Friday, November 30, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a print copy of For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University . She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children.

Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shaunti Feldhahn is known for unlocking the mysteries of relationships for men and women. Now she turns to a parent’s relationship with a child, particularly a child of the opposite sex. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of kids and teenagers, she explores questions such as:

* What do moms need to understand about the “tough and tender” boy who values respect over love?

* What do dads need to understand about their daughter’s need for affirmation?

* What are the six biggest pet peeves teens have about their parents?

Understanding the answers to these and other important questions can help parents make the holidays a time of celebration and unity, not strife and friction.

For Parents Only offers a unique look into a child’s mind and frees readers to communicate in healthier ways as they discover that understanding their kids may not be as complicated as they think.



For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice
ISBN-10: 1590529324
Publisher: Multnomah
Release Date: September 11, 2007
Genre: Parenting
$10.19 from Amazon.com


Purchase For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice HERE!!!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a free book from November's prize vault.

Thomas Nelson (October 2, 2007)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeffrey Overstreet lives in two worlds. By day, he writes
about movies at
LookingCloser.org and in notable
publications like
Christianity Today,
Paste, and Image.

His adventures in
cinema
are chronicled in his
book Through a Screen Darkly. By night, he composes new stories found in fictional worlds of his own. Living in
Shoreline, Washington, with his wife, Anne, a poet, he is a senior staff writer for Response Magazine at Seattle Pacific University.

Auralia’s Colors is his first novel. He is now hard at work on many new stories, including three more strands of The Auralia Thread.



INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
My parents built me a house made of books when I was a kid. And my uncle liked to draw cartoons. So I grew up with a head full of stories and a love of drawing characters.

I have photographs that my mother took when I was only two. I’m pounding away at a typewriter with two fingers, determined to make a book. I learned to write by meticulously copying the text out of my favorite fairy tale storybooks, and then drawing my own illustrations with crayons. (We were on a tight budget, so I dreamed about getting the big box of 64 with the sharpener.)

By the time I was seven, I was typing out twenty page fantasy adventure stories. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was eight, and from then on all of my stories turned into trilogies. I’m a pack rat, so I still have every single three-hole-punched book, each page single-spaced (to save paper).

So I was fairly committed to following in the footsteps of JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis from an early age. Whether my work will deserve to sit on the same shelf as theirs… well, that’s for readers to decide. I’m just grateful that they opened up such a wide, wide world of imagination, and taught me that what I discover in fairy tales is actually relevant to my life.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
It’s not an expensive habit, being an author. I can escape into an exciting story anytime, anywhere. And I’m always working. There is no “time off.” I’m taking notes during sermons, during staff meetings at my day job, during movies, while I’m driving. The stories write themselves before my eyes. It’s like being at the movies all day long. Somebody will make a comment, and a whole scene will suddenly start playing in my head.

The Auralia Thread, which will be a four-book series starting with Auralia’s Colors, came about because of something my girlfriend Anne said while we were on a hike near Flathead Lake in Montana. She said, “Isn’t it strange how most people, when they reach a certain age, just fold up their imaginations and put them in a closet?” That got me thinking about how much we need creativity and color and imagination. Then I started imagining a world in which color was illegal. And I was off and running into a new possibility that ended up consuming more than a decade of my life. That little question “What if?” … it’s a dangerous question. (And oh, by the way, I married Anne soon after she asked that question. That’s even more evidence that “What if?” is a dangerous question.)

There is very little I dislike about writing. I dislike finishing stories, because the more I think about them, the more interesting possibilities present themselves to me. If I hadn’t been given a deadline, I’d still be working on Auralia’s Colors.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I don’t . When I relax, my imagination kicks into high gear. Vacations are my most productive writing times. It’s my day job, and chores, and errand-running, and the practical demands of life that interrupt writing and tax my creative energy.

When I leave the office at Seattle Pacific University, I feel that I am going to my second job. And the second job is more challenging. I write all evening, and I write all weekend.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
It starts with a question. During a sermon, I’ll hear my pastor use a metaphor, and I’ll think, “That would be an interesting metaphor to explore in a story.” Or I’ll think about a dilemma, and in order to understand it, I’ll put some characters in the middle of that dilemma.

Auralia’s Colors started because I was interested in the role of art, imagination, and creativity in society. So I imagined a world that was starving for art. I imagined why color and beauty had been taken away from them. And then I discovered a character whose art was so transcendent and otherworldly that she could bring those poor, suffocating people a deep breath of fresh air, a vision of beauty.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
A lot of writers write to “deliver a message” or to achieve some practical purpose. John Milton wrote Paradise Lost to “justify the ways of God to man.” Philip Pullman said that he wrote The Golden Compass and its sequels to “undermine Christian belief.”

I write to discover things. I’m interested in a question or a problem, and I trust that a story will show me the truth in a way that a more direct, didactic form of study will not. I learned a lot about art by following the character of Auralia into that colorless world. I learned a lot about fear and my own desire to control things. It was humbling and exhilarating at the same time.

But I also write to try and create the kind of story that I have a hard time finding in bookstores anymore. When I grew up, there were so many wonderful storybooks full of imagination and musical language, stories that felt like an opportunity to imagine, instead of an opportunity to preach some obvious message. So I write to try and craft some of that music, some of those visions. I’m still a beginner, really, but when I write a good line, it’s all worth it.

I write fantasy because it draws me into an elemental world of nature—forests, mountains, rivers, fire, secret tunnels, and amazing creatures. I’ve grown up in the big city, and I longed for those rare vacations to the Oregon Coast where I could see nature with all of its raw power and awe-inspiring beauty. I believe that creation “declares the glory of God,” and that the natural world “pours forth speech” (to borrow some words from the Psalmist). I feel closest to God, and open to learning about him, when I’m close to nature. Fantasy takes me there.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
I think it’s a misconception that you can just sit down and suddenly become an author. So many people I know keep saying, “I’m going to write a book” or “I just need to get started.” If you’re going to be an author, I think you have to love writing so much that the hard part is making yourself stop writing to do other things. The authors I know who really write and get things done are people who write and write and write, and when they miss a day or two of writing they don’t feel like themselves anymore.

Another misconception: When your book is published, you’ve “arrived” and the money starts rolling in! Nope, that’s not how it works. I’m learning that being a published author is expensive. And that you just get busier and busier and busier. Once in a while, I suddenly feel a flash of joy, a sense of “Hey, the dream is coming true!” But most of the time, I’m so busy, and it’s the people around me who are excited. Still, it’s such a privilege to share a story with the world, that I’m not complaining!

Finally… you have to love what you’re writing about. Because, before it’s published, you’ll probably have to re-write it, throw half of that away, and then re-write it again. Love hurts.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
It’s mix of things. Most of them just emerge from the fog, and I’m startled by them. But occasionally someone makes an impression on me, usually by their passion for something good or bad, and I eventually discover that one of my characters is behaving in a similar fashion. It’s never deliberate. It’s something I realize after the fact.

I happened upon a songwriter and her, um, “supervisor” in Auralia’s Colors. And as I was writing about them, I had to laugh because I realized that both of them were behaving like people I’ve encountered in the real world. But don’t get me wrong—they are characters in their own right. I hope that readers don’t go snooping around asking, “So who might this character represent?” Because they’ll most likely come to the wrong conclusions.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
My favorite? Oh, he’s in a story that hasn’t been published yet. He’s a bird, in a story for children. And I look forward to the day when I can share that story with you.
But I’m very fond of some of the characters who stand on the edges of things. There’s a crankly old soldier in the sequel to Auralia’s Colors who makes me laugh every time I visit him. His name is Wilus Caroon. Maugam, the jailer in Auralia’s Colors, is so creepy and broken that he fascinates me.

The ale boy in Auralia’s Colors reminds me, strangely enough, of R2D2 in Star Wars — he’s this little fellow who just stumbles into these huge, sweeping dramas, plays a pivotal role while hardly anybody notices, and then he slips out the back door.

And of course I love Auralia, who reminds me of so many of the most creative people I’ve ever met, and who suffers the way so many artists suffer—from loneliness, from being misunderstood, from being accused of things she hasn’t done.

But above all, I’m in love with the character of the Expanse: the world in which Auralia lives. It’s all of the wildest, most beautiful, most frightening places I’ve ever been. And when the wind moves through the trees there, it means something.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
Writing Auralia’s Colors, I imagined David Bowie in the role of King Cal-marcus. He’s tall, haunted, authoritative but troubled, and his eyes are two different colors.

Auralia and the ale boy are so young, I don’t know who would play them. Anna Paquin, at a very young age, would have made an interesting Auralia, but it’s far too late for that now. Ivana Baquero from Pan’s Labyrinth would make a good Auralia, I think… if we could cast her soon. Auralia is definitely not Dakota Fanning or Dakota Blue Richards… or any of the Dakotas, north or south.

Paul Dano would make a fine Cal-raven—he’s good at conveying longing, frustration, and deep thought. Or, if I could rewind Johnny Depp to the age he was when he starred in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, that would be perfect. Danny Huston and Sean Bean would both be good candidates for Ark-robin, who is a brusque soldier in Auralia’s Colors, and so would Russell Crowe (if he’d be willing to play a supporting role like that).

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
A desire to go back and read it a second time, to look for things they missed.

Seriously, though, I always go back and read my favorite books more than once. It’s one of my goals… to write something that people will want to read again. That involves more than just the plot. It involves creating an environment they want to live in, composing tasty language they’ll want to savor like fudge, and cultivating mysteries they enjoy pondering.

But I also hope it will encourage people to enjoy the beauty of the world around them even more than they do. Writing Auralia’s Colors certainly did that for me. It made me look closer.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
When you’ve written your story, share it with people who are brave enough to offer bold criticism, but who are kind enough to criticize compassionately. Auralia’s Colors has been through a lot of drafts. I accepted criticism that showed me how my writing wasn’t working, and I politely dismissed criticism that had to do with a difference in taste or style. Some people don’t like lavish descriptions, but I do. So I kept a lot of description. But I trimmed those pages where my own interest in description started boring most of my readers.

And it was because of my desire to show it to anybody who cared to ask that the book eventually found its way to a publisher. I didn’t pursue publication. I just wrote the story to the best of my ability. Somebody discovered it, got excited about it, and passed it to somebody else… and the rest is history. God works in mysterious ways, and the way Auralia’s Colors found its way to bookstores is a mystery that still thrills me.

Who are your favorite authors?
On my nightstand, you’ll usually find books by Thomas Merton, Annie Dillard, Scott Cairns, Madeleine L’Engle, Mark Helprin, Patricia McKillip, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mervyn Peake, Cormac McCarthy, A.A. Milne, and Philip Yancey. And Watership Down by Richard Adams, is my favorite novel.

What are you reading right now?
I’m reading Annie Dillard’s novel The Maytrees, Scott Cairns’ memoir Short Trip to the Edge, re-reading Mark Helprin’s mind-blowing New York fantasy called Winter’s Tale, and re-reading Sara Zarr’s Story of a Girl (a fantastic book for young adults, by a talented young Christian author, and it was a National Book Award finalist this year).



ABOUT THE BOOK:

As a baby, she was found in a footprint.

As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.

As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.


When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history.

Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.

Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.

Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.

Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia's Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to Jeffrey's introduction of the book, plus a lot more!



REVIEWS:

"Film critic and author Overstreet (Through a Screen Darkly) offers a powerful myth for his first foray into fiction. Overstreet’s writing is precise and beautiful, and the story is masterfully told. Readers will be hungry for the next installment."
-- Publishers Weekly

“Through word, image, and color Jeffrey Overstreet has crafted a work of art. From first to final page this original fantasy is sure to draw readers in. Auralia's Colors sparkles.”
-– Janet Lee Carey, award-winning author of The Beast of Noor and Dragon's Keep

“Jeffrey Overstreet’s first fantasy, Auralia’s Colors, and its heroine’s cloak of wonders take their power from a vision of art that is auroral, looking to the return of beauty, and that intends to restore spirit and and mystery to the world. The book achieves its ends by the creation of a rich, complex universe and a series of dramatic, explosive events.”
-– Marly Youmans, author of Ingledove and The Curse of the Raven Mocker


Purchase Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet HERE!!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a free book from November's prize vault.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stephen R. Lawhead is an internationally acclaimed author of mythic history and imaginative fiction. His works include Byzantium, Patrick, and the series The Pendragon Cycle, The Celtic Crusades, and The Song of Albion.

Stephen was born in 1950, in Nebraska in the USA. Most of his early life was spent in America where he earned a university degree in Fine Arts and attended theological college for two years. His first professional writing was done at Campus Life magazine in Chicago, where he was an editor and staff writer. During his five years at Campus Life he wrote hundreds of articles and several non-fiction books.

After a brief foray into the music business—as president of his own record company—he began full-time freelance writing in 1981. He moved to England in order to research Celtic legend and history. His first novel, In the Hall of the Dragon King, became the first in a series of three books (The Dragon King Trilogy) and was followed by the two-volume Empyrion saga, Dream Thief and then the Pendragon Cycle, now in five volumes: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and Grail. This was followed by the award-winning Song of Albion series which consists of The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.

He has written nine children's books, many of them originally offered to his two sons, Drake and Ross. He is married to Alice Slaikeu Lawhead, also a writer, with whom he has collaborated on some books and articles. They make their home in Oxford, England.

Stephen's non-fiction, fiction and children's titles have been published in twenty-one foreign languages. All of his novels have remained continuously in print in the United States and Britain since they were first published. He has won numereous industry awards for his novels and children's books, and in 2003 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Nebraska.

Visit his website at http://www.stephenlawhead.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:

This is Book 2 of The King Raven Trilogy.

BLURB:

After losing everything he owns, forester Will Scarlet embarks on a search for none other than King Raven, whose exploits have already become legendary. After fulfilling his quest--and proving himself a skilled and loyal companion--Will joins the heroic archer and his men.

Now, however, Will is in prison for a crime he did not commit. His sentence is death by hanging--unless he delivers King Raven and his band of cohorts.

That, of course, he will never do.

Wales is slowly falling under the control of the invading Normans, and King William the Red has given his ruthless barons control of the land. In desperation, the people turn to King Raven and his men for justice and survival in the face of the ever-growing onslaught.

From deep in the forest they form a daring plan for deliverance, knowing that failure means death for them all.

Scarlet continues Stephen R. Lawhead's riveting saga that began with the novel Hood, which relocated the legend of Robin Hood to the Welsh countryside and its dark forests. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medival Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.


EXCERPT:

So, now. One day soon they hang me for a rogue. Fair enough. I have earned it a hundred times over, I reckon, and that's leaving a lot of acreage unexplored. The jest of it is, the crime for which I swing is the one offence I never did do. The sheriff will have it that I raised rebellion against the king.

I didn't.

Oh, there's much I've done that some would as soon count treason. For a fact, I et more of the king's venison than the king has et bread, and good men have lost their heads to royal pikes for far less; but in all my frolics I never breathed a disloyal word against the crown, nor tried to convince any man, boy, horse, or dog to match his deeds to mine. Ah, but dainties such as these are of no concern when princes have their tender feelings ruffled. It is a traitor they want to punish, not a thief. The eatin' o' Red William's game is a matter too trifling--more insult than crime--and it's a red-handed rebel they need. Too much has happened in the forests of the March and too much princely pride hangs in the balance to be mincing fair about a rascal poaching a few soft-eyed deer.

Until that ill-fated night,Will Scarlet ran with King Raven and his band of merry thieves. Ran fast and far, I did, let me tell you. Faster and farther than all the rest, and that's saying something. Here's the gist: it's the Raven Hood they want and cannot get. So, ol' Will is for the jump.

Poor luck, that. No less, no more.

They caught me crest and colours. My own bloody fault. There's none to blame but the hunter when he's caught in his own snare. I ask no pardon. A willing soul, I flew field and forest with King Raven and his flock. Fine fun it was, too, until they nabbed me in the pinch. Even so, if it hadn't a' been for a spear through my leg bone they would not a' got me either.

So, here we sit, my leg and me, in a dank pit beneath Count de Braose's keep. I have a cell--four walls of stone and a damp dirt floor covered with rotting straw and rancid rushes. I have a warden named Guibert, or Gulbert or some such, who brings me food and water when he can be bothered to remember, and unchains me from time to time so I can stretch the cramps a bit and wash my wound. I also have my very own priest, a young laggard of a scribe who comes to catch my wild tales and pin them to the pages of a book to doom us all.

We talk and talk. God knows we've got time to kill before the killing time. It pleases me now to think on the dizzy chase we led. I was taken in the most daring and outrageous scheme to come out of the forest yet. It was a plan as desperate as death, but light and larksome as a maiden's flirting glance. At a blow, we aimed to douse the sheriff's ardour and kindle a little righteous wrath in lorn Britannia. We aimed to cock a snook at the crown, sure, and mayhap draw the king's attention to our sore plight, embarrass his sheriff, and show him and his mutton-headed soldiers for fools on parade--all in one fell swoop. Sweet it was and, save for my piddling difficulties, flawless as a flower until the walls of the world came crashing down around our ears.

Truth is, I can't help thinking that if we only knew what it was that had fallen plump into our fists, none of this would have happened and I would not be here now with a leg on fire and fit to kill me if the sheriff don't. Oh, but that is ranging too far afield, and there is ground closer to home needs ploughing first.

-----------------------

Ah, but see the monk here! Asleep with his nose in his inkhorn.

"Odo, you dunce! Wake up! You're dozing again. It ill becomes you to catch a wink on a dying man's last words. Prick up your ears, priest. Pare your quill, and tell me the last you remember."

"Sorry, Will," he says. He's always ever so sorry, rubbing sleep from his dreamy brown eyes. And it is sorry he should be--sorry for himself and all his dreary ilk, but not for Will.

"Never feel sorry for Will, lad," I tell him. "Will en't sorry for nothing."

Brother Odo is my scribe, decent enough for a Norman in his simpering, damp-handed way. He does not wish me harm. I think he does not even know why he has been sent down here amongst the gallows birds to listen to the ramblings of a dangerous scofflaw like myself. Why should he?

Abbot Hugo is behind this wheeze to scribble down all my doings. To what purpose? Plain as daylight in Dunholme, he means to scry out a way to catch King Raven. Hugo imagines languishing in the shadow of the noose for a spell will sober me enough to grow a tongue of truth in my head and sing like a bird for freedom.

So, I sing and sing, if only to keep Jack o'Ladder at arm's length a little longer. Our larcenous abbot will learn summat to his profit, as may be, but more to his regret. He'll learn much of that mysterious phantom of the greenwood, to be sure. But for all his listening he'll hear naught from me to catch so much as a mayfly. He'll not get the bolt he desires to bring King Raven down.

"So, now," I say, "pick up your pen, Brother Odo. We'll begin again. What was the last you remember?"

Odo scans his chicken tracks a moment, scratches his shaved pate and says, "When Thane Aelred's lands were confiscated for his part in the Uprising, I was thrown onto my own resources . . ."

Odo speaks his English with the strange flat tongue of the Frank outlanders. That he speaks English at all is a wonder, I suppose, and the reason why Hugo chose him. Poor Odo is a pudgy pudding of a man, young enough, and earnest in faith and practice, but pale and only too ready to retire, claiming cramp or cold or fatigue. He is always fatigued, and for no good reason it seems to me. He makes as if chasing a leaking nib across fresh-scraped vellum is as mighty a labour as toting the carcass of a fat hind through the greenwood on your back with the sheriff's men on your tail.

All saints bear witness! If pushing a pen across parchment taxes a man as much as Odo claims, we should honour as heroes all who ply the quill, amen.

I am of the opinion that unless he grows a backbone, and right soon, Brother Odo will be nothing more in this life than another weak-eyed scribbler squinting down his long French nose at the undiluted drivel his hand has perpetrated. By Blessed Cuthbert's thumb, I swear I would rather end my days in Baron de Braose's pit than face eternity with a blot like that on my soul.

Perhaps, in God's dark plan, friend Will is here to instruct this indolent youth in a better lesson, thinks I. Well, we will do what can be done to save him.

-------------------------

"When Thane Aelred's lands were confiscated for his part in the Uprising, I was thrown onto my own resources, and like to have died they were that thin."

This I tell him, repeating the words to buy a little time while I cast my net into streams gone by to catch another gleaming memory for our proud abbot's feast. May he choke on the bones! With this blessing between my teeth, I rumble on . . .


Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead
ISBN-10: 1595540865
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: September 18, 2007
Genre: Fantasy
$17.15 from Amazon.com


Purchase Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead HERE!!!

Friday, November 23, 2007

Thomas Nelson (October 2, 2007)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Neta Jackson's award-winning Yada books have sold more than 350,000 copies and are spawning prayer groups across the country. She and her husband, Dave, are also an award-winning husband/wife writing team, best known for the Trailblazer Books--a 40-volume series of historical fiction about great Christian heroes with 1.8 million in sales--and Hero Tales: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes (vols 1-4).

Dave and Neta live in Evanston, Illinois, where for twenty-seven years they were part of Reba Place Church, a Christian church community. They are now members of the Chicago Tabernacle, a multi-racial congregation that is a daughter church of the well-known Brooklyn Tabernacle.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Turkey dinners, tree trimming, and decking the halls--it's that time of year again! And I Jodi Baxter, can't wait to celebrate. My kids are coming home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then all of us Yadas are getting decked out for a big New Year's party.

But God's idea of "decked out" might just change the nature of our party plans. A perplexing encounter with a former student, a crime that literally knocks me off my feet, a hurry-up wedding, and a child who will forever change our family...it's times like these that I really need my prayer sisters.

This holiday season, we Yada Yadas are learning that no one can out celebrate God. So let's get this party started!

THE YADA YADA PRAYER GROUP GETS DECKED OUT is a festive novella featuring America's favorite prayer group, the Yada Yadas!

Sometimes dubbed "chick-lit" for their bright covers and catchy titles, this series provides far more depth than witty banter and wacky situations. Inspired by a prayer group of real women, each book will have you laughing, crying, and perhaps praying anew.

In this highly anticipated installment, the Yada Yada sisters-a group of multi-cultural friends-and their families prepare for the event of the season.

But yes, eager readers, this novella—which picks up a year and a half after the end of book #6 The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Rolling concludes the series with some twists and turns that will amaze and encourage you. Plus, it sets the stage for Neta’s new series with new characters and new situations but also occasional roles for the beloved Yada Yada sisters in familiar Chicago neighborhoods with all their cultural richness.



Purchase The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out by Neta Jackson HERE!!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

(Center Street October 24, 2007)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Scott Bell is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He is also the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University.

His book on writing, Plot and
Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today. The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next Buchanan thriller.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

On a wet Tuesday morning in December, Ernesto Bonilla, twenty-eight, shot his twenty-three-year-old wife, Alejandra, in the backyard of their West 45th Street home in South Los Angeles. As Alejandra lay bleeding to death, Ernesto drove their Ford Explorer to the westbound Century Freeway connector where it crossed over the Harbor Freeway and pulled to a stop on the shoulder.

Bonilla stepped around the back of the SUV, ignoring the rain and the afternoon drivers on their way to LAX and the west side, placed the barrel of his .38 caliber pistol into his mouth, and fired.

His body fell over the shoulder and plunged one hundred feet, hitting the roof of a Toyota Camry heading northbound on the harbor Freeway. The impact crushed the roof of the Camry. The driver, Jacqueline Dwyer, twenty-seven, an elementary schoolteacher from Reseda, died at the scene.

This would have been simply another dark and strange coincidence, the sort of thing that shows up for a two-minute report on the local news--with live remote from the scene--and maybe gets a follow-up the next day. Eventually the story would go away, fading from the city's collective memory.

But this story did not go away. Not for me. Because Jacqueline Dwyer was the woman I was going to marry.

In Try Dying, this fast-paced thriller, lawyer Ty Buchanan must enter a world of evil to uncover the cause of his fiancee's death--even if hie has to kill for the truth.


"Bell is one of the best writers out there...he creates characters readers care about...a story worth telling."
~Library Review~



Purchase Try Dying by James Scott Bell HERE!!!

Thursday, November 08, 2007

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia Goyer has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Today's Christian Woman, Guideposts for Kids, and Focus on the Family, and is the co-author of Meal Time Moments (Focus on the Family). She has led numerous Bible Studies, and her study notes appear in the Women of Faith Study Bible (Zondervan).

She has written seven novels for Moody Publishing:

* From Dust and Ashes (2003)
* Night Song (2004)
* Dawn of a Thousand Nights (2005);
* Arms of Deliverance (2006)
* A Valley of Betrayal (2007)
* A Shadow of Treason (Fall 2007)
* A Whisper of Freedom (February 2008)

Night Song was awarded American Christian Fiction Writer's 2005 Book of the Year for Best Long Historical. Dawn of a Thousand Nights won the same award in 2006.

Tricia has also written Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom (Zondervan, 2004), 10 Minutes to Showtime (Thomas Nelson, 2004), and Generation NeXt Parenting (Multnomah, 2006). Life Interrupted was a 2005 Gold Medallion finalist in the Youth Category.

Also, coming out in the next year are: My Life, Unscripted (Thomas Nelson, 2007), Generation NeXt Marriage (Multnomah, Spring 2008), and 3:16-the teen version of the a book by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson, Spring 2008).

Tricia and her husband John live with their three children in Kalispell, Montana. Tricia's grandmother also lives with them, and Tricia volunteers mentoring teen moms and leading children's church. Although Tricia doesn't live on a farm, she can hit one with a rock by standing on her back porch and giving it a good throw.

Visit her on the web at www.triciagoyer.com.

Tricia's blogs:
http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com
http://genxparents.blogspot.com
http://mywritingmentor.blogspot.com
http://www.myccm.org/triciagoyer
http://www.shoutlife.com/triciagoyer


INTERVIEW:

A Shadow of Treason follows A Valley of Betrayal. This is the first time you've written books as a series instead of stand alone. Which way do you like better?
I love writing in series. It was great to continue with the same characters. In my stand-alone books I fell in love with these people and then I had to say good-bye after one book. It was wonderful to be able to continue on.

In A Shadow of Treason Sophie must return to the person who betrayed her in an effort to help the Spanish people. It makes the book hard to put down because the reader has to know how Sophie's heart will deal with it. Why did you decide to make this an element of the book?
There are very few of us who go through life without giving away a part of our hearts to someone who didn't deserve it. Even though Sophie had the best intentions, she gave away her heart and she was hurt-not only that she must revisit those emotions.

I wanted to include this element-to delve into the topic that emotions are sometimes as big of a trap as any physical cage. Emotions are real and they guide us -- even when we don't want to admit it. Poor Sophie, not only does she have to deal with a war around her -- she also has to deal with a war within herself. It's something I've battled, and mostly likely others have too.

There is an interesting element that arises in this book and that is Spanish gold. I know you can't tell us what happens in this book, but can you give us a brief history of this gold?
Sure. When I was researching I came upon something interesting. The Spaniards, as we know, had taken much Aztec and Inca gold during the time of the conquistadors. Well, at the start of The Spanish Civil War much of this gold was still held in Madrid. In fact Spain had the fourth largest gold reserves in the world at that time. The Republican government was afraid Franco would take the city and the gold. They had to get it out of Madrid and this included transporting priceless artifacts. The element of gold does make its way into my story. It was great to include this little-known (and true!) element into my story.

Another historical fact I learned about was the Nazi involvement during this time. Not only were the Germans active in Spain, but they had spy networks busy around the world. How did you find out about this?
I love reading tons of research books. Usually I find one little element that I dig out and turn into a plot line. This is what happened with my plot-line for the Nazi pilot, Ritter. I dug up this bit of research of Nazi involvement in Spain -- and the United States -- because a lot of people aren't aware of the Nazi involvement prior to WWII. The truth is they were busy at work getting the land, information, and resources they needed far before they threatened the nations around them. The Germans knew what they wanted and how to get it. And most of the time they succeeded!

A Shadow of Treason is Book Two. When will Book Three be out? Can you give us a hint of how the story continues?
Book Three is A Whisper of Freedom. It will be out February 2008. The characters that we love are all still in the midst of danger at the end of Book Two. Book Three continues their stories as we follow their journeys in -- and (for a few) out -- of Spain. It's an exciting conclusion to the series!

Wow, so we have a least one more fiction book to look forward to in the near future. Are you working on any non-fiction?
Yes, I have two non-fiction books that will be out the early part of 2008. Generation NeXt Marriage is a marriage book for today's couples. It talks about our marriage role models, our struggles, and what we're doing right as a generation. It also gives advice for holding it together.

I've also been privileged to work on the teen edition of Max Lucado's book 3:16. It was a great project to work on. What an honor!


ABOUT THE BOOK:

A Shadow of Treason is Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series. The first book in the series is A Valley of Betrayal.


BLURB:

Sophie discovers that nothing is as she first imagined. When Walt, the reporter who helped her over the border, shows up again after Guernica is bombed, Sophie is given an impossible mission. She must leave behind the man she's fallen in love with and return to the person who betrayed her. Another layer of the war in Spain is revealed as Sophie is drawn into the international espionage schemes that could turn the tide of the war and help protect the soldiers from the International Brigade ... she must find a way to get a critical piece of information to Walt in time.


EXCERPT:

Click HERE to read the FIRST CHAPTER!


A Shadow of Treason by Tricia Goyer
ISBN-10: 0802467687
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Release Date: September 1, 2007
Genre: Historical Fiction
$10.39 from Amazon.com


Purchase A Shadow of Treason by Tricia Goyer HERE!!!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Better sleep doesn’t have to come in a pill.

For people with chronic insomnia, studies show that simple behavioral and psychological treatments work just as well, and sometimes better, than popular medications, according to a report in The Journal of Family Practice.

The medical journal Sleep last year reported on five high-quality trials that showed cognitive behavioral therapy helped people suffering from insomnia fall asleep sooner and stay asleep longer. Another American Journal of Psychiatry analysis of 21 studies showed that behavioral treatment helped people fall asleep nearly nine minutes sooner than sleep drugs. In other measures, sleep therapy worked just as well as drugs, but without any side effects.

The behavioral strategies for better sleep are deceptively simple, and that’s one reason why many people don’t believe they can make a difference. One of the most effective methods is stimulus control. This means not watching television, eating or reading in bed. Don’t go to bed until you are sleepy. Get up at the same time every day, and don’t nap during the day. If you are unable to sleep, get out of bed after 15 minutes and do something relaxing, but avoid stimulating activity and thoughts.

So-called sleep hygiene is also part of sleep therapy. This includes regular exercise, adding light-proof blinds to your bedroom to keep it dark and making sure the bed and room temperatures are comfortable. Eat regular meals, don’t go to bed hungry and limit beverages, particularly alcohol and caffeinated drinks, around bedtime.

Finally, don’t try too hard to fall asleep, and turn the clock around so you can’t see it. Watching time pass is one of the worst things to do when you’re trying to fall asleep.

It may be hard to believe, but studies show these simple steps really do make a meaningful difference for people with sleep problems. These interventions are based on the notion that thoughts and behaviors can “hyper-arouse” the central nervous system and deregulate sleep cycles, resulting in chronic insomnia, reports Family Practice.

If these steps don’t work, talk to your doctor about a referral to a sleep therapist, who can also teach you additional relaxation techniques to help bring on sleep. Sometimes, a therapist might work with you to reset your sleep-wake schedule, a more involved process whereby patients adjust their bedtime each night over the course of a few weeks.

And for more information about sleeping pills, read this story in The Times.


Source: The New York Times

Monday, November 05, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a copy of Lost Treasure by Midnyte Dupree.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Midnyte Dupree is a full time telecommunications analyst, a wife, and a mother of two small children. She started reading romance in 2003 and when all her favorite authors were in between books she decided to do some writing on her own. That is when she discovered the joy of creating characters and building worlds full of magic. Christine Feehan was the first author in romance that she read and instantly fell in love with the Carpathians; soon after she discovered Sherrilyn Kenyon and the Dark Hunters. She anticipates each book coming out, but now understands why it takes so long between stories.

Visit her website at: http://www.midnyte-dupree.com


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
I became a writer because I have always looked for the more fantastical part of life. I want to believe there is more than humans living on this planet and I wanted to write about them. I never expected my stories would get published.

I can't say I dreamed of being a writer all my life, but after my son was born, I decided to give it a go. It's funny how the fairy tales you tell your children will spark your own imagination. :)

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love being able to create something from words. Words we use everyday in many different situations. I like seeing how putting them together will create a life for my characters. It's great fun! There are a few things I don't like, but they are so minute I can easily overlook them. One biggie, though, is I don't have enough time in a day to do everything I want to do. LOL

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
The balance is very precarious. I may not be able to write for a few weeks at a time, but everyday a character or a scene is on my mind. My family is always first and with two little ones, they can be very demanding.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
It's pretty crazy how things come to me. Mostly scenes come to me in flashes. Sometimes it's just the heroine and then other times, I can see her and the hero together, usually kicking someone's butt. LOL The characters almost always come first, then the world and the plot comes last. That might actually sound a little backwards.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write in the paranormal romance genre. All my characters have some sort of power or secret power. I can create them any way I want. Makes it fun.

I love writing in this genre because I feel less like I have to follow rules. I can let my imagine flow and see what happens. I love reading these types of stories too and can never get enough.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That it's easy. It's probably harder than my day job. But with writing when you get that first letter from a reader telling you how much they enjoyed your work, well, that's just priceless and makes all the work worth it.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Totally from my imagination. I don't want anyone I know to pick up my book and wonder why I would make them do this or that. It's fun to see who or what I can dream up with all their problems and conflicts.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
This is funny. My absolute favorite character is the Assassin in my book In My Hands. He's a tortured soul. When I was writing In My Hands, he doesn't really have an identity, but I couldn't help but connect with his pain. He needs love, because he pulled from his family before he was really able to bond to anyone. In My Hands is the start of my vampire series at Twilight Fantasies.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
Nicholas Cage and Shawn Connery for sure. They are both such favorites.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I would love for my readers to take a way a feeling of being there. I want them to be able to forget their everyday lives and slip into the worlds I create. I love when a story can take me away like that and hope I can do the same for others.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Do your homework regarding publishers. Go with the ones that have been established for over two years. And another great piece of advice...write. If you feel a bout of writers block coming on, pull out a clean sheet of paper and write something on it. Anyway. It doesn't matter what it is, just write.

Who are your favorite authors?
Wow, I have absolutely so many favorites! Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Marie Moning, Katie MacAlister, J.R. Ward, just to name a few. I can never get enough of their writing.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished Savannah Russe's Beneath the Skin (great book) and have started Katie MacAlister's You Slay Me (really good so far).


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Elena always knew she would be an archaeologist, even before she understood what the word meant. She just wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and find treasures of her own. In her dreams as a child she could transport herself to exotic places and imagine the things she might find.

But when a mysterious man enters her dreams, he shows her places that call to her. As she gets older, this man introduces her to more than just the lost treasures of the earth, but another treasure filled with passion, lust and something that goes much deeper.


EXCERPT:

His soft lips tasted her neck as she arched into him, throwing her head back on the pillow. Her body tingled everywhere he touched. His long hair wrapped around his neck while he looked down into her eyes. His face was in shadow, but she could feel with her hands the hard plains that made up his cheeks and the strong set of his chin. Turning his head, he placed a kiss on her palm, and shivers raced down her spine. The heat in the room increased a degree or two, causing their bodies to sweat. Elena loved the way her skin slid across his. Flesh against flesh.

Their heated bodies moved as one with the rhythm moving fast then slow. Her breasts pressed against his bare chest as he pumped inside her. His dark hips moving up and down. Elena heard moaning and knew that it was coming from both of them as their climax reached its peak. He never held back how much she pleased him, and that heightened her desire and increased the need for more.

She felt the oncoming orgasm as he began to speed up, pumping his cock faster and harder. With every angle of their bodies touching, it drove her into a crazed frenzy to reach her peak. She anchored herself with a tight grip on his shoulders as the climax exploded out from her middle like a starburst. Moisture seeped between her thighs. He pumped once, hard, before he, too, found his release and collapsed on top of her. His breath hissed beside her ear.

“My little bird,” he whispered, “you are the only thing that makes this life bearable.”

He rolled off of her, pulling her to his body. She loved the way his arms consumed her, so she snuggled closer to him. Before too long, she knew that he would disappear. Just like all the other times. Unfortunately, he was just a dream, and the real world would be waiting for her.

His deep voice vibrated her neck. “Be careful on your journey. Remember what I have shown you.”

Elena moved so that she could look into his eyes. She saw something there and felt a stirring in her chest. Her feelings over the years had grown for him. How on earth could she feel so strongly about a man conjured in dreams? Well, how could she not feel something for someone who had invaded her dreams since her adulthood. She didn’t see him every night, but on the nights he did happen to show up, she formed a bond with him. Had, in a strange way, counted on him to be there with her through some of her more trying times, always providing the comfort she needed.

Thinking of the images he’d projected in her dreams, Elena knew he spoke of the chalice he kept showing over the years. It was a golden goblet with red rubies along the top. If her mind ever ventured to far away from the cup, he would bring the picture forth again in her mind. For some reason, he wanted that always in her thoughts.

“I remember. The chalice will be forever etched into my mind.” She had to keep from rolling her eyes. Every time they were together, he would always bring up the goblet, but he would never tell her why it was so important. She had given up asking long ago after his answers where always vague and cryptic.

“And, remember the lands I have allowed you to see. You must find them. You are close but still many miles away. The land is ancient and very powerful.”

He kissed her on the lips. “I feel a great danger coming your way. Be careful, little bird.”



Lost Treasure by Midnyte Dupree
ISBN: 978-1-60088-182-4
Publisher: Cobblestone Press, LLC
Release date: October 19, 2007
Genre: Paranormal
$3.99 from Cobblestone-press.com


Purchase Lost Treasure by Midnyte Dupree HERE!!!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a copy of Witchy Woman by Karen Erickson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

After leaving the working world to become a stay-at-home mom, Karen Erickson realized she needed to get serious and pursue her lifelong dream of being a published writer. A busy mother of three, she fits her precious writing time in between chasing her children, taking care of her wonderful husband and pretending she has a maid. She lives in California.

To learn more about Anne and her writing, please visit her website at http://karenwritesromance.com


INTERVIEW:

Why did you become a writer? Was it a dream of yours since you were younger or did the desire to write happen later in your life?
Well I always liked to write, to make up stories. I wrote terrible stuff in high school, in my early twenties. Then life got in the way and though it always lingered in the back of my mind, I just didn't have the time. Finally, after having my third child, I was staying at home taking care of them and I realized hey why am I not writing? And it just kind of took off from there.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
I love that I'm able to live through my characters, do and say things I would never EVER do. I love the fact I can sit at home in my sweats and write all day. I love all of the people I've met through my writing - I've made a lot of wonderful friends that I'm lucky to have in my life.

Dislike? Hmmm, well it drives me nuts when I have a mental block. But really that's the only thing I can think of. There's really nothing to hate about this profession - I'm doing something I LOVE, you can't beat that.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
Personal time? What's that? LOL Well, I try and keep my writing time to the evening when my kids are all asleep. But sometimes if I'm working extra hard on a book or I have a deadline I write a lot throughout the day. I just try and make sure to spend time with the kids and the husband. Family time is important, I value it and I'm thankful for my family. They tolerate me when I'm on deadline!!

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Hmm, sometimes characters come to me first but mostly it's plot. A story idea. I'm a pantster who is becoming more of a plotter.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
I write mostly contemporaries though I've dabbled in paranormal and I'm working on a historical. I write contemporaries because I'm taking the easy way out, LOL. Actually I love to read a good contemporary so I like to write them too. I'm not as much into paranormal books but I've read some wonderful stuff and I like to experiment with it because it allows me to stretch my wings, so to speak. I always wanted to write a historical, started reading historical romances first but the research always intimidated me. Now that I'm getting into it I'm finding it is actually fun - and the Internet is a beautiful thing. :)

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
That we make a lot of money! That the way books are written are with a formula and that anyone can do it. Not true. If everyone could do it, then everyone would be a writer.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
Totally from my imagination though I have based the occasional character on a real person. Or a combination of a few people. But I'm never going to tell who! LOL

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Hmmm, that's tough because I love all of my characters and I usually favor the one I'm working on at the moment. But if I have to pick a character from a book of mine, I'd have to choose Lily my holiday fairy from Fairies & Wishes (Cobblestone Press). She was just so fun to write because she was a fairy, a complete innocent in the human world. I could make her react in ways that "real" people wouldn't normally do because she was a fairy. That was fun.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
Ah jeez what a question! Ummmm, well I'm going to give the typical hot man answer. I'm a little obsessed with Clive Owen right now. Yeah, I want Clive to be in my movie and I'll work on one on one sessions with him. That sounds good. Excuse me while I go swoon now. ;)

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I want people to finish my books and think, "That was a great story." I want them to be able to lose themselves for a little bit and just enjoy my characters. That's all. :)

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Finish the book. That's the biggest hurdle to get over. I wrote in fits and spurts for years, starting things but never finishing them. Finally in 05 I finished something and even though it was utter crap, at least I finished it. I knew I could finish something. And I swear that makes all the difference in the world.

Who are your favorite authors?
Hmm, I love all kinds of authors, that's so hard to answer! Too many to even mention.

What are you reading right now?
I'm reading Sylvia Day's A Passion for Him. It's so good! I love Sylvia Day, she's one of the many I admire.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Tessa Laurent is a witch searching for love. She casts spells on men to lure them into her bed but once she gets them there, she's never satisfied. Afraid to be condemned to a life with no love, she vows to meet men the 'normal' way.

She meets Devon Smith and she’s is immediately attracted to him even though he’s a vampire. Vampires and witches just don't mix—or so she thinks.

He's out to prove her wrong, because Devon's not quite what he seems…


EXCERPT:

To read an excerpt, just click HERE!



Witchy Woman by Karen Erickson
ISBN: 978-1-906328-48-1
Publisher: Total E-bound
Release Date: November 5, 2007
Genre: Seasonal Short/Paranormal/Vampire
£1.69 from Total-e-bound.com


Purchase Witchy Woman by Karen Erickson HERE!!!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a print copy of Daring Delights by Deirdre O'Dare.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deirdre O'Dare, who also writes milder (roughly PG-13 rated) romance as Gwynn Morgan, has loved reading and writing since early childhood. Writing came naturally to Deirdre/Gwynn who scribed her first simple verse at age eight. An avid reader, she devoured hundreds of books while growing up and later as an adult. Somewhere along the way she found romance and then romance with more explicit and detailed love scenes. “Ah ha,” said she, “I think I have found my niche!” In the last decade after leaving her "day job" as a civilian employee of the U. S. Army, she finally settled into romantic fiction writing as a second career. Deirdre has a number of shorts and novellas out now, all published by Amber Heat, www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat to include recent best sellers Doggone Love, Armed and Amorous and The Maltese Terror. Two print anthologies, Daring Dreams and Daring Delights are currently available. She has a website, www.deirdreodare.com and pages at Coffee Time and Books We Love (in the spice section). Her newsgroup is deirdredares@yahoogroups.com


INTERVIEW:

(See November 1 post)


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Deirdre’s Daring Delights (print anthology) follows the high tension lives of people who exist on the edge, pitting themselves against rough stock, criminals and the ceaseless thrills of intense danger. They work hard, play hard and love the hardest of all! Pickup Man, Portrait of a Cowboy, Cowboy First Aid and Cowgirl Up feature rodeo performers competing for gold buckles, high dollars and one another’s bodies and hearts. To Protect and …Seduce? and Armed and Amorous follow law enforcement officers in their pursuit of dangerous criminals and heated encounters. If you fancy lusty cowboys and bold police officers, these are for you!


EXCERPT:

Passions escalating fast, they jumped apart like guilty teenagers when Roy let himself in, loaded down with two big bags radiating delicious, spicy scents.

"I can go somewhere again," he offered, setting the bags down on top of the dressing table counter. "I'm really not into voyeurism."

"No," Frank growled. "We all need to eat more than fool around right now. What did you get?"

"A dozen tacos, a dozen burritos and six sopapillas for dessert. Extra salsa, sour cream and honey, too. Root beer for me, iced tea for you and I took a chance and got Kerry a Coke. Is that all right?"

"That's fine. So long as it isn't the caffeine-free kind." Kerry lusted for caffeine, wanted it almost as badly as she needed Frank right now.

"Do they actually make decaf Coke?" Frank framed the question in mock surprise.

Kerry nodded, her lip curling in disgust. "Yeah, and it sucks."

He laughed. "Typical cop--living on caffeine."

Biting back a snarky comment, Kerry took a moment to pull herself together. Moist heat burned in her pussy, her breasts ached, and her lips were so tender they felt raw. Arousal buzzed along her nerves like a lightning-struck strand of wire. Damn, why does it have to be Frank--a felon's brother--who turns me on like a 500-watt bulb?

Roy unfolded the tops of the bags, spread out the contents and then began to divide the items into three piles. He'd grabbed a stack of napkins, which served as impromptu plates as they began to feast. For a few minutes they were too busy eating to talk.

It started out innocently enough. Roy had dragged the chair over by the counter since Frank sat on the foot of one bed and Kerry on the other. Roy tossed Frank another burrito. Somehow the wrapper came undone and it squirted filling when Frank caught it, beans and shredded beef spraying out in every direction. He grabbed a sticky gob and flung it back at Roy . Not to be out-done, Roy pitched another burrito in Kerry's direction before he took the remaining part of the one he'd been eating and threw it back at Frank.

For the next few minutes a full-fledged food raged. Before it was over, each of them was splattered with refritos, cheese and saucy meat. By then they all laughed almost hysterically, a kind of delayed reaction to the tension of the last twenty-four hours.

"This was pretty damn stupid," Frank said, after they all stopped for breath, looking at the mess they'd made. The motel room wouldn't be in much worse shape than they'd found it, but their clothes were a disaster. Hair, hands and faces all bore burrito residue. "We didn't bring any extra clothes and going back to get some would ruin the whole plan."

"If we wash things right now, they should be dry by morning," Kerry offered. "We'll all be semi-undressed, but what the hell? At least we can go out in the morning looking halfway presentable."

She felt giddy and silly, as if she'd drunk a pint of whiskey instead of just a super-size Coke--with caffeine. The last twenty-four hours had an unreal quality, like an insane dream triggered by fever. What she did here didn't count, wasn't real. She stood and began to strip, taking her own sweet time and adding a few bumps and grinds just for fun as she peeled off the sweatshirt and jeans. Her underwear wasn't obviously grubby, but she'd worn the panties and bra longer now than she usually did. Might as well take them off, too.

Frank watched her with avid attention, his eyes bright and hungry. Roy looked on, a mixture of amusement and dismay on his face. When she reached for the clasp of her bra, Frank stood and began to strip as well. Not to be left out, Roy rose, too, stepped out of his jeans, then yanked his T-shirt off.

All three crowded into the bath once they'd undressed. Kerry ran the tub half full and unwrapped the microscopic bars of soap, all three of them. They scraped as much of the food off as they could and threw that in the commode before they dunked garment after garment into the hot water, shirts first and then jeans. Frank went back to get hangars from the closet niche and carefully hung up each piece of clothing as Kerry finished washing and then rinsed them. The impromptu laundry job was far from perfect, but they wouldn't look like walking ads for Taco Bell in the morning.

"Now us," Kerry said. Giggling a little, she drained the tub and then turned on the shower. There wasn't a lot of soap left and no shampoo, but she had to get some of the goop out of her hair. Her scalp had started to itch as the beans and salsa dried.

Frank followed her into the shower, which was barely big enough for two, but somehow Roy also crowded in. They washed one another, scrubbing until skin glowed and hair squeaked. Gradually the strokes grew more languid, more caressing than scouring.

Pinned between the two men, Kerry lifted her face to Frank's kisses, feeling his cock throbbing against her belly. Behind her, Roy pressed close, his cock thrusting between her buttocks as he nibbled on her shoulder. After a few minutes, either Frank or Roy had the presence of mind to turn off the water, which had started to grow cool.


Daring Delights by Deirdre O'Dare
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-975-9
Publisher: Amber Quill
Release Date: August 2007
Genre: Cowboys/Western/Action/Adventure
$10.20 from Amberquill.com


Purchase Daring Delights by Deirdre O'Dare HERE!!!

Friday, November 02, 2007

(Thomas Nelson November 6, 2007)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Denise Hunter lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped.

Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

In addition to Surrender Bay, the second Nantucket book releases in April 2008. The title is The Convenient Groom and features Kate Lawrence, a relationship advice columnist, whose groom dumps her on her wedding day. Denise is currently at work on the third Nantucket book (Oct 2008) which is untitled so far.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Sam's estranged step-father dies, she inherits his ocean-front cottage in Nantucket--not because he kindly bequeathed it to her, but because he neglected to ever create a will. Sam returns to the island she left 11 years ago with her daughter Caden to fix up the house and sell it, but she isn't counting on is the fact that Landon Reed still lives two doors down from her childhood home.

As their long-dormant romance begins to bud again, Sam must face the fact that Landon still doesn't know why she really left the island. Will the secrets she's hidden all these years tear them apart? Or is Landon's love really as unconditional as he claims?

"I've always thought Denise Hunter was an amazing writer but this wonderful story sets her firmly at the forefront of compelling love stories. How Landon breaks down Samantha's determination that she is unworthy of love kept me glued to the pages. An amazing story!"


"I've always thought Denise Hunter was an amazing writer but this wonderful story sets her firmly at the forefront of compelling love stories. How Landon breaks down Samantha's determination that she is unworthy of love kept me glued to the pages. An amazing story!"
-- Colleen Coble, author of Fire Dancer (Smoke Jumper Series)



Purchase Surrender Bay by Denise Hunter HERE!!!

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a copy of Saved by Sam by Deirdre O'Dare.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deirdre O'Dare, who also writes milder (roughly PG-13 rated) romance as Gwynn Morgan, has loved reading and writing since early childhood. Writing came naturally to Deirdre/Gwynn who scribed her first simple verse at age eight. An avid reader, she devoured hundreds of books while growing up and later as an adult. Somewhere along the way she found romance and then romance with more explicit and detailed love scenes. “Ah ha,” said she, “I think I have found my niche!” In the last decade after leaving her "day job" as a civilian employee of the U. S. Army, she finally settled into romantic fiction writing as a second career. Deirdre has a number of shorts and novellas out now, all published by Amber Heat, www.amberquill.com/AmberHeat to include recent best sellers Doggone Love, Armed and Amorous and The Maltese Terror. Two print anthologies, Daring Dreams and Daring Delights are currently available. She has a website, www.deirdreodare.com and pages at Coffee Time and Books We Love (in the spice section). Her newsgroup is deirdredares@yahoogroups.com


INTERVIEW:

(See November 1 post below)


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Saved by Sam is the third in Dierdre's best selling Canine Cupids "guys and dogs" man-love series following Doggone Love and The Maltese Terror. It is also a spin off from Armed and Amorous, a recent release in which Roy was a significant secondary character. He impressed enough readers to convince Deirdre he needed his own story!

BLURB:

As he struggles to get back on his feet after the horrors of service as a medic in the Middle East war, Roy Dunham tends bar in a quiet club. The sudden entrance of K-9 Officer Samson, a Belgian Malinois, and his handsome "human" partner Craig Rommel startles Roy, and the cop's attitude puts him off.

Roy's opinion soon changes, however, after Sam and Craig save him from drug-driven violence. He returns the favor by tending their gunshot wounds, and before long, Roy finds himself hoping the policeman and the dog will become permanent parts of his life.

Can Sam be the key to winning Roy's way into Craig Rommel's well-protected heart?


EXCERPT:

Roy Dunham gave a lackadaisical swipe to the shiny surface of the bar. He glanced up at the clock, then issued the time-honored warning. “Last call for alcohol.” It was a few minutes short of one o’clock in the morning. Most of the regular crowd had already tipped their last glass or bottle and left. A couple of die-hards were going to wait until the last minute. It had been a slow midweek night. His tips barely made the shift worthwhile. Oh well, there’ll be other nights.

He stepped out from behind the bar, starting across to turn off the flashing neon advertising sign and flip the one on the door to read “closed.” At that moment, the door swung inward. A tall impressively well-built man in the dark blue uniform of the San Pablo police department entered the bar, a sleek, tawny dog at his left, pointed muzzle even with his knee. Roy stopped in his tracks. Gawdamighty, that’s the most gorgeous hunk of manhood I ever saw.

The officer could have posed for a recruiting poster for a Viking's crew, an epitome of Nordic masculinity. He wore his sandy blond hair buzz-cut close to a well-shaped skull. Chiseled features with high cheek bones and an angular jaw set off a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Below that, broad shoulders barely fit through the bar’s front door. His body was a perfect wedge, tapering from those impressive shoulders down to lean flanks and long legs. The man’s military posture set off his uniform, well fitted navy blue shirt and trousers, glossy black leather belt, holster and other gear, and the shiny bronze badge on his chest.

“Everybody stay right where you are. My dog located drugs in a car out in the lot. The man who was heading toward it fled when he saw us. I think he came back inside.”

Roy stood his ground. “Nobody’s come in for the past half hour, Officer.” The man might look like a Teutonic god but his arrogant tone grated. “This is a quiet, orderly place. We don’t tolerate drug dealing, violence or anything but law-abiding behavior.”

The gas-flame blue eyes flickered to him and as quickly away, in clear dismissal. When the policeman barked a harsh guttural word, the dog left his side. It began to move around the room, in a zigzag pattern, dark nose twitching.

Roy stepped back a couple of paces to edge behind the bar. The dog and the cop both ignored him. After the dog sniffed and then passed the three remaining patrons, the cop gave them a nod. “Get out. It’s closing time, whether you’re done or not.”

For a moment, Roy considered raising a protest but then he decided it wouldn’t do any good. Besides, the Tavasci Brothers, who owned The Sundown Club and several other bars around San Pablo , didn’t like trouble. They wanted business to be quiet, orderly and completely within the confines of the law. Crossing a cop was not in their standard operating procedures.

Like many families on the fringes of organized crime, Phil and Emil Tavasci operated a number of legitimate businesses which they kept squeaky clean. They were good employers if you were loyal, reliable and played by their rules. Roy had known worse over the years, for sure. Knowing that, he tried to do the best job he could. He needed the work, a steady job while he got back on his feet after leaving the Navy hospital. He relied on his pay to keep a roof over his head and food on the table. It was a point of pride to support himself.

He went back to his evening clean-up routine, keeping an eye on the officer and the dog but with no particular concern. He felt sure no one had come in recently. The muffled sound from the direction of the storeroom at the rear of the bar caught him by surprise. When he wheeled to face the doorway, he found himself looking into the muzzle of a large caliber pistol, probably a .44 magnum.


Saved by Sam by Deirdre O'Dare
ISBN-13: 978-1-60272-148-7
Publisher: Amber Quill
Release Date: November 4, 2007
Genre: Contemporary/Action/Adventure
Amberquill.com


Purchase Saved by Sam by Deirdre O'Dare HERE!!!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

It is November, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and their book's FIRST chapter!

Hollywood Nobody

Th1nk Books (August 30, 2007)

Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Apples of Gold was her first novel for teens. Visit Lisa at http://www.lisasamson.com

These days, she's working on Quaker Summer, volunteering at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, raising children and trying to be supportive of a husband in seminary. (Trying . . . some days she's downright awful. It's a good thing he's such a fabulous cook!) She can tell you one thing, it's never dull around there.

Other Novels by Lisa:
Straight Up, Club Sandwich, Songbird, Tiger Lillie, The Church Ladies, Women's Intuition: A Novel, Songbird, The Living End


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER

Chapter 1


Hollywood Nobody: April 1


Happy April Fool’s Day! What better day to start a blog about Hollywood than today?

Okay, I’ve been around film sets my whole life. Indie films, yeah, and that’s all I’m saying about it here for anonymity’s sake. But trust me, I’ve had my share of embarrassing moments. Like outgrowing Tom Cruise by the age of twelve — in more ways than one, with the way he’s gotten crazier than thong underwear and low-rise jeans. Thankfully that fashion disaster has run for cover.

Underwear showing? Not a good idea.

Fact: I don’t know of a single girl who doesn’t wish the show-itall boxer-shorts phenomenon would go away as well. Guys, we just don’t want to see your underwear. Truthfully, we believe that there is a direct correlation between how much underwear you show and how much you’ve got upstairs, if you know what I mean.

I’ve seen the stars at their best and at their worst. And believe me, the worst is really, really bad. Big clue: you’d look just as pretty as they do if you went to such lengths. As you might guess, some of them are really nice and some of them are total jerks, and there’s a lot of blah in-betweeners. Like real life, pretty much, only the extremes are more extreme sometimes. I mean honestly, how many people under twenty do you know who have had more than one plastic surgery?

So you’ll have to forgive me if I’m a little hard on these folks. But if it was all sunshine and cheerleading, I doubt you’d read this blog for long, right?

Today’s Rant: Straightening irons. We’ve had enough of them, Little Stars, okay? It was bad on Helen Hunt at the Oscars, worse on Demi, yet worse on Madonna, and it’s still ridiculous. Especially on those women who are trying to hold onto their youth like Gollum holds onto that ring. Ladies, there’s a reason for keeping your hair at or above your shoulders once you hit forty, and ever after. Think Annette Bening. Now she’s got it going on. And can’t you just see why Warren Beatty settled down for her? Love her! According to The Early Show this morning, curls are back, and Little Me ain’t going to tell why I’m so glad about that!

Today’s Kudo: Aretha Franklin. Big, bold, beautiful, and the best. Her image is her excellence. Man, that woman can sing! She has a prayer chain too. I’m not very religious myself, but you got to respect people who back up what they say they believe. Unless it’s male Scientologists and "silent birth." Yeah, right. Easy for them to say.

Today’s News: I saw a young actor last summer at a Shakespeare festival in New England. Seth Haas. Seth Hot is more like it. I heard a rumor he’s reading scripts for consideration. Yes, he’s that hot. Check him out here. Tell all your friends about him. And look here on Hollywood Nobody for the first, the hottest news on this hottie. Girls, he’s only nineteen! Fair game for at least a decade-and-a-half span of ages.

I don’t know about you, but following the antics of new teen rock star Violette Dillinger is something I’m looking forward to. Her first album, released to much hype, hit Billboard’s no. 12 spot its third week out. And don’t you love her hit single "Love Comes Knocking on My Door"? This is going to be fun. A new celeb. Uncharted territory. Will Violette, who seems grounded and talented, be like her predecessors and fall into the "great defiling show-business machine" only to be spit out as a half-naked bimbo? We’ll see, won’t we? Keep your fingers crossed that the real artist survives.

Today’s Quote: "Being thought of as ‘a beautiful woman’ has spared me nothing in life. No heartache, no trouble. Beauty is essentially meaningless." Halle Berry

Later!


Friday, April 2

I knew it was coming soon. We’d been camped out in the middle of a cornfield, mind you, for two weeks. That poke on my shoulder in the middle of the night means only one thing. Time to move on.

"What, Charley?"

"Let’s head ’em on out, Scotty. We’ve got to be at a shoot in North Carolina tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got food to prepare, so you have to drive."

"I’m still only fifteen."

"It’s okay. You’re a good driver, baby."

My mom, Charley Dawn, doesn’t understand that laws exist for a reason, say, keeping large vehicles out of the hands of children. But as a food stylist, she fakes things all the time.

Her boundaries are blurred. What can I say?

Charley looks like she succumbed to the peer pressure of plastic surgery, but she hasn’t. I know this because I’m with her almost all the time. I think it’s the bleached-blond fountain of long hair she’s worn ever since I can remember. Or maybe the hand-dyed sarongs and shirts from Africa, India, or Bangladesh add to the overall appearance of youth. I have no idea. But it really makes me mad when anybody mistakes us as sisters.

I mean, come on! She had me when she was forty!

My theory: a lot of people are running around with bad eyesight and just don’t know it.

I throw the covers to my left. If I sling them to my right, they’d land on the dinette in our "home," to use the term in a fashion less meaningful than a Hollywood "I do." I grew up in this old Travco RV I call the Y.

As in Y do I have to live in this mobile home?

Y do I have to have such an oddball food stylist for a mother?

Y must we travel all year long? Y will we never live anyplace long enough for me to go to the real Y and take aerobics, yoga, Pilates or — shoot — run around the track for a while, maybe swim laps in the pool?

And Y oh Y must Charley be a vegan?

More on that later.

And Y do I know more about Hollywood than I should, or even want to? Everybody’s an actor in Hollywood, and I mean that literally. Sometimes I wonder if any of them even know who they are deep down in that corner room nobody else is allowed into.

But I wonder the same thing about myself.

"You’re not asking me to drive while you’re in the kitchen trailer, are you, Charley?"

"No. I can cook in here. And it’s a pretty flat drive. I’ll be fine."

I’m not actually worried about her. I’m thinking about how many charges the cops can slap on me.

Driving without a license.

Driving without a seat belt on the passenger.

Speeding, because knowing Charley, we’re late already.

Driving without registration. Charley figured out years ago how to lift current stickers off of license plates. She loves "sticking it to the man." Or so she says.

I kid you not.

Oh, the travails of a teenager with an old hippie for a mother. Charley is oblivious as usual as I continue my recollection of past infractions thankfully undetected by the state troopers:

Driving while someone’s in the trailer. It’s a great trailer, don’t get me wrong, a mini industrial kitchen we rigged up a couple of years ago to make her job easier. Six-range burner, A/C, and an exhaust fan that sucks up more air than Joan Rivers schmoozing on the red carpet. But it’s illegal for her to go cooking while we’re in motion.

"All right. Can I at least get dressed?"

"Why? You’re always in your pj’s anyway."

"Great, Mom."

"It’s Charley, baby. You know how I feel about social hierarchy."

"But didn’t you just give me an order to drive without a license? What if I say no?"

She reaches into the kitchen cupboard without comment and tips down a bottle of cooking oil. Charley’s as tall as a twelve-year-old.

"I mean, let’s be real, Charley. You do, in the ultimate end of things, call the shots."

I reach back for my glasses on the small shelf I installed in the side of the loft. It holds whatever book I’m reading and my journal. I love my glasses, horn-rimmed "cat glasses" as Charley calls them. Vintage 1961. Makes me want to do the twist and wear penny loafers.

"Can I at least pull my hair back?"

She huffs. "Oh, all right, Scotty! Why do you have to be so difficult?"

Charley has no clue as to how difficult teenagers can actually be. Here I am, schooling myself on the road, no wild friends. No friends at all, actually, because I hate Internet friendships. I mean, how lame, right? No boyfriend, no drugs. No alcohol either, unless you count cold syrup, because the Y gets so cold during the winter and Charley’s a huge conservationist. (Big surprise there.) I should be thankful, though. At least she stopped wearing leather fringe a couple of years ago.

I slide down from the loft, gather my circus hair into a ponytail, and slip into the driver’s seat. Charley reupholstered it last year with rainbow fabric. I asked her where the unicorns were and she just rolled her eyes. "Okay, let’s go. How long is it going to take?"

"Oh." She looks down, picks up a red pepper and hides behind it.

I turn on her. "You didn’t Google Map it?"

"You’re the computer person, not me." She peers above the stem. "I’m sorry?" She shrugs. Man, I hate it when she’s so cute. "Really sorry?"

"Charley, we’re in Wilmore, Kentucky. As in Ken-Tuck-EEE . As in the middle of nowhere." I climb out of my seat. "What part of North Carolina are we going to? It’s a wide state."

"Toledo Island. Something like that. Near Ocracoke Island. Does that sound familiar?"

"The Outer Banks?"

"Are they in North Carolina?"

Are you kidding me?

"Let me log on. This is crazy, Charley. I don’t know why you do this to me all the time."

"Sorry." She says it so Valley Girl-like. I really thought I’d be above TME: Teenage Mom Embarrassment. But no. Now, most kids don’t have mothers who dress like Stevie Nicks and took a little too much LSD back in the DAY. It doesn’t take ESP to realize who the adult in this setup is. And she had me, PDQ, out of the bonds of holy matrimony I might add, when she was forty (yes, I already told you that, but it’s still just as true), and that’s
OLD to be caught in such an inconvenient situation, don’t you think? The woman had no excuse for such behavior, FYI.

My theory: Charley’s a widow and it’s too painful to talk about my father. I mean, it’s plausible, right?

The problem is, I can remember back to when I was at least four, and I definitely do not remember a man in the picture. Except for Jeremy. More on him later too.

I flip up my laptop. I have a great satellite Internet setup in the Y. I rigged it myself because I’m a lonely geek with nothing better to do with her time than figure out this kind of stuff. I type in the info and wait for the directions. Satellite is slower than DSL, but it’s better than nothing.

"Charley! It’s seventeen hours away!" I scan the list of twists and turns between here and there. "We have to take a ferry to Ocracoke, and then Toledo Island’s off of there."

"Groovy!"

"Groovy died with platform shoes and midis."

"Whatever, Scotty." Only she says it all sunny. She’s a morning person.

"That phrase should be dead."

Honestly, I’m not big on lingo. I’ve never been good at it, which is fine by me. Who am I going to impress with cool-speak anyway? Uma Thurman? Yeah, right. "Okay, let’s go."

"We can go as long as possible and break camp on the way, you know?" Charley.

I climb back into the rainbow chair, throw the Y into drive, pull the brake, and we’re moving on down the road.

Again.

Sample from Hollywood Nobody / ISBN 1-60006-091-9
Copyright © 2007 NavPress Publishing.
All rights reserved.
To order copies of this resource, go to www.navpress.com