile. Two passionate protectors. And a relentlessly ticking clock.

August 1944. Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country and steal countless pieces of irreplaceable art. In fact, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all--the Mona Lisa--as a postwar bargaining chip.

But the woman with the mysterious smile has some very determined protectors. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece before it falls into German hands?

With nonstop action and intrigue, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get your adrenaline pumping as you join the chaise to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Parish to a posh Swiss chateau, the race is on - and the runners are playing for keeps.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Tricia Goyer is the coauthor of The Swiss Courier as well as the author of many other books, including Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights, both past winners of the ACFW's Book of the Year Award for Long Historical Romance. Goyer lives with her family in Arkansas. For more about Tricia and her other books visit www.triciagoyer.com.

Mike Yorkey is the author or coauthor of dozens of books, including The Swiss Courier and the bestselling Every Man's Battle series. Married to a Swiss native, Yorkey lived in Switzerland for 18 months. He and his family currently reside in California. For more about Mike and his other books visit www.mikeyorkey.com.

Win an iTouch SPY Pack in the Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway from @triciagoyer @mikeyorkey!

Chasing Mona Lisa is the continuing tale of Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler (first introduced in The Swiss Courier). This time the due are on a relentless quest to save the most famous painting in the world - the Mona Lisa. You can help Gabi and Eric with your very own spy pack when you enter The Chasing Mona Lisa Giveaway!

Enter online by clicking HERE!

One passionate protector will receive:

iTouch (The must-have device for any spy. Camera, Maps & Music.)
Starbucks Gift Card (For all those late nights.)
Moleskin Notebook (For those important notes.)
Invisible Ink Pen (Don’t want anyone reading those important notes.)
Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey (Great handbook and intriguing tale for any spy-in-training!)
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on January 31st. The winner will be announced at the Chasing Mona Lisa Facebook Party on 1/31. Tricia and Mike will be hosting an author chat (on Facebook and Live from Tricia's website) and giving away their books and a Book Club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Tricia and Mike.)

So grab your copy of Chasing Mona Lisa and join Tricia and Mike on the evening of the 31st for an author chat, spy training (do you know how to pick a lock?) and lots of giveaways.

“Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

GIVEAWAY from Ann Shorey based on Where Wildflowers Bloom!!!

2012-01-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

Giveaway alert!
This ties to a book you will soon see my review on! Meanwhile, check out this chance to win! :)
Carol

Enter the MERCANTILE MEMORIES Giveaway !!!
Visit HERE for all the information and to enter to win.

ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY:

In Where Wildflowers Bloom, Book 1 in author Ann Shorey’s brand new Sisters at Heart series, Faith Lindberg wants nothing more than to escape her small Missouri town, and the graveyard of painful memories left by the Civil War. She plans to sell her grandfather’s mercantile, and join a wagon train bound for Oregon. But her grandfather, and a handsome stable man have other plans!

To celebrate the story, author Ann Shorey and Revell Books are proud to announce the MERCANTILE MEMORIES giveaway, featuring three incredible prizes.

GRAND PRIZE:

Our Grand Prize winner will receive an heirloom chess set, handmade from 1830s chestnut & cherry wood, just like the one Judge Lindberg and Curt use in their chess battles.

SECOND PRIZE:

Our Second Prize winner will receive a deluxe, Missouri-shaped box of mercantile goods from the Missouri Mercantile company. The box features an assortment of items just like those stocked by Faith in Lindberg’s Mercantile.

THIRD PRIZE:

Our Third Prize winner will receive a Memoirs Gift Set. Write your memoirs just like Judge Lindberg does in the story! The set includes the bestselling Writing the Memoir book, and a $30 gift card to Blurb, to create and print your story.

The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Book One of the Stoney Ridge Seasons)

2012-01-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

Today's review is for The Keeper, by Suszanne Woods Fisher. This was a sweet book, and not just because of the honey from the bees! Julia has figured for years that she is going to marry Paul Fisher.

However, things are just not working out. To top off her wild (by Amish standards) family, her father's heart is failing, her sisters are stressed, and the house is too much to keep up with for them while her one special brother tries to keep up with the work of an entire farm all on his own. Right in the middle of all this Roman, the bee keeper decides to stay at their place, and "Stern" Fern who is now their house keeper approves! All Julia can see is that he is a very aggravating man, and that she can't figure out why Paul can't commit. So very much in her life is about to change!

I am glad I read this book, and I am wondering about the rest of the books in this series.

Carol

We are also excited to let you know that the author is sponsoring a special promotion for this book, including a Facebook Party and an iPad Giveaway!

The iPad giveaway: http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/183799

Running now until January 17th

The Facebook Party: http://www.facebook.com/events/209723589116292

Party is on January 17^th, and the winner of the prize package will be announced there.

The Keeper, Book 1 in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series!

"The Stoney Ridge Season starts off with characters who are trying to make the right choices, but sometimes with unexpected results. Fisher always brings freshness to her Amish novels. The Amish culture is interesting to read and learn about, but there is also a message: God has plans and those plans may vary greatly from the plans you have."

-Romantic Times, 4 Stars

Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding--again--she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man.

Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant.

Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

Full of the plot twists and surprises her fans love, The Keeper is the first in a new series by bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher. Through touching family relationships and trials of the heart, Fisher's vivid characters grapple with yielding to God's will when it doesn't match their own.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting was a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice was finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).

Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.

Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life.

When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth.

Keep up on Suzanne's latest news on Facebook, Twitter and on her blog!

“Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

The Maid Of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

2012-01-04T00:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my first review of 2012!

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall has the honor of being the first book reviewed on my blog for 2012.

This is the second book I have read of hers. You can see my review of The Girl in the Gatehouse by clicking on the name, and I liked it quite well.

Margret has decided she can't marry the man she was expected to, so she runs away to London. With out a husband she is with out support of her own, since she isn't wealthy enough to support herself. (Like many of us!) Being in this predicament she decides that her best option is to go to work. She is totally unprepared for this lifestyle change, but she has no choice. Her inheritance will not be hers for a few more months yet, and since she can't risk her virtue she runs away with her maid Joan. Joan is not going to be staying with her, so Margret under the name of Nora soon finds herself employed at Fairbourne Hall. That would be unremarkable, if it were not that she is a lady in disguise with her life on the line, or if it were not the home of not one but two of her formerly shunned suitors!

Soon "Nora" is watching the inside workings, as she is working, of this home. She is wondering if it is not too late to figure out a way to gain the attention, favor and love of this man and get her life back on track. At the same time she is now privy to inside information. Margret has to decide what to do, who to trust, and how to act in kindness, with a loving and serving heart. Something she grew up not totally understanding.

I really enjoyed this book, as I did the last one. I plan to read all of Julie Klassen's books that I can!

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Maid of Fairbourne Hall Bethany House (January 1, 2012) by Julie Klassen ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years (first in advertising, then as a fiction editor) and now writes full time. Two of her books, The Girl in the Gatehouse and The Silent Governess won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. The Girl in the Gatehouse also won a Midwest Book Award and The Silent Governess was a finalist in Romance Writers of America's RITA awards.

She graduated from the University of Illinois and enjoys travel, research, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends. Julie and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall?

Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding?

On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, go HERE

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764207091

Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thomson (Book 1 of The Seventh World Trilogy) Giveaway Included!!

2011-12-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

HEY EVERYONE,

And now, at last, it is time for a interview with Rachel Starr Thomson AND a GIVE AWAY!
Yes indeed! So, if you want a FREE copy of Worlds Unseen, comment on this post! Winner will be picked at random. Isn't that fun!!! I can't wait to see who wins!

Merry Christmas a bit early!
Carol

1. What atmosphere helps you write best? Do you have any interesting writing quirks?

I write best in a quiet, uncluttered, open space--my office has a great big window right beside my desk that looks out over a field and a pond, and that's about perfect! I've typically lived (and worked) in households full of people, so "quiet" isn't always doable, in which case I've learned to put on headphones and play instrumental music to create my own mental space. (Lyrics are too distracting.) I have a hard time working if I feel closed in, whether by a tight space or by clutter.

2. Can you tell us a little about Worlds Unseen and the Seventh World Trilogy?

The Seventh World Trilogy (Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day) took shape in my imagination when I transported elements of the Protestant Reformation to a fantasy world, one that is part-medieval and part-Victorian. It’s a story about people who find out that the world as they know it is built on lies; that their real history is contained in myths and legends that have been suppressed for centuries—but that the truth is about to break into their world, in the form of evil creatures and powerfully good beings that are at war. Maggie, Nicolas, Virginia and the rest find themselves challenged and transformed as they take their own places in the story.

3. Can you tell us about the allegorical/symbolic elements to Worlds Unseen?

That's a great question! I should start by saying that the trilogy isn't straight allegory in any way--but as it grew out of my own spiritual journey, it definitely has points of intersection :). The most obvious allegorical element in Worlds Unseen is that the character of "the King," the forgotten creator, ruler, and "heart of the world," corresponds loosely to God in Jesus Christ. And I see a lot of parallels between the Seventh World and ours: the way people have forgotten about their own origins and history, even working to cover it up, because knowledge of the past requires something of us in the present. But of course, when we do that, we have a serious price to pay in the future, because where we've come from directly affects where we're going. The Gifted have some parallel in spiritually gifted and sensitive people I know; the Blackness parallels the forces of darkness in our world.

4. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing Worlds?

That I could write a "real book"! I had written two other complete novels prior to Worlds Unseen, but they were short--just over 100 pages each. I didn't think I was capable of writing something in the more standard 300-400 page vein. Turns out I can--and have done many times since. In a deeper sense, I have continued to be surprised by how much a story I wrote can teach me about my own life as I live it. There's a lot of meaning in the trilogy that I'm just starting to see.

5. What do you hope people will take away from the story?

An understanding that there is more to the world than they can see, and an urge to seek out the truth and know Reality for themselves.

The Dangerous Journey Of Sherman The Sheep by Dean Davis (Fall Fiction Fling!)

2011-12-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

And now it is time for the last book in our Fall Fiction Fling selections.

For a limited time you can get this one FREE for Kindle! Download it from here:

http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Journey-Sherman-Sheep-ebook/dp/B006JV7CNW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324100336&sr=8-2

There are two different book covers, one is the E-book cover.

THE DANGEROUS JOURNEY OF SHERMAN THE SHEEP

An Allegory for Kids

by Dean Davis

"Beautifully written. Highly recommended for use in a setting, either family or group, where you can take time to reflect and share on what has been read.... A must-read!"~ The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

When Sherman, a carefree lamb in the Good Shepherd's flock, grows into a young ram, he longs for adventure and acceptance by his peers. So, against his father's warnings, he climbs "Pleasure Mountain." There he encounters strange new enticements and dangers which at first seem exciting, but finally prove more than a young ram can handle on his own. Sherman finally admits his father was right when he called it "Sin Mountain," but how will he escape and get back to the fold? And what great adventure has the Shepherd prepared for him?

Read First Chapters of print book

Read First Chapters of e-Book

Discussion/ Activity Guide(free - pdf file)

Book Pricing, length, and info....

Retail price: $9.99

PUBLISHER'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Dec. 12-17 only: $5.49 at:

http://www.cladach.com/Sherman-the-Sheep.html

Book Info:

Fiction / Youth (For ages 6 to 12 - or kids of all ages)

Trade Paperback 160 pgs / 5" x 7"

Discussion/Activity Guide Available (Included in eBook)

e-Book Version

Buy Now in Amazon Kindle store for $3.99

Kids are using e-readers such as Kindles too. Buy as a gift for a Kid with a Kindle!Or buy for your own e-reader and read it to your kids.

Watch Dean Davis reading a short, 4-minute section of The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep:

Author Bio:

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dean earned a degree in philosophy from U.C. Santa Cruz. After several unsatisfying years on Sin Mountain, the Good Shepherd rescued him, and eventually Dean became a pastor and Bible teacher in Santa Rosa, California, where he currently resides.

Dean has often worked with children and youth, and enjoys story telling. He is currently director of Come Let Us Reason, a Bible teaching ministry specializing in the study of apologetics and the biblical worldview.

Dean and his wife, Linda, are the parents of two sons and three daughters, all of whom have flown the family nest. In addition to The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep, Dean has authored nonfiction books including In Search of the Beginning and The Test: A Seeker's Journey to the Meaning of Life (Pleasant Word).

To know Dean better, we asked him these questions:

What attracted you to writing, and in particular, writing an allegory?

Dean: I trace my interest in writing back to the early 1970s, the time of my spiritual awakening. The more I read, the more I saw; the more I saw, the more I wanted to communicate. Soon, I began to write short stories, poems, and essays. When, after a good deal of wandering, the Lord brought me into His fold, my desire to relate fresh insights resurfaced and intensified. From the very beginning of my Christian walk I admired a famous old painting called The Good Shepherd, in which we see a Shepherd (with face hidden) rescuing a sheep trapped on a mountain ledge. That picture said it all. It also suggested a story which I told, with ever-increasing embellishments, to my children. Eventually, some of the folks who heard me tell it at church asked me to write it down. As I wrote, I found myself targeting adolescent - or pre-adolescent - boys, who today are in desperate need of godly role models, a clear vision of manhood, and a revelation of the thrill of genuine Christian discipleship. I started out telling my own story - which is simply "the old, old story" - in a way that young boys could grasp. Soon, however, I realized that an allegory was taking shape under my fingers, one that could well speak to kids of all ages. I hope it has, and I hope it will.

Tell us a little bit about Sherman.

Dean: "All we like sheep have gone astray," says Isaiah. In that sense Sherman represents any Christian whom Christ has graciously and lovingly rescued from sin. But I'd say Sherman specially represents kids who have grown up in the church but wandered away or have been tempted to try adventuring up "Sin Mountain." Dudley, on the other hand, is more like me - the guy who never had the advantage of a Christian family, but whom the Lord, with a mighty stretch of his long arm, somehow found.

Did you receive inspiration from watching your own five children?

Dean: Most definitely, especially from my two sons. Like Bertram (Sherman's father in the book), I observed their interest in the things of God, and also their interest in the things of the world. Like Bertram, I was concerned. Like Bertram, I wanted to be the voice of the Lord into their young lives, and the grace of the Lord, if and when they should fail. Sherman is not just for sons and daughters, but for dads and moms as well. I hope the story will encourage parents to trust in a good and sovereign God, and to aspire to work skillfully with Him as He ministers through them to His young ones.

You are a skilled writer of allegory. Are you a fan of writers such as C.S. Lewis?

Dean: I am definitely a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. Those wonderful books penetrated to the depths, and I enthusiastically read them to all my children. I believe that in their fantasies Lewis and Tolkien did what they set out to do: to get a fresh hearing for the gospel among moderns hardened to the gospel. And they did it by giving us memorable characters shaped by the gospel, so we could see anew what godly Christian boys, girls, men, and women look like. If The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep will give the tiniest such peek to an impressionable tween, I will be pleased indeed.

Describe your typical writing session.

Dean: I like to compose on my computer. I have a wonderful homemade table that allows me to do so standing up (saves the back big time)! I'm a pretty slow writer: An excellent day's work will come to two or three pages. I suffer no interruptions, but toil on in more or less complete silence, holed up in my downstairs office. I keep lots of hot drinks by my side and take an occasional break to run upstairs and check out the latest developments in politics.

What other activities do you enjoy?

Dean: My wife, Linda, and I enjoy bicycling. I enjoy hitting a bucket of balls at the local golf course and sitting down for a pork tostada at Lepe's, my favorite Mexican restaurant.

Have you written other stories like The Dangerous Journey of Sherman the Sheep, for families to read together?

Dean: I have a few other stories tucked away in my heart; but they're on the back burner till I get a few theological projects out of my craw. I'm almost always writing. These days I enjoy posting short articles on my blog: devotionals, letters, essays, etc. Currently I'm doing a series on how to interpret Old Testament prophecies of the Kingdom of God.

Where on the Internet can people find you?

Dean: At my website: http://www.clr4u.org

Corus The Champion by D. Barkley Briggs (Book Two in Legends of Karac Tor)

2011-12-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

You should be reading this series!

So as you start, I will pass you the link to my review of the first book. The Book of Names.
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-of-names-legends-of-karac-tor-by-d.html
Corus The Champion picks right up where The Book of Names left off. I would highly recommend you read this series in order if you can.

As I was getting ready for this book review, I first re-read The Book of Names. I just didn't want to be behind at all with this fantastic series. I was struck more deeply this time with Hayden and the plight of the Nameless. The ones who were lost, stripped and bereft of their identities were now ones that I related to more than before. I also feel so much closer to the boys now in book two. Hayden, Gabe, Garret, and Ewan are really growing and developing. They are getting stronger, and becoming more mature, and closer to their callings. I am really enjoying seeing that. In Corus The Champion I am watching character being built. The characters that we are growing to become very fond of are bonding, and learning, and starting to figure out some of the why they are where they are, and who the enemy is.

That leads me to the last known champion of this realm of Karac Tor, Corus. He has been in torment, being ripped apart physically and emotionally by the enemy. This creature would be called a demon, or just about Satan in almost anyone's book. He has the head of a stag, and it is his evil mark on a few of those who follow him. He rules Hel, and he has so tortured and twisted Corus till not even Corus is sure of who he really wants to be anymore, or if he only wants free of the curse he is under. If that means killing the king who sleeps, well, he just might have to do that. {And on a personal note I say oh yes, that is how the enemy works on us, till we are so hurt and confused that the truth is hard to see, and that small voice that leads us hard to hear at times. }

Our four brothers are off in all different directions. Some have been dealing with the Fey, and others learning more about the Monks, and yet another is just trying to stay alive and deliver messages, while one is in massive training of some sort. We are learning more about the different races, Birdmen, Highlander, Vineland and Bitterland. They aren't all friendly towards each other and the boys are going to have to figure out who to trust and how to cope with this as well.

I can't help but love Tal Yssen. I sometimes wonder if he is an echo of many things from Mr. Briggs himself. As long as I can remember I have loved Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. I spent many a happy hour reading different authors versions, or added tales of Camelot.
This series is very much in this genera of books, and being Christian Fiction it just makes me enjoy it even more.

I could probably type for quite a while on many many things in this book. So far this series is epic and amazing. I HIGHLY recommend this series, and I need to find somewhere to get book three, The Song of Unmaking.

Carol

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Book link - http://www.amazon.com/Corus-Champion-Legends-Karac-Tor/dp/0899578640/
Author’s Web site - http://hiddenlands.net/index.php?Itemid=49&id=19&option=com_content&task=view

Gillian Adams
Noah Arsenault
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
CSFF Blog Tour
Carol Bruce Collett
Theresa Dunlap
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Marzabeth
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Sarah Sawyer
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Love Rekindled by Candi Adermatt - (Fall Fiction Fling!)

2011-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

It is time for our next to last book in this years Fall Fiction Fling!

Today we are looking at Love Rekindled by Candi Adermatt.

LOVE REKINDLED

A Novel

by Candi Adermatt

Description:

When a wayward husband comes back into the lives of his wife and sons after years of separation, will they believe he has changed ... and can they forgive him? As a medical crisis forces the family members to face their fears, hurts and true desires, and the conflict develops toward a surprise resolution, the reader will feel the ebb and flow of subtle emotional tensions. Here's a relationship story with a twist - told from the man's point of view.

Review Quotes:

"Candy Adermatt's style of writing is captivating." ~ Charlene West, The Quiet Hour

"A wonderful story of redemption, forgiveness, and reconciliation... Beautifully addresses issues such as suffering, meaning, spiritual commitment, and the truth that people can change. Adermatt's ability to develop characters and express the complexity of their relationships is evident." ~ Dr. Holli Eaton

"The style of writing that keeps me interested and wanting more -- flowing and not excessively wordy. Not only is the story in itself riveting, but through it Candi also conveys the values of hope, forgiveness, and family relationships. I plan to give everyone I know a copy of this book!" ~ Stephanie Miyake

Read First Chapter:

www.cladach.com/LOVE-REKINDLED-excerpt.html

Purchasing Info:

Trade Paperback

201 pgs

$12.97

Available through most book outlets.

JUST RELEASED in

Amazon Kindle version

http://amzn.com/B006GWP9O8

Direct from the publisher at http://cladach.com/Love-Rekindled.html

where it is on sale this week for$9.74

Author Bio:

Candi belongs to the East Valley Authors writers group and is a member of Romance Writers of America. She has a B.A. degree in Business and works at Azusa Pacific University. She writes novels about contemporary issues from a Christian perspective that are the type of stories she wishes had been available to her as a young woman. Candi and her husband enjoy their four grown sons and their families and make their home in Southern California.

More Info at:

http://cladach.com/Love-Rekindled.html

Below is the book trailer.

About Candi:

Candi enjoys writing romance and contemporary novels. Candi has a bachelor's degree in Business and Applied Management from Azusa Pacific University, where she works as executive assistant in the office of the provost. Candi and her husband, Dave, enjoy their four sons and their families. The Adermatts reside in Southern California.

Interview with Candi Adermatt:

You're such a prolific writer. What gave you the itch to write?

Candi: Stories have filtered through my brain as far back as my memory can take me. I imagined myself as each character as they appeared in my head and became part of the story. That's pretty much the way things continued through the years. Several years ago the company that I worked for went into bankruptcy and layoffs were imminent. My boss asked me what career path I might choose if money wasn't an issue. Without hesitation I said, "I'd write a book." When I went home that night and told my husband of our conversation, he said, "Well, why don't you just do that? You don't have to be unemployed to write a book." With those words of wisdom, I began to write.

How did the idea of LOVE REKINDLED come to you?

Candi: I like tackling topics that aren't generally read about in Christian fiction. I wanted readers to be able to feel the wife's pain, the child's struggle with abandonment issues, and the stark reality for the husband because of his infidelity. I also wanted it to be an encouragement to anyone who had ever had to live through this heartbreaking situation.

Is there something you typically do while writing - like drink coffee or listen to music?

Candi: Yes, I always listen to music while I write, usually my favorite Christian radio station. That and a good cup of coffee are good writing buddies. In the absence of coffee and an internet connection for the radio station, my iPod and laptop are just as supportive.

Tell us about an activity you enjoy in your day-to-day life.

Candi: My husband and I are avid explorers and rock hounds. We love to go off-roading in search of all kinds of treasure (his license plate is GLDIGGR). He researches old books, maps, and archives that tell where gold was found or loot might be buried, and off we go with our metal detector in pursuit. We have never found anything of real value, other than the thrill of the hunt and the joy of being together. Love it!

What kind of a reader are you? Avid? Sporadic? What do you read most?

Candi: I love to read, usually contemporary Christian romance novels. The difficulty with that, though, is that it keeps me from writing. When I am in a serious writing mode (once I get started on a story, I don't want to stop writing until the story is finished), I don't read at all, as it interrupts my thought process. I almost never read a newspaper or magazine, unless it contains some story that someone has recommended to me. I much prefer to create my own reality!

What other novels are you writing?

Candi: I wrote several novels before and after LOVE RELINDLED. Most of these are Christian romances. The earlier ones still need a lot of polish. The most recent ones are ready for the eyes of a publisher.

Where on the Internet can people find you?

Candi: You can find me on my author page at www.cladach.com/Adermatt.html or contact me by email: cadermatt "at" gmail.com

Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thomson (Book 1 of The Seventh World Trilogy) Givaway coming!

2011-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Alright!

After suffering with no net for more days than I thought possible, here we are!
This is another part of the good stuff I told you I would be bringing you about Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thomson. ALSO--- I am giving away a free copy of her second book in the Trilogy. Check back in on the 9th of this month! It will be in e-book format that works with almost anything you can think of. (Nook, Kindle, Kindle in your PC, etc.)

Carol

And now more from Rachel Starr Thomson!

Where Life and Art Converge

Elsewhere on this blog tour, I wrote about reading responsibly by reading books that enable us to live better lives (http://bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/2011/11/reader-responsible-guest-post-by-rachel.html). I’ve also written about the writer as servant, spending time at this solitary pursuit for the purpose of “washing the feet” of others and putting truth into sharp relief, whether through fiction or through nonfiction (http://www.phylliswheeler.com/writer-servant-rachel-starr-thomson/). The question of where life and art meet is often asked, and it always seems ironic to me: art is a part of life. It flows out of it (dead men don’t paint) and so of course it flows back into it: art of any kind is the work of living souls, and its power is in touching other living souls.

I think this is true of all art forms, but maybe it’s easiest to see in the case of writing. Life and writing converge all over the place. My real-life faith in God is undergirded, challenged, and grown by the writings we know as the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. The insight into people’s hearts that I’ve gained from honest autobiography and maybe-even-more honest fiction enriches my relationships and grows compassion in me. My intellect is challenged by things I read, and that challenge makes my conversations more powerful and more able to affect myself and others. Reading may be escapism, but the escape is only momentary—like someone coming back from a vacation with renewed energy and enthusiasm for the daily grind, I come out of books more equipped and more energized for life.

As a graduated reader—i.e. a writer—I’ve found this to be true in many unexpected ways. The Seventh World Trilogy (Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day) is a fantasy story which, besides being about people and places like all stories are, deals with questions of reality and deception; of the natural and supernatural and the “veil” between them; of the nature and outworking of faith; of the importance of beginnings and endings, and of what happens when we don’t know our own beginnings. I never realized how much the story would connect with real life for me, yet it’s happened over and over again.

The really fascinating thing to me is how many of the themes which have emerged as the strongest in the series weren’t conscious while I was writing. That of beginnings, for example. The people of the Seventh World are headed for an unspeakably dark future, and are turning their backs on their only hope, because they’ve bought a lie about where they came from. More and more I realize how much Genesis matters: that we were created by a particular God whose nature is revealed in the Bible; that we were created in his image; that we fell, through deception, into temptation; and that our whole future is based on that beginning. That origin matters to every person individually, though we may seldom think about it.

Another theme that came out in the books and which has converged startlingly with my life is that of believing without seeing. Some of the characters in the Seventh World “see” (especially Virginia Ramsey, the blind seer); others have to walk in faith alone—believing based on real evidence, but called upon to trust without sight. My own life has played out that story more and more as the years have gone by. So often I want to see and can only trust. But trust in a good God is always vindicated in the end.

The best convergence of life and art is that which enhances and enriches reality, lifting our eyes to see truth and love and God. Often, having lifted our eyes, our most appropriate response is art again: a song, a painting, a story. The convergence can happen in unexpected times and places. But this, I suspect, is what art is really for.

--
You can follow along with the rest of the blog tour, at
http://www.phylliswheeler.com (Nov 21), http://www.shannonmcdermott.com (Nov 23, Dec 5), http://carolkeen.blogspot.com (Nov 26, Dec 2, and Dec 9), http://bluerosesheart.blogspot.com (Nov 28), www.lindsayafranklin.com/blog/ (Nov 30, Dec 7), and www.sarahsawyer.com (Dec. 9)

The Lost Melody by Lori Copeland AND Virginia Smith

2011-11-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers,

Happy last day of November! While this is the last CFBA book review of the year, it is isn't the last review I will be posting this year. Now onto Lost Melody. Lost Melody drew me because our leading lady is a pianist My own Mother taught for many years, and until her issue she also played beautifully! Jill is an incredibly gifted musician. She was on her way the biggest career move of her life when the subway she was in wrecked. Her hand was badly injured, and her career - totaled. Jill is just trying to survive her life, and deal with marrying, or not marrying the man she is engaged to when something else starts. Now Jill is having dreams, or nightmares, but they are so real that she knows she MUST do something about them. Greg, her fiancee is in politics, and now he is very very concerned about Jill's mental state. He must choose does he believe the woman he loves, or does he decided she has been through too much and walk away?

Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith used a real life historical issue, which made this book even stronger. The struggle Jill endures, and the struggle of those around her, and her listening to God's still small voice were very nicely written .

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Lost Melody Zondervan (October 25, 2011) by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Virginia Smith is the author of more than a dozen Christian novels and over fifty articles and short stories. Her books have been named finalists in the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, the American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of the Year Award, and ACFW's Carol Award.

A Certified Lay Speaker for the United Methodist Church, Ginny's messages are always well-received by a variety of audiences in conferences, retreats and churches across the country. When she isn't writing or speaking, Ginny and her husband, Ted, enjoy exploring the extremes of nature – snow skiing in the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, motorcycle riding on the curvy roads in central Kentucky, and scuba diving in the warm waters of Mexico and the Caribbean.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The beautiful piano sitting in the corner of Jill King's apartment begs to be played. For over a year, it has sat untouched, ever since a terrible accident shattered Jill's ambition of becoming a concert pianist. The ragged scar on her left hand is a cruel and constant reminder of the death of her dream. But another dream is about to come to life---an unexpected, horrifying dream that will present Jill with a responsibility she never wanted. And choices she never wanted to make. Hundreds of lives depend on Jill's willingness to warn her small, oceanside town in Nova Scotia of a nameless, looming disaster. But doing so could cost Jill her reputation, jeopardize the political career of the man she loves, and ruin their plans for a future together. The fate of an entire community hangs in the balance as Jill wrestles with the cost of heeding one still, small voice.

If you would like to read a chapter excerpt of Lost Melody, go HERE.

Lori can be reached at her link here on her Website.

Virginia can be reached at her link on her Website.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310289866

Face To Face A Novel by Catherine Lawton (Fall FIction Fling!)

2011-11-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

And it is time for one more Fall Fiction Fling!

About the Book:

Synopsis:

Set in the tumultuous world during Jesus' earthly life, here is a timeless story of suffering, longing, and healing. Conflicts arise between a young woman's devotion to God and the demon that holds her captive; between her attempts to free herself and the judgment and condemnation of others; between the rabbi named Jesus and the legalistic religious leaders; between the daily reality of Roman oppression and the Jewish hopes of a Deliverer-Messiah.

A vivid imagining of the account in Luke 13:10-17, where Jesus calls the bent-over woman to himself.

Review Quotes:

"I was fascinated." ~ Eva Marie Everson for CrossWalk.com"I thoroughly enjoyed Face to Face." ~ Richard Wendley, screen writer/actor

"WOW! What a great book. I absolutely loved it... I know the next time I read about this miracle in the Gospels, I will think of this woman through the eyes of Lawton's novel... Thanks to Cladach Publishing for publishing such outstanding Christian literature!" ~ Shirley Silver

Link to Chapter One:

http://cladach.com/Face-to-Face-Excerpt.html

Purchasing Info:

Trade Paperback

192 pgs

$12.97

Available through most stores and online retailers.

You can purchase it now at:

Amazon.com

http://amzn.com/0967038685

Just-released: Amazon Kindle Versionhttp://amzn.com/B006CUDMLQ

Or buy from the publisher on sale this week for $9.74 at

http://cladach.com/Face-to-Face.html

Author Bio:

Catherine was born in Colorado and grew up as a pastor's daughter in seven towns up and down the state of California. She has loved to write since she was a child, having her first poem published in a national periodical at the age of twelve, and since then her byline has appeared in numerous periodicals and book compilations. She has a BA degree in English from Pasadena College. She served as a church musician for many years, as a private piano teacher, a public school substitute teacher and English reader, and freelance writer and editor. Cathy and her husband, Larry, have participated in and led volunteer short-term mission teams to Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela, Sicily & Rome, and Peru.

After living in Santa Rosa, California, for thirty years the Lawtons moved to Colorado, returning to Cathy's roots. Besides the publishing business, Cathy enjoys gardening and hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The Lawtons love spending time with their two grown children and their spouses, and their five beautiful grandchildren.

More info about Face to Face at:

http://cladach.com/Face-to-Face.html

The Author and an Interview!

Author Interview:

Hello, Catherine. Your bio mentions that you became a published writer (in a national periodical) at the ripe old age of 12! Did that experience boost your desire to write more?

Catherine: It certainly was affirming and satisfying to think someone would want to print and read something I wrote (It was a little poem about Jesus being my Friend, and a Sunday school teacher encouraged me to send it in). But the desire to write was there already and it grew into a sense of a calling.

In your biblical novel, "Face to Face," you fictionalize a story about a woman who is miraculously healed by Jesus. She is mentioned in the Bible only once, in Luke 13:10-17. With so little known about her, how did you develop her character and make her so believable?

Catherine: That woman, who was healed by Jesus on the Sabbath, gripped my heart and imagination. She was unnamed in the story, so I named her Joakima, which means "One whom God has lifted up spiritually." She was bent over double for 18 years and "could in no way lift herself," which indicates that she had tried. I began to imagine what "cures" she might have used. Each has a parallel today, whether it's conventional wisdom and "old wives' tales," self-righteous religion, new-age spiritualism, or humanistic self-improvement methods. I considered the context of the scriptures and researched the historical period and life in those days. A good story needs conflict, and there's plenty in this account – between the woman and the spirit that crippled her, between Jesus and the leaders of the synagogue, between the people and the burdensome Sabbath laws, and between walking by faith versus walking by sight. I began to imagine Joakima in a colorful setting interacting with other vibrant characters until the story took on a life of its own. I was interested to see how my character would survive and finally thrive in the challenges of that setting.

One gets the sense that there may be experiences in your own life that parallel those of your character, Joakima. Is this perception accurate?

Catherine: The story formed in my mind while I was going through a period of inner healing. I read the book of Luke, and this woman who was so wretched and yet so tenaciously persevering, triggered my imagination as well as my faith. Jesus told the woman she was released and he said that Satan had kept her bound. This part is very personal. I have known people who are bound by various things 51; memories, addictions, sins, wrong thinking, bitterness, and even evil spirits. And I've seen people set free. I wondered what sort of spirit had taken hold of this woman, how Satan could keep a religious person of faith bound, and what might have caused that spirit to enter into her body and life. Luke also tells us that Jesus called her a "daughter of Abraham" which means she had faith. I wondered, how does such a person have such faith?

Now a question to help readers know you better. If you had three free tickets to go to any three places in the world, where would you go, and why?

Catherine: First I'd go to Israel to research my next novel! Next I'd go to Scotland and the Hebrides, where a mighty revival happened the year I was born. Third I'd go to Rome again, where there is a strong sense of the biblical world and the modern world intersecting.

Since music has played such an important role in your life: What music CDs happen to be in your player right now?

Catherine: I just put in a CD of Loreena McKennitt singing Christmas songs, and a Russian pianist playing Rachmaninoff concertos.

If you could spend a week with any historical person of the past ten centuries, who would that be?

Catherine: I might like to spend a week with Joan of Arc, though it might be dangerous. A simple peasant girl believed so strongly that God had spoken to her that she was able to convince leaders of her country and army to let her lead them to victory, out of a dark and troubled period. And talk about conflicts! Her faith and obedience led to her martyrdom. Amazing.

What writing projects are you working on now?

Catherine: Besides writing occasional poetry and other short pieces, I have started two other novels. As I was writing Face to Face, the character of Benjamin grew so strong and appealing, he almost took over the story. I would like to give him a chance to shine. I'd like to take Joakima and Ben to Jerusalem again, perhaps to be present during Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was outpoured, to be part of the early believers who were persecuted and dispersed. I'd like to see Joakima return to her childhood home of Dura-Europas. And like every good story, it would include lots of conflict and a little romance.

Where on the Internet can we find you?

Catherine: At my Cladach author page: http://cladach.com/Lawton.html ,

at my Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Lawton/e/B001K8YLA6 ,

and Cladach Publishing's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cladach-Publishing-wwwcladachcom/10150101184295035

Anything else you'd like readers to know about you?

Catherine: Here are some things about me: I've played the piano for years. Currently, I accompany a gospel quartet. My husband and I enjoy beekeeping in our backyard. I own Cladach Publishing, a small royalty press; and I spend lots of time editing and promoting other authors and their books. Writing and publishing is quite an adventure. And hearing from readers is like frosting on the cake!

Worlds Unseen by Rachel Starr Thomson (Book 1 of The Seventh World Trilogy)

2011-11-26T21:40:00.000-08:00

Oh what Fun!

While I haven't read all of this book yet, I am really enjoying as much as I have read!
So far I have found this book to be very creative, and moving, and I love hearing about The King. Christ is front and foremost in this book, from the very start.

Maggie is an orphan, who's adoptive parents have been murdered, only Maggie is not aware of that fact for a while. She is a sort of frail little gal, who's life would seem very insignificant But that is often how God moves. The ones who can see, do see, and hear. The lives of those who are small wind up playing great roles in His plan. They must come together so that the world will be reminded of the only one who created everything, and it is time to show the truth from the lies.

I am a wee bit frustrated to not have read more before posting this review, but I will be adding more! I have several things to post in the next few days about Worlds Unseen, so do stick with me as I am able to bring you all sorts of fun things about this series.

At this time I must say that I am very pleased with this book, and thrilled that Rachel Starr Thomson is a home school graduate, because I am also. It just makes me even more inspired! The only glitch I have had thus far is my copy of this book would NOT load into Kindle on my phone, so while I was to and fro for Thanksgiving I wasn't able to read it like I wanted to. This is a good reason for buying your own copy, because then you will not have that problem.

Carol

Here is the book cover:

About the Author:

Rachel Starr Thomson is a freelance writer and editor, a poet/narrator for a traveling arts company, and a homeschool graduate. She's passionately creative, and her Seventh World Trilogy--a classic fantasy in the tradition of George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis--is making waves with readers and reviewers alike.

Rachel's web pages are here: www.rachelstarrthomson.com

The Seventh World Trilogy page: www.worldsunseen.com

Articles page www.rachelstarrthomson.com/articles,

What others are saying about Worlds Unseen:

“Worlds Unseen is an excellent read, solidly recommended for fantasy readers.” – Midwest Book Review

“Epic, beautiful, well-written fantasy that sings of Christian truth.” – Rael, reader

Checking out her article "Christian Fantasy: An Apologetic" comes recommended at http://www.worldsunseen.com/christian-fantasy/an-apologetic/

Kathryn’s Fountain by David Claassen (Fall Fiction Fling!)

2011-11-22T09:14:00.000-08:00

This week for Fall Fiction Fling we have Kathyrn's Fountain by David Claassen.

The Book Cover-

The book trailer. I do think these are often fun to watch.

SYNOPSIS:

Kathryn is resigned to living out her last days at Victorian Manor, a beautiful old home for senior citizens. Then one day something strangely wonderful happens to Kathryn at the garden fountain, and she begins living an adventure beyond her wildest dreams. Love and sacrifice take on new meaning as she involves a social worker and a police detective in carrying out what she believes to be her calling ~ to rescue a street child named Jasmine. The miracle at the fountain brings adventure that bridges the generations with hope and love.

Kathryn's Fountain celebrates the gifts that the generations can bring to each other. The conclusion is a resounding affirmation that it's never too late to make a difference!

" A poignant story with surprising twists and turns that will keep you reading and touch your heart. You won't view life in quite the same way after reading Kathryn's Fountain." ~ Marlene Bagnull

"A story of miracles and self-sacrifice." ~ Kathi Macias

READ FIRST CHAPTER:

First Chapter of Kathryns Fountain

Author Interview:

Dave writes part-time because his full-time calling is to give spiritual leadership and pastoral care to people of the Mayfair-Plymouth Congregational Church in Toledo, Ohio. Dave and his wife, Diann, make their home across the border in southeastern Michigan. They have two grown children and a growing number of grandchildren. Dave's other published books include Object Lessons for a Year (Baker Books) and Silent Words Loudly Spoken (CSS Publishing). For this blog tour we asked him a few questions:

1. Dave, what made you decide to become a writer as well as a pastor? Why do you write?

Dave: I've wanted to write since I was a teenager. I remember using an old Underwood portable typewriter (old already in the 1960s), to write short devotional/essay pieces, on the picnic table out under a tree on our Iowa farm. I write because I feel I can't keep from writing! I write to change the world more than to entertain.

2. What was your process of creating Kathryn's Fountain?

Dave: The basic storyline was there in my mind one morning when I woke up. At the time I was writing a science fiction novel (which I've just completed) and I interrupted that work to write Kathryn's Fountain.

3. In Kathryn's Fountain you use the symbol of a puzzle piece. What does that represent?

Dave: The puzzle imagery is meant to communicate that each of us is a part of the picture of God's grand scheme. Like a puzzle piece, each of us - at any age or place in life - has a shape and purpose to fit into God's big picture.

4. What is your writing routine? Is there something you typically do while writing a story - like drink coffee or listen to music?

Dave: I try to write Tuesday-Saturday for about 45 minutes each morning from 6:00-6:45am. I usually am sipping coffee at that time of the morning!

5. What would be a good present to give to a writer friend?

Dave: The recent issue of The Writer's Market.

6. Do you know a good joke you could share with us?

Dave: Yes. This farmer was working out in his field when a guy descended in a hot air balloon to get directions, because he was lost. When the balloonist was within shouting distance he leaned over the basket and shouted down to the farmer below. "Hey, mister, where am I?" The farmer looked around, then up, pointed his finger at the guy in the balloon, and said, "You can't fool me. You're up there!"

7. What other writing are you doing these days?

Dave: I'm tweaking my science fiction novel, writing a weekly inspirational newspaper column, a mid-week inspirational e-mail (e-mail me to get put on the list), and I write regularly for my blog.

8. Where on the Internet can we find you?

Dave: At my website/blog: http://www.daveclaassen.com

9. Anything else you want people to know about you?

Dave: I am a serious amateur photographer and sell images on iStockphoto.com . I also do some ventriloquism for the kids at my church. Oh, yes, I have a backyard chicken coop with a few chickens.

PURCHASING INFO:

Kathryn's Fountain is available through most book outlets. Regular price: $12.97

Buy now at: http://amzn.com/0975961993

Amazon.com Kindle e-book price: $7.99

Buy now at: http://amzn.com/B006A00QJY

Cladach's Special Price during "Fall Fiction Fling": $9.74

Buy now at: http://www.cladach.com/Kathryn's-Fountain.html

Christmas In Sugarcreek by Shelley Shepard Gray

2011-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

Oh Dear,

My copy has not yet gotten to me! That means you get the regular write up, and when I am able, and have my copy I will add my thoughts/comments in here.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Christmas In Sugarcreek Avon Inspire (October 25, 2011) by Shelley Shepard Gray
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, and Abingdon Press. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.

Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page

ABOUT THE BOOK

Judith Graber has always been the obedient daughter. When her older brother Josh struggled with his love life, she offered wise counsel. When her younger brother Caleb flirted with the idea of leaving their order, she firmly told him he was wrong. Over the years, she’s watched her younger siblings, helped around the house, and worked in her family’s store during her spare time. Judith feels overworked, overlooked, and underappreciated this holiday season.

But everything changes when her father hires Ben Knox.

Ben Knox is the “bad boy” of Sugarcreek. Though he’s never considered jumping the fence, he’s certainly never tried to be anything close to dutiful. Two years ago he left Sugarcreek under a cloud of shame. Rumors circulated that his rumspringa had been filled with more than the usual harmless explorations.

Now he’s back and working side by side with Judith.
As the chaos of the holiday season threatens to sap all joy, sparks fly between Ben and Judith. But Judith steels herself to ignore her infatuation. The last thing she wants to be is just one more girl who falls under Ben’s spell. Ben, on the other hand, wants Judith to realize there’s more to him than his bad reputation. When he fled Sugarcreek, he was running from a disruptive home life. Now that he’s back, he wants a fresh beginning.
Could this Christmas season bring love and a new life for the unlikeliest pair in Sugarcreek?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Christmas In Sugarcreek, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062089765

Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh

2011-11-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

As we move towards one of my favorite times of year, Christmas, I am here to give you a review of this book. Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh. This was a nice fast book to read, with a few twists. Rick, who works as a big executive winds up running his Mother and Step-Father's book store while Art hovers between life and death. His mother has to be with her husband, so it is up to Rick and a single mom that he is oh-so attracted to, to run the store and keep the business from going under.

As Rick is more and more taken by Andrea and her daughter, he is also coping with this past, and with all the different customers of The Book Nook. Soon he is faced with the choice to heal and seek the truth in this past, or to run and have a hardened heart.

It is a nice story, with a good ending, but it was not my most favorite book in some aspects. I can't quite pin-point why, because the plot was fine. The one big twist was good. Lives were changed and healed, and I felt like I met lots of people in this little town the book was set in. The romance was just fine as well, yet at the same time I feel like I came away with an empty feeling that I don't normally get from books I read.

Carol

Can A Successful Executive See More Than A Single Mom Struggling To Provide Christmas For Her Daughter?

Dan Walsh Returns With Another Christmas Story Full of Nostalgia, Wonder, And Hope.

Award-winning author Dan Walsh creates a nostalgic, Christmas story that takes readers back in time in Remembering Christmas (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1979-1, 272 pages, September 2011.) A time not so long ago in 1980 when IBM had not yet launched the personal computer; the Boombox was hot; Reality TV was unheard of; MTV was just launching; Ronald Reagan was president; the Winter Olympics witnessed the USA team defeat the favored Soviet team and win the gold; and Rick Denton was in pursuit of his career goals and climbing the corporate ladder.

During this time, the holiday season only slowed Rick from his frenetic normal pace. For Rick, holiday downtime for everyone else meant extra time to get ahead on goals and returning calls. His goal in life was to work hard, play hard, live life on his terms, and answer to no one.

Then the phone call came from his mother during Thanksgiving weekend informing him about his stepfather’s stroke. His mom needed Rick’s help at the little run-down bookstore they owned. He has never liked Art, his stepfather and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. Reluctantly Rick agrees to help and when he arrives at the store, he soon discovers that a few days of managing the store turn into a few weeks.

While there Rick meets the patrons of the Book Nook – some quirky, some homeless, some chatty, some hip and cool - and one a lovely young woman who trains him on the job. He tends to judge them all-- until a moment of truth and discovery: the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, and The Deepest Waters. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel. His web site is here:
http://www.danwalshbooks.com/index.html

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

------------------------
Endorsements

"I love a story with some unexpected twists--not to mention a quirky cast of characters who surprise and delight me. I think that's the perfect recipe for a true Christmas classic. Dan has penned such a tale, and I heartily recommend it to readers who want a reminder of why Christmastime is so special."--Melody Carlson, author, Christmas at Harrington's and The Christmas Shoppe

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Mysterious Ways series by Donna Westover (Fall Fiction Fling)

2011-11-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Again,

Ready for the second installment?

Today we are covering the Mysterious Ways Series by Donna Westover. There are three books in this series, and below is a photo of them. After the photos you will find information about each book, and about Donna Westover.

White as Snow is the first book in this series.

COLORADO TERRITORY - 1864

Young Charlie is alone on the ranch that sits between the empty prairie and the Rocky Mountains. As he cares for his dying grandpa and tries to figure out how to survive the winter, he keeps remembering the old man's words: "Failure is not an option, son."
As the first storm of the season hits, a mysterious mountain man shows up at the isolated ranch and good things start to happen. But can Charlie learn to trust the giant stranger with his one terrible secret? On Christmas day he learns what trust really means.

An entertaining and heartwarming story for the entire family to enjoy during the holiday season and all year.

144 pgs. $9.99

Review Quote:

"A touching story that demonstrates the many ways that love of fellow man can be given and the humanity of the Son of God. This is an exciting adventure story while carrying a message of value." ~ Bob Spear, Heartland Reviews

You can read some of White as Snow....Read Excerpt.

Rock of Refuge is the second book in this series.

COLORADO TERRITORY - 1871

Charlie is a young man now with much to learn about himself, the world in which he lives, and the God in whom he has placed his trust. The little ranch at the foot of the Rockies seems to be closing in on him. Seized by restlessness, he sets out to join a cattle drive north across the foothills and prairie to the rip-roaring new town of Denver. On the trail and in the city, Charlie finds the awakenings of love and learns about honor, trust, and the need on the frontier for men who are both tough and tender, who know where to find their strength.

Another entertaining and heartwarming "Mysterious Ways" story for the entire family.

276 pgs. $11.99

Review Quote:

"A deftly-written and excellently researched novel that readers are sure to love, it's highly recommended to western fans everywhere and deserves a place on community library fiction shelves." ~ Midwest Book Review

Read first chapter!

In Green Pastures is the third book in this series.

COLORADO TERRITORY - 1872
When Charlie gets the amazing and unexpected news that he's now a millionaire, he once again leaves the cozy Colorado ranch at the foot of the Rockies - this time to take the train to Missouri. He encounters Jesse James outlaws, rogue relatives, new romance, and skeletons in the family closet. These adventures test Charlie's budding manhood, skills, and faith in ways that will entertain and inspire readers of all ages.

256 pgs. $11.99

Review Quote:

"A story of secrets, betrayal, friendship and redemption. A continuation of Charlie's story that builds on the first two books. While the plot of this book stands on its own, knowing the story from the first two books gives depth to the story. I really like the size of this series. The books are larger than a mass media book, but smaller and easier to handle than a traditional trade paper size. Very comfortable." ~ Author's Choice Reviews

Read some of it here!

Before we read the interview with the Author, here is the book trailer.

Author Interview

1. When did you decide to become a writer?

Donna: I dabbled in creative writing in high school where I wrote several short stories that were published in our high school magazine. I also played the guitar and wrote several songs, mostly ballads and country gospel. Then when I married and started raising my family, I put the guitar and the pen down and dedicated myself to my family. Years later, when the girls were grown and on their own, a little story popped into my head. I heard loud and clear the simple message from the Lord: "Write!"

2. How did you think up the story of Charlie, the main character in your Mysterious Ways series? When you started out, did you plan to write only one book or did you plan a series from the beginning?

Donna: When that story popped into my head, it was a thought about a boy who meets someone very special at Christmas time. That boy was Charlie Smith, the main character in the series. I was only going to write one book; but as I started to write the chapters, I realized it needed to be a series.

3. Your characters are so believable, and the plots flow so naturally, that the writing must come easily to you. Is that true?

Donna: Some of it was easy, and often therapeutic for me; but some of it was a real struggle. I don't write from an outline; I write from my heart. If the words flow well, if they clearly reveal the emotions of the characters, if they touch anyone's heart at all, it is because God was touching me.

4. What year or time period in history would you have liked to live? Why?

Donna: I often say I was born 150 years too late. I love the Old West70;cowboys, horses, ranches, log cabins70;.and did I say horses? As a small child, I only wanted to play with the plastic cowboys and Indians. I had a bouncy horse that I rode so hard it would come inches off the ground (scared my mother to death). I was most comfortable in jeans and a cowboy hat.

5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Donna: Caroling! I especially love caroling in the snow. I love being in a large group of singers, holding candles, bundled to the Nth degree, and harmonizing together ... then topping it off with hot chocolate!

6. Are you still writing?

Donna: Besides recently completing the manuscript for the 4th and final book of the Mysterious Ways series (The Crimson River), I do have a couple other stories running through my head. Both are fictitious with historical/biblical truths.

7. Where on the Internet can we find you?

Donna: You can find me on my website: www.northstarstories.com and www.cladach.com/Westover-Gallup.html

Available through stores, online retailers, and direct from the publisher at:

http://cladach.com/Mysterious-Ways.html

where the Fall Fiction Fling Special Price

for the set of three books is $22.00

Kindle e-books also available on Amazon.com.

The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carson

2011-11-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

This was a fast, fun Christmas read.

In a tiny town called Parish Springs, a stranger comes. Her name is Matilda Honeycutt, and she is about to turn this tired little town upside down. She dresses like a hippy, and this town doesn't welcome strangers well. They barley handle their own citizens, much less newcomers. Worse yet, Matilda has purchased the most pivotal building and is opening a store. A Christmas store even. But when Matilda's store opens, to the un-seeing eye, it is anything but a Christmas Shoppe, it is something worse than a second hand store. The mayor is outraged, the other shop owners are up-in-arms. And during all this, lives of people we come to know in this story are being effected and changed. Tommy runs the newspaper, but doesn't know if he wants to anymore. Folks are tired, and bitter, and angry and hurt. But when they go spend time in the dust and odd merchandise in Matilda's shop something happens to them. Things that are life changing.

This was a sweet story, and nicely written. You can read it quickly, in an hour or so, and I enjoyed it.
It is also a hardcover, which I like, and bound in a nice ever-green color.

Carol

Can a Christmas Store and a Stranger Bring Change to Small Town?

Much-Anticipated Christmas Novella From Award-Winning Author Melody Carlson

In sleepy little Parrish Springs, everyone seems to know everyone else’s business practically before they do. The empty Barton Building has finally sold-- but not to the right person, according to Councilman Snider. He is successful in stirring up the townspeople and turning them against the new owner, Matilda Honeycutt. This older woman with scraggly gray hair and a different fashion sense doesn’t fit into the Parrish Springs tradition. The town is curious and yet afraid of her at the same time. But nothing convinces Matilda to give up her plans for The Christmas Shoppe (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1926-5, $15.99, 176 pages, September 2011) by best-selling author Melody Carlson.

The neighboring shop owners respond in horror when The Christmas Shoppe doesn’t look and feel like all the other charming stores on the town's quaint main street. After all Christmas is approaching, and the last thing the town needs is a junky shop run by someone who looks and acts like a gypsy. But as townsfolk venture into the strange store, they discover that old memories can bring new life, healing, and love.

The Christmas Shoppe, by best-selling author Melody Carlson, offers a touch of Christmas with a mixture of nostalgia, joy, and hope.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington’s, which is being considered for a TV movie. She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.

The book link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Shoppe-Melody-Carlson/dp/0800719263

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

Available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a divison of Baker Publishging Group.

Katie’s Choice by Tracey Langford (Fall Fiction Fling)

2011-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to this 2011 Fall Fiction Fling! This is my first time doing this so let's see what kind of fun and good books we can catch this time! :) These are books I have NOT read. At the end of this tour we get books. Today's interesting book is Katie's Choice by Tracey Langford. So below you will find information about the book, lots of information about the Author, and an Interview with her too!

Carol

KATIE'S CHOICE

A Novel

by Tracey Langford

Synopsis:

Katie's Choice is a story about a high school student who becomes pregnant. She meets with a nurse in an abortion clinic and speaks to a counselor at a pregnancy resource center. Encouraged in that direction by her single mother, she decides to get an abortion, believing it is her best choice. As Katie attempts to move on with her life, though, her past continues to haunt her.

She thought she was choosing freedom and a future; but then shame and regret haunt her and keep her inner life a closed book even to the man who falls in love with her. Truth pursues Katie, though, until her defenses finally crumble.

This moving tale of redemption chronicles an emotional journey out of self-loathing and spiritual denial into hope and life-changing love.

First-time novelist Tracey Langford was strongly encouraged to "reduce" her pregnancy. She declined, and now is the proud homeschooling mother of 15-year-old quadruplets. As part of her research, Tracey sat in mock interviews with counselors at pregnancy centers, role-playing the part of a troubled pregnant girl.

Reviews:

"I was blown away. It was one of those books where I found myself at 2 a.m. still reading, having to force myself to go to sleep. Tracey Langford truly did her homework regarding the pain abortion leaves behind. She described my past perfectly, as well as the pasts of 90% of the women who come through our doors. This book gives hope to those of us who have survived this dreadful choice."

~ Sheila Harper, SaveOne, President & Founder

"Katie's background and circumstances, from beginning to end, represent the clients we see every day. The book moved me to tears and I couldn't put it down."

~ Jan Monski, Sav-A-Life East, Inc., Director

Link to Chapter One:

http://cladach.com/KatieExcerpt.html

Purchasing Info:

Trade Paperback - 436 pgs - Cost of $14.97

Available at: Amazon.com and through most stores and online retailers.

Available from the publisher at http://cladach.com/Katie's-Choice.html where it is on sale this week for the discounted price of $12.00!

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Author Bio:

Tracey Langford lives with her husband, Jon, and their four children in Alabama. Their children are quadruplets - two boys and two girls - and homeschooling them is keeping Tracey busy these days. Ideas for future novels are brewing, though. In the future she will no doubt tackle other "dark" subjects with engrossing, hope-filled fiction.

Tracey has been a high school English teacher and a youth worker.

Author Photo small:

More info at:

http://cladach.com/Katie's-Choice.html

Author Interview:

1. Before writing Katie's Choice, you wrote a song called "Her Name Is Katie". Thankfully, you have a musical husband who created a tune for it and recorded it onto a CD. (Excerpts from the song are on the book video.) Do you still use that song?

Tracey: My husband sings "Her Name is Katie" (from his CD BeyondThat) any chance he gets. People usually respond positively to it, which opens opportunity for dialogue (similar to what is happening with the new movie "October Baby"). Sometimes people feel more comfortable responding to music or literature than they do to sermons or lecture. That's why I feel passionately about art being used to spread God's messages, whether those messages be forgiveness, repentance, creation, eternal life, or any other biblical truth.

2. How did the song evolve into a novel?

Tracey: When my kids were little, I was constantly reading Christian fiction. Unfortunately, I would criticize many of the books I read by saying things like, "I don't think that character would really say that," or "I don't think that's an honest portrayal of this particular subject." One day Jon said, "You're thinking of writing your own book, aren't you?" Well, I can honestly say that the thought had never entered my mind, but he planted a seed that day and it slowly grew. I gradually warmed up to the idea. I naturally thought of writing about a woman having multiples since I had quadruplets, but I lived that experience every day; I wanted to write about something new. Then, one day while eating breakfast, I thought, "Why not turn the song 'Her Name is Katie' into a full-blown novel?" I was so excited I called my husband and told him. I started researching abortion that very day. And two years later I had a completed manuscript.

3. How old are your kids now?

Tracey: My kids (two boys and two girls) are fifteen now and in the ninth grade. They just got their learner's permits, so we have now begun teaching them to drive! Pray for us!! :-) Seriously, they are doing well with it, and I'm remaining mostly calm!

4. What are the biggest blessings/challenges of raising and homeschooling quadruplets?

Tracey: By far the biggest blessing is the time I get to spend with my kids. It's definitely hard and we certainly get on each other's nerves, but it is so worth it. I would not trade the time we've had opening up God's Word each day, reading a paragraph or a chapter, and just discussing it. I have learned so much about the Bible and God. And what a privilege to be able to share these truths with my kids and to see them grow and mature in their own spiritual walk. I would encourage Christian parents to spend time in the Word with their kids whether they homeschool or not. The time issue is huge, I know, and it can be an awkward thing if you're not used to it. But, trust me, it is the biggest blessing; I cannot stress that enough.

I don't want to make it sound like homeschooling doesn't have its challenges, because it does. Time management and planning are obviously essential (and those aren't always my strong points). I've struggled a good bit with high school and feeling inadequate as a teacher. But I'll tell you what -- God has provided everything I need. For instance, I knew math was going to be a huge stumbling block for me. But God, in His mercy, brought me together with another homeschool mom who is a great math teacher. She, however, needed someone to teach English to her kids. How perfect could that be!

5. What ministries are you involved in currently?

Tracey: For the past several years, we have been involved in a nation-wide student outreach ministry. We've traveled in our RV all around the country assisting Rick and Mick Ministries in taking the Gospel to unreached teens. It's also been a great outlet for my husband's CD and my novel. Unfortunately, due to the economy right now, my husband has had to take a job requiring him to travel so we have been unable to go with the ministry team. But, we just got involved with starting up a student ministry at our church. I pray that God will bring some teens that need to hear the Truth. I will be teaching and hoping to plant some seeds. It's exciting and humbling at the same time.

6. What are you currently writing?

Tracey: I started a second novel a couple of years ago. I am excited about the prospect of it. I gravitate toward dark subjects (like abortion) and they take a lot out of you when you wrestle with the "why's" and "how's" of it all. But I think Christian literature should address the realities of life -- and let's face it -- there's a lot of darkness out there. Light needs to be interjected into the darkness.

I am also writing skits. I'm currently working on one called "Waiting for Christmas" to be performed at our church in December. Jon and I are also writing a song for it. I'm hoping the skit and the song give people some new thoughts on Christmas this year.

A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander

2011-11-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Very Nice!

I am finishing reading this good book today as it rains, and the leaves fall. A Lasting Impression is a story that gripped me right away. Claire is a painter, something close to my heart as well. She was taught by her Mother, who was quite ill and dying. Her Father has seen fit to use her gift to copy famous paintings and then sell them off as originals. Claire hates this, but with out income or a husband, she is rather trapped. And when we are trapped, or in a mess and ask God to help, He steps in.

Claire quickly finds herself out of New Orleans, in Nashville, Tennessee, and positioned to be liaison for the wealthiest woman in the area! Mrs. Adelicia Acklen was the richest lady in America in the 1860's. She owned Belmont Mansion. I have been to Biltmore Estate/Mansion in North Carolina and seen what it is like,so as Claire struggles to come up with a good party plan for Mrs. Acklen's son, and all the incredible surroundings are described, I have a very dramatic sense of what that would feel like!

But we can't leave out Sutton! Mr. Sutton is trying to deal with the circumstances surrounding his dear Father's death, and what it has done to his Mother as well. He works as the personal lawyer and an advisor to Mrs. Acklen. He is also quite drawn to Claire, but know she has to be hiding more than a few things and he would very much like to know what and why. In addition, he is working on the side on a case to find out more about some forged art work.

A Lasting Impression is beautifully painted with all sorts of historical things interwoven. The story its self is captivating and fascinating. In Tamera Alexander's books you will also find God present, working in the "mysterious" ways that He guides and directs us. I am very happy to have gotten to read this wonderful Southern book this week. It just makes me love the area I grew up in that much more!

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Lasting Impression Bethany House (November 1, 2011) by Tamera Alexander ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed Fountain Creek Chronicles historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her second historical series, Timber Ridge Reflections (From a Distance, Beyond This Moment, and Within My Heart) continue her signature style of deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose which has earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards.

These awards include the 2009 and 2008 Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction, the 2010 and 2007 RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2010 and 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the 2010 HOLT Medallion, the 2007 Bookseller’s Best Award, the 2007 National Reader's Choice Award, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006, among others.

Tamera's newest novel A Lasting Impression is the first of a brand new three-book Southern historical series, and the first two chapters are available for review. She's at work on her ninth novel which will release in fall 2012.

After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in Nashville, Tennessee, along with Tamera's father, Doug, and with their two adult children who live near by. And don't forget Jack, their precious--and precocious--silky terrier.

ABOUT THE BOOK

To create something that will last is Claire Laurent's most fervent desire as an artist. It's also her greatest weakness. When her fraud of a father deals her an unexpected hand, Claire is forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville, only a year after the War Between the States has ended. Claire's path collides with that of Sutton Monroe, and she considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But when they meet again and he refuses to come to her aid, she realizes she's sorely misjudged the man. Trading an unwanted destiny for an unknown future, Claire finds herself in the middle of Nashville's elite society and believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art may finally be within reach.

All that Sutton Monroe holds dear lies in ruin. He's determined to reclaim his heritage and to make the men who murdered his father pay. But what he discovers on his quest for vengeance reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined.

Set at Nashville's historical Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, the richest woman in America in the 1860s, A Lasting Impression showcases the deep, poignant, unforgettable characters that set Tamera's stories apart and provides an inspiring love story that will capture readers' hearts and leave them eager for more.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Lasting Impression, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206222

The 13th Demon by Bruce Hennigan (The Chronicles of Jonathan Steel)

2011-10-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Brace yourself!!!

This book is not for the faint of heart! A rare thing it is for me to pick up a book that I do not put down till it is read from cover to cover, but this is one of them. I read The 13th Demon Alter of the Spiral Eye in three hours. I would have gone to bed, since I started it so late at night, but this book has enough of the Spirit Realm in it that I knew better than to sleep with out having read the ending.

The introduction soon leaves off into the main stories and it just never lets up. The action in the physical and spiritual realms never lets up, nor the plot, nor the draw that is felt to the main characters. I can tell you that Bruce Hennigan has a great grip on demons, and humans. I thought it was very witty to tie the Aztex and Incas into the story, and then how it all ties up in that one artifact that was quite evil. I frankly remember my reaction to such "art" when I studied it in college, along with my being as equally repelled by human sacrifice as were the Christians in this book.

I hope to not offend Mr. Hennigan should he ever read my review, but I found the movie like write up reminiscent of Silent Hill. That is movie I wound up watching by "accident" and one that has no Christian content other than Hell and being lost eternally in a lot of horrors, but the wild and sometimes unpredictable demonic manifestations are just as dramatic. In that aspect I am sure this would scare the dear "blue haired Grandmothers" of certain denominations to bits! However, for those of us who have seen "too much", we know we fight demons just as livid, just as real as they are in The 13th Demon on a regular basis. Some people just never see them with their physical eyes, and others of us do.

Carol

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The 13th Demon Realms (October 4, 2011) by Bruce Hennigan
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bruce Hennigan was born and raised in the isolated countryside of Shreveport, La., a place full of possibilities for the active mind of a young boy. The fertile imagination he cultivated while playing deep in the Louisiana woods would lead to a lifelong love of creative writing.

In 2006, Hennigan pursued the Certified Apologetic Instructor Certificate from the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has become a frequent speaker at regional and state events on apologetics and his strong point is in making these sometimes hard to understand issues easily approachable for the average Christian. Hennigan’s experience in apologetics inspired him to write his new novel, The 13th Demon: Altar of the Spiral Eye, a supernatural Christian thriller that combines science and faith. Now, combining his love for apologetics and his love for the art of writing, Hennigan is pursuing a career as the “Michael Crichton” of Christian fiction building powerful, fast paced stories around the truths of Christian apologetics.

Hennigan currently resides in Shreveport with his wife and daughter. He continues to write and to practice radiology at the Willis Knighton Health Care System. He has secured Jeff Jernigan of Hidden Value Group (www.hiddenvaluegroup.com) as his literary agent and has signed a five book deal with the Realms imprint of Charisma Media for “The Chronicles of Jonathan Steel”.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Jonathan Steel wakes up on a beach in a raging thunderstorm, naked, beaten, and bleeding, he has no idea who he is or how he got there. But just as he starts to make progress in his slow journey to recovery, tragedy strikes again, taking everything in his new life that he has come to love and rely on.

Filled with rage and a thirst for revenge, he searches the countryside for the entity responsible—an entity called only the Thirteenth Demon. His quest brings him to Lakeside, Louisiana, and a small country church where evil is in control and strange writing on the walls, blood-soaked floors, and red-eyed spiders have appeared in the sanctuary.

As he faces the final confrontation with an evil presence that has pursued him all of his life, he must choose between helping the people he loves or destroying the thirteenth demon.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The 13th Demon, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616382805

The Bone House by Stephen Lawhead (The Bright Empire Series)

2011-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

Opps, You heard my yelp of excitement did you? Well, that is probably a good thing.

I have said it before, and here I say it again - Stephen Lawhead is one of my very favorite writers. This book review is about The Bone House, the second book in The Bright Empire Series. Here again we can pick up where we left off with Kit Livingston, an unwitting traveler to the ley lines. Ley Lines, oh I am glad you asked! You should read the first book, and then you will enjoy this all the more, and you will be sure not to be lost- unless you get on the wrong ley line and then that is another problem altogether.

The Bone House picks up with great escape Kit and some of his friends have made, while at the great loss of some lives, and a very important map. A map of ley lines, tattooed onto one mans' skin. That man, no longer with us of course, left this map separated into four parts.
Whoever finds them all, finds a great treasure, and so the hunt is on for many various reasons. And that dear readers only scratches the surface of this book or The Skin Map.

In this book we learn a great deal more about how the ley lines work, and how to navigate them. We get to check and see how our favorite characters are doing, and what has made some of the villains the way they are. Their lives are written in great depth and by the time you reach the last place Kit went in this book, you will feel as though you went on these trips, and sat with Kit as he works to sort out the where-s and why-s of it all. In that last place, the place of bones, the way they communicated, and the way Mr. Lawhead explained it took my breath away. Exceedingly well written!

I have plenty more to say, but I am going to try to post again tomorrow. If I don't mange, then I might have gone to a ley line of my own.

Carol

About the Book:

One piece of the skin map has been found. Now the race to unravel the future of the future turns deadly.

An avenue of Egyptian sphinxes, an Etruscan tufa tomb, a Bohemian coffee shop, and a Stone Age landscape where universes collide …

Kit Livingstone met his great grandfather Cosimo in a rainy alley in London where he discovered the reality of alternate realities.

Now he's on the run - and on a quest, trying to understand the impossible mission he inherited from Cosimo: to restore a map that charts the hidden dimensions of the multiverse while staying one step ahead of the savage Burley Men.

The key is the Skin Map - but where it leads and what it means, Kit has no idea. The pieces have been scattered throughout this universe and beyond.

Mina, from her outpost in seventeenth-century Prague, is quickly gaining both the experience and the means to succeed in the quest. Yet so are those with evil intent, who from the shadows are manipulating great minds of history for their own malign purposes.

Across time and space, through manifest and hidden worlds, those who know how to use ley lines to travel through astral planes have left their own world behind in this, the second quest: to unlock the mystery of The Bone House.

Watch the author trailer:

About the Author:

Stephen Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. He was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. His early life was lived in America where he earned a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological seminary for two years.

His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.

After a brief and unsuccessful foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he launched his free-lance career in 1981. In the Hall of the Dragon King was his first novel.

In 1986 the Lawhead family moved to Britain so that Stephen could conduct research for the PENDRAGON CYCLE books. They settled there permanently in 1990, with some years spent living in Austria and a sabbatical in the United States.

In addition to his twenty-four novels, he has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, with whom he has collaborated on books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.

Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have variously been published in twenty-four foreign languages. He has won numerous industry awards, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.

His middle name is ‘Ray’.

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Book link - http://www.amazon.com/dp/159554805X/
Author’s Web site - http://www.stephenlawhead.com/

Participants’ links:
Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
CSFF Blog Tour
Jeff Chapman
Carol Bruce Collett
Karri Compton
D. G. D. Davidson
Theresa Dunlap
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Janeen Ippolito
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Marzabeth
Katie McCurdy
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Chawna Schroeder
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

2011-10-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Here is the world of Alice, aka Allie. A Pastors daughter who has her nose in a book almost 24 / 7. Her family can't hardly get her out in the real word, her boyfriend has left her because of it, and she still has no idea what life is at the age of 22. The Great Depression has caused her to loose her job at the library. With out much else to do, she invites herself to go with her Aunt and Uncle on a trip. Allie, the little fair skinned curly haired blond from Blue Island, Illinois finds herself stranded in Acorn, Kentucky! All she planned to do was help the library for a few weeks, but Leslie is a man name Mack and soon Alice finds herself in an extended stay next to Wonderland Creek. Before she knows it she is having to learn to ride a horse, and cook, and clean and care for a 100 year old former slave named Lilly. Soon she finds out she has to be a packhorse librarian, and help Lilly deal with a most unique funeral, and the list just keeps going.

Wonderland Creek is the kind of book you don't want to put down, and the kind that makes you just a wee bit worried that maybe I read too much too! So I took that into consideration, and then into consideration all the people I work with and talk to daily, and decided I am o.k. I just love to read, and this story was great!
I REALLY love how Lilly prays, and how much of God's real word was worked into Wonderland Creek. I loved how the clannish ways, and mines, and feuds all were portrayed and handled, especially how it effected people's lives and how it changed their relationships with God.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wonderland Creek Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Lynn Austin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It was during the long Canadian winters at home with her children that Lynn made progress on her dream to write, carving out a few hours of writing time each day while her children napped. Lynn credits her early experience of learning to write amid the chaos of family life for her ability to be a productive writer while making sure her family remains her top priority.

Extended family is also very important to Austin, and it was a lively discussion between Lynn, her mother, grandmother (age 98), and daughter concerning the change in women's roles through the generations that sparked the inspiration for her novel Eve's Daughters.

Along with reading, two of Lynn's lifelong passions are history and archaeology. While researching her Biblical fiction series, Chronicles of the Kings, these two interests led her to pursue graduate studies in Biblical Backgrounds and Archaeology through Southwestern Theological Seminary. She and her son traveled to Israel during the summer of 1989 to take part in an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Timnah. This experience contributed to the inspiration for her novel Wings of Refuge.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. And two of her inspirational fiction books were chosen by Library Journal for their top picks in 2003, and 2005. One of Lynn's novels has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a world of fiction instead of the real world. Then to top it off, Alice loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression.

Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library in the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Dropped off by her relatives, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal.

But the librarian turns out to be far different than she anticipated--not to mention the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes to deliver the much-desired books. While Alice is trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and myster--and especially romance--are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wonderland Creek, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/076420498X

A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes (The Daughters of Bainbridge House)

2011-10-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Delightful!

I so very much enjoyed this book! A Necessary Deception is extremely well written, full of intrigue, suspense, drama, history and fun! Widowed Lady Gayle is leaving the country side to be with her family for the Season in London. On the way, she stops and bails a Frenchman out of prison as an act of kindness to the man who was with her husband when he died. But no sooner has she arrived with her cat in tow to London then she begins to be concerned that she has made a horrible mistake. She is being blackmailed and her heart and life are doing daily roller-coaster rides of events. Lydia soon finds herself quite attracted to, but also scared of Christian Christophe Arnaud de Meuse and some of the people surrounding him. Only who is really the blackmailer, and who is a traitor to the crown? Who can she trust and will she be able to get her middle sister wed, and her younger sister from wrecking her life and reputation at such a young age?

A delightful story written so nicely in the time frame, complete with beautiful dresses, spies, traitors, love, lost love, God, real life decisions, heart-ache, joy, and at least one adorable feline.

Carol

About the Book:

When young widow Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreams she will see him again. But just as the London Season gets under way, the man presents himself in her parlor. While she should be focused on getting her headstrong younger sister prepared for her entrée into Society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting herself and her family in danger?

Discover a world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades as Laurie Alice Eakes whisks you into the drawing rooms of London Society on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past--and let love guide the future.

About the Author:

Laurie Alice Eakes is the author of Lady in the Mist, A Necessary Deception, and several other novels. She won a National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007 for Family Guardian. Laurie Alice writes full-time from her home in Texas, where she lives with her husband and sundry dogs and cats.

Her web site is: http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com/

Book Link: http://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Deception-Novel-Daughters-Bainbridge/dp/0800734661

Endorsements

"With her clean, sleek prose, Laurie Alice Eakes is one of the best storytellers the world has today. A Necessary Deception is one of her best, deftly weaving an intriguing spy chase with the elegant life of the ton in a beautiful love story that kidnaps unwitting readers and holds them hostage to the very last page."--Delle Jacobs, award-winning author of His Majesty, the Prince of Toads

"In A Necessary Deception, Laurie Alice Eakes weaves the fine silk threads of historical richness, dangerous intrigue, and forbidden romance into a flawless literary tapestry. This is Georgette Heyer meets Terri Blackstock in 1812 Regency London, an adventure that will leave readers breathless."--Louise M. Gouge, award-winning author of At the Captain's Command

"Laurie Alice Eakes writes a page-turning story with an in-depth knowledge of the period, an eye for detail, and an escalating mystery that will keep readers guessing till the end."--Ruth Axtell Morren, author of Wild Rose and The Rogue's Redemption

"Intriguing, suspenseful, masterful, and romantic--all the things you want in a great book! Add to that enchanting characters with real problems and real flaws who grow throughout the story, and a twist-and-turn plot, and I guarantee that once you dive into this book, you'll be happily lost in Regency London for the duration."--MaryLu Tyndall, Christy Award nominee and author of the Surrender to Destiny series

"Laurie Alice Eakes's novel is a captivating combination of romance and suspense set in the glittering Regency period."--Jane Myers Perrine, author of Second Chance Bride

"A Necessary Deception will lure you into a fascinating Regency full of danger, surprises, and a romance to quicken your pulse."--Jillian Kent, author of Secrets of the Heart

"A time of romance and intrigue with characters who grip one's heart and won't let go--this is the kind of book I look forward to reading when I want to be uplifted and carried away."--Jennifer Hudson Taylor, author of Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary

Available October 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Measure of Katie Calloway by Serena Miller

2011-10-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Brave Readers,

The Measure of Katie Calloway is an indepth tale of the shanty boys and crews who harvested much of the timber that our country was built with. Katie escapes a plantation in ruins from Sherman's troups, only to have her husband continue to be horribly abusive. Realizing that he may well kill her, she takes her little brother, Ned, and fleas to the North. Finding respectiable work appears that it will be a challenge, but God opens the right doors and soon she and Ned are working for Robert Foster. He is the manager of a large logging camp. Hiring on as the cook is more than full time job, and Katie wasn't anticipating falling in love with Robert or anyone else ever again. Before long Katie is struggling to see if she can measure up to the work, while event after event just keeps piling in on her and the camp.

Many years ago my Mother took me to several 1800's villages. This book is set before then, but what I learned in those places all went hand in hand with this well researched book. A very nice read with lots of history and couragious charactors.

Carol

About the book:

Her heart seeks sanctuary in the deep woods. But will trouble find her even here?

The Civil War has ended, but in Katie Calloway's Georgia home, conflict still rages. To protect herself and her young brother from her violent and unstable husband, she flees north, finding anonymity and sanctuary as the cook in a north woods lumber camp. The camp owner, Robert Foster, wonders if the lovely woman he's hired has the grit to survive the never-ending work and harsh conditions of a remote pine forest in winter. Katie wonders if she can keep her past a secret from a man she is slowly growing to love.

With grace and skill, Serena Miller brings to life a bygone era. From the ethereal, snowy forest and the warm cookstove, the rowdy shanty boys and the jagged edges of the saw, every detail is perfectly rendered, transporting the reader back to the time when pine was king, men were made of iron, and rivers were choked with logs on the way to the sawmills and danger and romance abounded. Readers will have a hard time leaving the Northwoods when they turn the last page.

"With fascinating historical detail and heartfelt characters, The Measure of Katie Calloway captivated me from the very first line. Great storytelling, coupled with a unique north woods setting, will carry your heart from one vivid scene to the next. Miller writes the kind of rich historical fiction I love--with a plethora of romantic twists and turns to keep you reading far into the night. Not to be missed!"--Laura Frantz, author of The Colonel's Lady
"Serena Miller's charming characters leap off the pages and straight into your heart, and her setting feels so real you'll wonder why you don't hear trees falling in the forest and bacon sizzling on the woodstove."--Emilie Richards, author of Sunset Bridge
"Fascinating history. Fabulous characters. The Measure of Katie Calloway is a fast-paced story with a generous measure of romance that will have readers cheering on Katie Calloway as she conquers one trial after another. If you like stepping back in time and sharing an adventure with great characters, this is the book for you."--Ann H. Gabhart, author of Angel Sister

About the Author:

Serena Miller is the author of Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio, as well as numerous articles for periodicals such as Woman's World, Guideposts, Reader's Digest, Focus on the Family, Christian Woman, and more. She lives on a farm in southern Ohio.

Her web site is: http://serenabmiller.com

Available October 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a divison of Baker Publishging Group.

House of Secrets by Tracie Peterson

2011-10-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

This is the third book I have read by Tracie Peterson, though there are plenty of good books by her out there to read. This book was simply poignant. Few writers that I have read have tackled this topic, this way, in Christian Fiction.

House of Secrets is about three sisters, and the crime they witnessed their Dad commit. Or did he? They were young, but they have spent 15 year or more not talking about "it" or speaking the truth, nor getting anything cleared up or dealt with.

The oldest sister Bailee has been jammed into the position of feeling responsible for her sisters no matter what, and her nightmares just don't stop. Not even with a therapist. Geena, the middle daughter, just tries to survive and work, and takes most things in stride. Her getting her law degree is helping, but in her spirit things are as calm as she would like them to be. Piper, the youngest, isn't in good health mentally or emanational, and the physical isn't far behind.

Now after all this time their Dad wants them all together to share news. The girls decide it is time to sort out the disaster that has become their lives. It is time for the silence and secrets to end, and the truth, no matter how bad, to come out. Thus begins an incredible week with wave after wave of revelations, pain, and cold hard facts for the girls and their Dad to work through. And then there is confusion among certain people about what God's role in all this is, or if He even has one. Mark is there for Bailee, but she isn't sure she wants him to be in a "relationship" of any kind with her because of how much emotional pain she is in.

All that alone would be a good book, an easy read, and just fine. But this book has a dimension that people shy and run away from. A term called Paranoid Schizophrenia. At the back of the book Tracie asked a question. Given that a mental illness can effect 1 out of 5 people, has anyone in your life been effected. As recent as 10 years ago I would have been able to say no, but not anymore. Now there is someone I know, someone I have been close to, and one of their children who may well be effected as well. I have to say that in House of Secrets Tracie Peterson did a wonderful job of explaining so very many things about Schizophrenia and mental issues. And should she get to read this review, I really wish to tell you that there are some major things that made me stop and cry, and should I get a chance to e-mail her in person I would share with her about the page that has helped and moved me so much.

A recommend read to anyone dealing with people with mental illnesses, or even just super odd personality disorders that could be leading up to mental issues.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing House of Secrets Bethany House (October 1, 2011) by Tracie Peterson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max. She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When her father orchestrates a surprise trip to the summer house of her childhood, Bailee Cooper is unprepared for what follows. What is intended to be a happy reunion for Bailee and her sisters, Geena and Piper, quickly becomes shrouded by memories from the past.

Together again, the three sisters sift through their recollections of fifteen years ago...of an ill mother, and of their father making a desperate choice. They vowed, as children, to be silent--but one sister believes the truth must now be revealed. Yet can they trust their memories?

Mark Delahunt arrives in the wake of this emotional turmoil. Determined to win Bailee's affection, Mark becomes the strong fortress for her in this time of confusion, and what was once a tentative promise begins to take root and grow. Caught between the past and an uncertain future, can Bailee let God guide her to heal the past and ultimately to embrace love?

If you would like to read the first chapter of House of Secrets, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206184

Hello, Hollywood! by Janice Thompson

2011-09-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

FUN!

This book is a great deal of fun. I really enjoyed the back-stages of a small group writing a sitcom.

I found the plot steps fascinating! I didn't have those in college, or in any of my training, so they were quite interesting to me, and they were worked into the book with great skill. Most people might not notice, but because of my background I could tell right off that the author, Janice Thompson had done some TV screen writing prior to Hello, Hollywood! because of way she wrote this book. It makes it just lovely, and none of it was lost on me.

Hello, Hollywood! is a fun easy read, and I really loved the Zeus, the Greek Domestic dog. They are quite a fascinating breed, and as an animal and dog person myself, I had to look up a bit more about them. All the characters were strong. Family, friends, God and solving problems were integral parts in this book. Overall I just liked it, it was fun, well written, fast paced, and sweet. I liked the ending screen play as well.

Carol

The Book:

When it comes to love, one thing's for sure--it doesn't follow a script!

Athena Pappas is the head writer on Stars Collide, one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. But when Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse is brought in to beef up the show's suddenly sagging ratings, she starts to worry about her job. Sparks fly as the competition--and attraction--between the two writers heats up. Athena has never had a problem writing the romances of her characters. So why is her own love life so hard to script?

With humor and a Hollywood-insider viewpoint, Hello, Hollywood! delivers lots of laughs as Athena and Stephen discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

"Romance, drama, fun--Hello, Hollywood! has it all."--Jenny B. Jones, award-winning author of Save the Date and A Charmed Life series

"Thoroughly delightful! A blend of contemporary life and romance with nostalgic snapshots of Hollywood's golden age. Thompson writes with warmth and humor, creating a world we can all escape to for a little while."--Rachel Hauck, bestselling and award-winning author of Dining with Joy

About the Author:

Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and former screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson affords an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and Stars Collide. She lives in Texas.

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman

2011-09-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Y'all,

Dangerous Mercy got to me pretty late! Almost too late to read it all, but I managed! I pretty much didn't put it down for two days. First of all let me say that if Kathy Herman hasn't lived in Louisiana, then she knows people who have. I loved her use of the culture, and language. I have been in Louisiana many, many times, and I have friends there. So when I tell you Kathy Herman did good on this, she did! I knew almost all of the cajan words prior to reading this book, and they added to the book greatly.

Dangerous Mercy is a very engaging story of a small community in Louisiana, called Les Barbes. Adele Woodmore is an 86 year old widow, who use to own a very large "Manor". Since her husband had passed many years ago, she moved out of the estate and a couple she is very close to run it as Bed and Breakfast.
Live is good, baby Grace is a frequent visitor, as well as Zoe and occasionally her husband. Adele is pondering over what God has for her now.

Meanwhile, Father Sam is running Haven House, a way to restore men who have been homeless or on hard times to get their lives back. Noah, who works as the gardner and landscaper for Langley Manor. Noah is actually a descendant, alive because of the Underground Railroad, part of the rich history of Langley Manor.
Murry also lives and works at Haven House. Soon Murry and Noah are working odds and ends jobs for Adele. Her live in house keeper isn't happy about the men, she doesn't trust them, but Adele does and she is not who she is to be told what to do now at this late date.

Then things really start to ratchet up because there is a killer in their community! That is just unheard of, and so out of place in this peaceful cajan community. But with more and more victims dying, and no clue who is next, suspicions and accusations are popping up all over. Even when we start to suspect who the killer is, Adele is still working in and with "dangerous mercy".

A very engaging book that will keep most people guessing long into the story, and once you do figure out who the killer is, the twists are not over. I especially liked the ending. A recommended read foh shore!

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Dangerous Mercy David C. Cook (October 1, 2011) by Kathy Herman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.

Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.

Kathy's husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and birdwatching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7

When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.

A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table...and they begin to talk...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dangerous Mercy, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0781403413

A Lancaster County Christmas by Suzanne Woods Fisher

2011-09-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Christmas time in September folks!

A Lancaster County Christmas is an interesting book that is about the right length for a 2 hour read if you read fast. First I will tell you about the story. Jamie is a photographer. One of the reasons I chose this book!

She is married to C.J. and they aren't happy. Mattie and her husband Sol are Amish. Mattie and Jamie meet in the same doctor's office. Mattie is dealing with the fact that she has miscarried another baby, and she wants nothing more than to be a good Amish wife with a big family. Alas, she only has one son and God doesn't seem to be letting her have more. This is causing her great, and deep pain.

Meanwhile Jamie is wrestling with keeping her Father's love, as major job changes so she can be super successful and not just working the Sears Portrait Studio for the rest of her life, and being rather convinced that her husband is having an affair. As God would have it these two couples (and some extra kinfolk) wind up together for Christmas on the Amish farm belonging to Sol and Mattie. Lots of revelations and insite start occurring for both couples.

Now for my thoughts. This was the first book by Suzanne Woods Fisher that I have read. I felt like the Amish people in the book were more real and portrayed better than the English ones on some levels. I liked all the interaction with the main characters. I was not the least bit happy about that item that was lost, and not found. I would have had to written that detail differently, because that one really really bothers me. Maybe it is because I am also a photographer. Another thing that bothered me is how Jamie and C.J. had all these "problems" and they were all so very very minor. I guess I have dealt with too many problems in my life, and my friends lives, that were not minor at all. That were not fixed at the end of the book, or the end of the "episode". However, the problems that Mattie and Sol were facing were major ones that they had to overcome. I also feel like lots of things were left open ended or loose. I am not sure if these are things that only notice or not. Over all great strides were made throughout the book, and spiritual growth as well, and the settings were quite good.

One thing I LOVED was all the attention to the animals, and especially Tucker! I have a friend who has a Search and Rescue dog. I have also trained 4 Service Dogs. So Tucker, the baby lambs, the baby owl, none of the wildlife or domestic animals were lost on me. I throughly enjoyed them. And where is that bob cat now anyway???

Carol

The Book:

Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do--in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they've drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality.

Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?

With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.

About The Author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice is finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).

Keep up on Suzanne's latest news on Facebook, Twitter and on her blog!

Her web site is http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Monster of the Hollow by Andrew Peterson (The Wingfeather Saga)

2011-09-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Alright! Time for another great fiction review!

The first book in this series captured my attention. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness  was simply good, and memorable. My cousin's just loved the first book! And then, I messed up. I didn't get the second one because I was waiting for a review. (OPPS!!!) So now, here we are, at book THREE! I quickly ordered a copy of North! Or Be Eaten!, but alas, I haven't gotten to read it all yet.

You know what that means! I can't BEAR to read all of The Monster of the Hollows with out reading North! Or Be Eaten!-!!!  But I also couldn't not read enough to give you a review. You will just have to bear with me as I am able to read the second book, and then update this review, if needed. ;)

The Wingfeather children, and there are three of them, are in line for a throne. A throne that in book one they did not understand in book one. Now they are in the land of their ancestors, Green Hollows. Here they are going to be safe for a while, and get a chance to rest up and catch their breath. Running from Gnag the Nameless is exhausting. Being free and safe from Fangs is an excellent thing you see. However,  soon they find they have a monster in their safe hollow.

Did it follow them? Was it hiding when they got there? Or did they somehow bring this monster with them? When one of their own looks like a monster, does that mean he is and they should hate and destroy him, or should they be asking Maker what He thinks about the issue? And you know, those gifts and callings are with out repentance. That means you are stuck with what you are put here to do, like it or not. (Oh dear!)

As I said, I haven't read the end because I can't bear to with out reading book 2 first. I think it is a good idea to read this series in order, so that you don't miss out on any of the incredible things happening. I also have to say that in books 2 and 3 there are really lovely drawings. It adds so much to the books when authors are able to do that, and the art work is not lost on me.

Carol

About the Book:

Janner Wingfeather's father was the High King of Anniera. But his father is gone. The kingdom has fallen. The royal family is on the run, and the Fang armies of Gnag the Nameless are close behind.
Janner and his family hope to find refuge in the last safe place in the world: the Green Hollows--a land of warriors feared even by Fangs of Dang. But there's a big problem. Janner's little brother-heir to the throne of Anniera-has grown a tail. And gray fur. Not to mention two pointed ears and long, dangerous fangs. To the suspicious folk of the Green Hollows he looks like a monster.
But Janner knows better. His brother isn't as scary as he looks. He's perfectly harmless.
Or is he?

Join the Wingfeathers on an adventure filled with mystery, betrayal, and sneakery in a land of tasty fruits. There's a monster on the loose and the truth lurks in the shadows.

About the Author:

Author/Singer/Songwriter Andrew Peterson, a 2005 Audie Award finalist for his readings of Ray Blackston’s Flabbergasted trilogy, wrote and produced the popular Christmas play and musical Behold the Lamb of God: The True Tale of the Coming of the Christ, and the album by the same name, which received the 2004 Best Album of the Year, World Christian Music’s Editors Choice Award. Andrew’s received critical acclaim for his seven albums and is at work on an eighth. He lives with his wife Jamie and their three young children near Nashville, Tennessee, where he reads storybooks aloud to his family each evening.

Artist Justin Gerard has illustrated several children’s books, including The Lightlings storybooks for young readers by R.C. Sproul. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, and works as the chief creative officer for Portland Studios.

Andrew’s Web site and blog (a team blog he moderates):http://andrew-peterson.com/ and http://www.rabbitroom.com/

In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. :)

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Series Web site - http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/

Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon (Book 2 Guardians of Justice)

2011-09-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Another readable treat has arrived for us! The last book I got to read by Irene Hannon in this series was the first book in this series, Fatal Judgement. I was happy to read again in the same lovely writing style as before. As soon as I started reading I thought, "I missed this!"

Alison Taylor is a social worker. Not something you would except to be more than a blip in the big scheme of things. She has been in an accident, leaving her with a few physical issues, and some deeper emotional ones as well. Her brothers Cole, and Jake are very protected of her, with good cause.

Her brother Cole asks her to go to a wedding with a man who needs her help, Mitch. Mitch doesn't need her help as much as he needs to meet the right woman for his life, but as a former Navy Seal, Alison is going to be well protected. Soon Mitch and Alison are good friends, with a chance of something much more. As Mitch struggles to make sure his Father is getting well from heart issues, his heart is falling for Alison, and Alison could fall for Mitch. Black roses, funeral banners, and bingo cards with sculls on her doorstep cause Alison's previous mundane life to take a drastic turn. Her family and Mitch are working around the clock to protect her, but Alison has a life to live and sometimes it overrides what should be better judgement.

Alison can't figure out who would be angry with her, but as a social worker the list could be endless. She is so wrapped up in a case where she knows the woman is being framed that she isn't as focused on her own well-being as she could be. Even with the losses she has dealt with in the last few days, she goes to work anyway. And that is when things really pick up! I am not about to give it all away, you know that by now.

I was moved by Irene's portrayal of people getting off drugs, and getting re-addicted to them, as well as those who had managed to turn their lives around with God's help. Mitch, Cole and Jake, as well as Bert are all good strong characters in this book, but it is Alison herself that stood out to me, in subtle and yet strong ways.

Carol

The Book:

As a social worker, Alison Taylor has a passion for protecting children and seeing that justice is served on their behalf. But when she starts getting harassing phone calls and bizarre "gifts," it seems she may be the one in need of protection. When her tormentor's attentions take a violent turn, her brother Cole comes to her aid, along with his new partner, Detective Mitch Morgan. As her relentless stalker turns up the heat, Mitch takes a personal interest in the case. Protecting Alison has become more than just a job--because his own happiness now depends on keeping her safe.

Chock full of nail-biting suspense and heart-melting romance, Deadly Pursuit is Irene Hannon's storytelling at its very best. Fans old and new will not want to miss the next story in this series starring siblings fighting for justice.

About the Author:

Irene Hannon is the author of more than 25 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm's Way. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOK reviews magazine. She lives in Missouri.

Her web site is here: http://www.irenehannon.com/index.html

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

HEY- Christmas in SEPTEMBER! A give-a-way! :)

2011-09-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's Christmas in September - iPad Giveaway and Facebook Party!
Enter 9/7-9/26!

To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).

Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here - many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!

Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
$25 gift certificate to iTunes
A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click one of the icons below. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.

But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

The Queen by Steven James

2011-09-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

Thrilling! Steven James newest book in the Patrick Bower Series is good indeed. So far I have read The Knight, and The Bishop, and now The Queen. (Yes, I need to go to the beginning and get The Pawn and The Rook.) They each stand alone with ease, but they fit together beautifully as well.

In The Queen Patrick Bowers gets a call to come to the are where his estranged brother lives. A husband is missing or dead, and his wife and child have been murdered. Pat is called in to help analyze and figure out why they are dead, and is the husband dead too, or missing? Little does he know that this case is going to go deep and deeper into multiple areas in the case, as well as in his life. Those not-so-dead-and-buried issues start coming to life to be dealt with one after the other, all while he is trying to break the case, find the killers and avoid disasters on multiple fronts.

Among those many fronts is Tessa, his "daughter" who is dealing with the aftermath of the man she had to kill, or who at least died because of her. She is dealing daily with guilt, and with trying to figure out what do people really mean when they say to "forgive yourself"? His brother is one of those fronts, and his brother's wife Amber, and the woman he wants to marry but hasn't quite proposed to is another front for him to deal with. The more he digs, the more secrets of the case, as well as of his life and the lives of those around him come rising from the grave to haunt, or is it to heal?

Now all I need is some "spare" time to read the first two books! I will be waiting for the next one to come out as well. I really enjoy Steven James's detailed and gripping writing style.

Carol

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

“A masterpiece of a thriller.”—Special Agent R. Wayne Smith, FBI (retired)

While investigating a mysterious double homicide in an isolated northern Wisconsin town, FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers uncovers a high-tech conspiracy that ties together long-buried Cold War secrets with present-day tensions in the Middle East. Amid the hazardous winter weather and harsh landscape, Bowers must piece together the puzzle before it’s too late.

In his most explosive thriller yet, bestselling author Steven James delivers a pulse-pounding, multi-layered storytelling tour-de-force that will keep you guessing.

The Queen is a breathless thriller from the author Publishers Weekly calls a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.”

WARNING: This book contains violence and graphic descriptions of disturbing crime scenes. It is not for the faint-of-heart who may be offended by such written images. For more on this topic, please read Steven James’ blog article entitled “Why I Write about Evil” .

Endorsements

"A masterpiece of a thriller."--Special Agent R. Wayne Smith, FBI (retired)
"Steven James continues to raise the bar in suspense writing. The Queen takes readers to a new level of suspense and is the best book in the Patrick Bowers series hands down!"--Suspense Magazine

ABOUT Steven James:

Steven James has penned 30+ books spanning the genres of psychological thrillers, prayer collections, dramas, monologues, a nine book series on creative storytelling, YA fantasy, and inspirational nonfiction.
He has received wide critical acclaim for his work including four Storytelling World Honor awards, two Publishers Weekly starred reviews, and 2009 and 2011 Christy Awards for best suspense. His latest thriller, The Bishop, was named both Suspense Magazine's and The Christian Manifesto's 2010 Book of the Year.
Steven earned a Master’s Degree in Storytelling from ETSU in 1997 and is an active member of International Thriller Writers, the Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, and International Association of Crime Writers. He is a contributing editor to Writer's Digest, and has taught writing and storytelling principles on three continents.
He lives in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with his wife and three daughters. When he's not writing or speaking, he's rock climbing, playing disc golf, or (shh....) slipping away to a matinee.

WEBSITE: http://www.stevenjames.net/index.cfm

A Whisper Of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer

2011-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

First we get a beautiful book title- Whisper of Peace, but it doesn't stop there. Beautiful Lizzy Dawson lives outside her former village, outcast for reasons she that died with her Mother. She has been there alone for several years since her Mother's passing. One day Clay and his sister Vivian come to her land. They have come to be missionaries to her Mother's village, the village that she doesn't belong to. The Athabascan people welcome Clay and Vivian but they are not at all pleased when they find out that they have had any contact with Lizzy!

A Whisper Of Peace gives us a wonderful story set in Alaska. This book is indeed peaceful, and yet rugged. Filled with a wonderful respect and love for the native people, lovely imagery, as well as real life contact with God. I really enjoyed this book a great deal.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Whisper of Peace Bethany House (September 1, 2011) by Kim Vogel Sawyer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of fifteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and numerous grandchildren.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ostracized by her tribe because of her white father, Lizzie Dawson lives alone in the mountains of Alaska, practicing the ways of her people even as she resides in the small cabin her father built for her mother. She dreams of reconciling with her grandparents to fulfill her mother's dying request, but she has not yet found a way to bridge the gap that separate her from her tribe.

Clay Selby has always wanted to be like his father, a missionary who holds a great love for the native people and has brought many to God. Clay and his stepsister, Vivian, arrive in Alaska to set up a church and school among the Athbascan people. Clay is totally focused on this goal...until he meets a young, independent Indian woman with the most striking blue eyes he's ever seen.

But Lizzie is clearly not part of the tribe, and befriending her might have dire consequences for his mission. Will Clay be forced to choose between his desire to minister to the natives and the quiet nudging of his heart?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Whisper of Peace, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764207857

Thunder In the Morning Calm by Don Brown

2011-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Thunder In the Morning Calm was quite fast paced, and moving. I am left impressed upon by the depth of emotion that Don Brown put into the sharing of POW's and the abuse of those held prisoner in a Communist society. To me Pak was one of the most important charactors in this book. I followed her part in this story with the greatest of intrest.

The rest of it is good as well, lots of fight scense and intense action all told from someone who throughly understands it, and the way the military works. But what stands out to me after the back cover was closed is how much faith and obediance this one woman showed in this book, and how well Thunder In the Morning Calm shows how greatly missed are those who never came home from war, and how greatful we are for those who did make it home from these wars.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Thunder in the Morning Calm Zondervan (August 2, 2011) by Don Brown
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

DON BROWN, a former U.S. Navy JAG Officer, is the author of Zondervan’s riveting NAVY JUSTICE SERIES, a dynamic storyline chronicling the life and adventures of JAG officer ZACK BREWER. After TREASON, his first novel in the NAVY JUSTICE SERIES, was published to rave reviews in 2005, drawing comparisons to the writing style of John Grisham, Don Brown was named as co-chairman of national I LOVE TO WRITE DAY, an event recognized by the governors of nine states to promote writing throughout the nation, and especially among the nation’s schools.

Paying no homage to political correctness, Don's writing style is described as “gripping,” casting an entertaining and educational spin on a wide-range of current issues, from radical Islamic infiltration of the military, to the explosive issue of gays in the military, to the modern day issues of presidential politics in the early 21st Century.

Don graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1982, and after finishing law school, continued his post-graduate studies through the Naval War College, earning the Navy’s nonresident certificate in International Law.
During his five years on active duty in the Navy, Don served in the Pentagon, was published in the Naval Law Review, and was also a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Lieutenant Commander 'Gunner' McCormick is assigned as an intelligence officer to Carrier Strike Force 10, being deployed to the Yellow Sea at the invitation of South Korea for joint exercises with the US Navy. During his pre-deployment briefing, he discovers a TOP-SECRET MEMO revealing rumors that the North Koreans may still be holding a handful of elderly Americans from the Korean War in secret prison camps.

As it happens, Gunner's grandfather, who was a young marine officer in the Korean War, disappeared at Chosin Reservoir over 60 years ago and is still listed as MIA in North Korea. Sworn to silence about what he has read, the top-secret memo eats at him. Gunner decides to spend all his inheritance and break every military regulation in the book to finance his own three-man commando squad on a suicide mission north of the DMZ to search for clues about the fate of his grandfather.

Risking his career, his fortune, and his life, Gunner will get his answers, or he will die trying.
Don Brown is building a loyal fan base by writing what he knows best: thrillers with heart. A former Navy JAG officer and action officer in the Pentagon, Brown pens action-packed plots and finely-drawn characters that are credible and compelling. Thunder in the Morning Calm is a novel of bravery, duty, and family love that will keep readers of all ages reading straight through to the last page.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Thunder in the Morning Calm , go HERE

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310330149

Residential Aliens - a web site review

2011-08-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Easy fast Sci-Fi reading!

Residential Aliens is the product of editor Lyn Perry. Here you will find several short Science Fiction stories.
I didn't read them "in order" as I picked the one I was most interested in first. I read "Snow Angel" by Joanne Galbraith first. Snow Angel is a story of a mother and daughter who have just lost the man in their lives, or have they?
Emma, the daughter keeps telling her Mother that her Daddy isn't gone, he is the one making snow angels outside each night. It was an interesting short story.

Having finished that one I moved onto "Some Assembly Required" by T.M. Hunter. Here I read another short story that deals with the age old question of emotions and life with artificial intelligence, or cyborgs. It wasn't a bad story, but it left me wanting to read the REST of it, which there wasn't the rest of it.

On Wednesday I read the interview with an artist. I wish I could have seen more of his work with the article to help me out.

And then I got to read "Beatitude" by Fred Warren. This was a good one! I liked the premise of Nuns running a rescue station for space mining. Sister Monica was a very good character, and in this once case I feel like I got to watch a 30 min. episode of something good on TV. In other words, this one being a short story was excellent. God was well worked into the story, and it was just quite nice.

I like that this is a nice forum for short stories to allow writers to publish. That I really appreciate!

Carol

Web site link - http://www.resaliens.com/
Editor’s blog - http://residentialaliens.blogspot.com/
Editor Lyn Perry’s personal blog - http://blogginoutloud.blogspot.com/

Participants’ links
Noah Arsenault
Brandon Barr
Thomas Clayton Booher
Grace Bridges
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Carol Bruce Collett
D. G. D. Davidson
Dean Hardy
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Lyn Perry
Sarah Sawyer
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz

2011-08-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers,

Here is a novel as interwoven in romance as it is with mystery and history. With in the first few pages of The Colonel's Lady you are transported back in time to 1779, on the Kentucky frontier. Back in time when the British Redcoats are still fighting the Bluecoated Patriots, and the Shawnee are at war with almost everyone.
Here in the midst of it all one woman, Roxanne. Roxie to her Father and those who hold her dear. Having had the flatboat she was traveling on raided, Roxie takes a small band of women and a child to Fort Endeavor to find her Father. Upon arriving she soon learns that her beloved Father has been killed on the battle front.

Colonel Cassius McLinn loved Roxie's Father, and his dying wish was that Cass take care of Roxie. Once the Colonel finds that Roxanne is under his protection in the fort, things start to change rapidly. Having women in the fort is a drastic change of pace, as well as other captives. Since Roxie can't bear to be ideal in her grief, and a gentle lady like herself shouldn't be a full time cook, Cass soon puts her to work as his scrivener, the position her Father had held for him.

Between daily survival, and multiple growing attractions, it soon becomes clear to Roxie that someone in the Fort means the Colonel and possibly others ill. But how far will they take that ill-will? Her Father left some clues, but she isn't sure who to talk to them about totally, or who to trust. Not just trust with her secrets, but her heart, her life, and the lives of the child and women she brought to the Fort.

The Cololnel's Lady is a really fascinating read. It is extremely well written and worked out. No detail is left hanging, from the descriptions of clothes and food, to the looks that pass between many of the main characters. God is not left out either. He is there in each simply honest prayer as the months pass inside Fort Endeavor waiting for the outcome of each of their lives. Here in a historic setting we grow to be fond of these people, and watch the plans laid out for their lives, a story of hope, courage, forgiveness and truth.

Carol

About the Book

To the trail-weary and frightened women, Fort Endeavor seemed unwelcoming at first, but Roxanna Rowan knew they needed to get to safety as quickly as possible. Deep within the Kentucky Territory, Fort Endeavor could provide a new life for genteel spinster Roxanna as long as she was with her father. She had to find him in the mass of all these soldiers. But where was he?

Shortly after arriving at the Kentucky fort commanded by Colonel Cassius McLinn, the Colonel tells Roxanna that her officer father has died. Penniless and destitute, Roxanna accepts the Scrivener position once held by her father. Before long, Roxanna discovers secrets that her father uncovered shortly before his death. Who could she trust with this discovery that she found in her father’s Scrivener desk? Could she trust the Colonel? Was his attraction to her real or was he hiding his own secrets including her father’s death? Roxanna needed answers that only the Colonel could provide.

Set in 1779 The Colonel’s Lady is a powerful and emotion-packed story full of love, suspense, intrigue, faith, and forgiveness from reader favorite Laura Frantz. Her solid research and skillful writing immerse readers in the world of the early frontier while her realistic characters become intimate friends.

About the Author:

Laura Frantz credits her grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in the late eighteenth century and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and Courting Morrow Little and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons. More information about Laura at: www.laurafrantz.net

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

Endorsements:
“Portrays the wild beauty of frontier life, along with its dangers and hardships, in vivid detail.” – Ann H. Gabhart, bestselling author of The Blessed, Angel Sister, and The Seeker

“Vivid and Poetic…you’ll disappear into another place and time.” – Jane Kirkpatrick, bestelling author of All Together in One Place and Flickering Light

The book trailer is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zux5bQYrmc

“Available August 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.” YES, that is right now!

Thomas Nelson Survey to win $10,000 - Part 2!!!

2011-08-18T13:27:00.001-07:00

From Thomas Nelson:

One of the highlights of our days in the Fiction department at Thomas Nelson? Receiving reader letters—either directly addressed to us or passed along from our talented authors. It’s critical to be reminded that at the end of our long days acquiring, editing, designing, selling, marketing, and publicizing books, those stories are reaching readers, striking nerves, changing lives. We want readers’ feedback. How stories have given you hope. Which authors’ series you can’t help from sharing with everyone you meet. We want to know what makes you stay up late in the night to finish a story, and conversely what turns you away.

We’re conducting a series of surveys—seeking answers from readers who love Christian fiction. Up for grabs is a free ebook for every respondent who completes the survery, as well as a $10,000 prize for one entrant. The responses we gather will help shape the future of the books we publish for years to come. As well as the data we’re collecting here, we’ll also seek more in-depth feedback from a panel we’ll develop over the next year. More details to come. The note below from one of authors gives a specific picture of how reader feedback shapes her work. In short, your opinion matters! We thank you for your time and appreciate your responding.
--Thomas Nelson Fiction

Dear Friends--

Your opinion matters. It really does. I love hearing from readers about what worked for them in a story and about what doesn’t work. Reader feedback changed the balance between romance and suspense in my novels. After the Rock Harbor trilogy, I wanted to write more suspense in my novels because that’s what I personally like. But readers really wanted more relationship and romance in the books so I moved back that direction to about the same mix of 50/50 that the Rock Harbor novels contained. I write for you even more than for myself.

I had no intention of setting a whole series of books at Bluebird, Texas. It was going to be only one book, but readers sent me requests in droves for more books. The fourth book in the Lonestar series, Lonestar Angel, will be out in October. The Rock Harbor novels were going to be complete at three. There are now five and I’m thinking about another one! All due to reader demand.

I’ve often asked for reader input on names and locations too. When I was struggling for a name for my hero in The Lightkeeper’s Ball, I turned to my readers. Harrison really fit my character, and my readers told me. Love that! When I was trying to decide on a location for the new Hope Beach series I’ve started, I asked readers. Their overwhelming response was for a series set in the Outer Banks so guess what I’m writing?!

That’s why we’re coming to you for answers. We want to give you what you really want! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you really think. We value your honesty and the time it will take to share with us. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

Your friend,
Colleen Coble

Dancing On Glass by Pamela Ewen

2011-08-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Excellent!

My last book by Pamela Ewen was my first, and that review can be found here.

Dancing On Glass was even better, and much closer to things I have been around or had friends go through in my own life. Amalise Catoir is attending collage to become one of the first few female lawyers when she becomes entranced by an artist named Philip Sharp. While Amalise is trying to stay focused on her rise in a rather good law firm, and steer clear of men, Philip is determined to keep "Ama" as his own. Able to charm even the most resolute, Amalise is unaware of his deep seeded underlying problems. She soon finds herself making small compromise after compromise and all the while asking God to lead her and help her, but unable to guide Philip towards God or figure out what is happening. Like so many women she is sure it will all work out, and be o.k. soon.

Philip's smooth manipulations and control of Ama only increases when she finally figures she is doing the "right thing" by marrying him. Soon parts of her life are spinning out of control, and only her family and her best friend from childhood forward, Jude, are aware that anything is less than perfect and they don't know very much at all! As Amalise's career rises, her relationship with her husband worsens as she starts to see more and more of the little things that start to add up to the bigger picture.

The problem is the figuring it all out is slow in coming. Once Amalise sees more of Philp's problems, and what lies underneath them, she is now in danger. She is cut off from all her friends, her family, church, anything that makes Philip sad or uncomfortable has slowly changed over to his way of thinking. Now that lives are on the line Amalise's life and the lives of others are on the line. She is reaching out to God with all that is in her for help and answers.

This book has a dramatic ending, and it is super well written, as well as extremely truthful. Relationships, as well as New Orleans are shown clearly and cleverly. Dancing On Glass is God centered, but yet as real as day to day life is. A recommended read to anyone dealing with controllers in their lives as I think this book could be a help to lots of women.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Dancing on Glass B&H Books (August 1, 2011) by Pamela Ewen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Until recently retiring to write full time, Pamela Binnings Ewen was a partner in the Houston office of the international law firm of BakerBotts, L.L.P., specializing in corporate finance. She now lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, James Lott.

She has served on the Board of Directors of Inprint, Inc., a non-profit organization supporting the literary arts in Houston, Texas, as well as the Advisory Board for The New Orleans Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans; Pamela is a co-founder of the Northshore Literary Society in the Greater New Orleans area. She is also a member of the National League of American Pen Women.

Pamela’s first novel, Walk Back The Cat (Broadman & Holman. May, 2006) is the story of an embittered and powerful clergyman who learns an ancient secret, confronting him with truth and a choice that may destroy him.

She is also the best-selling author of the acclaimed non-fiction book Faith On Trial, published by Broadman & Holman in 1999, currently in its third printing. Although it was written for non-lawyers, Faith On Trial was also chosen as a text for a course on law and religion at Yale Law School in the Spring of 2000, along with The Case For Christ by Lee Stroble. Continuing the apologetics begun in Faith On Trial, Pamela also appears with Gary Habermas, Josh McDowell, Darrell Bock, Lee Stroble, and others in the film Jesus: Fact or Fiction, a Campus Crusade for Christ production.

Pamela is the latest writer to emerge from a Louisiana family recognized for its statistically improbable number of successful authors. A cousin, James Lee Burke, who won the Edgar Award, wrote about the common ancestral grandfathers in his Civil War novel White Dove At Morning.

Among other writers in the family are Andre Dubus (Best Picture Oscar nomination for The Bedroom; his son, Andre Dubus III, author of The House of Sand and Fog, a Best Picture Oscar nomination and an Oprah pick; Elizabeth Nell Dubus (the Cajun trilogy); and Alafair Burke, just starting out with the well received Samantha Kincaid mystery series.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the steamy city of New Orleans in 1974, Amalise Catoir sees Phillip Sharp as a charming, magnetic artist, unlike any man she has known. A young lawyer herself, raised in a small town and on the brink of a career with a large firm, she is strong and successful, yet sometimes too trusting and whimsical. Ama's rash decision to marry Phillip proves to be a mistake as he becomes overly possessive, drawing his wife away from family, friends, and her faith. His insidious, dangerous behavior becomes her dark, inescapable secret.

In this lawyer's unraveling world, can grace survive Ama's fatal choice? What would you do when prayers seem to go unanswered, faith has slipped away, evil stalks, and you feel yourself forever dancing on shattered glass?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dancing on Glass, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805464301

Watch the book trailer:

Thomas Nelson Survey to win $10,000. Cool!

2011-08-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends—

Publishing books is a team effort, and there are a lot of players—authors, editors, cover designers, marketing staff, and a host of other behind-the-scene folks who help get the books on the shelves. And readers are also a large part of the process. Your input matters, probably more than you know.

When I hear from readers, I really listen to what they want. This is particularly true with my series books. For example, Seek Me With All Your Heart (book #1 in the Land of Canaan series) wraps up nicely at the end, but one of my minor characters (Katie Ann) was left pregnant after her husband left her. I received lots of emails about Katie Ann from readers, so book #2 in the series—The Wonder of Your Love—is Katie Ann’s story.

With the popularity of social media resources such as Facebook, it has allowed me to keep in close contact with readers and to seek opinions and advice. Several times, the publisher and I couldn’t decide on a cover, so we posted the cover options on Facebook and let readers decide. And if you’re posting anywhere on my Facebook Fans Page, your name could end up in a book. I often scan the names there, so you are unknowingly helping me just by being on the site.
Readers also made it clear that they wanted books in digital format, large print, and audio versions. Authors and publishers listened, and most (if not all) of my books are available in multiple formats.

As an author, I hope to write entertaining stories that will be enjoyed for many years. As a reader, I have favorite authors, and I’m not afraid to let them know what I want in future books. We listen to the likes and the dislikes in our effort to bring you the best stories we can, so don’t be shy. Tell us what you think!

Warmly,
Beth Wiseman

Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

2011-07-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Today is about Shadows On The Sand by Gayle Roper. I am not sure how I missed reading any books by Gayle Roper, but I am throughly enjoying this one. Entering into a small cafe, the lives of the people who live and work there start to unfold for us. Carrie has been there for a while, and it is intriguing how she and her sister wound up living in this tiny, mostly safe, costal town called Seaside. Greg is the man who makes Carrie's heart act up, but he lost his wife and children long before Carrie and he hasn't stopped grieving yet.

Their young waitress Andi is dating a really questionable guy, Bill. Bill gets into a fight with their mild mannered, mysterious young dishwasher Jason. Immediately after the fight Jason vanishes, and soon it is believed that he has run away, or been killed. Then more things happen!

In the mist of it all God is present, and I liked how this was written. The romance was just right, and that is hard to do. I take bouts of not liking romance, and loving it. I was pleased with this book, the settings, and the way the stories of their past lives unfolded. Very enjoyable, not too heavy, and not too light.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Shadows on the Sand Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011) by Gayle Roper
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gayle is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times for her novels Spring Rain, Summer Shadows, and Winter Winds. Her novel Autumn Dreams won the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Summer Shadows was voted the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Book of the Year (tied with fellow author Brandilyn Collins).

Gayle has won the Holt Medallion three times for The Decision, Caught in a Bind, and Autumn Dreams. The Decision won the Reviewers Choice Award, and Gayle has also won the Award of Excellence for Spring Rain and the Golden Quill for Summer Shadows and Winter Winds. Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her Amhearst mystery series, Caught in the Middle, Caught in the Act, and Caught in a Bind, originally published by Zondervan, was reprinted in 2007 by Love Inspired Suspense with a fourth original title added, Caught Redhanded. Another original single title, See No Evil, was also released. Caught in the Middle has been optioned for film.

For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon CWC, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC. She directed St. Davids for five years and Sandy Cove CWC for six. She has taught with Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS), serving for several years as their writer in residence. She enjoys speaking at women's events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality.

Gayle lives in southeastern Pennsylvania where she enjoys her family of two great sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and the world's five most wonderful grandchildren. When she's not writing, or teaching at conferences, Gayle enjoys reading, gardening, and eating out.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But Carrie has a painful past, too, and when the reason she once ran away shows up in town, the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg threatens to implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry. Two wounded hearts struggle to find a way to make one romance work. Failure seems guaranteed when Carrie locates her waitress but is taken hostage...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Shadows on the Sand, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1601420846

Falls Like Lighting by Shawn Grady

2011-07-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Finally my copy is here! I am VERY disappointed in this book. 123 pages in, I was STILL trying to get into it. I don't know what happened, but this book is nothing like Tomorrow We Die. It doesn't flow, and it doesn't make much sense. I am extremely frustrated. If I had read this book first instead of the other one, I wouldn't have read another one of Shawn Grady's books. Gone is the easy flow of the last book, and missing is the easy professional feel when we were reading about ER type experiences in the book prior.

All I can tell you about this book is that there are some guys jumping down into flames. Some people die, in some gun fights, there is some gold, we aren't sure where exactly, and there is an ex-girlfriend with a daughter with seizures. Oh yeah, and people eat/spit out and kiss pine needles when falling out of trees they get stuck in. I am over 300 pages through this book, and I am still struggling with it. I hope it at least has a happy ending - I haven't made it quite there yet.

I don't want to sound mean, I know how it is to pour your "blood" into writing, but I can't recommend Falls Like Lighting. I do like the title though.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Falls Like Lightning Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by Shawn Grady

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. He is the author of the novels Through the Fire, Tomorrow We Die &; Falls Like Lightning.

Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.

After graduating from James Logan High School in Union City, California, Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego as a Theology undergrad. There he found clarity of direction and proceeded on to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.

Shawn currently lives in Reno, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When hotshot smoke jumper Silas Kent gets his own fire crew, he thinks he's achieved what he's always wanted. But a lightning-sparked fire in the Desolation Wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas has his team in a plane before they can even train together.

Pilot Elle Westmore has been called up to drop the crew into the heart of the forest infernos. A single mother of a mysteriously ill six-year-old, she can't imagine her life getting any more complicated.

It doesn't take long for things to go very wrong, very quickly. A suspicious engine explosion forces Elle to make an emergency landing. Silas is able to parachute to safety but soon discovers his crew can't be trusted. They're hiding something, and now Silas is on a race to save himself and Elle from the flames--and from a more dangerous threat: his own team.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Falls Like Lightning, go HERE

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ 0764205978

Pattern Of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand (Roland March Mysteries)

2011-07-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers,

Ahhh! My first book by J. Mark Bertrand was Back On Murder. That review is found here:
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/2010/07/back-on-murder-by-j-mark-betrand.html
I enjoyed that book, but better still is this one. The second book in the Roland March Mysteries series, Pattern of Wounds features detective Marsh, who we met in the first book. No worries, this book stands alone very well.

I throughly enjoy Mr. Bertrand's easy method of putting is right at home in Houston, Texas. I have visited Texas a few times in my life, but I like how well he wrote it into March's home town. While coping with Christmas in a town that is so hot that Christmas always feels like it is in July, a rather pretty young lady is murdered. The problem is the victim was posed, and there is a pattern of wounds on her body that just will not let March alone. He can't help but keep feeling that this is a copy-cat murder, but no one but him sees that. It even gnaws at his gut so bad that it is enough to make one wonder if the wrong man went to prison 10 years ago.

Complicating things even more, the sweet couple that live in the garage apartment are going to have a baby. This is ripping open the depth of unhealed wounds for March and his wife Charlotte. Carter and Gina aren't trying to hurt, they are just clinging to God and well, having a child. If March and Charlotte hadn't lost their daughter it would be quite different. Right soon March resents his friends for Charlotte opening up to them when she hasn't been opening up to him. So in the process of trying to sort out the deaths, and the murderer, we learn a great deal more about March and his past, and the depths of pain that he hasn't even begun to deal with like he should yet.

I'll be back to add any extra thoughts as soon as I finish the last few chapters.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pattern of Wounds Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by J. Mark Bertrand
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman's brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat -- or did March convict the wrong man?

Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pattern of Wounds, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206389

Vigilante by Robin Parrish

2011-07-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Another great book by Robin Parrish. This time we get to read Vigilante.

This book starts off with a National hero dying. Only, well, he isn't quite so dead as everyone thinks. Instead he has a plan. While the world morns the death of Nolan Grey, Nolan is on a mission to change the world. Armed with cutting edge technology, and more skills than even most of the most elite soldiers, Nolan is tired of the words, and ready for actions that change things. Billboards that no one can trace start popping up all over the USA. "There is a better way", says the first one. "I will show you a better way", says the second one. The white hand they are written over doesn't help matters, but the message has people's attention, and the media's attention.

Crime is more abundant than ever, and though this is a "future" type world, it is also our world today in many places. Soon Nolan Grey is the force know only as The Hand. Under the guise of "The Hand" Nolan is going stop crime. He is going to right wrongs, he is going to change the world for the better, as a one man vigilante. New York will never be the same, it will be right. It will be moral if Nolan can help it. Using his new personal he will inspire people to be more than they were, and strike terror into the heart of evil-doers.

But none of us are invincible, and Nolan was a POW (Prisoner of War) for several years. He fights now with issues from the past plaguing him, altering his choices. The incredible technology that allows him to be The Hand, that Arjay and his team has created for him, aren't always compromise free either. And deep in the middle of changing the world, Nolan has major choices to make. He wasn't always that well understood as Nolan Grey, war hero. Now Nolan has even more people questioning his motives, while we wonder if he has made things better, or just more complicated?

Many nice twists and questions for thought are presented. This is only my second "super hero" type book to read, and I really liked it. Robin Parrish did a wonderful job, again.

Carol

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Vigilante Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by Robin Parrish

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Parrish wants to take you on a ride.

A wild ride -- which is exactly what you're in for when you pick up one of his books. And he's adamant that it will never be the same kind of experience twice.

Robin's stories mix, mingle, and meld various genres together to create thoroughly original suspense/thrillers. His Dominion Trilogy, for example, mashed up superhero action, secret societies, ancient myths, and an apocalyptic setting to create an entirely new take on the classic "hero's journey." Offworld mixed science fiction and an end-of-the-world scenario with high-octane action. Nightmare, his 2010 novel, is a spine-tingling examination of the world of the paranormal, paired with can't-put-it-down mystery. His 2011 novel, Vigilante, is an action-packed story about a soldier who sets out to change the world. Later this year, he's releasing his first ever Young Adult novel, titled Corridor.

Always pushing the envelope, ever on the edge of where modern storytelling is going, Robin Parrish will gladly and unapologetically tell you that he's an entertainer, a weaver of stories that ignite the mind and delight the heart. Defying labels and refusing pigeonholes, his imagination is fueled by the possibilities of asking "What if…?", and as anyone who's read his work knows, he has a very big imagination.

His influences as a novelist range from television and film storytellers like Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, to masters of the modern myth like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Akin to Philip K. Dick's search for the meaning of identity, most of what Robin writes about boils down to his own ponderings and examinations of just what this thing we call "existence" is.

Robin is a full time writer. He and his wife Karen and two children live in High Point, NC.

"Robin Parrish is a keen-eyed, passionate pop cultural savant, whose writing is as incisive and insightful as it is entertaining."
- Allan Heinberg, Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nolan Gray is an elite soldier, skilled in all forms of combat. After years fighting on foreign battlefields, witnessing unspeakable evils and atrocities firsthand, a world-weary Nolan returns home to find it just as corrupt as the war zones. Everywhere he looks, there's pain and cruelty. Society is being destroyed by wicked men who don't care who they make suffer or destroy.

Nolan decides to do what no one else can, what no one has ever attempted. He will defend the helpless. He will tear down the wicked. He will wage a one-man war on the heart of man, and he won't stop until the world is the way it should be.

The wicked have had their day. Morality's time has come. In a culture starving for a hero, can one extraordinary man make things right?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Vigilante, go HERE.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764206087