This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Simple Secrets Barbour Books (June 1, 2010)

by

Nancy Mehl





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and her son, Danny. She’s authored nine books and is currently at work on her newest series for Barbour Publishing.



All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”



CREATING FICTION FULL OF FAITH, HOPE AND HEART…



Nancy Mehl is a mystery writer who loves to set her novels in her home state of Kansas. Her three-in-one book, COZY IN KANSAS, contains the first three Ivy Towers’s mysteries: IN THE DEAD OF WINTER, BYE BYE BERTIE, and FOR WHOM THE WEDDING BELL TOLLS which was nominated for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award in mystery.



She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Graphic designer Gracie Temple wants it all: the big city lifestyle and a successful job in advertising. And it looks like her life is on the right track when she takes a job at a struggling, midsize firm in Wichita.



But Gracie Temple's uncle left her a house in a rural Mennonite community. She soon learns he secluded himself for years to protect a secret about her own father. Now it's up to Gracie to decide if she'll keep the secret or if she can afford to expose it.



Sam Goodrich loves his fruit farm in Harmony, Kansas. But when he meets city-girl Gracie, he begins to wonder if he could leave it behind for a woman who makes him feel things he's never felt before.



When someone tries to keep Gracie from discovering the truth behind the town's collection of secrets, will Sam and Gracie cling to their faith to help them decide what's most important...before it's too late?



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

Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

If you can only read a handful of books this summer,please, do yourself a big favor and put Chasing Lilacs at the top of your list and then, if you are feeling extremely generous, share with people you love.

I loved the journey back to the ninteen fifties, when life was simpler in many ways, but it wasn't all "Happy Days" and fun music. This story is told from Sammie's perspective. Sammie's mom suffers from depression, and when she tries to commit suicide, she's sent off to a place for "help", leaving Sammie and her Dad, to try to make sense of things.

Carla somehow takes a story that could be terribly down and totally depressing and injects life and humor. Throughout there is a sense of community that rallys around and tries to help- to the best of its ability. And the characters! They will make you laugh and cry. But Sammie is the star who will stay with you for a long time.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Chasing Lilacs FaithWords (June 17, 2010) by

Carla Stewart





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carla Stewart’s writing reflects her passion for times gone by. She believed in Jesus, the power of the written word, and a good cup of coffee. She's a country girl living now in a mid-sized city with her engineering husband who just happens to be her best friend and biggest fan.She and her husband have four adult sons and delight in the adventures of their six grandchildren.



FROM CARLA:



I grew up in the Texas Panhandle with two younger sisters and loving parents. Small town school. Great neighbors. Today, those small-town, fundamental things resonate within me -- the twang in people's voices, the art of being neighborly and just being a decent human being.



Growing up, I preferred the company of books over TV and playing outdoors. I imagined myself in many different careers, but given my down-to-earth raising, I settled on nursing. I didn't faint at the sight of blood and did well in science, so it seemed a natural choice.



I worked as a registered nurse off and on through the years, but primarily I stayed home with my four rambunctious boys and dreamed of the day when I could write the novels I loved to read. When our youngest son was in high school, I quit my job as a nursing instructor and settled in to pen my first novel. It's been quite a journey. One I wouldn't trade for anything.



I'm committed to writing the stories of my heart and am truly thankful to Jesus, my Savior, for allowing me this freedom. May all the glory be His.



Chasing Lilacs is her first book!





ABOUT THE BOOK

It is the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for twelve-year-old Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.



When her mother commits suicide and a not-so-favorite aunt arrives, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious kid from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there's the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.



Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.



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

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Maid to Match Bethany House (June 1, 2010)

by Deeanne Gist





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.



Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.



After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. 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 sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.



Her 2010 books, Beguiled and Maid To Match are now available for order.



Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-seven years and their two border collies. They have four grown children. Visit her blog to find out the most up-to-the-minute news about Dee.







ABOUT THE BOOK

Falling in love could cost her everything.



From the day she arrived at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled, by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in proper servant etiquette, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid, After all, the one rule of the house is no romance below stairs.



But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangles in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs, their aspirations...their hearts.



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





Join this SPECIAL GETAWAY (Click on the Button):

Some Thoughts on Maid to Match:

Yes, I really enjoyed this book. It touched me on a couple of different levels. I had fun reading about this intriguing time period. Deann Gist's research was fascinating and really enhanced the plot line. Deann has a brightness to her writing and storytelling. She creates interesting characters and manages to make a delightful story about two servants falling in love. It was great to get the perspective of "the help" for a change!

So I'm a fan. I would suggest for your further reviewing reading pleasure a jaunt over to Deanna's Corner, a fellow CFBA blogger. She put up some great photos of the Biltmore estate and wrote a neat review!

The Subject was Noses...

To David. The man whom I love, on Father's Day. Sometimes it occurs to me that I may have married you to up the gene pool. To give the future children that we actually had a better chance at a normal life. I know that because of you they are much better human beings. One thing I know for sure is that their noses are so much nicer because of you. And for that I am so grateful. I love you. Oh, Elsa and I love Hallmark Holidays. Let's make this a good one.

Love Finds You in Golden New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley

Summerside Press and Lena Nelson Dooley give us another "Love Finds You" book. This time it's in the 1890's Southwest United States, Golden, New Mexico.

I've enjoyed reading about the different periods and places where L0VE has found deserving people, and some not so deserving. The heroine in this one, Madeline, was most deserving, whilst the hero, Jeremiah, not so much. Well, when it comes right down to it, nobody is truly deserving and I get that. I just felt that Jerry was too angry and whiny in his talk, but I didn't see enough in his actions to feel that he would be stellar enough, even if he repents and becomes a believer, to warrant someone as steadfast in her faith as Madeline.

Lena Nelson Dooley is a really good writer and story teller, no problem there, except for perhaps my need as a reader to feel the protagonist's pain, and I couldn't quite get there, even though the poor woman had just lost her beloved father, had a villain of Snidely Whiplash proportions after her (and her money) and in an act of desperation, has taken a train to New Mexico along with her two faithful servants and an orphaned infant named Pearl in response to a kindly old codger named Phillip's advertisement for a wife to nurse him through his final days on this Earth.

I'm thinking that maybe Lena liked Madeline too much to let us see her suffer as much as I thought she needed to. (Okay, wanted her to...don't hate me). Listen, I still liked this book and am a fan of the series. So read on and don't accept my thoughts as the final word!! Okay??

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico Summerside Press (May 1, 2010)

by

Lena Nelson Dooley





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

For several years, Lena worked on the support staff of a church, but in November of 2002, God changed things so that she could stay home and write full-time. It has been the desire of her heart for a long time. In Proverbs 37:4, it says, “Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” She believes that this blessing is a result of her delighting herself in Him, and she praises Him for the opportunity.



She have been a professional writer with a free-lance writing and editing business since 1984. In that time, she has written curriculum for public schools, private schools, and three different denominations. For one company, I managed a writing team that produced a two-year American History course for at-risk students. One of her clients was a Christian comedian for whom she wrote several routines. An airline training company had her edit and design International business reports for them.



Her first novel was published by Heartsong Presents in 1992. Since then Lena Nelson Dooley has written more than 25 works of fiction and nonfiction.



Lena has been married to her husband James since 1964. Theirs was one of those love-at-first-sight relationships. They were married three months and three days after they met. He truly was God’s gift to her. They are absolute opposites, but that means that his strengths are her weaknesses, and her strengths are his weaknesses. Together they make a more perfect whole. She believe that is what God intends for all of us.



They have two daughters. Marilyn Van Zant is married to Roger, and they have a son named Timothy. Tim is now in Tennessee at Ft. Campbell. His son Sebastian is almost 2 years old. Jennifer Waldron is married to Eric, and they have three children—Austin, Marissa, and Amanda. James and Lena love to spend time with their family, and they are blessed that both families live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, so they see them often.



ABOUT THE BOOK

All that glitters is not gold. It’s 1890, and Golden, New Mexico, is a booming mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride—despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah.



Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip—and Jeremiah himself—the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden...and tarnish her character beyond redemption.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico, go HERE.

"Love Finds You In Golden, New Mexico is a well-researched novel brimming With emotive conflict. Lena Nelson Dooley has crafted a historical romance that demonstrates that courage comes in many forms, but the courage to love is the most difficult of all.”



─DiAnn Mills, author of Sworn to Protect and A Woman Called Sage

“Two strangers are presented with a ‘golden’ opportunity for love in this quintessential East meets West tale by well-loved author Lena Nelson Dooley. I found myself swept away by the beautiful writing and enmeshed in the lives of the players, who face many twists and turns in their journey toward the ultimate happily-ever-after. Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico is truly one of the loveliest historical romances I’ve read in ages. Highly recommended.”



─Janice Hanna Thompson, author of Love Me Tender and Swinging on a Star

Finding Jeena by Mirilee Ferrell

Mirilee Ferrell gets downright gritty in Finding Jeena, a book with a potentially unlikable protagonist. Jeena is an up and coming design consultant with an attitude. She's tough, independent and self-made. She's climbing to the top and no-one is going to stop her. Jeena has had to pulll herself up by her own bootstraps to succeed and if talent and determination will take her there, well, she's there already... Except that things sometimes happen that are beyond her ability to control...

Jeena's story takes the reader down a path of riches to rags. Of gaining the world, but misplacing the soul. Will Jeena find something of lasting value, or be doomed to a life of destructive choices? How can one who has been abused trust in an all powerful God who calls himself Father?

These are the questions that must be answered if Jeena is to find meaning in life when loss has been the norm.

Mirilee takes a snapshot of a woman who has it all and loses it all. Mirilee tells a really good story, but more importantly, she writes with compassion and somehow imparts that onto her readers. I'm so glad that I found Jeena too!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Finding Jeena Kregel Publications (March 8, 2010)

by

Miralee Ferrell





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In October 2007 Kregel Publications published The Other Daughter with excellent reviews. The Romantic Times Review magazine gave it Four out of Four and a half stars, with a very strong review. Two different major motion picture studios are currently considering the book as a possible family movie, and my second book in the series (Past Shadows) is on my publishers desk being reviewed for a possible contract offer now.



In February of 2009, Love Finds You in Last Chance, California was published by Summerside Press and Finding Jeena released in March 2010 from Kregel Publications.



Miralee Ferrell lives in Washington with Allen, her husband of more than 37 years, ans has two grown children. She serves on staff at her local church ans is actively involved in ministry to women.









ABOUT THE BOOK

Jeena Gregory thought she’d made it. She has everything a woman could ask for and a budding career promises more. But when rumors around town cast her boss in a shady light, Jeena starts to question her employer’s integrity. Was she wrong to trust this man and this job?



When the boss disappears, salaries go unpaid, and Jeena overhears several hush-hush phone calls, she realizes her carefully crafted world is crumbling. Shaken to the core at the threat of losing everything, Jeena is suddenly confronted with her prejudices─and with a God she had long forgotten.



If you would like to read an excerpt of Finding Jeena, go HERE.

Deceit by Brandilyn Collins

"Some evil shouts from the rooftops..." Thus begins the new suspense thriller by Brandilyn Collins.

All I can say is- forget the usual suspects, Brandilyn has proven once again why you do not have to cross over into the mainstream thriller aisle in order to get a suspense fix of the intense kind.

It seems that the whole town of Vacaville California is in denial over the fact that it's beloved pillar and benefactor of town and church may have murdered his beautiful wife, Linda. Everyone except her best friend Joanne who happens to be a top notch skip tracer. And one dark and stormy night six years after Linda's tragic death, Joanne is confronted with a masked man who seems to think he has the answers, or at least he seems to know who does...

Brandillyn crafts a story where the villain is bad, but I found myself taking a glance or two in the mirror as I squirmed a bit in my tightly fitting seat belt (a requirement for Brandilyn's readers), and I pondered the question of deception. Things are not always as they seem.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Deceit

Zondervan (June 18, 2010)

by

Brandilyn Collins





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:





Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and 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's first book, 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. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.



In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.









ABOUT THE BOOK

Skip Tracer Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed his second wife---and Joanne's best friend---seven years ago. But Jackson, a church elder and beloved member of the town, walks the streets a free man.



The police tell Joanne to leave well enough alone, but Joanne is determined to bring Jackson down. Using her skip tracing skills, she sets out to locate Melissa Harkoff, now twenty-two, who lived in the Jackson home at the time of Linda Jackson's disappearance.



As Joanne drives home on a rainy winter night, a hooded figure darts in front of her car. In her headlight beams she glimpses the half-concealed face of a man, a rivulet of blood jagging down his cheek. She squeals to a stop but clips him with her right fender. Shaking, she gets out of her car in the pouring rain. The man will not let her see his face. Before he limps off into the night he warns her not to talk to police.



As Joanne tries to find Melissa, someone seems to be after her. Who was the man she hit on the road. Is Baxter Jackson out to silence her? Or is some other skip she's traced in the past now out for revenge?

"

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

Journalling 101

Last night was the last session of Lynn Morrissey's class called "Spiritual CPR: Let God Breathe Life into Your Relationship through Journalling". I didn't realize that I would be embarking on a journey that has the potential to change me into the woman Christ wants me to be. I'm not there yet!!! I feel like I've just come aboard the ship that can only end up where God only knows.

Here's a poem I wrote:

The Womb Echoes

I hear the echoes of silent cries
as the womb caresses it's child
in a gentle confine
and I pray for Life to prevail

I absorb the prisoner's cries
like a sponge
saturated to the point where it
can hold no more
and I pray for Life to prevail

8:28

I looked at the clock. It said 8:28. And I immediately thought "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose." Then I remembered. Oh yeah, the time....