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?”

Ooops! I forgot to announce my book winners!

Congratulations Tara for winning Phil Callaway's Family Squeeze!

And Congratulations are also in order for Cindi for winning Jeanette Windle's Betrayed!

I was out of pocket yesterday and unable to update these drawings. Your books are in the mail ladies!!

Starting next week, things are going to get exciting! New books, new give aways, and lots of thrills! I'm reading furiously...I hope you are too!

See you Monday!

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!

When Zeffie Got A Clue by Peggy Darty

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
When Zeffie Got a Clue
WaterBrook Press (March 18, 2008)
by
Peggy Darty

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Peggy Darty is the award-winning author of twenty-seven books, including two other cozy mysteries set in Summer Breeze, Florida: When the Sandpiper Calls and When Bobbie Sang the Blues. She has worked in film, researched for CBS, and led writing workshops around the country. Darty and her husband call Alabama home but spend a great deal of time in Colorado, Montana, and on Florida’s Emerald Coast.






ABOUT THE BOOK:

It’s an ordinary afternoon in Summer Breeze, Florida, when a young, wide-eyed girl steps into I Saw It First, the trash-to-treasure shop Christy Castleman and her Aunt Bobbie have opened. Clutching a jewelry box, Zeffie Adams tells Christy she needs money to pay her grandmother’s medical bills, prompting Christy to offer this curious visitor more than the jewelry box is worth–or so she thinks.

But complicated questions form when Christy rips out the box’s lining and uncovers a clue to a cold case murder mystery from eight years ago. Despite warnings from her family and handsome boyfriend Dan Brockman, Christy decides to do a little detective work of her own. After all, the infamous murder happened close to her grandmother’s farm. How risky could it be to take the jewelry box back to the Strickland plantation and ask around about it?

Soon Christy finds there is more to the small box than someone wants her to know. A jewelry theft. A mansion murder. Dangerous family secrets buried in history. Can Christy convince others to let go of the past before it’s too late?

MY REVIEW:

This is the first book in Peggy Darty’s Sandpiper series that I have read, although it is the third in this cozy mystery series. While it is obvious that there is some history to be obtained in the previous two books, this story can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. The main character, Christy Castleman is a mystery writer, and her tenacious spirit and incurable curiosity seem to draw her into any local mystery that happens her way! While she does have a few close calls, these mysteries fulfill their genre, and the ending is as cozy as one could ask for.

This book was not a difficult read by any stretch, and would be perfect for an afternoon on the beach during Spring Break or for a rainy weekend curled beneath your favorite blanket. Christy’s small town Florida home of Summer Breeze and her close-knit family give the book a warm setting in which the mysteries unfold, and Christy’s blossoming relationship with Dan adds just enough romance to soften any dangerous edges to the story. The only obvious weaknesses that stood out to me was the weak premise for the beginning of an investigation - an 8-year-old cold murder case would be reopened on nothing more than a receipt found in a jewelry box? And while I can imagine that being saved from drowning is a significant event, Christy seems to have built a rather imaginary closeness to the murder victim over an event that happened when she was eleven years old. And for a writer, Christy spends very little time at her task!

However, this is a cozy, so I don’t suppose Peggy Darty wants her audience too keyed up at any one point. It’s a cute story and an easy read. The plot line does sort of jump around a little in places, but otherwise it makes for a really nice read. So check out the Sandpiper series….When the Sandpiper Calls, When Bobbie Sang the Blues, and the latest release, When Zeffie Got a Clue! If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, this may be the perfect read for your Spring Break vacation!

F.I.R.S.T. presents Ryann Watters and the King's Sword by Eric Reinhold

Alright folks, I’ll admit it – I’m a finicky reader! One minute I’m telling you I can’t read fantasy and the next minute I like it. I have finally decided what makes the difference…I have to have a real world reference point! If my 21^st century characters go into another world and their points of reference and understanding are based on my 21^st century world – I can follow the story. BUT, if it’s a created world with created beings….I get all muddle headed and give up.

That said, Ryann Watters and the King’s Sword falls into a category that I can understand! I have given it a quick read, and it’s not bad. I had my oldest son read it, but he’s kind of out of the target age range. I trust his judgment though, and he said it was a good book, but lacking in action until the end. Now that I’ve read it, I understand his viewpoint, but considering the age this is intended for, this is a really good read! If your child enjoys the wonder of a fantasy world and you want peace of mind that the story is not based in some kind of dark magic type of stuff, then this is going to be just what you’ve been looking for!

Eric Reinhold takes everyday kids – in this case 6^th graders - and has them experience some supernatural things based on Scriptural truths. Ryann Watters is given a task from the angel Gabriel along with some tools to help him accomplish said task. He has to test his own faith and learn to ask for God’s wisdom to figure out each step in the adventure, and he brings his two closest friends along for the ride. In the meantime, a dark angel has visited another child – Drake – and has set him out to thwart Ryann’s success. The story is built around solid spiritual truths, and it is Scripture that unlocks the wisdom needed to complete the task assigned.

Basically, Eric Reinhold takes foundational Bible truth and sets it in a fantasy story that younger kids will enjoy. The only thing that I really thought was dorky was that he had Gabriel speaking in thee’s and thou’s, and that came across kind of strange. Otherwise, you’ve got talking animals, dwarves and all kinds of other things that will really appeal to children while teaching them to trust God even amid circumstances that are frustrating or that try our patience.

I’ve already shared this book with another friend who has a 10-year-old avid reader at home, so I hope you will consider this for the “tweeners” in your life! Our children need good things to read, and this book certainly helps to set the standard! Check out the site for this wonderful tale, and pick up a copy today!

THE FIRST CHAPTER: GO HERE TO READ THIS NOW!

BUY THE BOOK AT WWW.RYANNWATTERS.COM/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eric J. Reinhold is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. The former Naval officer writes extensively for a variety of national financial publications in his position as a Certified Financial Planner® and President of Academy Wealth Management. His passion for writing a youth fantasy novel was fueled by nightly impromptu storytelling to his children and actively serving in the middle and high school programs at First Baptist Sweetwater Church in Longwood, Florida.

April is almost upon us! Can you believe it??

Time sure flies when you have as much reading to do as I have these days!! But the fun will continue as next week brings a new month and more than 12 new selections! April will be quite a suspenseful month, so get ready to sleep with your eyes open! Hint! Hint!!

There really are going to be some great new things ahead, so I hope you will continue to drop by. Don't forget my give away posts here and here!! I'll be drawing winners soon! And April will have give-aways too, so don't be a stranger!

Have a wonderful weekend, and don't forget to make time to enjoy a great book!!

Wecome Jeanette Windle to my Window!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As the child of missionary parents, award-winning author and journalist Jeanette Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles, and mountains of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. Her detailed research and writing is so realistic that it has prompted government agencies to question her to determine if she has received classified information. Currently based in Lancaster, PA, Jeanette has lived in six countries and traveled in more than twenty. She has more than a dozen books in print, including political/suspense best-seller CrossFire and the Parker Twins series.

WELCOME, JEANETTE!

Kim: Betrayed is the first of your novels I’ve ever read. However, as I researched your work on the internet, it became apparent that all of your stories carry strong faith messages that can powerfully impact lives! In this story, you use Sarah from the Old Testament in a way that was new to me, but was very meaningful throughout the story. Can you tell us, did Sarah “inspire” the story, or did the story “inspire” Sarah’s example of faith in your mind? Truly this is a unique blend!

Jeanette: To be honest, the story and Sarah’s example of faith grew so much together, I’m not sure which came first. I was speaking on the story of Sarah for a series of women’s retreat, and that theme impacted me personally so powerfully as I taught it that as I began researching for my next novel, it crept immediately into the story line. I will say that all of the themes of my books have come from faith lessons God was teaching in my own life at the time of writing.

Kim: In your life experiences throughout similar regions of the world, has it been common to observe such extreme duplicity among folks native to that area? If so, what challenges does this bring to sharing the gospel and having them place their faith in Christ?

Jeanette: The challenges of sharing the gospel haven’t changed since New Testament days. Man is infinitely capable of sin, and God is infinitely more powerful and sovereign. Yes, there is no duplicity in Betrayed I have not personally witnessed over and over in too many dark and dangerous corners of the world. But I have also witnessed the courage and self-sacrifice of Christians, many in the poorest and most difficult situations, who are willing to make a stand against evil and oppression and share God’s love at whatever personal cost. My greatest privilege has been to stand and work together with so many such servants of God around the globe.

Kim: It is frightening to realize that the “trade-off” of the lesser evil to capture the greater evil is at work among government officials. Do you think people understand the reality of that power and how it impacts today’s “war on terror”?

Jeanette: No, I don’t think they do; otherwise they’d be asking harder questions: why, for instance, we keep pouring billions into Musharef’s govt. in Pakistan while weakly protesting his throwing his entire opposition into jail to squash any opposition, or into Karzai’s govt. in Afghanistan where a young journalist recently received a death sentence just for printing off an ‘anti-Islam’ article from the internet, or into Saudi Arabia where Christians are jailed for praying in their own homes even as we’ve poured new advanced arms into their laps. We are arming making deals with the devil now that make our deals in the ‘war on socialism’ look like an afternoon tea.

Kim: There are many significant passages in this book that reveal the spiritual struggle and growth of the characters. Joe states on p 361, “Whatever happened here – of good or evil – is still in God’s control and His plan.” He goes on to state on page 362, “Don’t forget: this life isn’t our real destination or our real home. In fact, it’s just the start.” Why is this truth so hard for believers to understand and embrace? What is gained when we finally do understand the sovereignty of a loving God?

Jeanette: My fiction characters cannot possibly know at the crisis point of my book when neither they nor the reader know if they will come out alive that there is both purpose and a happy ending to the story. In the same way, it is difficult for us while in the middle of what seems such hopeless chaos and unhappiness around us in this world to understand that for all the turmoil and conflict and pain, this universe does make sense and has both a purpose and a loving Creator. When we can understand that God is both sovereign and loving, we can have the peace that whatever crisis we may be currently living, there is both purpose and a happy ending to the divine story of God’s working in our lives and in this world (just read Revelation Ch. 21-22). If I did not have the absolute assurance that the course of human history and current events as well as my own life lie in the hands of a loving heavenly Father, I would not have the nerve to research, much less write, the stories that I do.

Kim: As someone who grew up on the mission field and has served as the spouse of a missionary throughout your adult life, what do you see as the greatest challenge facing Christians in 2008?

Jeanette: For Christians in many parts of this world, especially among the three billion living under Islam, Hinduism, and communism, the challenge is to stand strong in the faith under a growing tide of persecution. For Christians in the West, to make a stand on the truth of God’s Word regardless of opinion polls or of personal safety and well-being; I see too much pursuit even in the church of the world’s good opinion as opposed to right and wrong, of watching our own backs, placing our own safety and that of our loved ones as a first priority, demanding as our right to be free from the danger and risk and storms so much of the rest of our world is facing.

This above all is the challenge highlighted in Betrayed. What is our call, how can we know what to do, when our world falls apart? The answer is as simple as it is profound. At every step and with each crossroads that opens up in front of us, simply ‘do what is right, and do not give way to fear’(1 Peter 3:6). That is all we are called to do, not to manipulate, try to figure out the future, or weasel our way out by any means possible. If we follow that simple challenge, then the Almighty God who wrote every moment of our lives before we were born and holds us in the palm of His loving hand will take care of the outcome, whatever He chooses that to be.

Kim: The ending of this novel is ripe with possibilities! Will we see any of these characters again? How soon?

That I could not say. I am currently finishing a book set in Afghanistan. Whether I drag these characters into another book will depend on new plot-lines bubble up on my horizon.