The Bridesmaid by Beverly Lewis

"Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride."-- Cora Jane Hurtz

Joanna Hurtz is 24 and single, which, by Amish standards, is just a step away from spinsterhood. There is nothing wrong with Joanna, she just hasn't met the right young man. In the meantime, girls all around her are getting married and Joanna is losing hope.

Then, one day, she is sitting on the beach in Virginia (I had no idea that the Amish liked beaches) and she meets a wonderful Amish man named Eben Troyer, and they hit it off. One thing leads to another, and they agree to write to each other when they return to their respective communities. End of story. Right???

Heck no. Complications arise, patience is tested, and new love interests are introduced. Joanna's character and integrity come into question as her secret writing life is exposed and she must, above all, hang on to her faith-- that God gave her a gift and will help her find a way to use it.

As always, Beverly Lewis writes in her warm, engaging, style. She has a way of painting sunsets on the beach that make you feel the sand between your toes. I loved seeing the community of Hickory Hollow through the eyes of Joanna Kurtz, a quiet soul who proves that still waters really do run deep.

Please read on for more about this wonderful book.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Bridesmaid Bethany House Publishers (September 11, 2012) by Beverly Lewis

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Beverly's first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author's maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly's work to be "a primer on Lancaster County folklore" and offers "an insider's view of Amish life."

Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly's tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, "Beverly's books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don't run across writing like that every day. I hope she'll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time."

A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction "book worms."        

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Latest in Chart-Topping Amish Fiction from Beverly Lewis

Twenty-seven-year-old Joanna Kurtz has made several trips to the altar, but never as a bride. The single young Amishwoman is a closet writer with a longing to be published something practically unheard of in her Lancaster County community. Yet Joanna's stories aren't her only secret. She also has a beau who is courting her from afar, unbeknownst even to her sister, Cora, who, though younger, seems to have suitors to spare.

Eben Troyer is a responsible young Amishman who hopes to make Joanna Kurtz his bride--if he can ever leave his parents' farm in Shipshewana, Indiana. Yet with his only brother off in the English world, intent on a military career, Eben's hopes for building a life with his dear Joanna are dimming, and patience is wearing thin. Will Joanna ever be more than a bridesmaid?

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

FOUND by Shelley Shepard Gray

"No doubt about it, Perry Borntrager was a bad apple..." Cheryl Klarich

Each chapter of Shelley Shephard Gray's The Secrets of Crittenden County series began with a quote by someone who knew murder victim, Perry Borntrager. Some said more poignant words, like, "Perry was afraid of the dark." But after getting to know him via the characters in the series and the accounts given of his life by those who loved, and were disappointed, by him and his disregard for anyone but himself, I feel justified in saying that he was, indeed, a bad apple.

Did he deserve to die for his crimes?

He sold drugs. He took drugs. He was Amish. Shouldn't he have been above and out of the realm of the horrors of the world? Don't we wish that were the case? In my world it would be like someone marvelling when a child from a good Christian family follows a dark path of his or her own choosing and suffers the consequences.

Who are we kidding? It can happen to any family in any community.

As always, Shelley Shepard Gray writes a thought provoking story. She invites you into the world of the Kentucky Amish and has you caring for and becoming curiously protective of this special community.

FOUND is the conclusion (Book Three) in the series, and yes, we find out who was responsible for Perry Borntrager's death!

Please read on to find out more from the publisher, Avon Inspire.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Found Avon Inspire; Original edition (September 4, 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  

A murder is solved and a quiet Amish community must deal with the repercussions. Amid the surprising revelations, can a newfound love survive?

As the search for Perry Borntrager's killer continues, Jacob Schrock feels like his world is about to crumble. Right before Perry went missing, he and Jacob got into a fistfight. Jacob never told anyone what happened that terrible night. He's good at keeping secrets—including his love for Deborah, Perry's sister. But when Deborah takes a job at his family's store and their friendship blossoms, Jacob senses everything is about to be revealed.

Deborah has been searching for a slice of happiness ever since her brother's body was discovered. When the police start questioning Jacob, Deborah can't believe that the one person she's finally allowed in could be the one responsible for her brother's death. Will she believe what everyone seems to think is the truth . . . or listen to her heart, and hope there is still one more person who is keeping secrets in Crittenden County?

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

It is the anniversary of September 11th.

I would like to take the opportunity to share about The Next Target, by Nikki Arana. Nikki is an amazing writer with a love for people that crosses cultural barriers. I think this attribute really enabled her to write such a thoughtful and exciting novel whose plot revolves around radical Islam!

Nikki's main character, Austia Donetelli has a heart for the Muslim community. Austia works at a career center that helps Muslim immigrants find jobs and her desire is to help women oppressed by radical Islam. When a young woman whom Austia befriends is found dead, she knows that it is not a random act of violence and in spite of the threats to her own life, refuses to be intimidated, even though her ministry and life are at stake.

Austia must decide how far she is willing to go to hold fast to her mission and stand up for those with no voice.

I first heard about "honor killing" in 1991, when a Palestinian father, here in St. Louis, stabbed his daughter to death while her mother held her down. The FBI had bugged their house because the father was a suspect in some terrorist activity at the time. The whole incident was recorded-- it still brings tears to my eyes. So for me The Next Target had a personal ring to it, even though I didn't know the girl personally.  But I do have daughters.

Nikki Arana has received awards for her writing, including the American Christian Fiction Writer's Book of the Year award and Christianbook.com Top20 Novel of the Year for The Winds of Sonoma. Through her ministry, A Voice for the Persecuted, she inspires hearts toward evangelizing the Muslim community.

I know that she inspired me.

Please check out Nikki's blog and web site: www.nikkiarana.com

She is also on Facebook and Twitter!

David C. Cook is the publisher.

PROOF by Jordyn Redwood

Jordyn Redwood takes the medical thriller genre by storm in her debut novel, PROOF.

Sometimes I hear the words debut novel, and I think that I might need to allow some leeway for the author to get into the right rhythm-- not so with Jordyn Redwood. I am excited to say that I was blown away by the really intriguing plot, and characters that leave you wondering if you might have bumped into them somewhere...

A serial rapist is on the loose, whose curious DNA has given him a Teflon advantage--until Dr. Lilly Reeves becomes irrevocably drawn into his path of destruction and determines that she will not stop until she gets the proof she needs to put an end to the violence.

Twists and turns abound. Gasp out loud action kept me turning pages into the wee, scary hours... All I can say is, Patterson, Grisham, Koontz move over-- there's a new girl on the block and her name is Jordyn Redwood.

Please read on to find out more about PROOF.

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Kregel Publications (June 1, 2012) by Jordyn Redwood
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jordyn Redwood has served patients and their families for nearly twenty years and currently works as a pediatric ER nurse. As a self-professed medical nerd and trauma junkie, she was drawn to the controlled chaotic environments of critical care and emergency nursing. Her love of teaching developed early and she was among the youngest CPR instructors for the American Red Cross at the age of seventeen. Since then, she has continued to teach advanced resuscitation classes to participants ranging from first responders to MD’s.

Her discovery that she also had a fondness for answering medical questions for authors led to the creation of Redwood’s Medical Edge at http://jordynredwood.com/. This blog is devoted to helping contemporary and historical authors write medically accurate fiction.

Jordyn lives in Colorado with her husband, two daughters, and one crazy hound dog. In her spare time she also enjoys reading her favorite authors, quilting, and cross-stitching.


ABOUT THE BOOK  

Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to find--and punish--her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science says he is not?

Endorsements:

“Jordyn Redwood makes quite a splash with her debut novel. PROOF is a hard-edged mix of medical thriller and crime chiller that grabs you on the first page and doesn’t let go until the end. This one will keep you up way past your bedtime.”

—Rick Acker, best-selling author of When the Devil Whistles

“From the very first chapter, the first page even, Jordyn Redwood pulls the reader into a story that won’t let go. PROOF is proof enough for me that Jordyn is the real deal: an author who knows how to weave a tight story, write descriptive, authentic prose, and deal with some pretty hefty issues. I’m a fan!”

—Mike Dellosso, author of Frantic and Rearview (a 7 Hours story)

“Debut novelist Jordyn Redwood has used her experience as an ER and ICU nurse to craft a blend of medical thriller and police procedural with twists and turns to keep fans of either genre turning pages.”

—Richard L. Mabry, MD, author of Lethal Remedy and the Prescription for Trouble series

“A rollercoaster of a story. Jordyn Redwood’s PROOF has everything you could want in a thriller—believable characters, a villain who makes your skin crawl, a touch of humor, and a twisting plot—all bound by fascinating medical and scientific details. What a fabulous debut!”

—Sarah Sundin, award-winning author of the Wings of Glory series

“Jordyn Redwood may be new on the scene, but she writes like a seasoned pro. PROOF is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time with well-drawn characters including a villain I despised and a hero and heroine I rooted for. I thought I would just take a peek at the first chapter and finish the story later. I thought wrong. I read late into the night, lost sleep, and put off my own writing to finish this book. I’m eagerly awaiting Jordyn’s second book and will be first in line to purchase it the day it releases.”

—Lynnette Eason, best-selling author of The Women of Justice series

“I love a great medical thriller and I’m glad to add another author to my list. Jordyn Redwood writes like the medical insider she is. A gripping tale laced with realism, sleep-robbing excitement, and something every reader loves: hope.”

—Harry Kraus, MD, best-selling author of The Six-Liter Club

“PROOF by Jordyn Redwood is a gripping medical thriller written with vivid detail from an author who knows her subject firsthand. A serial rapist is at large in the town—in the hospital, even? Can Lilly trust anyone? Even her closest friend? And just when you think you can relax, the stakes get even higher.”

—Donna Fletcher Crow, author of The Monastery Murders

“Jordyn Redwood’s debut novel is a page-turner with an ingenious premise and solid Christian values. A satisfying read.”

—Frank J. Edwards, Medical Director, Delphi Emergency Physicians,
author of the medical thriller Final Mercy

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

A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh

"I'm gonna make this place your home..."--Phillip Phillips

I think that in all of our hearts is a longing for home--a place where love is unconditional and nobody is too busy to listen to your problems and walk you through the hard times. Not perfectly, but in spirit. Folks that are there to talk you down from the ledge and help you find your way back when you've lost your way. Even when you are too lost to know how lost you are.

That is what the Sweethaven series, by Courtney Walsh is all about. Four childhood friends brought together during their summers at the lake, who share growing pains and life in the little resort town that is Sweethaven.

Author Courtney Walsh explores disappointment and failures, dreams deferred and hopes dashed in her character's lives. Meghan, the messed up country singer, Jane, the pastor's wife who feels so inadequate and is afraid to be real for fear of disappointing the ladies in the Bible study, Lila, the ex-beauty queen struggling with forgiveness, are all characters that I am glad to have met.

Facing the past can be hard, but sometimes, a good home coming is just what we need.

Read on for the publisher's information. (Guideposts!)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Sweethaven Homecoming Guideposts (August 2012)

by Courtney Walsh

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Courtney Walsh is a published author, scrapbooking expert, theatre director and playwright. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, was released in February, 2012 by Guideposts Books, and will be followed by two additional novels in the series. She has also written two papercrafting books, Scrapbooking Your Faith and The Busy Scrapper and is currently working on her third, The Scrapcrafter’s Idea Book (F&W Publications, February, 2013.)

Courtney has been a contributing editor for Memory Makers Magazine and Children’s Ministry Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Group Publishing curriculum, newsletters and other publications. She has also written several full-length musicals, including her most recent, The Great American Tall Tales and Hercules for Christian Youth Theatre, Chicago. Courtney is a member of ACFW and is the current PR Manager for Webster’s Pages, a scrapbooking manufacturer. She lives in Colorado with her ultra creative husband and three children.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Suzanne's daughter, Campbell, journeys there in search of answers to her questions about her mother's history.

Suzanne's three friends-Lila, Jane, and Meghan-were torn apart by long-buried secrets and heartbreak. Though they haven't spoken in years, each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together in Sweethaven.Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers.

As the scrapbook reveals secrets one by one, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored-just as Suzanne intended.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Sweethaven Homecoming, go HERE.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Over The Edge Bethany House (August 1, 2012) by Mary Connealy

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist.

The Lassoed in Texas Series, Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. These three books are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas Trilogy.

The Montana Marriages Series, Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.

Cowboy Christmas—the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

The Sophie's Daughters series. Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats.

She is also the author of; Black Hills Blessing a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries and she's one of the three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Seth Kincaid survived a fire in a cave, but he's never been the same. He was always a reckless youth, but now he's gone over the edge. He ran off to the Civil War and came back crazier than ever.

After the war, nearly dead from his injuries, it appears Seth got married. Oh, he's got a lot of excuses, but his wife isn't happy to find out Seth doesn't remember her. Callie has searched, prayed, and worried. Now she's come to the Kincaid family's ranch in Colorado to find her lost husband.

Callie isn't a long-suffering woman. Once she knows her husband is alive, she wants to kill him. She's not even close to forgiving him for abandoning her.

Then more trouble shows up in the form of a secret Seth's pa kept for years. The Kincaid brothers might lose their ranch if they can't sort things out. It's enough to drive a man insane--but somehow it's all making Seth see things more clearly. And now that he knows what he wants, no one better stand in his way.

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

Chasing the Wind by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Chasing the Wind by Pamela Binnings Ewen is part mystery and part romance and all about relationships and many kinds of love.  It is set in 1977 New Orleans with a cast of characters that are so real that you feel like you are living the story right along side of them.

New Orleans is a character in itself--a city that invites mystery and transactions of every kind--a fitting back drop for events and collisions to take place.

Amalise Catoir is a young lawyer who is recovering physically and emotionally from an abusive marriage, and is getting by with a little help from her friends-- Jude, her best friend from childhood and Rebecca, her lawschool pal who is now dating Jude.

When Bingham Murdoch, a larger than life businessman flies into New Orleans with a mega real estate deal to be handled by Amalise's law firm, she is put on the team to make it happen. Thrilled to be a part of this potential career launcher, she gives it her all--until she starts to realize how it will affect the old neighborhood destined for demolition.

Amalise must decide how far she is willing to go to remain true to her heart.

Chasing the Wind is about life, love, healing, and second chances. It is beautifully written and I look forward to reading more by this amazing author.

(Please read on for more information.)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Chasing The Wind B&H Books (August 1, 2012)

by Pamela Ewen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Until recently retiring to write full time, Pamela Binnings Ewen was a partner in the Houston office of the international law firm of BakerBotts, L.L.P., specializing in corporate finance. She now lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, James Lott.

She has served on the Board of Directors of Inprint, Inc., a non-profit organization supporting the literary arts in Houston, Texas, as well as the Advisory Board for The New Orleans Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans; Pamela is a co-founder of the Northshore Literary Society in the Greater New Orleans area. She is also a member of the National League of American Pen Women.

Pamela’s first novel, Walk Back The Cat (Broadman & Holman. May, 2006) is the story of an embittered and powerful clergyman who learns an ancient secret, confronting him with truth and a choice that may destroy him.

She is also the best-selling author of the acclaimed non-fiction book Faith On Trial, published by Broadman & Holman in 1999, currently in its third printing.

Although it was written for non-lawyers, Faith On Trial was also chosen as a text for a course on law and religion at Yale Law School in the Spring of 2000, along with The Case For Christ by Lee Stroble. Continuing the apologetics begun in Faith On Trial, Pamela also appears with Gary Habermas, Josh McDowell, Darrell Bock, Lee Stroble, and others in the film Jesus: Fact or Fiction, a Campus Crusade for Christ production.

Pamela is the latest writer to emerge from a Louisiana family recognized for its statistically improbable number of successful authors. A cousin, James Lee Burke, who won the Edgar Award, wrote about the common ancestral grandfathers in his Civil War novel White Dove At Morning.

Among other writers in the family are Andre Dubus (Best Picture Oscar nomination for The Bedroom; his son, Andre Dubus III, author of The House of Sand and Fog, a Best Picture Oscar nomination and an Oprah pick; Elizabeth Nell Dubus (the Cajun trilogy); and Alafair Burke, just starting out with the well received Samantha Kincaid mystery series.      

ABOUT THE BOOK

At 8:47 A.M. on Wednesday, October 12, 1977, new-to-town businessman Bingham Murdock flew his small plane into New Orleans, banking it in such a way that a ray of sunshine shot through the city at light speed.

Amalise Catoir saw the flash from her sixteenth floor law office window. Finally feeling alive after the death of her abusive husband, she imagined seeing the plane was a fate for her eyes only; a special connection between the unknown giver and she, the recipient of light.

But someone else saw it, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care for whom a sudden burst of brightness reminds him of artillery fire.

Destined to cross paths with the man and the child, Amalise doesn’t yet know the deeper spiritual lesson she will learn: that we are responsible not only for the things we do, but also for the things that we don’t.

If you would like to read an excerpt of Chasing The Wind, go HERE.