Divine Appointments by Charlene Baumbich

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Divine Appointments  WaterBrook Press; Reprint edition (September 21, 2010)  by  Charlene Baumbich  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Charlene Ann Baumbich is the author of the previous three books in the Partonville series. A popular speaker, journalist, and author, for several years she has lectured to women’s groups and retreats. Baumbich is also an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Today’s Christian Woman, and numerous other publications. She is the author of six nonfiction books of humor and inspiration.


Charlene says: For over two decades of writing and speaking, my passionate pursuit to entertain and rejuvenate using humor (I love to laugh-especially at myself), uncommon wisdom, and passionate insights has been affirmed through countless calls, letters, and evaluation sheets. A reader recently e-mailed, "There is so much depression and sadness in this world. I applaud you for reminding all of us to treasure the moments in our lives, and for encouraging us to find joy in the little things. What you do helps so many to rise above the heaviness of life and live, and laugh, and face another day, so thanks!!!!" That is exactly why I keep doing what I do.

I am a firm believer in the power of story (short or book-length, funny or insightful, real or fiction, on stage or page) to accomplish my purpose, which is to remind you: Don't Miss Your Life! Whether you're tuning into me live or in print, fasten your seatbelt. I promise you a wild, fun, provocative, heart-warming ride.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Josie Brooks, at the age of 47, thought she was leading an enviable single life. A successful consultant, she calls her own shots, goes where the money is, and never needs to compromise. But her precisely managed world begins to falter during a Chicago contract when an economic downturn, a bleeding heart boss, and the loyalty and kindness between endangered employees ding her coat of armor.

Throw in hot flashes, a dose of loneliness, a peculiar longing for intimacy, an
unquenchable thirst—not to mention a mysterious snow globe with a serene landscape, complete with a flowing river and lush greenery that seems to be beckoning her in—and Josie’s buttoned-up life is on the verge of coming completely undone.

Maybe her solitary existence isn’t as fulfilling as she has convinced herself to believe. It will take a few new friends, a mystical encounter, and an unexpected journey to set Josie on her own path to “right-sizing” and making the life changes that really matter. Filled with laugh-out loud moments and a gentle dash of inspiration, Divine Appointments is another heartwarming charmer from a master storyteller.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Divine Appointments, go HERE.

The Lightkeeper's Bride by Colleen Coble

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Lightkeeper's Bride  Thomas Nelson (October 19, 2010)  by  Colleen Coble  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Author Colleen Coble’s thirty-five novels and novellas have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA, the Holt Medallion, the ACFW Book of the Year, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, the Booksellers Best, and the 2009 Best Books of Indiana-Fiction award. She writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail and love begin with a happy ending.

A word from Colleen: God has been faithful, though the path has not been easy. Nothing worth doing is ever easy. God wouldn’t let me give up, and I like to think the struggle made me stronger. God has given me so much in my life, most importantly my great family, a loving church family at New Life Baptist Church, and my wonderful publishing family at Nelson Books.

ABOUT THE BOOK  

A thrilling romantic mystery set in the lush Victorian age.


Central Operator Katie Russell's inquisitive ways have just uncovered her parents' plan for her marriage to wealthy bachelor Bartholomew Foster. Her heart is unmoved, but she knows the match will bring her family status and respectability.

Then Katie overhears a phone conversation that makes her uneasy and asks authorities to investigate. But the caller is nowhere to be found. Mysterious connections arise between the caller and a ship lost at sea.

Against propriety, Katie questions the new lighthouse keeper, Will Jesperson. Then a smallpox epidemic forces their quarantine in his lighthouse. Though of low social status, Will's bravery and kindness remove Katie's suspicion and win her love. Katie and Will together work to solve the mystery of the missing girl and the lost ship as God gives the couple the desire of their hearts.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Lightkeeper's Bride, go HERE.

The Silent Order by Melanie Dobson

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Silent Order  Summerside Press (November 1, 2010)by  Melanie Dobson  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of The Black Cloister; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana; and Together for Good.


Prior to launching Dobson Media Group in 1999, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family where she was responsible for the publicity of events, products, films, and TV specials. Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master's degree in communication from Regent University. She has worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for fifteen years including two years as a publicist for The Family Channel.

Melanie and her husband, Jon, met in Colorado Springs in 1997 at Vanguard Church. Jon works in the field of computer animation. Since they've been married, the Dobsons have relocated numerous times including stints in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado, Berlin, and Southern California. These days they are enjoying their new home in the Pacific Northwest.

Jon and Melanie have adopted their two daughters —Karly (6) and Kinzel (5). When Melanie isn't writing or entertaining their girls, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, traveling, hiking, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.


ABOUT THE BOOK
  

Rural America - 1928. After the murder of his partner, Detective Rollin Wells hides away in an Amish home near Sugarcreek, Ohio, to find out who in the police force is

collaborating with Cleveland’s notorious mob. While Rollin searches for answers to his partner’s death, he befriends an elusive young Amish woman named Katie and her young son. As Rollin learns about Katie’s past, he’s shocked at the secret Katie is hiding - a secret that has haunted Rollin for eight years.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Silent Order, go HERE.

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Amy Inspired  Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)  by  Bethany Pierce  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

After completing a master's in Creative Writing and working as a visiting instructor at Miami University in Ohio, Bethany Pierce now lives with her husband in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she is a  member of the McGuffey Art Center and continues to write. Her first book, Feeling for Bones, was one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2007.


ABOUT THE BOOK  

With rejections piling up, she could use just a little inspiration...


Amy Gallagher is an aspiring writer who, after countless rejections, has settled for a career as an English professor in small-town Ohio just to pay the bills. All her dreams suddenly start to unravel as rejections pile up--both from publishers and her boyfriend.

But just as Amy fears her life is stuck in a holding pattern, she meets the mysterious, attractive, and unavailable Eli. She struggles to walk the fine line between friendship and something more with Eli, even as staying true to her faith becomes unexpectedly complicated.

When secrets, tragedy, and poor decisions cause rifts in Amy's relationships, she must come to terms with who she's become, her unrealized aspirations for her life, and the state of her faith. Can she dare to hope that she will find love and fulfillment despite it all?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Amy Inspired, go HERE.

Hatteras Girl (review part deux)

I love the cover of Alice J. Wisler's new book Hatteras Girl.  I long to be that girl on the beach of damp sand, packed down by the tide, contemplating the waves coming in and going back out again.  I've been to many beaches in my life time, starting  with old Cape Cod and the rockier beaches on the Maine coast.  Eventually ending up for a while in Virginia Beach and the Chesapeake Bay area.  I can almost smell the salty air as I sit here at my desk in the mid-west.  My heart's desire is to live in Kennebunkport Maine, where, as a child, I roamed the beach near my Aunt's bed and breakfast called Oak Ledge.  It was wonderful.

I guess what I'm trying to say that there are places that get right into your very blood, right down to the core of your being and come as close to Heaven as we can get on Earth.
Alice Wisler and her book Hatteras Girl takes you to that place.  The place where a young woman named Jackie Donovan's dream lives.  Her desire is to acquire the house of her heart, the Bailey Bed and Breakfast, the place of her happiest childhood memories. Starting with kind and welcoming people, raspberry cream soda and her best friend Minnie.

Now, all grown up, Minnie has a little boy turning six and has lost her husband, the love of her life, to the sea and she and Jackie are sharing an apartment to make ends meet.

The question is, can childhood dreams become reality?  This one will surely take a miracle, and does God really care about dreams? I have asked those questions myself and I am still waiting to see how it will all turn out. Is it ever too late? I wonder.

I love the movie Steel Magnolias, and Hatteras Girl has all the charm and strength that the term inspires, with Alice's trademark- a bit of Asian twist- warmth and humor.

If you have a longing to go to a place in your heart this one will take you there.

Hatteras Girl by Alice J.Wisler

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Hatteras Girl  Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)  by  Alice Wisler  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice J. Wisler is an author, public speaker, advocate, and fundraiser. She has been a guest on several radio and TV programs to promote her self-published cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle. She graduated  from Eastern Mennonite University and has traveled the country in jobs that minister to people. Alice was raised in Japan and currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.

Facts about Alice
* Born in Osaka, Japan and lived in Japan for 18 years
* Went to Kyoto International School and Canadian Academy
* Majored in Social Work and graduated in 1983 from Eastern Mennonite University
* Worked at a group home for disadvantaged kids outside of Philadelphia
* Taught English and Culture Orientation at a refugee camp in the Philippines
* Taught English as a Second Language in Japan
* Speaks and teaches on Writing the Heartache
* Has three kids on earth, and one in Heaven
* Recently got married to Carl on 2/7/09  

ABOUT THE BOOK  

There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives.


There's one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag.

When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis's past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Hatteras Girl, go HERE.

Grace by Shelley Shepard Gray

I love Christmas. I love the sparkle of Christmas lights. I love Christmas magazines and their promise of the most magical Christmas ever. I often end up with three or more glossy Christmas magazines in my check out cart at the grocery store. I can't resist! What if I don't purchase the one with the gorgeous table setting in red and gold and it holds the secret to the most perfect Christmas party??? What then???

Actually,  it's more about the dream of the perfect Christmas (wonderfully executed by yours truly) than the actual achievement of perfection.  I know that Martha Stewart has a staff of highly trained Christmas experts and I don't... but my children are great helpers!

So what do my meandering thoughts about my addiction to all things Christmas have to do with Grace, by Shelley Shepard Gray?  Well, it seems that even the Amish have ideas about what Christmas should look like.  And in spite of some simple plans for a relaxing family Christmas, guests arrive at the Brenneman Family Inn with some very special needs. Needs that will require more than just a warm bed and some good home cooking, although I would like to check in for some of that!  No, what these visitors need is a generous helping of grace to heal broken hearts and spirits.

Shelley Shepard Gray continues her Sisters of the Heart series with this heart warming story of pain and brokenness redeemed at this most wonderful time of the year, reminding us all what it's really all about.  New life.  New beginnings. And yummy food... 

Please read on for information about this wonderful gut Christmas story!

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Grace  Avon Inspire; Original edition (October 26, 2010)  by  Shelley Shepard Gray  



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven.  Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado.  She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children.  When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town's scenic bike trail.



ABOUT THE BOOK  

It's Christmastime at the Brenneman Bed & Breakfast, and everyone is excited about closing down for the holiday.


Anna and Henry will be celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple, and for Katie and Jonathan Lundy, it's their first Christmas with baby Stefan. Winnie and Samuel Miller plan to stop by as well for a wonderful two weeks of family and rest.

But when two unexpected visitors show up, hoping to stay for Christmas, the family must test their commitment to hospitality. Levi is a widower who lost his wife four years ago and can't bear the thought of another Christmas alone. And Melody is a young pregnant woman who won't open up about how she ended up on her own at Christmas at almost nine months pregnant.

Anna, who knows a thing or two about keeping secrets, doesn't trust her, and strives to find out the truth about these two strangers who have disrupted their holiday. But as the Christmas spirit descends on them all, as well as snow that traps them in the inn, a healing and hopefulness takes over, allowing new relationships to be built, and the boundaries of family to be extended.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Grace, go HERE.

The Preacher's Bride by Jody Hedlund

When I think of the Puritans, I think Cape Cod and the Massachusetts Bay Colony or Plymouth Rock... But  The Preacher's Bride, a novel about  Puritan people, takes us back to 1659 Bedford England, where it all began, amidst all kinds of persecution.

Author Jody Hedlund recreates a slice of History full of the details that pull you into this time period of religious and social upheaval.  I enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth, the young woman who dares to stand up to the "piously wrong" in the congregation. I was fascinated to learn about some of the superstitious beliefs of the time, such as- an infant could be tainted by the devil if nursed by a woman of an unsavory background.  Obviously, there was no Platex Nurser at the time... and mothers often died in childbirth.

The "preacher" is John Costin, a newly widowed man in great need of help.  He is a tinker by trade and a preacher by calling, and with four children to tend to, what he really needs is a wife.  Elizabeth Whitbread is a devout young woman who has a self image that is much lower than it should be.  She lacks confidence in her own inner and outer beauty.

There are some very bad men in this book, one Mr. Foster in particular who does some really wretched things.

This book is more than a history lesson, and much more than a love story, though there's nothing wrong with either one.  I was reminded of the people who have gone before who managed to live and carry on in spite of conditions that were horrible.  I am thankful for the courage of these characters, who were based on actual historical figures.  I have benefited from their lives.

Thanks Jody, for telling their story.

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing   The Preacher's Bride  Bethany House; Original edition (October 1, 2010)  by  Jody Hedlund  



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Jody has written novels for the last 16 years (with a hiatus when her children were young. In May of 2009 she double-finaled in the Genesis contest, a national fiction-writing contest for unpublished writers, sponsored by American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW.Shortly after the final, Jody acquired an agent, Rachelle Gardner of Word Serve Literary. Her agent spent the summer of 2009 working on selling her books. In September of that year, Jody signed a three-book deal with Bethany House Publishers. Jody’s debut novel, The Preacher’s Bride, releases in Oct. 2010. Her next book will release in 2011 and a third in 2012.




ABOUT THE BOOK  

In 1650s England, a young Puritan maiden is on a mission to save the baby of her newly widowed preacher--whether her assistance is wanted or not. Always ready to help those in need, Elizabeth ignores John's protests of her aid. She's even willing to risk her lone marriage prospect to help the little family. Yet Elizabeth's new role as nanny takes a dangerous turn when John's boldness from the pulpit makes him a target of political and religious leaders. As the preacher's enemies become desperate to silence him, they draw Elizabeth into a deadly web of deception. Finding herself in more danger than she ever bargained for, she's more determined than ever to save the child--and man--she's come to love.


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Preacher's Bride, go HERE.