Check out the interview with Creston Mapes!

Scrambled Dregs got a chance to hear from the author of Nobody, so check it out! It's a great interview and gives insight to the man behind the novel. www.kellyklepfer.blogspot.com/

Psst! You might want to just go ahead and bookmark this blog anyway....Kelly has great insight too! :) Thanks, Kelly!

Not everything that happens in Vegas has to stay in Vegas!

They said, “He’s a nobody.”
They were dead wrong.

When reporter Hudson Ambrose hears an early morning call on his police scanner about an injured person at a bus stop on Las Vegas Boulevard, he rushes to the scene to get the scoop.
His world is blown off its axis when he discovers a murdered homeless man with a bankbook in his pocket showing a balance of almost one million dollars. Should he wait for the police, knowing the case will get lost in reams of red tape, or swipe the bankbook and take the investigation–and perhaps a chunk of the money–into his own hands?

With sirens bearing down on the scene, Hudson makes an impulse decision that whisks him on a frantic search for answers, not only about the mysterious dead man, but about the lost soul lurking within himself.

Uncovering bizarre links between a plane crash, a Las Vegas pit boss, a dirty cop, and a widowed Atlanta business mogul, Hudson is forced to find out: who was Chester Holte, what was he doing on the streets, and why are his homeless friends convinced he was an angel in disguise?



“Nobody was absolutely riveting from the opening scene to the final page. With compelling characters, a plot that surprised me at every turn, and a subtle, yet profound message that moved me to tears, this book goes straight to the top of my highly recommended list.”
- Deborah Raney, author of Remember to Forget and Within This Circle

“A taut, entertaining novel of mystery, intrigue, and spiritual truth. Creston Mapes delivers a winner in Nobody.”
- James Scott Bell, bestselling author of No Legal Grounds and Try Dying

“Nobody had me fascinated from the first paragraph and kept the surprises coming to the very end. Somehow, as the pages flew by, it also managed to convey a beautiful picture of faith the size of a mustard seed. From now on I’ll read anything by Creston Mapes the instant it hits the shelves.”
- Athol Dickson, Christy Award—winning author of River Rising and The Cure

Creston Mapes

Creston Mapes is a talented storyteller whose first two novels, Dark Star and Full Tilt, made him a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards and the Inspirational Readers Choice awards. Creston has written for major corporations, colleges, and ministries, including Coca-Cola, TNT Sports, Oracle, Focus on the Family, and In Touch Ministries. Committed to his craft and his family, Creston makes his home in Georgia with his wife, Patty, and their four children.

He's been married for twenty-one years to the girl he first loved way back in fourth grade. They have three lovely girls and a boy in a very close-knit family, spending a lot of time together - watching old classic movies, going on outings, and taking in various school and community events and activities. Creston loves to go for morning walks with his dog, read, paint watercolors, meet friends for coffee and Bible study, watch hockey, take his wife on dates, and spend time in God's Word.

I'm doing something new on the 15th of October!

I will be posting a book review for Amy Grant's new release Mosaic. I have three copies of this beautiful hardcover book to give away, and all you have to do is leave a comment on my review during the week of the 15th to be eligible to win! Please leave your contact information so I will be able to get this to you as quickly as possible! I've already finished my copy and it is AWESOME!!! But that's all I can say for now!! I'm looking forward to sharing this great book with you!

Books make life interesting!

Last weekend I found a few hours of quiet and enjoyed a rare all-in-one session with a new book by Stephanie Grace Whitson entitled Jacob's List. I finished this book almost a week ago, and as I returned it to the library today there were two words that came to mind....loss and redemption. The synapsis on the back cover alerts the reader that there is loss to be overcome, but only by reading the entire story do you get to enjoy how individually and poignantly each person copes with such loss. For one, it may be something that causes them to become angry and bitter while that same loss may be the very thing that tenderizes one's heart toward God and leads them to His redeeming grace.

Stephanie Whitson deals masterfully and realistically with a lot of very tough issues in this story. She doesn't try to erase or skirt around what is hurtful and difficult in our lives nor the fact that even during dark times we can experience bright moments of joy that give us hope to keep going. Most certainly her style will keep the pages turning! The ending was satisfying to me in that it left you open to possibilities but promised nothing certain. That was real to me. Life is like that.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a great story for a quiet-all-in-one reading session. I was left pondering how important even our small acts of kindness are perceived by those around us. Sometimes just being that quiet, prayerful listener means as much as sharing an encouraging word. I look forward to reading more stories by this author!

Haley Cutler is the consummate trophy wife. Perhaps "was" is the more accurate term. Haley married Prince Charming when she was only twenty years old – back in the day when highlights came from an afternoon at the beach, not three hours in the salon.

When Jay first turned his eye to Haley, she was putty in his slender, graceful hands. No one ever treated her like she was important, and on the arm of Jay Cutler, she became someone people listened to and admired. Unfortunately, after seven years of marriage, her Prince Charming seems to belong to the Henry the XIII line of royalty. When Haley loses Jay, she not only loses her husband, she loses her identity.

With her first independent decision, Haley leaves LA and moves home to Northern California. Feeling freedom just within her grasp, Haley learns that her settlement payments must go through one of Jay's financial advisors, Hamilton Lowe. Haley believes he's nothing more than a spy. And the feelings of distrust are mutual. Yet somehow, Hamilton finds himself handing over the monthly checks in person, and Haley can't deny that there's a kind of tenderness and protectiveness in Hamilton that she's never experienced in a man before.

Kristin Billerbeck was born in Redwood City, California. She went to San Jose State University and majored in Advertising, then worked at the Fairmont Hotel in PR, a small ad agency as an account exec, and then,
she was thrust into the exciting world of shopping mall marketing. She got married, had four kids, and started writing romance novels until she found her passion: Chick Lit. She is a CBA bestselling author and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year. Featured in the New York Times and USA Today, Kristin has appeared on the Today Show for her pioneering role in Christian chick lit.

Her last three books were:

Split Ends: Sometimes the End is Really the Beginning (April 17, 2007)

She's Out of Control (Ashley Stockingdale Series #1) (Nov 13, 2007)

Calm, Cool & Adjusted (Spa Girls Series #3) (Oct 1, 2006)