High Five Friday!!

It’s been an exciting month for a number of writers. Here are a few with special celebrations:

James R. Callan looks forward to the early April release of Murder a Cappella, because it’s the first mystery/suspense book he’s written with his daughter, Diane Bailey, a writer of young adult non-fiction.

Lena Nelson Dooley celebrates the first time one of her books has appeared in a Top Ten Books list. Anne Payne, reviewer with Stuff & Nonsense II blog put Maggie’s Journey on her Top Ten Books of 2011. She found out about it when she read a note Anne put on a board in Pinterest this month. Anne does a lot of respected reviews of Christian fiction, both on the blog and on other Internet sites–Goodreads, Christianbooks.com, Amazon.com.  

Vannetta Chapman rejoices in the sale of another three-book series to Zondervan books, tentatively titled Amish Artisan Mystery Series. They will release in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

JoAnn Durgin is excited by the successful telling of two parallel and simultaneous romances in her new book Twin Hearts. She says, ”It was a unique challenge to write their love stories without frustrating the reader by switching back and forth (one in Houston and the other in Lousiana). This book is particularly special to me because redemption and forgiveness are huge themes, and Josh finds his redemption in a rather shocking, surprising and ultimately very tender and sweet way. In other words, there’s a BIG surprise coming for those who’ve read my other books.”

Sandra Orchard, author of an Undercover Cops series for Love Inspired Suspense, is thrilled to announce that Revell Publishing has offered her a three book contract for a trade-length, mystery/romantic suspense series. The first book (as yet untitled) is scheduled for release in summer of 2013.

Elaine W. Miller has waited forty years for the May 1 release of her non-fiction book We All Married Idiots: Three Things You Will Never Change About Your Marriage and Three Things You Can. This book was conceived over forty years ago when during an argument with her husband she thought, I must have been an idiot to marry this idiot. It was funny, but it was tragic. Her marriage almost ended. Today she thanks God that two idiots stayed together as she shares lessons learned in their 40 years of marriage. As one review states, “This book contains the secrets that will enable couples to persevere, to run their race through the difficult years.”           

Raise a hearty High Five!! of congratulations for the achievements of the above writers!

Writers: Are you dancing around your desk in celebration of a writing-related success? Leave a comment and let us cheer with you!

 

Trailer Tuesday: Ruth’s Redemption

The book trailer for this week is from Marlene Banks for her historical novel Ruth’s Redemption.

                       

        

This is a different kind of slave era story; one that will engage the reader spiritually, humanly and romantically from beginning to end.

Ruth has known nothing but servitude and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding, her heart is hardened and overcome with bitterness.

Bo was educated while a slave then given his freedom as his master’s will instructed. Now he owns a farm and buys slaves to grant them freedom. A man of God and widower, Bo’s life is characterized by an unwavering faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. When God instructs him to purchase Ruth, both their lives are forever changed.

Ruth has never known a man like Bo. She wants freedom from slavery, from men and from her past. She is drawn to Bo but not to his Godly devotion. Bo is unwillingly attracted to Ruth. Can their relationship and love push through the personal and cultural hardships? Does love really heal all wounds? A gripping novel, Ruth’s Redemption is a story of love, forgiveness, and redemption. Surrounding the events of the Nat Turner Rebellion the light of God’s unconditional love shines into the darkness of a woman’s heart, a man’s violent mission and a culture’s cruel and socially accepted inhumanity.

          

Marlene Banks resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In addition to being a prolific writer she has an Associate Theology degree from the Rhema Bible Institute. She is currently pursuing studies to initiate a Christian counseling ministry. Marlene is a member of Bethel Deliverance International Church in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. She considers writing an avenue of communicating the Gospel and Christian principles through fiction. It is also Marlene’s goal to bridge the gap between faith-based and secular literature to reach the masses. Ruth’s Redemption is her debut fiction novel. www.marlenebanks.com

              

I have received no compensation for this post and have no material connection  with any product(s) mentioned. Embedded links are strictly for the convenience of my readers.

 

Reading The Hunger Games: Writing Notes

Last night the Hunger Games movie premiered in my area because some of it was shot here. Tonight is the big opening and I’m sure the theatres will be packed. In honor of its release (and because I’m on a self-imposed deadline), I’m rerunning the post I wrote after reading the series.  

I read the The Hunger Games trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay) by Suzanne Collins. As I’ve said before, I’m not fond of first person present tense writing, however, I found myself lost in this series. Yes, the books are violent, though not as graphic as some I’ve read. Yes, they are disturbing when you consider the idea of children being forced to kill one another to survive. And no, there isn’t one mention of God. But WOW!, talk about books that hold your attention. From my standpoint as a reader and writer, here are some ways in which she did it:

Suzanne Collins created a future world that has the reader asking, “What if?” What if a certain group, a certain physical locality, owned all the power in our country and the rest of us were virtually slaves, our children forced to be “fight-to-the-death” entertainment for other hedonistic people?

Note to writer self: Create a compelling story line that sucks the reader in with the possibilities.

Each chapter ended with a cliffhanger that dared the reader to put the book down and do something else. Each book ended in that same way. (I’m so glad I read the series after all three books had been released.)

Note to writer self: Don’t wrap up the scene at the close of a chapter. End the chapter while riding the wave, not after it reaches the shore.

There were two romantic interests for the heroine. Through each book, I argued with myself about which guy she would/should have in the end. I was led to believe the series did not have a positive ending, so I imagined all kinds of ways in which my choice would be wrong (or not survive). Maybe I’m a little warped, but I didn’t find the ending to be negative. In fact, I LOVED the last bit of dialogue of the last chapter in Mockingjay and the epilogue, particularly the last line. Perfect!

Note to writer self: Keep them guessing! Even a “happily-ever-after” romance should have times when the reader has doubts about how the couple will work out their differences. Then, give the reader the opportunity to take a deep breath and release a satisfied sigh at the end.

In all honesty, I don’t think I’ll want to see the movie. I can imagine what Hollywood will do when it comes to the violence. But, as a reader, the books were gripping. As a writer, they were a reminder of why certain rules work.

I still haven’t decided about whether I’ll see the movie. I’ll wait to hear what people say.

As a reader, what did you enjoy most about the story? What grips you and keeps you from putting a book down? Will you see the movie?

If you are a writer, did anything else stand out as a lesson to you?

 

Trailer Tuesday: Joy Restored

This week’s book trailer comes from Jude Urbanski for the novel Joy Restored.

                 

                         

In Joy Restored, Book One of The Chronicles of Chanute Crossing, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Kate Davidson feels God’s played a cruel joke with the accidental death of her husband, a troubled Vietnam vet. Kate is so angry at God, she almost misses the incredible love of rich, widower Seth Orbin, no stranger to loss and grief.

            

                    

Jude Urbanski writes women’s fiction featuring a strong, inspirational romance element. She invites you to stories of heroes and heroines who spin tragedy into triumph with help from God. She is a long time member of ACFW and currently president of her local branch of National League of American Pen Women. She can be found at http://www.judeurbanski.com and http://judeurbanski.blogspot.com.

          

                   

I have received no compensation for this post and have no material connection  with any product(s) mentioned. Embedded links are strictly for the convenience of my readers.

 

Review: Journey’s Edge

Back Cover Copy:

A Routine Audit? Hardly.

Red flags—including some goon who’s following her—raise  McKinley Frasier’s suspicions that numbers don’t add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley’s daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner’s not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a “new man.” She trusts the new Renner with her daughter’s safety…but what about her heart?

                

                 

                 

Those who have read my blog awhile know I’m a sucker for reading the stories of secondary characters in a novel. I read Dora Hier’s first book, Journey’s End, and liked it. So when the opportunity came to read Renner’s story in Journey’s Edge, I jumped on it. No, I wasn’t disappointed in the second book. In fact, of the two, it was my favorite.

First, let me compliment White Rose Publishing on their choice of cover. Do you find it as eerie as I do? Does it raise the goosebumps? Second, the author provides one of those “Goodness gracious! I didn’t see that coming!” moments about a third of the way through the story. (At least, I didn’t see it coming.) Of course, I won’t go into the reason for the surprise, but it was a fine twist to the plot and one that could have been developed to a greater degree in a longer book.

Renner, a fairly new Christian, meets with the woman he was supposed to marry ten years earlier—the one he rejected for what he thought were good reasons, yet never got over. Now, he finds himself in the position of being the protector for both her and her daughter. It’s easy to feel for Renner as he tries to keep from rushing McKinley into renewing their relationship before she’s ready. Kinny, as he calls her, has some understandable trust issues when it comes to renewing a relationship with Renner.

In the past ten years, McKinley has become independent with her focus spent on work and raising her child. She hasn’t been looking for a relationship and thinks she would like nothing better than to avoid this one. Along comes a routine audit and its inaccuracies. Soon, she and her daughter are being threatened by the man responsible for some shady bookkeeping. (Don’t worry. No cat has escaped the bag with that revelation.) 

The danger/suspense scenes please, but the emphasis is on the romance. Journey’s Edge rates high in that department with an appealing hero any woman would want to give a second chance. So if you’re inclined to read romantic suspense with the emphasis on romance, this is a book to read.

This story takes place in mid to late fall. What is your favorite time of the year to read about and why?   

   

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book came to me free from the publisher and author with the hope that I would mention it on this blog. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.