A View From Kathi Macias' Window!

It is my great privilege to welcome Kathi Macias to my Window! Her latest release, My Son John is an incredible story that carries a very important message! I hope you will enjoy getting to know this very special lady, and I also hope that you will enjoy her novel as much as I did! Please, welcome Kathi to my Window!



Where was the idea for this story born? How difficult was it to convey a mother’s pain so realistically?

I originally conceived the idea about twenty years ago, though the plot was a bit different. I worked on the book for quite awhile off and on, but it was never the right time or the right publisher. Then it all came together as Sheaf House was launching its “edgy Christian fiction” genre. I knew that’s where My Son John belonged! Was it hard to write? Yes. I went through a lot of tissues in the process. And though I haven’t had to face such a horrendous situation as depicted in the book, I do have a lot of experience praying for a prodigal and finding my unconditional love stretched to the limits.

I’ve read that you have been involved with prison ministry. Can you tell us a bit about that and what role that experience played in your novel?

My experience in prison ministry had a huge impact on my understanding of how to write this book and what the mother was going through. I’ve ministered at women’s Bible studies at the county jail, prayed with prisoners on Death Row, interviewed inmates in some of the worst facilities in the country, and even edited the memoirs of one of the most infamous serial killers in our nation. A couple of those prisoners—Charles “Tex” Watson of the Manson Family and David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz (now known as “Son of Hope” as he serves as a chaplain behind bars)—taught me through their changed lives what it means to see the changing power of God’s unconditional love in action.

You include a huge list of resources for those who want to get involved reaching out to others. How would you encourage someone to begin this journey?

If you have a loved one who is incarcerated (or incarcerated yourself), or if you feel God tugging at your heart to get involved in ministering to those who are incarcerated, drop emails or notes to some of those resources listed in the book and find where you “fit.” There is an organization/ministry for every imaginable need, and God knows where you need to be.

I have volunteered at a resident rehab facility for almost two years now, and I went very unwillingly at first – following my husband. God has blessed our work there in spite of my reluctant spirit, but I’ve had to overcome a LOT of preconceived ideas about those convicted of illegal activity. Don’t you think that our judgment of others is one of the key stumbling blocks to loving each other unconditionally? Short of God’s hand in all of it, how can a person overcome their own opinions? I know for me, it has been a hard thing.

You say it’s been a hard thing for you, but YOU’RE DOING IT! That’s how we overcome those preconceived ideas and prejudices. In the book, the main character—John’s mother, Liz, whose own mother is murdered—has to get past those very preconceived ideas. She is ashamed to realize that as the wife of a prominent attorney, she has never given a thought—let alone a dime or a minute of her time—to get involved with her church’s jail/prison ministry, until her own son is one of those inmates to whom they minister. Loving the unlovely is never easy, but it is necessary. For, ultimately, without Jesus, we are all quite unlovely.

Drug addiction – particularly addiction to prescription drugs is rampant today. Do you think the general public understands the real cost in human lives that this has on our society today? Why or why not?

No, I don’t. Like Liz in the book, we imagine that drug addicts are high school dropouts with lots of tattoos and long rap sheets. That’s not always the case, as you point out. As a result, the cost to society, in money but more so in human lives wasted and lost, is growing exponentially. If the Church doesn’t step in to stem the tide, who will?

What exciting things is God doing in your life right now? Any parting words of encouragement you’d like to leave with your readers?

I am overwhelmed with God’s goodness to me! The older I get, the more I realize how much I need God’s unconditional love, for if I received only what I deserve, I would have been in hell long ago. But thank God His mercies are new every morning! Great is His faithfulness! And those are the encouraging words I leave with your precious readers this day: There is nothing you have ever done or thought or said that is too awful for God to forgive, and you are never too far from Him to come home again. His mercy and grace will reach you right where you are

Let's Vote on the ending to Randy Singer's Next Novel!

Okay blogger buddies....this is so exciting! Randy Singer is offering us a chance to vote on the ending to his upcoming release The Justice Game! Watch the video and then go to Randy's website and vote for the ending! How cool is that?

I love Randy Singer's books, and this one tells a story rooted in a real-life episode from Randy's past. Don't miss this chance to be a part of this very exciting story!

A View from Tracy Higley's Window!

Dear Window readers, I have a treat for you!! I will be touring Tracy Higley's latest novel, Shadow of Colossus, in a few days, but I wanted to introduce you to this author so that you will get a "taste" of things to come! Tracy has begun a series entitled the Seven Wonders Series, and if Shadow of Colossus is any indication, we are all in for a tremendous adventure!!

Please, welcome Tracy to my Window and come back on the 30th for my review of her lastest novel! In the mean time, be sure to visit her website and learn all about her work and her travels! Welcome, Tracy!

Tracy, your love of writing began at an early age, at what point did your love of history merge with your writing?

-- I remember enjoying historical fiction all through my adolescence and into adulthood. Some of my favorites were Bodie Thoene’s Zion series. When I was a senior in high school, I spent many months debating between college majors. History or Literature? I chose English, but my love of history continued, and I still feel that history is nothing more than a tapestry of stories, woven together to form a bigger picture. From the time I started writing for publication, I wanted to merge history into the stories I was writing.

What is your favorite research tool? Internet? Library? Interviews with experts? A combination?

--I’d have to say my favorite research tool has been travel! I’ve been able to spend time in the locations of the first three Seven Wonders books – the island of Rhodes in Greece, the pyramids of Egypt, and the city of Alexandria in Egypt. There is no substitute for being “on location.” After the travel, I’d say I use a combination of combing the internet for answers to specific questions, and devouring great books on my topics.

Your website chronicles your visit to Rhodes, the setting for your first Seven Wonders books. Was this your first visit to this part of the world? Where have your travels taken you and do you have a favorite location?

--Yes, that trip was my first international trip. I visited several Greek islands and spent a day in Turkey visiting the ancient ruins of Ephesus. I’ve also since been to Egypt and the Greek mainland, and am planning a trip to Israel and Jordan in a few months. Thus far, my favorite location has been inside the Great Pyramid of Giza (and it took a lot to get me in there, let me tell you!)

Was Tessa’s life story typical for the women in ancient Greece? Was her role as hetaera unique? Was her role as physical as it was intellectual? Was it common for parents to sell their children into slavery?

--There were many women who were in bondage as hetaera in ancient Greece, and no doubt they all experienced some level of physical enslavement. Only a very few rose to prominence as the companions of their patrons as Tessa did. And there were all forms of slavery in ancient times. Some were much more “free” than the way we picture slavery today, but they were still not considered freemen. Many children were born into slavery or sold into it by parents who could not afford to support them.

I loved your portrayal of the Jewish servant Simeon and his family – especially as they shared and explained the Passover. Realizing this was before Christ, their hope was almost palpable. Can you share your inspiration for these characters and a bit about the reality of living as a Jew in ancient Greece?

--Thank you for the kind words. It is always a challenge to present the truths of redemption in a setting that takes place before Christ. But the Passover is such a beautiful picture of redemption, and I felt it would connect with people today. One of my goals in writing about the ancient world is to connect people’s Old Testament knowledge with their world history knowledge. There were Jewish people living all over the world through ancient times, and they brought to each culture their unique monotheism and influence. But always, I believe, they remained connected to their homeland.

What exciting things is God doing in your life right now? Any parting words of encouragement you’d like to share with your readers?

--I’m excited about the continuation of The Seven Wonders Novels. City of the Dead will be out in March, and the third will release next fall. I hope to continue bringing the truths of God’s sovereign work in the world throughout history to my readers. And I would challenge readers to remember that life is an adventure! You are living your own piece of exciting history right now. Take time to explore God’s purposes in your life. And please visit me at www.TLHigley.com and share your adventure with me!

Deep In The Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Deep In The Heart Of Trouble
(Bethany House June 1, 2008)
by
Deeanna Gist


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deanne Gist has been a busy lady. She had a career in elementary education. She raised four children. In fifteen years she has: run a home accessory/antique business, member of the press, penned freelance journalism for a few well-known publications, People, Parents, Family Fun and more. She was the CFO for her husband's engineering company, she did all this in her home.

She also founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products which would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she submitted A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers and they picked it up for their new "edgy inspirational" line of historical fiction. After its release in July 2005, Bride hit eight best seller lists and has sold over 100,000 copies and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2006. The Measure of a Lady was her 2006 summer release. It hit five best seller lists and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2007. Gist is contracted to have a new book come out every summer. Courting Trouble was her 2007 summer release and it hit three best seller lists.

Deeanne lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-four years. They have two kids in high school, two in college.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Texas-Sized Tale of Unexpected Love

Essie Spreckelmeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to see with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she’s known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man’s eye.

And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer’s oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune--not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contradicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn’t know if she’s driving him toward the aisle or the end of his rope.

That’s how life is ...Deep In The Heart Of Trouble

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

“Christy Award winner Gist’s historical romances have increasingly gained popularity, combining witty dialog, well-balanced plots, and fully developed characters who seem almost real. Recommended for CF and romance collections.”
-- Library Journal

"Gist does it again! Her signature prose is consistent and she delivers a thoroughly delightful and entertaining story that’s worthy of our time and attention. Not only won’t you want to put this book down, you’ll want to enjoy this story again and again."
-- JUNE TOP PICK, 4-1/2 STARS, Romantic Times, Jennifer Reyes

"Gist has once again written a delightfully humorous historical romance. After reading the first book in this series of two, I was anxious to get my hands on this one. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed ... It is a spectacular, feel-good story which I highly recommend. You will definitely be glad you read it."
-– FIVE STAR RATING, The Romance Studio, Brenda Talley

MY REVIEW:

I know I’m reading a good book when I simply hate to put it down – when I’m reading every moment I can, in the car, before bed, between chores – I know this book is special. Deep in the Heart of Trouble did not disappoint! I’ve read some of Deeanne Gist’s other stories, and like the others, Deep in the Heart of Trouble drew me in and didn’t let go until the last page. Gist has a real gift for creating a sense of belonging to the time period in which her story takes place, and every character just adds layers of color and texture to the point that you are truly transported! Now that is the kind of writing I love!

“Essie Spreckelmeyer didn’t have a man, nor did she need one.” (p. 11) From the very first sentence in this book, Essie is the most eccentric, independent, unusual lady to grace the pages of fiction. I absolutely adored her, and by the end of the book I was cheering her in her newest venture! Gist brilliantly sets Tony Morgan - a disinherited oilman - in the opposite corner of this tale, and the story that grows between them is one of frustrating tension, tender forgiveness and breathtaking passion! Each of the characters in this saga, even the minor characters, add so much to the plot and action within the story that Essie and Tony’s relationship becomes real in your mind. (No wonder Mrs. Lockhart kept referring to the characters in her books as if she knew them! I loved this character!!)

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves adventure and romance set in the late 1800’s during the Texas oil boom days. This is a well-written, well-paced story that will keep you up at night trying to finish just one more chapter! I loved it, and I certainly look forward to the next story coming out in 2009! Bravo, Deeanne!! Bravo!! Buy your copy here today!

Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

Washington's Lady
(Bethany House June 1, 2008)
by
Nancy Moser

MY REVIEW:
Patriotism. Duty. Honor. Martha Washington is known to have possessed these traits. A mother’s love - the pain of great personal loss - the deep and intimate love between a man and woman - all of these things were known and experienced more than once by Martha Washington. Nancy Moser has created the most beautiful historical picture of Martha Washington’s life that I have ever read. I feel like I have truly experienced a taste of what it was like to walk beside the man who eventually became our country’s first president. I am humbled – privileged to have been able to read such a work, and I know that my own heart has been deeply touched in the process.

There is so much that took place in the span of Martha Washington’s life! Just to have experienced the eight years of revolution is enough to distinguish her years on this earth. However, Martha Washington was to live through the death of all four children born to her, two husbands, a host of brothers and sisters as well as several grand-children. Her heart was broken so deeply! Yet Nancy Moser captures what surely must have been her sustaining strength in a scene so poignant and real that it leaves you breathless! On page 133, Martha has gotten away from everyone to grieve her daughter’s death. After many bitter tears she finally looks heavenward and her thoughts are written as follows; “Then I felt something – from the inside rather than out. An assurance. A hand upon my heart saying, You belong to me, and I to you.” Martha’s faith was strong and it was real, and even though these thoughts are fictional representations, they can’t be far from truth based on the way this phenomenal woman lived her life. When rain began to fall upon her as she was there alone, page 134 records another thought that rang true to me; “It was as though God were sending heavenly tears to keep my own company. I closed my eyes and let us cry together. And be cleansed.” Although comforted and able to move forward, Martha remains real in her grief. On page 140 she states: “I took comfort in the knowledge my girl was in heaven with our Lord, and yet I still fought with the Almighty over the arrangement.”

Nancy Moser captures the personal, intimate inner-workings of Martha Washington’s life. Through these pages you experience not only her grief and heartache, but the wondrous love she shared with George. As the two grow to love one another, Martha states on page 37; “I had come to revere him as a man, respect him as a soldier, relish him as good company and react to him as a woman. When in his presence, I wished to be nowhere else. And when apart, I longed to be with him.” This was true of the forty years Martha spent by her husband’s side. Truly she supported him with such sacrificial loyalty, that she should serve as an example to all women everywhere who are blessed with a good husband.

I feel like I cannot do justice to this book in a brief review. This is a powerful, poignant tale of a heroic woman serving alongside a heroic man in order to birth the greatest nation upon this earth. Through these pages you can experience one of the greatest and most troubled times in our nation’s history. I thank God for George and Martha Washington, and I thank Nancy Moser for writing their story so beautifully!! I beg you, go purchase this book TODAY!! It is phenomenal!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Nancy Moser is the author of three inspirational humor books and a eighteen novels, including Mozart's Sister, Just Jane, and Time Lottery, a Christy Award winner. She is an inspirational speaker, giving seminars around the country. She has earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and has performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She and her husband have three grown children and make their home in the Midwest. Read more about her books at www.nancymoser.com.



To purchase your own copy, go here. If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE

Healing Promises - Amy Wallace - GIVE AWAY!!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

Healing Promises

(Multnomah Publishers - April 15, 2008)

by

Amy Wallace

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams, a homeschool mom, and a self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books, including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Facing a new threat.

When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara weren’t retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.

Frozen in fear.

Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission–beating cancer when she can, easing her patients’ suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of God’s healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?

Faith under fire.

As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?

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

MY REVIEW:

“From better to worse to better again.” This one sentence is an accurate summation of Amy Wallace’s latest book, Healing Promises. As the second book in the Defenders of Hope series, Healing Promises tells the raw, emotional story of Clint and Sara Rollins’ walk into and through some very difficult circumstances. As an FBI agent, Clint has always dealt closely with danger and evil. As an oncologist, Sara has battled the beast of cancer alongside her patients – always facing an uncertain outcome.

However, the danger, evil and uncertainty implode into Clint and Sara’s lives in ways they never imagined! Now they face the defining moments of their faith. They must learn to trust God’s most powerful, healing promises – to be with them no matter what the circumstances. On page 212, Sara asks her best friend Marilyn, “How do I praise God when life hurts so much?” Marilyn’s wise truth pushes her toward God as she replies, “Be honest about the pain even as you offer praise. That’s how you draw close, find intimacy with Him. Jesus understands your pain. He’s not indifferent to it. Instead, He enters into it with you.”

Healing Promises takes you on a heart-pounding, suspenseful journey as the FBI closes in on a serial killer. Alongside this suspense is the heart-breaking, joy and tear-filled journey of Clint and Sara as they battle the unseen, unwelcome enemy of cancer. These two story lines are beautifully interwoven, and the ending is both realistic and satisfying. I’m so thankful to have been introduced to Amy Wallace’s work, and I eagerly await the next installment of this phenomenal series! Buy your copy here today!

Or, for a chance to win your own copy of this fabulous book, leave a comment on this post! I will draw a winner next Wednesday! You don't want to miss this book!

Sincerely Mayla - GIVE AWAY!!

Let's start Monday with a terrific book and a great give away! I am pleased to be participating in Virginia Smith's blog tour. I have enjoyed getting to know this lovely lady and her work, and I think you will too! You can read my review of this book here, and you can read two different interviews with Virginia here and here.

If this sounds like a book you would enjoy, I have a FREE copy to give away! All you have to do is leave a comment, and next Tuesday I will draw a winner! How easy is that? So check out this great book, and enter to win today! Stay tuned to Virginia's website to enjoy all of her books! She writes in a variety of genres, so I'm sure there will be something for everyone! This is one talented lady, and I'm pleased to feature her latest work!

The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Big Picture
(NavPress Publishing Group April 15, 2008)
by
Jenny B. Jones

Sometimes there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy—and Katie Parker is walking it.

School is winding down for the summer but Katie Parker is having a bad day. After leaving the drive-in, where her imploding love life was the main attraction, Katie arrives home to a big surprise on the Scott's front porch.

Her mother, Bobbie Ann Parker, a former convict and recovering addict, wants to take Katie away from her family, friends, and church. Now Katie's life will be changed by a series of dramatic choices as she struggles to understand what family and home really means.

Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving behind a family who loves her, a town drive-in to save, and a boyfriend who suddenly can’t take his eyes off his ex. When the life her mother promised begins to sink faster than one of Maxine’s stuffed bras, Katie knows she needs to rely on God to keep it together.

But where is he in all this? Can Katie survive a chaotic life with her mother—and one without the Scotts? And if God is there, will he come through before it’s too late?

A Katie Parker Production series offers teen girls real-world fiction balanced by hope and humor. The The Big Picture helps us realize that the difficult chapters in our journey are only part of God's big story for our lives.

You can read the first chapter HERE

"A heroine to love. Jones just gets better with every book, and The Big Picture is her best one yet."
~BARBARA WARREN, author of The Gathering Storm

MY REVIEW:

Jenny B. Jones has created a trilogy of books called The Katie Parker Production series. Act 3 of this series is entitled the Big Picture, and it was my first introduction to the writing of this incredible author. The series “star” is a young teen named Katie Parker, and apparently the series chronicles a very difficult journey for this young lady. By the time you reach the big picture, Katie is a fledgling Christian because her foster parents lovingly introduced her to Christ through their church ministry and daily care of her injured soul. Her new faith is tried by fire in this novel, and it will leave your heart changed.

See, Katie’s mom is an addict. She has just been released from prison, and she wants to resume her role as Katie’s mother. Or does she? This book deals with a very heart-breaking and real problem within today’s society. Unfortunately, Katie’s story – albeit fiction here – is a very real scenario that many teens must endure. The life of drug addiction is strewn with many broken hearts and lives, and Jenny Jones has cushioned the telling of this raw emotional story in a couch of lovable, eclectic characters and set them down in a small town in Texas. I fell in love with Katie’s foster Granny – Maxine! Maxine alone creates an entire story within the story, and she will crack you up!

Yet there will be tears amid the laughter in this book. Katie must make decisions at the age of 17 that no teen should ever have to make. She learns that even though her earthly mother has failed her in many areas, that God has surrounded her with the deeper love of His family, and with His strength and abundant grace, Katie finds her way through. Jenny created a very realistic teen community, and their angst and romance fill the pages with some of the freshest, funniest, youthful insights and opinions I’ve ever read! Nothing is held back, and Katie becomes a strong and courageous young lady with help found in many unexpected places.

This story was especially poignant to me, because I serve as a volunteer for a ministry that provides an in-house rehab facility for recovering addicts. I’ve seen this story played out from both sides, and in my opinion, the parent-child relationship becomes a hellish battleground in this evil war on drugs. I’m glad to know Jenny Jones is living out God’s grace amid the teens of today! She is a gifted writer, and I feel like God will use these stories to reach a lot of broken hearts. I highly recommend this book! Share the entire series with the teens in your life! You won’t be sorry!

You'd be CRAZY to miss this book!! Randy Singer does it again!

Have mercy!!! Randy Singer has just taken the political suspense novel to an entirely different level!! I’m so bamboozled I don’t even know where to begin. There is kidnapping and murder, abuse, duplicity, and so many other layers of mystery and suspense you will be gasping for air by the end of the book! This story is set up in short chapters. Each chapter packs a punch. Just about the time you begin to draw your next breath another sucker punch gets delivered by the last sentence. I have never in all of my life read such a thrill ride!

Take a Las Vegas, Nevada lawyer and transplant him into the middle of a Virginia Beach, Virginia serial murder trial. You are drawn into the most intimate trial negotiations and glimpse the perspective of criminal psychologists. The prime suspect has to be framed, but by who?! You start gathering your own evidence and trying to eliminate suspects only to have to revise your list again and again. The last 60 pages of the books will take you to the brink of insanity trying to figure out what’s coming next!

Go get a copy of this book – TODAY! Don’t miss the thrill! By Reason of Insanity – indeed!! This is Randy Singer at his absolute best!

A word from Randy about his latest novel:

A few words about By Reason of Insanity:

I've really been trying in the last few books to write fiction that will appeal to both believers and those outside the church. My hope is to write a book that a Christian can give to a non-Christian friend without worrying about the book being too preachy, yet still cause that friend to ask some important spiritual questions. In this book, I tried to get skeptical people (like Quinn Newberg, my protagonist) thinking about the supernatural. Does God speak to us through His Word and through His Spirit? How can we know? And also, what does it look like when somebody puts their own life on the line for someone else? Isn't this was Christ did--the greatest act of love in the history of the world?

Winter Haven by Athol Dickson

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Winter Haven
(Bethany House April 1, 2008)
by
Athol Dickson


ABOUT THE BOOK

Boys who never age, giants lost in time, mist that never rises, questions never asked...on the most remote of islands off the coast of Maine, history haunts the present and Vera Gamble wrestles with a past that will not yield. Will she find refuge there, or will her ghosts prevail on...Winter Haven

Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.

Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Haven's murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.



MY REVIEW:

Winter Haven is a fictional island off the coast of Maine. It is an island that holds unsolved mysteries that will terrify anyone and everyone that stumbles blindly upon them – unable or unwilling to seek the truth that lies beneath.

Athol Dickson’s latest novel, Winter Haven weaves a tale that takes your heart and mind to the very edge of sanity. Vera Gamble leaves her orderly accounting job in Dallas and heads to the gulf of Maine to identify her brother’s body. Little does she know that she is beginning a quest for truth that spans more than a decade of unanswered questions. Vera has spent years lost in the fog of suffering and mental anguish, because she had been convinced by her grieving but well-meaning father that God would not tolerate the human weakness of doubt.

When Vera reaches Maine’s beautiful seaside village of Winter Haven, she finds herself once again facing the doubts and fears from her childhood. The tale that awaits her in this village is one that will simultaneously terrify and beckon to you as you wind your way deeper and deeper into its mysterious events. The sights, sounds and smells of Winter Haven will wrap around you like a cool mist, and you will be unable to withdraw from it until you reach the final page!

Like any good suspense tale, not everything ends with clarity. However, Athol Dickson makes one thing very clear to all his readers, and that is the truth of God working in every event of our life to bring us to the deep and abiding peace found in understanding His sovereign grace at work all around us. This book will terrify you, bring tears to your eyes and even draw out warm laughter. I have never read such a hauntingly beautiful tale of redemption. This is a book I HIGHLY recommend! You DON’T want to miss this one! Visit Athol Dickson’s website here to find out about his other award winning fiction!

Book 3 Change and Cherish Historical Series Jane Kirkpatrick - GIVE AWAY!!

What a powerful story! This book encapsulates what is true and beautiful, painful and life-altering, real and meaningful about living in this world at any moment in time. Emma Wagner Geisy is a priceless treasure that Jane Kirkpatrick has unearthed from historical record and brought to life in a way that transcends the many years that separate her from this 21^st century society we now inhabit. I am so very, very thankful that I had the opportunity to read this story, and that I am now able to share it with you!

Emma Geisy has left behind her life in Wilapa Bay, Washington and come to Aurora Mills, Oregon. Her pain and suffering have tendered her heart, but her willful spirit has yet to be tamed. However, from the very first pages of the book, God introduces people into Emma’s life that begin to teach her a new way to live and within these changes to gather the deepest meaning from every moment of her life. Brita tells her on page 21, “You can’t always get what you want in this life, but as any wise Zwerg knows, a hopeful soul learns to spin gold from the straw she’s been given.” By page 55, Emma is beginning to grasp this idea as she tells Louisa, “We take sad times and find the threads of wisdom there and weave it into the next generation. We’re alchemists we women. We change things.”

There are many changes ahead for Emma as this story unfolds – not all of them pleasant and many of them heartbreaking. However, she finds herself surrounded by those who are holding her up and making it possible for both she and her children to build a new and meaningful life from the heartache they left behind in Washington. Because of the strength Emma gains from her new community, she is able to learn the truth about herself and the human heart in general. She never gives up her true talents and desires, but she learns that as she pours them out in service to others that she strengthens herself and everyone within the circle of her life.

This book contains so much beauty and so much truth, it really is a struggle to express how full my heart is from this journey. God is so good and so faithful in every single circumstance of our lives!! I think Karl said it best on page 64, “God is there Emma, present at the end of the thread, pulling us toward Him. And if we ask ourselves in every situation how He is working in that experience or even our worry or disappointment, then we can feel that tug on the thread.”

I hope you will purchase this entire trilogy and share it with those you love! This is an amazing set of books! And I actually have a FREE COPY of A Mending at the Edge to share with you! Please leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing!

My Soul To Keep - Melanie Wells

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
My Soul To Keep
(Multnomah Books - February 5, 2008)
by
Melanie Wells

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As nasty as I knew Peter Terry to be, I never expected him to start kidnapping kids. Much less a sweet, funny little boy with nothing to protect him but a few knock-kneed women, two rabbits and a staple gun…

It’s psychology professor Dylan Foster’s favorite day of the academic year…graduation day. And her little friend Christine Zocci’s sixth birthday. But the joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park, setting off a chain of events that seen to lead nowhere.

The police are baffled, but Christine’s eerie connection with the kidnapped child sends Dylan on a chilling investigation of her own. Is the pasty, elusive stranger Peter Terry to blame? Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake, and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces of a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan in her dogged search for the truth.

“Like water rising to a boil, My soul To Keep’s suspense sneaks up on you…before you know it, you’re in the thick if a frightening drama…Superbly crafted.”
---ROBERT LIPARULO, author of Deadfall, Germ, and Comes A Horseman

“Written with passion, a good dose of humor and, dare I say it, soul, this novel reminds us that we all, with grace and good fortune, bumble our way toward salvation.”
---K. L. COOK, author of Late Call and The Girl From Charmelle

MY REVIEW:
Dylan Foster is perhaps the most neurotic, obsessive compulsive, emotionally immature person I have ever met in fiction – especially since she is supposed to be a 30-something-year-old college professor. She has a flippant attitude toward God and His power, is lacking many social skills, is very undisciplined and chronically late. Is it any wonder in this world that her boyfriend is having second thoughts? Who is Dylan Foster? Oh, I forgot. She is the main character in Melanie Wells’ trilogy of supernatural suspense novels featuring a demon (or something similar) named Peter Terry. I’m quite torn as to what to tell you about this book.

Now, let me preface anything I might think by the fact that I have not read the two books that precede this one (When the Day of Evil Comes and The Soul Hunter) and it is very obvious that those two books contain vital information if you are to fully appreciate this third installment of Dylan Foster’s supernatural experiences. I strongly suggest that you read them first, or you will find yourself as I do now, totally unable to figure out what to do with this book. You can follow the story just fine, but you don’t have a lot of background on Dylan herself which makes it impossible for you to know where she is spiritually. If all you have to go on is this one book…well, edgy books with covert messages are all the rage, so this definitely qualifies.

Dylan Foster is a college professor at a small Methodist University who has been having violent, dreadful encounters with some sort of demon creature named Peter Terry. In the opening scenes of the book a friend’s child is kidnapped during a visit to a local park, and Peter Terry is almost immediately suspect. Problem is, Dylan is the only one clued into this guy. However, in this book, her friend’s six-year-old daughter Christine seems to have a similarly installed spiritual radar, and she can see/sense evil and good beings (demons/angels) like Dylan can. Hence, many of Dylan’s friends and co-workers consider her a total NUT with the WORST bad luck. In the meantime, it appears that poor Christine is spiritually tied in with the kidnapped child and vicariously experiences his abduction. It’s exciting. It’s suspenseful. It’s well-written. I just wished that there was more spiritual depth to the story. Somehow that seems important when you are dealing with spiritual beings.

There was no spiritual depth to any of the main characters to speak of, so I was left feeling like I was watching a bunch of rather worldly folks try to make sense out of something totally out of their league. If even one of the main characters had had a modicum of spiritual depth it would have added a more meaningful dimension to the story. However, as it stands, it’s no wonder the main characters are so suspicious of these other-worldly encounters that keep Dylan’s life so messed up. In the end, it left me kind of frustrated. Well, not really frustrated, but just wishing I new more about the main character’s personal relationship with Christ – more specifically, if she even HAD one. Hence the very strong suggestion to read the first two books. Either way, be prepared to be creeped-out BIG TIME! This is not for the “big honkin’ chicken club” members AT ALL! It’s a great suspense ride! Just do not read it before bedtime!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of the Texas panhandle and the child of musicians, Melanie Wells attended Southern Methodist University on a music scholarship (she's a fiddle player), and later completed graduate degrees in counseling psychology and Biblical studies at Our Lady of the Lake University and Dallas Theological Seminary.

She has taught at the graduate level at both OLLU and DTS, and has been in private practice as a counselor since 1992. She is the founder and director of LifeWorks counseling associates in Dallas, Texas, a collaborative community of creative therapists.

When the Day of Evil Comes is her first published work of fiction, and the first of a three-book series. The second work, The Soul Hunter was released in May, 2006. Melanie lives and writes in Dallas.

Trouble the Water by Nicole Seitz

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Trouble the Water
Thomas Nelson (March 11, 2008)
by
Nicole Seitz

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Nicole Seitz is a South Carolina Lowcountry native and the author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass as well as a freelance writer/illustrator who has published in numerous low country magazines. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Journalism, she also has a bachelor's degree in illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design. Nicole shows her paintings in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where she owns a web design firm and lives with her husband and two small children. Nicole is also an avid blogger, you can leave her a comment on her blog.

Seitz's writing style recalls that of Southern authors like Kaye Gibbons, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Sue Monk Kidd, and this new novel, which the publisher compares to Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, surely joins the ranks of strong fiction that highlights the complicated relationships between women. Highly recommended, especially for Southern libraries.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

In the South Carolina Sea Islands lush setting, Nicole Seitz's second novel Trouble the Water is a poignant novel about two middle-aged sisters' journey to self-discovery.

One is seeking to recreate her life yet again and learns to truly live from a group of Gullah nannies she meets on the island. The other thinks she's got it all together until her sister's imminent death from cancer causes her to re-examine her own life and seek the healing and rebirth her troubled sister managed to find on St. Anne's Island.

Strong female protagonists are forced to deal with suicide, wife abuse, cancer, and grief in a realistic way that will ring true for anyone who has ever suffered great loss.

"This is another thing I know for a fact: a woman can't be an island, not really. No, it's the touching we do in other people's lives that matters when all is said and done. The silly things we do for ourselves--shiny new cars and jobs and money--they don't mean a hill of beans. Honor taught me that. My soul sisters on this island taught me that. And this is the story of true sisterhood. It's the story of Honor, come and gone, and how one flawed woman worked miracles in this mixed-up world."



MY REVIEW:

“Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water. If you should get there before I do, God’s gonna trouble the water.” – Negro Spiritual

In John chapter 5, the Bible tells the story of the pool of Bethesda and the healing that would take place in the life of the first person to enter the pool after the angel would come down and trouble the water. There was a lame man lying among the sick at the pool’s side unable to get into the water when the angel touched it, and it was Christ alone who could make him whole.

Honor and Alice, two of the main character’s in Nicole Seitz’ book Trouble the Water, are much like this lame man – unable to accept or reach out to God for healing because of the events that took place in their childhood – evil events beyond their control. Their spirits were wounded and paralyzed, unable to move toward healing and wholeness. So, in their brokenness, they go through life making a series of wrong choices suffering more and more with each passing mistreatment. The women of St. Anne’s island, Dutchess, Blondell and the many Gullah women become the feet and hands that bring Honor and Alice into the life and wholeness they have longed for all of their lives.

This is a story that will haunt you long after you finish reading it. It is a story about many events in the lives of many people with seemingly very little in common. What you find out as the story progresses is that all of us are experienced one way or another with suffering, and all of us are in need of the healing that only Christ can give. However, some among us are so wounded they have to be brought to His healing through sometimes extreme and unusual circumstances.

Nicole Seitz creates characters that all but leap off the page. Her story is much like a poem to me – beautiful passages to be slowly savored mingled with funny, sad and painful passages that blend to form a beautiful picture of life, death and all the events that come between those beginning and ending points. The women in this book are like the beautiful shells that the ocean casts upon the shore: “Life, the ocean beats the cream out of them, and the ones that survive are totally remarkable.” (page, 166)

Come to St Anne’s island and wade into the story. God will trouble the water before you get there, and you will emerge changed.

Brandilyn Collins' Farewell to Kanner Lake....AMBER MORN!

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing

Amber Morn
(Zondervan Publishing Company - April 2008)
by
Brandilyn Collins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline

“Don’t forget to b r e a t h e …®”
Brandilyn writes for Zondervan, the Christian division of HarperCollins Publishers, and is currently at work on her 19th book. Her first, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows.

She’s also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons), and often teaches at writers conferences.

Brandilyn blogs at Forensics and Faith. Visit her Website
to read the first chapters of all her books.


ABOUT THE BOOK

The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.

Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.

Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .

The shooter’s teeth clenched. “ Anybody who moves is dead.”

On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die...

Amber Morn is the climactic finale to Collins’ widely read Kanner Lake series. All first three titles in the series, Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve, were bestsellers. Library Journal placed Crimson Eve on its Best Books of 2007 list, and hailed it the “Best Christian suspense of 2007.”

A few early reviews of Amber Morn:

“… essential reading … a harrowing hostage drama.” – Library Journal

“… heart-pounding … breakneck pace … satisfying and meaningful ending.” – RT Bookreviews

“This cataclysmic ending left me breathless … Kanner Lake is the Best Suspense Series of 2007/2008.” – deenasbooks.blogspot.com

“Collins has saved the best for a last .. a powerful ensemble performance.” -- BookshelfReview.com

“… a staccato tempo … Sometimes you just have to close the book in order to come up for air.” – Dale Lewis

“…a masterpiece of page-turning suspense with a cast of dozens.” – Peg Phifer

MY REVIEW!

Brandilyn Collins bids Kanner lake farewell with a heart-pounding, breath-stealing style that only she could sustain for every one of the 315 pages of Amber Morn! This final installment of the Kanner Lake series chronicles a moment by moment hostage situation inside the beloved Java Joint café. I promise you, you will think that Brandilyn Collins has lived this drama on both sides when you finally reach the last page!

Brandilyn Collins captures the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of every hostage trapped by the three gunmen who have laid siege to the Java Joint. The nervous power of revenge and rage fairly pulse from the page as each of the gunmen battle their own paranoia in and effort to exact their own brand of judgment on behalf of an imprisoned family member. Meanwhile, the numbing terror and will to live grapple with faith and selfless sacrifice as the hostages try to survive the threats and demands of the hostage takers. Each hour is marked by the ticking second-hand of the wall-clock on the Java Joint’s back wall.

Brandilyn also does an excellent job of portraying the tense decision making process that takes place at the police station during hostage negotiations. Short of acting as a hostage negotiator herself, it is very apparent that Brandilyn didn’t miss a single nuance as she researched the steps necessary to protect and free hostages from a very volatile situation. It was difficult to determine at times which was more stressful – sitting in the Java Joint as a hostage or sitting in the police station trying to negotiate with a madman.

Fans of the Kanner Lake series will be glad to reach the final pages of this last book. As the series draws to a close, Brandilyn even remembers to cover the logical ending to the Scenes & Beans blog that has played an intricate part of this series from the beginning. I can’t imagine what we’ll enjoy next from Brandilyn Collins’ pen, but I know I’ll be counting the moments until we once again find ourselves needing the reminder; “Don’t forget to breathe!”

A NOTE FROM BRANDILYN ABOUT WHAT”S NEXT!!!

I received this note from Brandilyn in an email regarding her current work-in-progress!

“Dark Pursuit comes out in November. Darell Brooke, once known as the King of Suspense, can’t write anymore due to an accident that’s affected his concentration. His 22-year-old granddaughter finds a body in her apartment and realizes her boyfriend, the son of the town’s police chief, is the killer whose now killed three women. Kaitlin needs her grandfather’s help to get her out of danger. But can his addled mind come up with a plot to catch the killer in time?”

Dead Heat by Joel Rosenberg - - - DON'T MISS THIS BOOK!!

Truth or fiction? That is the question. Joel Rosenberg states explicitly in the prologue of his new book, Dead Heat, that it is a work of fiction. However, set in a political pre-presidential election period similar to the one we now face, with oil prices at an all-time high and the economy teetering on the brink of an economic meltdown, the events that take place in Dead Heat are eerily familiar and all too possible. Every Christian should go to their bookstore or local library and read this book! If nothing else, let it serve as a wake-up call for all of us to share the gospel and show the love of Jesus every day we live! Truly, this book is powerful! If you are even remotely aware of the political events taking place around the world, you will find it terrifying!

I’ve read the other four books preceding Dead Heat, and each of them carry a powerful image of where our country is headed in the last days leading up to Christ’s second coming. Joel Rosenberg is intimately familiar with the political state of our world as well as the events prophesied in the Bible that will take place before the Lord raptures His children out of this world. Rosenberg's ability to realistically portray human reaction to cataclysmic events is haunting and creates a real urgency in the Christian’s heart to live every moment poured out for Christ! Rosenberg uses his two most beloved characters, Jon and Erin Bennett to carry this tale forward. Along the way, you will hail and farewell a host of other characters who are equally believable – each of them playing a unique roll as world events spin madly out of control! The pages will turn so rapidly as you read this book, it will leave you breathless!

Don’t miss this book! Read it today! Share it with a friend! Then take the urgency and the power of Rosenberg’s message and pour your life out for Christ! Wherever you are, whatever your job, you can tell someone about Christ before it’s too late. Christ is going to return sooner than later. Are you ready? Joel Rosenberg is, and Dead Heat will minister to many who stand on the edge of a committed relationship to Christ. Thank you, Joel for caring enough to write such a powerful book!