This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Chase  Zondervan (March 27, 2012)  by  DiAnn Mills  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

DiAnn Mills believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. Her books have won many awards through American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005, 2007, and 2010. She was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a Christy winner in 2010.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and is the Craftsman Mentor for the Christian Writer’s Guild. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops.

DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas. Visit her website or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/diannmills


ABOUT THE BOOK

To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget. Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel. Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss's pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag? Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a taut collage of suspense, faith, and romance in The Chase.


Watch the book video!



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

Missing by Shelley Shephard Gray

Shelley Shephard Gray does it again- creating page turning Amish bliss in Missing, book one of her new series, The Secrets of Crittenden County.

Though Missing is about the mystery of who murdered Perry Borntrager, a troubled Amish youth, the title is also reflective of the people whose lives touched Perry's in one way or another, and shines light on the truth of the "missing" pieces in their own lives.  As the community ponders Perry's life and death and the events leading up to his murder, secrets are revealed that have lain dormant- for the time has come for truth to be revealed.

Missing focuses mainly on Lydia Plank, Perry's ex girlfriend and Walker Anderson, Perry's Englischer friend.  It explores how relationships are affected and personalities change with drug abuse; and how the drug abuser isn't the only victim caught in a cycle of lies.

Shelley Shephard Gray continues to write about tough issues with her trademark warmth and somehow serves up some comfort food for your soul in the process.

Please read on for more from the publisher!

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Missing  Avon Inspire; Original edition (March 20, 2012)  by  Shelley Shepard Gray  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, Abingdon Press, and Avon Inspire. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.


Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.

Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page


ABOUT THE BOOK

In the first book in her new Secrets of Crittenden County series, Shelley Shepard Gray delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country


Perry Borntrager had been missing from the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky, for months when his body was discovered at the bottom of an abandoned well. Everyone had assumed Perry left Crittenden on his own, seduced by the wider world he discovered during his rumspringa, but now the truth has thrown this once-peaceful town into chaos. The first death from mysterious circumstances in Crittenden in more than two decades has invited the scrutiny of the outside world: a police detective arrives to help their local sheriff with the investigation. His questioning begins with Lydia Plank, Perry’s former girlfriend, and Perry’s best friend, the Englisher Walker Anderson.

Lydia and Walker know they didn’t have anything to do with Perry’s death, but they both hold secrets about his final days. Do they dare to open up about the kind of man Perry had become? In the oppressive shadow of these dark times, they discover strength in a most unlikely companionship that offers solace, understanding, and the promise of something more.

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

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Prize of My Heart  Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2012)  by  Lisa Norato  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A life-long New Englander, Lisa Norato lives in a historic village with homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century. She was born into a close-knit Italian family that hungered as much for the things of God as they did for lasagna. After church, the family spent Sunday afternoons gathered in fellowship around a never-ending feast that featured her grandmother's homemade spaghetti and pizza.


From the time she learned to read, her mother impressed her with the joy of getting lost in a good book. She passed novels along to her as early as age thirteen, but it wasn't until many years later that Lisa felt compelled to write one herself.

She first discovered a love of writing when assigned to write and illustrate a children's book at the art college she attended. She balances writing with a career as a legal assistant specializing in corporate law. When not creating stories, she enjoys domestic pursuits like precious time with her dog and family, cooking, baking and eating vegan, reading, her Bible, her favorite television shows and crocheting.

Lisa is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Rhode Island Romance Writers (RIRW) and American Colonial Christian Writers.    

ABOUT THE BOOK

An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.


Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day anothers evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.

As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Prize of My Heart, go HERE.

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Messenger  Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2012)  by  Siri Mitchell  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.


But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a speaker and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.

Siri wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher. In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening her manuscripts with the shredder.    

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith


...until her twin brother ran off and joined the army and ended up captured and in jail. Suddenly Hannah's world turns on end. She longs to bring her brother some measure of comfort in the squalid, frigid prison where he remains. But the Quakers believe they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. Can she sit by and do nothing while he suffers?

Jeremiah Jones has an enormous task before him. Responsibility for a spy ring is now his, and he desperately needs access to the men in prison, whom they are seeking to free. A possible solution is to garner a pass for Hannah. But while she is fine to the eye, she holds only disdain for him--and agreeing would mean disobeying those she loves and abandoning a bedrock of her faith.

With skill and sensitivity, Mitchell tells a story of two unlikely heroes seeking God's voice, finding the courage to act, and discovering the powerful embrace of love.

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

A People Smooth and Tall- Stories of Escape from Sudan to Israel

March is "memoir madness month" at Cladach publishing and I am so blessed to be a part of it.  The first book up for review is A People Smooth and Tall, by Judith Galblum Pex.

A People Tall and Smooth chronicles the stories of five people from Sudan who braved the bullets of the Egyptian soldiers to cross into Israel for the sake of survival.

We hear the words Darfur, Lost Boys and genocide.  We see  advertisements on television where famous people like Uma Thurman and Mrs. Biden ask us to help out the aid relief organizations. We  have an IDEA of what it's all about. But it is hard to wrap ones brain around the scope of these problems and how we can actually make a difference.  I'm all for celebrity appeals (yay) but I have an idea!

We can start by buying a copy of A People Tall and Smooth.  All of the author's proceeds from the sale of this book will go to projects for the Sudanese refugees!  Next... read it from cover to cover.  You will get first person accounts- not fictionalized stories- of the harrowing experiences of the people of the Sudan who risked everything, suffered unfathomable hunger, pain, torture, disease, violence of every kind and imprisonment to make a last ditch effort at survival.

Judith Galblum Pex also explains the political and economic factors leading up to the revolutions and rebellions which ousted many from their families, homes and communities.  She lets the people tell their stories, simply and compellingly.

Judith and her husband John run the Shelter Hostel,"a guest house for travelers from all over the world and a drop-in center for anyone searching for physical, emotional, or spiritual support" in Eilat, Israel where they first met the Sudanese refugees.

Judith admits that as more and more refugees pour into Israel problems arise and their are no easy answers.  One thing I can tell you though: you will be so much more thankful and protective of the freedom that we have in America.

For more information go to www.judithpex.com.

  

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Chasing The Sun  Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2012)  by  Tracie Peterson  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max.  She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.    


ABOUT THE BOOK

When her father disappears in war-torn Mississippi, Hannah Dandridge finds herself responsible not only for her younger siblings but for the ranch her father recently acquired on the Texas plains. Though a marriage of convenience could ease her predicament, she determines to trust God for direction.


Wounded soldier William Barnett returns to his home only to discover that his family's ranch has been seized. Though angry and bitter at this turn of events, he's surprised to discover that it is a beautiful young woman with amazing fortitude who is struggling to keep the place running.

Hannah, desperate for help, and William, desperate to regain his family's land, form an uneasy truce. But nearby Comanche tribes, the arrival of Confederate soldiers, and a persistent suitor all threaten the growing attraction that builds between them. Will they be able to set aside their own dreams and embrace the promise of a future together?

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

Ruby Dawn by Raquel Byrnes

Ruby Dawn is a suspense thriller with all the elements of a sucessful television series- I mean that as a complement.  I enjoy watching action shows with strong women characters such as Body of Proof , Castle, and Rizzoli and Isles to name a few.

The heroine, Ruby Dawn, is a young doctor with a heart of gold.  She is willing to put her life and worldly goods on the line to reach out to the lost and forgotten.  Which is ironic, considering she doesn't even know her real name.

Ruby was injured, abandoned and left for dead in a bus station at eight years old.  The nurses named her Ruby Dawn to commemerate her waking up during a gorgeous sunrise.  But that's just the beginning.  Throughout the book you come to understand why Ruby connects with the downtrodden.

When her first love waltzes back into her life, she must decide whether their love can be rekindled or has too much water gone under the bridge...


Read on for more information from White Rose Publishing- a division of Pelican Publishing.

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Ruby Dawn  White Rose Publishing (January 27, 2012)  by  Raquel Byrnes  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Raquel married her college sweetheart seventeen years ago and you can still find them spending time together chatting over a cup of coffee like when they were first dating.


Her husband is her biggest fan and most ardent supporter. He encourages her to take time for writing as often as he can. He regularly gives her gift cards to her favorite coffee house so that she can go there to write and relax.

He has been known to whip up his famous chicken quesadillas complete with guacamole and brownies for dessert.

Raquel has written books for more than a decade. She loves to do research and has taken private detective courses, gun classes, and underground tours to get every detail right for her novels. She writes romantic suspense with an edge-of-your-seat pace. Stories filled with faith, love, and adventure.

In 2009 she signed with agent, Terry Burns, at Hartline Literary.  Terry worked to get her Shades of Hope series sold and in 2010, White Rose Publishing purchased the three-book series.


ABOUT THE BOOK

A painful past. A love returns A desperate plan.

Former street kid, Ruby now reaches out to runaways through her medical clinic in the worst part of the city, but her escalating battle with a gang leader puts that in jeopardy.

Cavalier, a risk-taker, charming… Ruby’s first love is now on the right side of the law and the center of a dangerous DEA sting involving her clinic.  Tom’s disappearance ten years ago broke her heart and rattled her faith. As their romance relights, memories of what it costs to love him flood her with fear.

Ruby’s battle with the gang ignites a firestorm of danger, and a pattern of lies from within her own camp emerges. With Tom’s life in the balance and her world cast in shadows, can Ruby trust God as she once did…or has she strayed too far, for too long to ever return?

Watch the book video:



If you would like to read the first chapter of Ruby Dawn, go HERE.