Saturday, May 31, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Tina Ann Forkner writes
contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. Originally from Oklahoma, she graduated with honors in English from CSU Sacramento before ultimately settling in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming where she now resides with her husband and their three children. Tina serves on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors and enjoys gardening, spending time outdoors with her family, and works as a full-time writer.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Sometimes, the key that unlocks your future lies in someone else’s past...

In Ruby Among Us, Lucy DiCamillo is safely surrounded by her books, music, and art─but none of these reclusive comforts or even the protective efforts of her grandmother, Kitty can shield her from the memory of the mother she can no longer remember. Lucy senses her grandmother holds the key, but Kitty seems as eager to hide from the past as Lucy is eager to find it.

From the streets of San Francisco and Sacramento, to the lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley, Lucy follows the thread of memory in search for a heritage that seems long-buried with her mother, Ruby.

What she finds is enigmatic and stirring in this redemptive tale about the power of faith and mother-daughter love.

REVIEWS:

“What an incredible story. As both mothers and daughters, Ruby Among Us struck a special cord in each of the four of us. Tina writes in a way that makes us feel like we’re there; from the first line, we were captivated and drawn into an intricate weaving of the precious and fragile relationships that define us.”
~Point of Grace~


“Reading is a passion of mine, and when I find myself identifying with the characters, anxious to get to the next page to find answers to my questions, I know I’m into a good book! The daughter-mother-grandmother theme in Ruby Among Us pulled me in. Wonderful story-telling.”
~Jordin Sparks~, 2007 winner of American Idol


“Highly recommended. If you’re a mother or daughter, you’re going to love Ruby Among Us. Forkner does an extraordinary job…. I look forward to more from this author.”
~Ane Mulligan~, Novel Journey


“Don’t miss this one! Tina Ann Forkner is a strong new voice in fiction and Ruby Among Us is an amazing story of trials, regrets, and, ultimately, redemption. Lucy and her family history in the historic wine country of Sonoma bring to life the Scriptures about the Vine and His branches.”
~Kristin Billerbeck~, author of The Trophy Wives Club


If you would like to read the first chapter go HERE


Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner
ISBN-10: 1400073588
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Genre: Christian Fiction
$9.99 from Amazon.com


Purchase Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner HERE!!!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A.J. (Angie) Kiesling grew up loving trees and words--trees because they formed the natural backdrop and playground for her childhood years in rural North Carolina, and words because they captivated her from as far back as she can remember. When she wasn't romping through the woods with her siblings, she might be found with her nose in a book--or lost among the shelves at the local library.

She has worked in the Christian publishing industry since 1985 as an author and editor. A former religion writer for Publishers Weekly and Religion BookLine e-newsletter, she frequently reported on spirituality trends and religion book publishing. Angie is the author of numerous books, including Skizzer (a novel, Revell), Where Have All the Good Men Gone? (Harvest House), Jaded: Hope for Believers Who Have Given Up on Church but Not on God (Revell), and Soul Deep: Prayers and Promises for Cultivating Inner Beauty (Barbour). She also ghostwrote Live Like a Jesus Freak (Albury), the popular follow-up to D.C. Talk's bestseller Jesus Freaks.

Beginning her career as a staff editor for Charisma magazine, she went on to cover industry news and book trends for the award-winning trade periodical Christian Retailing, followed by an editorial position on the startup website iBelieve.com. Over the years she has worked as an independent book editor and writer for some of the leading names in book publishing: Baker Publishing Group, Jossey-Bass, Thomas Nelson, Honor Books, Harvest House, Creation House, Barbour Publishing, and Xulon Press, among others. Today she heads up the editorial department at Xulon Press, a print-on-demand publisher based in Orlando.

A.J. Kiesling's website: www.ajkiesling.com


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

After receiving news of her sister Becca's abrupt disappearance, Claire Trowling must piece together the shadowy remnants of a past she's long forgotten in order to find her. A cryptic note scrawled in Becca's handwriting leaves more questions than it answers. When a stack of mysterious letters bound by a rare necklace is found, Claire races to discover the secrets that hold her family captive. Suspenseful and full of intrigue, Skizzer takes you on a transcontinental hunt for answers, weaving seamlessly between the distant past of childhood and the urgency of the present.

REVIEW:

"This debut novel from Kiesling is a quick and engaging read with plot revelations meted out skillfully enough to keep the pages turning.... [The book has] an adventurous story, a compelling protagonist and thoughtful musings on the real meaning of sisterhood."
-- Publishers Weekly


Skizzer by A. J. Kiesling
ISBN-10: 0800731409
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Genre: Mystery
$11.04 from Amazon.com


Purchase Skizzer by A. J. Kiesling HERE!!!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sigmund Brouwer is the author of eighteen best-selling novels for children and adults. His newest book is Fuse of Armageddon and his novel The Last Disciple was featured in Time magazine and on ABC’s Good Morning America. A champion of literacy, he teaches writing workshops for students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. Sigmund is married to Christian recording artist Cindy Morgan, and they and their two daughters divide their time between homes in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada and Nashville, Tennessee.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Her birth was shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
Her destiny is beyond comprehension.
Her pursuers long to see her broken.
She fights to soar.

A father's love for his daughter…a decision that would change both their lives forever. But who is she really─and why must she now run for her life?

Caitlin's body has made her an outcast, a freak, and the target of vicious bounty hunters. As she begins a perilous journey, she is forced to seek answers for her father's betrayal in the only things she can carry with her─a letter he passes her before forcing her to run, and their shared memories together.

Being hunted forces Caitlyn to partner with two equally lonely companions, one longing to escape the horror of factory life in Appalachia and the others, an unexpected fugitive. Together the three will fight to reach a mysterious group that might be friend or foe, where Caitlyn hopes to uncover the secrets of her past...and the destiny she must fulfill.

In the rough, shadowy hills of Appalachia, a nation carved from the United States following years of government infighting, Caitlyn and her companions are the prey in a terrifying hunt. They must outwit the relentless bounty hunters, skirt an oppressive, ever-watchful society, and find passage over the walls of Appalachia to reveal the dark secrets behind Caitlyn’s existence–and understand her father’s betrayal.

Prepare yourself to experience a chilling America of the very near future, as you discover the unforgettable secret of the Broken Angel.

In this engrossing, lightning-paced story with a post-apocalyptic edge, best-selling author Sigmund Brouwer weaves a heroic, harrowing journey through the path of a treacherous culture only one or two steps removed from our own.

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


Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer
ISBN-10: 1400070325
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Release Date: May 20, 2008
$13.59 from Amazon.com


Purchase Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer HERE!!!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Double-Edged Publishing's newest publication is called Mindflights. Published last January 2008, it is actually two magazines (The Sword Review and Dragons, Knights, & Angels) merged into one. The magazine specializes in speculative fiction and publishes original and unpublished fiction, poetry and essays in this genre. For submissions/contributions, they accept sci-fi, fantasy, horror, ghost stories, fairy stories, magic realism, etc. and even speculative subgenre is welcome--space opera, steampunk, urban fantasy, high fantasy, fable, fairy tale, historical fantasy, sword and sorcery, hard science fiction, magical realism, etc.

For now, Mindflights is a free online publication. However, a quarterly print version is also planned. The magazine pays 1/2 cent (US) per word with a minimum of $5.00 and a maximum of $25.00. Authors and artists whose works appear in the print version will also receive one contributor copy.


CONTEST ALERT!

MIndflights is having a poetry contest! Deadline to enter is June 30, 2008. Prizes include:

First: $50.00
Second: $20.00
Honorable Mentions (if any, up to 2 poems): $12.50

So, if you're interested in writing speculative poetry, here's your chance! Guidelines can be found HERE

“A house of which one knows every room isn't worth living in.”

—Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa






Prologue


Thirty years ago

The walls of the house absorbed the woman’s screams, until they felt to her as muffled and pointless as yelling underwater. Still, her lungs kept pushing out cries for help. Her attacker carried her over his shoulder. The stench of his sweat filled her nostrils. He paid no heed to her frantic writhing, or the pounding of her fists on his back, or even her fingernails, which dug furrows into his flesh. He simply lumbered, as steadily as a freight train, through the corridors of the big house.

She knew where they were heading, but not where she would end up. In this house, nothing was normal, nothing as it appeared. So while she knew in advance the turns her attacker would take, which hallways and doors he would traverse, their destination was as unknowable as a faraway galaxy. And that meant her taking would be untraceable. She would be unreachable to searchers. To would-be rescuers. To her family— and that realization terrified her more than being grabbed out of her bed. More than the flashes of imagined cruelty she would suffer away from the protection of the people who loved her. More than death.

But then she saw something more terrifying: her children, scrambling to catch up, to help. Their eyes were wide, streaming. They stumbled up the narrow staircase behind her attacker, seeming far below, rising to meet her. The thought of them following her into the chasm of her fate was more than she could stand.

“Go back,” she said, but by this time her throat was raw, her voice weak.

The man reached the landing and turned into another corridor.

Temporarily out of sight, her son yelled, “Mom!” His seven-year-old voice was almost lost in the shrillness of his panic. He appeared on the landing. His socked feet slipped on the hardwood floor and he went down. Behind him, his little sister stopped. She was frightened and confused, too young to do anything more than follow her brother. He clambered up and started to run again.

A hand gripped his shoulder, jarring him back.

The boy’s father had something in his fist: the lamp from his nightstand! He past the boy in the hallway. His bare feet gave him traction.

Thank God, she thought.

He reached her in seconds. With the lamp raised over his head, he grabbed her wrist. He pulled, tried to anchor himself to the floor, to the carpeted runner now covering the wood planks. But the brute under her walked on, tugging him with them. The man yanked on her arm. Pain flared in her shoulder. He might as well have tried pulling her from a car as it sped passed.

She caught a glimpse of the bizarrely shaped light fixtures on the corridor walls—mostly carved faces with glowing eyes. The bulbs flickered in time with her racing heart. She could not remember any of the lights doing that before. It was as though the electrical current running through the wires was responding to a disruption in the way things were supposed to be, a glitch in reality.

“Henry,” she said, pleading, hopeful.

His grip tightened as he stumbled along behind them. He brought the lamp’s heavy base down on her assailant. If the man carrying her flinched, she did not feel it. If he grunted or yelled out, she did not hear it.

What he did was stop. He spun around so quickly, the woman’s husband lost his grip on her. And now facing the other direction, she lost sight of him. Being suddenly denied her husband’s visage felt like getting the wind knocked out of her. She realized he was face to face with the man who’d taken her, and that felt like watching him step off a cliff.

“Nooo!” she screamed, her voice finding some volume. “Henry!”

His hand gripped her ankle, then broke free. The man under her moved in a violent dance, jostling her wildly. He spun again and her head struck the wall.

The lights went out completely . . . . but no, not the lights . . . her consciousness. It came back to her slowly, like the warmth of fire on a blistery day.

She tasted blood. She’d bitten her tongue. She opened her eyes. Henry was crumpled on the floor, receding as she was carried away. The children stood over him, touching him, calling him. Her son’s eyes found hers again. Determination hardened his jaw, pushed away the fear . . . at least a measure of it. He stepped over his father’s legs, coming to her rescue. Henry raised his head, weary, stunned. He reached for the boy, but missed.

Over the huffing breath of the man, the soft patter of her son’s feet reached her ears. How she’d loved that sound, knowing it was bringing him to her. Now she wanted it to carry him away, away from this danger. Her husband called to him in a croaking, strained voice. The boy kept coming.

She spread her arms. Her left hand clutched at open air, but the right one touched a wall. She clawed at it. Her nails snagged the wallpaper. One nail peeled back from her finger and snapped off.

Her assailant turned again, into a room—one of the small antechambers, like a mud room before the real room. He strode straight toward the next threshold.

Her son reached the first door, catching it as it was closing.

“Mom!” Panic etched old-man lines into his young face. His eyes appeared as wide as his mouth. He banged his shoulder on the jamb, trying to hurry in.

“Stay!” she said. She showed him her palms in a “stop” gesture, hoping he would understand, hoping he would obey. She took in his face, as a diver takes in a deep breath before plunging into the depths. He was fully in the antechamber now, reaching for her with both arms, but her captor had already opened the second door and was stepping through. The door was swinging shut behind him.

The light they were stepping into was bright. It swept around her, through the opening, and made pinpoints of the boy’s irises. His blue eyes dazzled. His cheeks glistened with tears. He wore his favorite pajamas—little R2D2s and C3P0s all over them, becoming threadbare and too small for him.

“I—“ she started, meaning to say she loved him, but the brute bounded downward, driving his shoulder into her stomach. Air rushed from her, unformed by vocal chords, tongue, lips. Just air.

“Moooom!” her son screamed. Full of despair. Reaching. Almost to the door.
“Mo—“

The door closed, separating her from her family forever.




1


Now

Saturday, 4:55 P.M.

“Nothing but trees,” the bear said in Xander’s voice. It repeated itself: “Nothing but trees.”

Xander King turned away from the car window and stared into the smiling furry face, with its shiny half-bead eyes and stitched-on nose. He said, “I mean it, Toria. Get that thing out of my face. And turn it off.”

His sister’s hands moved quickly over the teddy bear’s paws, all the while keeping it suspended three inches in front of Xander. The bear said, “I mean it, Toria. Get that—”

At fifteen years old, Xander was too old to be messing around with little-kid toys. He seized the bear, squeezing the paw that silenced it.

“Mom!” Toria yelled. ”Make him give Wuzzy back!” She grabbed for it.

Xander turned away from her, tucking Wuzzy between his body and the car door. Outside his window, nothing but trees—as he had said and Wuzzy had agreed. It reminded him of a movie, as almost everything did. This time, it was The Edge, about a bear intent on eating Anthony Hopkins. An opening shot of the wilderness where it was filmed showed miles and miles of lush forest. Nothing but trees.

A month ago, his dad had announced that he had accepted a position as principal of a school six hundred miles away, and the whole King family had to move from the only home Xander had ever known. It was a place he had never even heard of: Pinedale, almost straight north from their home in Pasadena. Still in California, but barely. Pinedale. The name itself said “hick,” “small,” and “If you don’t die here, you’ll wish you had.” Of course, he had screamed, begged, sulked, and threatened to run away. But in the end here he was, wedged in the back seat with his nine-year-old sister and twelve-year-old brother.

The longer they drove, the thicker the woods grew and the more miserable he became. It was bad enough, leaving his friends, his school—everything!—but to be leaving them for hicksville, in the middle of nowhere, was a stake through his heart.

“Mom!” Toria yelled again, reaching for the bear.

Xander squeezed closer to the door, away from her. He must have put pressure on the bear in the wrong place: It began chanting in Toria’s whiny voice: “Mom! Mom! Mom!”

He frantically squeezed Wuzzy’s paws, but could not make it stop.

“Mom! Mom! Mom!”

The controls in the bear’s arms weren’t working. Frustrated by its continuous one-word poking at his brain—and a little concerned he had broken it and would have to buy her a new one—he looked to his sister for help.

She wasn’t grabbing for it anymore. Just grinning. One of those see-what-happens-when-you-mess-with-me smiles.

“Mom! Mom! Mom!”

Xander was about to show her what happened when you messed with him—the possibilities ranged from a display of his superior vocal volume to ripping Mr. Wuzzy’s arms right off—when the absurdity of it struck him. He cracked up.

“I mean it,” he laughed. “This thing is driving me crazy.” He shook the bear at her. It continued yelling for their mother.

His brother David, who was sitting on the other side of Toria and who had been doing a good job of staying out of the fight, started laughing too. He mimicked the bear, who was mimicking their sister: “Mom! Mom! Mom!”

Mrs. King shifted around in the front passenger seat. She was smiling, but her eyes were curious.

“Xander broke Wuzzy!” Toria whined. “He won’t turn off.” She pulled the bear out of Xander’s hands.

The furry beast stopped talking: “Mo—” Then, blessed silence.

Toria looked from brother to brother and they laugh again.

Xander shrugged. “I guess he just doesn’t like me.”

“He only likes me,” Toria said, hugging it.

“Oh, brother,” David said. He went back to the PSP game that had kept him occupied most of the drive.

Mom raised her eyebrows at Xander and said, “Be nice.”

Xander rolled his eyes. He adjusted his shoulders and wiggled his behind, nudging Toria. “It’s too cramped back here. It may be an SUV, but it isn’t big enough for us anymore.”

“Don’t start that,” his father warned from behind the wheel. He angled the rearview mirror to see his son.

“What?” Xander said, acting innocent.

“I did the same thing with my father,” Dad said. “The car’s too small . . . it uses too much gas . . . it’s too run down . . . ”

Xander smiled. “Well, it is.”

“And if we get a new car, what should we do with this one?”

“Well . . . .” Xander said. “You know. It’d be a safe car for me.” A ten-year-old Toyota 4Runner wasn’t his idea of cool wheels, but it was transportation.

Dad nodded. “Getting you a car is something we can talk about, okay? Let’s see how you do.”

“I have my driver’s permit. You know I’m a good driver.”

“He is,” Toria chimed in.

David added, “And then he can drive us to school.”

“I didn’t mean just the driving,” Dad said. He paused, catching Xander’s eyes in the mirror. “I mean with all of this, the move and everything.”

Xander stared out the window again. He mumbled, “Guess I’ll never get a car, then.”

“Xander?” Dad said. “I didn’t hear that.”

“Nothing.”

“He said he’ll never get a car,” Toria said.

Silence. David’s thumbs clicked furiously over the PSP buttons. Xander was aware of his mom watching him. If he looked, her eyes would be all sad-like, and she would be frowning in sympathy for him. He thought maybe his dad was looking too, but only for an opportunity to explain himself again. Xander didn’t want to hear it. Nothing his old man said would make this okay, would make ripping him out of his world less awful than it was.

“Dad, is the school’s soccer team good? Did they place?” David asked. Xander knew his brother wasn’t happy about the move either, but jumping right into the sport he was so obsessed about went a long way toward making the change something he could handle. Maybe Xander was like that three years ago, just rolling with the punches. He couldn’t remember. But now he had things in his life David didn’t: friends who truly mattered, ones he thought he’d spend the rest of his life with. Kids didn’t think that way. Friends could come and go and they adjusted. True, Xander had known his current friends for years, but they hadn’t become like blood until the last year or so.

That got him thinking about Danielle. He pulled his mobile phone from his shirt pocket and checked it. No text messages from her. No calls. She hadn’t replied to the last text he’d sent. He keyed in another: “Forget me already? JK.” But he wasn’t Just Kidding. He knew the score: Out of sight, out of mind. She had said all the right things, like We’ll talk on the phone all the time; You come down and see me and I’ll come up to see you, okay? and I’ll wait for you.

Yeah, sure you will, he thought. Even during the past week, he’d sensed a coldness in her, an emotional distancing. When he’d told his best friend, Dean had shrugged. Trying to sound world-wise, he’d said, “Forget her, dude. She’s a hot young babe. She’s gotta move on. You too. Not like you’re married, right?” Dean had never liked Danielle.

Xander tried to convince himself she was just another friend he was forced to leave behind. But there was a different kind of ache in his chest when he thought about her. A heavy weight in his stomach.

Stop it! he told himself. He flipped his phone closed.

On his mental list of the reasons to hate the move to Pinedale, he moved on to the one titled “career.” He had just started making short films with his buddies, and was pretty sure it was something he would eventually do for a living. They weren’t much, just short skits he and his friends acted out. He and Dean wrote the scripts, did the filming, used computer software to edit an hour of video into five-minute films, and laid music over them. They had six already on YouTube—with an average rating of four-and-a-half stars and a boatload of praise. Xander had dreams of getting a short film into the festival circuit, which of course would lead to offers to do music videos and commercials, probably an Oscar and onto feature movies starring Russell Crowe and Jim Carrey. Pasadena was right next to Hollywood, a twenty-minute drive. You couldn’t ask for a better place to live if you were the next Steven Spielberg. What in God’s creation would he find to film in Pinedale? Trees, he thought glumly, watching them fly past his window.

Dad, addressing David’s soccer concern, said, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Mom reached through the seatbacks to shake Xander’s knee. “It’ll work out,” she whispered.

“Wait a minute,” David said, understanding Dad-talk as well as Xander did. “Are you saying they suck—or that they don’t have a soccer team? You told me they did!”

“I said later, Dae.” His nickname came from Toria’s inability as a toddler to say David. She had also called Xander Xan, but it hadn’t stuck.

David slumped down in his seat.

Xander let the full extent of his misery show on his face for his mother.

She gave his knee a shake, sharing his misery. She was good that way. “Give it some time,” she whispered. “You’ll make new friends and find new things to do. Wait and see.”

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Samson is a Christy Award-winning author of 19 books, including the Women of the Faith Novel of the Year, Quaker Summer. Lisa has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a talented novelist who isn't afraid to take risks."

In Embrace Me, the latest novel by acclaimed author Lisa Samson, readers are privy to the realization that regardless of outward appearances…hideous, attractive, or even ordinary…persons are all looking for the same things: love, forgiveness, and redemption.

This story explores a world that is neither comfortable nor safe, a world that people like Valentine know all too well. Masterfully crafted by Samson and populated by her most compelling cast of characters yet. It is a tale of forgiveness that extends into all spheres of life: forgiving others, forgiving oneself, forgiving the past.

She lives in Lexinton, Kentucky, with her husband and three kids.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Biting and gentle, hard-edged and hopeful...a beautiful fable of love and power, hiding and seeking, woundedness and redemption.

When a "lizard woman," a self-mutilating preacher, a tattooed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster...and improbably close to grace.

Valentine, due to her own drastic self-disfigurement, ahs very few friends in this world and, it appears as if she may be destined to spend the rest of her life practically alone. But life gives her one good friend, Lella, whose own handicap puts her in the same freakish category as Valentine. As part of Roland's Wayfaring Marvel and Oddities Show, a traveling band of misfits, they seem to have found their niches in an often curiously cruel world.

Residing in a world where masks are mandatory, Valentine has a hard time removing hers, because of her disfigured face but more so because of her damaged soul. It is much easier for her to listen endlessly to different versions of a favorite song, Embraceable You, and escape reality. Yet, life has more in store for her when she meets Augustine, replete with the tattoos, dreadlocks, and his own secrets. With his arrival, Valentine's soul takes a turn.

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


Embrace Me by Lisa Samson
ISBN-10: 1595542108
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: March 4, 2008
$10.39 from Amazon.com


Purchase Embrace Me by Lisa Samson HERE!!!

Monday, May 19, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia Goyer is the author of twelve books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children's book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today's Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana .

Don't forget to drop by her website at http://triciagoyer.com or take a peek into her life and see what she is up today at http://triciagoyer.com/blogs.html


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

Battles heat up…not only those being waged by the soldiers on both sides fighting for Spain, but in the hearts and minds of the men and women who must sacrifice more than their dreams to save the lives of their loved ones.

In this meticulously researched novel, brave and idealistic Sophie, Philip, Jose, and Deion realize their only hope for freedom is escaping Spain 's borders.

By continuing the story of this band of volunteers during the Spanish Civil War, A Whisper of Freedom proves that there are whispers of hope and liberty that resonate through even the darkest night.


EXCERPT:

Read CHAPTER ONE of the book, A Whisper of Freedom by Tricia Goyer HERE!


THE BOOK TRAILER

Watch the trailer in hi-res video format HERE!

A Whisper of Freedom by Tricia Goyer
ISBN-10: 0802467695
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Release Date: February 1, 2008
Genre: Historical Fiction
$11.04 from Amazon.com


Purchase A Whisper of Freedom by Tricia Goyer HERE!!!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Robinsons 3-day Back to School Sale on May 16 (up to midnight), 17, and 18: Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Metro East, Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Place Pioneer

Topshop: up to 50% on selected items until supplies last

Dorothy Perkins: up to 50% on selected items until supplies last

Wallis: up to 50% on selected items until supplies last

Rajo Laurel Birthday Sale: all Rajo Laurel items will be marked down from 15% to 90% off until May 31. Call 896-9884 or 895-5688 loc 88 and look for Jem, Mylene, or Matet for inquiries.

Rustan’s Annual Summer Sale: May 15 to 21, up to 70% off on selected items

Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall: up to 50% off on selections mallwide from May 16 to 18

Market! Market! sale: countless deals mall-wide from May 16 to May 18

Mexx ongoing sale until June 30: 2/F Mall of Asia, G/F Greenbelt 3, 3/F TriNoma

Aldo: up to 60% on selected footwear until May 31

VNC: up to 60% on selected footwear until supplies last

Tree House: selected shoes on sale until May 31. Visit thetreehouse.multiply.com for more details.

CONTEST ALERT: Scroll to the bottom of this post to find out how to enter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

D.C. Stewart grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, and spent most of her childhood getting into trouble with her younger brother on their ranch. She began writing short stories in high school, and won a writing competition at a nearby college at age 17. After graduating, she attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University and earned a degree in History, and also met her husband, Scott. She worked for a church in Maumelle, Arkansas as the Communications Coordinator for five years. After moving back to Oklahoma, she chose to stay home with their four year old twin boys, and six month old baby girl, and to pursue her dream of being a full-time writer. The Stewart’s live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Where Would Cows Hide? is her first novel.


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 it's all I've ever wanted to do, so I guesss that also answers the question about wanting to write when I was younger or later in life. Definitely since I was young, like in elementary school.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
With divine intervention. Having three children under the age of five requires a lot of flexibility and patience, especially if I want to get any writing done. I steal moments during the day, like nap time or when my sons are in preschool, to write. But it also means I have to set the writing aside for a time, even when I don't want to, in order to care for my family.

Why do you write the stories that you write?
I guess because I don't know any other types of stories to write. I love adventures, and was inspired by my own children to write the kind of books I thought they might enjoy when they got older, and the kind of books I loved as a kid.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Oh, that's a hard question. As an ego-maniac, obsessive, perfectionist writer I would say ALL my characters are my favorite. But if I have to choose one, I'm going to go with...the bad guy! As a writer it's fun to write a horrible, mean, evil character because you know in the end he's going to get caught and justice will be served.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
No way! You couldn't drag me into the spotlight with a team of wild horses! I prefer working behind the scene.

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
Love your family, and if you're going to have an adventure, make sure to include God. The faith journey is the greatest adventure of all!

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Read, read, read, and write, write, write. Unlike riding a bike, you do get rusty and forget if you don't keep your writing skills sharpened every day.

Who are your favorite authors?
Another hard question. I have sooo many. Bill Wallace was my favorite author when I was in elementary school. In junior high and high school I loved R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike. I also discovered Dean Koontz in junior high, and I would have to say he is still my favorite to this day. And in the CBA, too many to count...Kristen Billerbeck, Camy Tang, Brandilyn Collins, Mary Conneally, Margaret Daley. This list could go on and on.

What are you reading right now?
I have two books going right now: Buried Secrets by Margaret Daley and Leaper by Geoffrey Wood.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

The Parker twins, Brad and Charlie, didn't want to join their parents on vacation in Hawaii. A little sister can be annoying, but little sister, Zoey, was over the top. "The three of us aren't going to Hawaii," she told them. Her parents were shocked by her statement even though it was true. This was not the first time Zoey offered surprising knowledge of future events, nor would it be the last. Arriving at their grandparent's cattle ranch in Oklahoma, the twins learn of the disappearance of cattle from the ranch. This knowledge would set of a series of events that would challenge any detective. There were the mysterious neighbors, the strange lady at church, a psychic lazy dog, and a weird little sister to keep the twins totally confused in their efforts to solve this strange mystery.


Where Would Cows Hide? by by D. C. Stewart
ISBN-10: 0373896034
Publisher: Baker Trittin Press
Release Date: March 10, 2008
Genre: Tween Fiction
$9.65 from Amazon.com






Author D.C. Stewart is giving you a chance to win a copy of WHERE WOULD COWS HIDE?, and more! Here’s how to enter for a copy of WWCH and to enter the grand prize drawing:

1) leave a comment on this blog post (or on any of the blogs participating in the blog tour);

2) email the contest coordinator at contest@novelinspirations.com with subject line “WWCH ENTRY”;

3) join D.C. Stewart’s ezine list by either sending a blank email to: dcstewart_ezine-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dcstewart_ezine and subscribing through the yahoogroups page.

Book winners and the GRAND PRIZE WINNER will be drawn on or before May 31st, 2008 and will be notified by email. Please make sure you leave a valid email address on applicable blog posts.


Purchase Where Would Cows Hide? by by D. C. Stewart HERE!!!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy-Award-winning Songbird. Finding Hollywood
Nobody is the second book in the Hollywood series. Lisa is the mother of three children. To learn more, visit www.lisasamson.typepad.com.



INTERVIEW:

Q. Discovering who you are is a major theme in Finding Hollywood Nobody. Scotty feels compelled to learn more about her real parents when she discovers that her ?mother? is really her grandmother and that her parents were likely killed in a mafia-style shootout. What do you think principally defines who we are ? genetics & family or how we see ourselves?

A. Being no expert in such things, I really couldn't say. There are way too many stories of twins separated at birth, growing up in very different homes, who end up living very similar lives. So I'd say genetics plays a large part. But just look and see what happens to people who are raised with many more advantages than those who aren't. So family as well as social standing hold a lot of sway as well. And then . . . how we see ourselves is a large part, especially how we see ourselves in light of God. Do we really believe God loves us? So can I answer yes to all three? I think we tend to get in trouble when we try and reduce the human psyche to one principle issue, anyway. As the Bible says, "we are fearfully and wonderfully made."

Q. What would you recommend to people in a similar situation as Scotty either through adoption or other circumstances? In your opinion - is finding your genetic heritage worth risking everything?

A. I wouldn't recommend anything! I think every situation is different and I would recommend commiting the matter of finding one's biological parent to intense prayer before even thinking of making a move. Let the Spirit guide above all else.

Q. What was your inspiration behind the Hollywood Nobody series?

A. I I just wanted to write a fun series. There are a lot of good series out there with teens in a more typical home situation, with either one parent around or two, living in a town, going to school, dealing with friends. But I wanted to remove my main character from the everyday world teens find themselves in and see what she did. I'm fascinated by what happens in Hollywood so setting it in that world, but on its edges, was something interesting for me. I swear, there are times I read what's happening to some of these young actresses and singers and can hardly believe my ears. I wanted to be able to explore a teenage girl's reaction to some of these foibles.

Q. What can you tell us about what?s in store for Scotty in Book 3?

A. Scotty finds some romance! As does Charley. And, of course, Seth "hottie" Haas, finds himself feeling a little threatened! The search for her mother continues full force. The book takes place in the mountains surrounding Asheville, North Carolina on the set of a Scottish epic film. Lots of guys in kilts. i'm just sayin'!



ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

For 15-year-old Scotty Dawn, life's beginning to resemble a movie! She recently learned that her film-industry mom is actually her grandmother, and that her father was killed by the mob. With the hit man still at large, Scotty hides on a Hollywood lot, where she battles fear and loneliness and discovers the life-changing power of prayer.

THEMES OF THE BOOK:

Finding identity. Teen Pregnancy. Exploring faith for the first time. Learning to listen to the Holy Spirit. Encountering new environments. Discovering the courage to act on your convictions.


Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
ISBN-10: 1600062016
Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group
Release Date: February 15, 2008
$9.61 from Amazon.com


Purchase Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson HERE!!!

It's May 15th, time for the Non~FIRST blog tour! Every 15th, we will featuring an author and his/her latest non~fiction book's FIRST chapter!

Multnomah Books (April 15, 2008)

Alex and Brett Harris founded TheRebelution.com in August 2005 and today at age 19 are the most popular Christian teen writers on the Web. The twins are frequent contributors to Focus on the Family’s Boundless webzine, serve as the main speakers for the Rebelution Tour conferences, and have been featured in WORLD magazine, Breakaway, The Old Schoolhouse, and the New York Daily News. Sons of homeschool pioneer Gregg Harris and younger brothers of best-selling author Joshua Harris (I Kissed Dating Goodbye), Alex and Brett live near Portland, Oregon.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams, a homeschool mom, and a self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books, including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.






ABOUT THE BOOK:

Facing a new threat.
When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara weren’t retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.

Frozen in fear.
Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission–beating cancer when she can, easing her patients’ suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of God’s healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?

Faith under fire.
As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?

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


Healing Promises by Amy Wallace
ISBN-10: 1601420102
Publisher: Multnomah Publishers
Release Date: April 15, 2008
$9.61 from Amazon.com


Purchase Healing Promises by Amy Wallace HERE!!!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

You Can Have More In Life!

Life coach, Misty Taggart is here to help. She says, " Nothing in your life will ever change if you don't stop long enough to discover your dream ... find your passion. Look at the possibilities. And make a plan of action!"

Tomorrow doesn't have to be like yesterday! Rather than looking back, take the time to look at what your tomorrows can be based on the changes you make today.

Discover a new way to look at your life and uncover the possibilities open to you. The only one giving up on you ... is you!

Misty will partner with you to cheer you on to change and challenge you to reach your potential. As a Certified Christian Life Coach who specializes in guiding women through change and challenges, she's offering you a very special, limited opportunity.

The Question Is: Are you courageous enough to reach out and take it? Misty believes you can do it, through the power and strength of Christ within you.

Experience 4 1-hour POSSIBILITIES BOOTCAMP Life Coaching Sessions with Misty and see for yourself what coaching feels like and what it can do for you! This offer is only for those who are new to Misty's Life Coaching. You will be in a group of other women who, like you, want more from their lives. And the best part? You will have one-on-one time with Misty each week.

You will enjoy one-on-one coaching from Misty ... as you find out the joy and marvelous life changing experience of being part of a Christian Life Coaching Group.

You will have a choice of times, there will be a morning and evening sessions. DON'T MISS THIS EXCITING OPPORTUNITY! You'll be amazed at what you will learn in only 4 weeks. Misty will help you set very doable goals Misty based on your dreams, and then she will provide you with step-by-step challenges to help you make these goals become reality in your life.

What you will receive:

* 4 1-hour Coaching Sessions with Misty
* Christian Journaling e-Workbook, written by Misty
* Misty's 40-minute audio workshop

All for just $75. That's less than $20 a week, for a customized personalized life coach!

All of Misty's Christian Life Coaching Groups meet on BRIDGE telephone lines. You can access the sessions on any telephone. Space is limited. (You can choose your class day and time when you speak with Misty.)

TO REGISTER NOW -
http://www.ordinarywoman.com/TASTEYOURNEWLIFE.html

What Katy P. says:
I felt so ordinary, before I met Misty Taggart. When she talks about our lives as women, it's as if she knows me personally and can read my mind. More importantly, it's as if she can read my heart. Her life coaching skills have helped me change my perspective to realize I may be an ordinary woman, but I have an extraordinary God!

Kathleen V. says:
"I would have never known how marvelous it is to have a Christian Life Coach if I hadn't tried it. I love it. Misty's Coaching has given me the impetus to get going on things that I knew I needed to do. I'm just generally feeling better about me and my tomorrows."

Evelyn R. says:
Misty's Coaching is so action orientated. After every call, I know what I'm going to do to achieve my goals! I'm really seeing such progress each week. That's what I needed, a PLAN.

To sign up for this latest teleworkshop,or to learn more about Ordinary Woman/
Extraordinary God, go to: http://www.ordinarywoman.com

Friday, May 09, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MARK ANDREW OLSEN whose novel The Assignment was a Christy Award finalist, also collaborated on bestsellers Hadassah (now the major motion picture: One Night With the King), The Hadassah Covenant, and Rescued. His last novel was the supernatural thriller The Watchers.

The son of missionaries to France, Mark is a Professional Writing graduate of Baylor University. He and his wife, Connie, live in Colorado Springs with their three children.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

BLURB:

A failed recon mission deep in the tunnels of Afghanistan has provoked a demonic onslaught that had been brewing for centuries. The mission's sole survivor is reformed black ops assassin Dylan Hatfield, and he once again teams up with Abby Sherman, now at the helm of the Watchers, an ancient spiritual force. Uncovering and preventing a secret wave of death whispered across cyberspace and threatening to be unleash against civilization will require another level of spiritual power and expertise--the Warriors.

Journeying across the Alps of Europe through the multilayered history of warfare in the unseen world, Dylan and Abby uncover an age-old stone engraving that rouses the church's Warriors to action, placing them dead center in one of the fiercest spiritual battles of their time!

And once again they are reminded: This is all part of a vast and perpetual war, a war beyond all human conflicts, one that has engulfed heaven and earth since before the dawn of history....

Abby Sherman is headed back to Israel, where a Watcher, the Sentinel of Jerusalem, lies dying. In her last breaths the old woman tells Abby of an ancient document prophesying humanity's full-scale entry into the ongoing conflict between armies of heaven and fallen angels.

Dylan Hatfield has decided to answer a summons from his old boss and join a secret operation, its mission to reconnoiter the Afghani tunnel complex from which Osama bin Laden escaped in 2001. What he discovers sears his very soul and likely will end his life.

Abby learns of the peril facing Dylan, and she sends out a call for intercession on his behalf. Her frantic email message sets in motion a series of harrowing events, propelling the two on a new mission and quest--one where the stakes are the lives of millions!

The Warriors is packed with high-octane action, featuring exotic international locales, with characters in a clash against spiritual "principalities and powers" with eternal consequences, The Warriors is a story that will enthrall, enlighten, and engage its readers.

If that piques your interest, you can read the first chapter HERE...


REVIEWS:

"Olsen, one of the better writers in this subgenre, delivers powerful, action-packed plots that delve into mystical paranormal worlds."
~~ Library Journal, Feb. 2008

"Olsen delivers an entertaining thriller likely to be enjoyed especially by fans of the spiritual warfare genre."
~~ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY



The Warriors by Mark Andrew Olsen
ISBN-10: 076420274X
Publisher: Bethany House
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
$13.59 from Amazon.com


Purchase The Warriors by Mark Andrew Olsen HERE!!!

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

COMMENT on this post for a chance to win a copy of Meghan Rose Has a Secret by Lori Z. Scott.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Lori Z. Scott has published over fifty short stories, devotions, puzzles, poems, and articles for children, teens, and adults in publications such as Focus on Your Child, MOMSense Magazine, Spirit Led Writer, Pockets, and Devozine. She is the author of Busy Moms’ Devotions to Go and four Meghan Rose titles. In addition, Lori has contributed to over a dozen books including Real Moms, Cup of Comfort Book of Prayers, and 2007 Eppie Award winner InfiniteSpace, Infinite God.

A graduate of Wheaton College, Lori has worked with children for over twenty years, both as a teacher in the classroom and as a volunteer for local churches, museums, and schools. When she’s not busy driving her two children to various church, sporting, and artistic activities, she moonlights as a speaker for women’s groups and schools.


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 suspect that most people secretly harbor a dream of writing a book. The idea seems irresistibly romantic. Growing up, I wanted to write either a picture book or a cartoon strip, but as I pursued a teaching career, I let my unspoken yearnings pass by like seeds in the wind.

It was after teaching elementary school for nine years and then retiring to raise my children that writing reentered my life. One day when the kids and I were at the library and I saw a flyer for an amateur science fiction/ fantasy writing contest. For some reason—perhaps rekindled desire—I decided to enter…and in the process of writing my tale, something sparked to life in my heart. My pulse raced, my mind wandered, and a whole new world opened up to me! I was hooked.

I won second place in that contest. Encouraged by my success, I entered a MOPS International story writing contest…and WON! After that, I joined a writer’s group, started learning more about the publishing industry, and eventually landed a contract for my children’s fiction series.

What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike?
Because I love kids, I love visiting schools and talking to kids about my books. I show children a few drawing tricks and teach them how to develop writing ideas, but most of all we just have fun. Sharing my stories and encouraging children to share theirs is one of the things I love most about being an author.

Believe it or not, I also love revising. I have a lot of fun playing with words. I can spend hours on a single poem!

I dislike not having a set schedule to write. I work full time, so finding time to write often proves difficult. And yet I can’t stop. Ergo, sleep has become a luxury.

How do you balance your personal and writing time?
I’m a mommy first, a teacher second, and a writer third. Sometimes those priorities shift when I face a deadline, but I try to keep the main thing—my faith and family—the main thing.

That means I do most of my writing from ten until midnight each night and take advantage of my children’s play dates to write some more! Some days I focus on just one aspect of the whole writing package—like reading Writer’s Digest to keep on top of the industry or marketing my books in some way.

How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story?
Wow. That varies for me. For the Meghan Rose books, I often start with a title. The title gives me an idea for an overall theme, and from there I write out a loose outline with two or three sentences explaining each chapter I anticipate writing. Once that’s done, I start with chapter one and work my way to the end.

However, I often find that as I write the characters take over and the original plot changes. I’m not above taking a story in a whole new and unanticipated direction.

For poetry or puzzles or jokes, I’ll often brainstorm a list of related words. Then I play with my list and see what kind of connections I can make.

I do a more detailed outlining when I write articles. That’s because in general I’m not much of a non-fiction writer, so I need that structure to keep me focused.

What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?
Although I call myself a children’s author, I’ve actually done quite a bit of devotional writing. I’ve contributed to over a dozen books, many of those devotional in nature. My first published book was a devotional book called Busy Moms’ Devotions to Go. And I’m a regular contributor to DevoZine, a devotional magazine for teenagers. If you google my name, several of these entries come up.

I have also written some science fiction. I contributed a story to 2007 Eppie Award winning sci-fi book Infinite Space, Infinite God.

But overall, my teaching experience and my love of comic book heroes makes me best suited to write children’s stories.

What is the biggest misconception about being an author?
Most people think authors make a large amount of money. Maybe some do, but I’m certainly not one of them! I write because I love writing…but I keep my day job.

Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?
This is a tough question to answer because I think whether or not I have a real person in mind when I create a character, there’s still a little bit of me in all of them. In the Meghan Rose Series for example, a lot of my personality is reflected in the teacher, Mrs. Arnold. Then Ryan shows the jokester side of me, Kayla has the goofy side, Lynette has the rule-following, show-off side, and Meghan’s Mom has the practical side. The Meghan character herself is about 80 percent of the “real” Meghan, 10 percent of me and my creative musings, and 10 percent total fiction.

Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why?
Hmmm. Well, the first character I remember creating was Super Cat. I sketched a whole Super Cat cartoon series up and down the margins of my high school science notebook (and still got an A in class). Super Cat was never fully developed, but he still managed to show up in my first publication for MOPS International, my first children’s short story publication, and in the Meghan Rose series. I hope someday my illustrator and I can bring him to life.

In the Meghan Rose series, I have several favorites. Meghan, of course, is number one just because she’s based on my daughter. But Kayla and Ryan crack me up and give the books a fun slant, so I love them too. Even so, Meghan takes the cake.

If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie?
If I could, I’d have my own children do the acting. They are both involved in the local children’s theater! In fact, it would be fun to have the whole theater group on stage just because I know them all.

But if I had to go Hollywood…hmmm…is there a younger version of Miley Cyrus available?

What would you want readers to take away from your books?
I wanted my stories to do more than entertain. Although I want readers to laugh a lot, I want them to learn something too. That’s why each book has a message that is very subtle but still evident. While Meghan Rose on Stage! talks about discovering your talents, it’s ultimately about friendship. Meghan Rose Has Ants in Her Pants explores the idea of patience—a difficult area for most kids to deal with. The newest two books—Meghan Rose All Dressed Up and Meghan Rose Has a Secret—address inner beauty and kind words. But none of the stories are preachy. They are heavy on the humor and very, VERY light on the lesson…yet neither quality is lost on the child.

Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book?
Join a critique group or an online writer’s group. Then read an article I wrote with tips for new writers. http://www.spiritledwriter.com/jun07/news.html

Who are your favorite authors?
I have a LOT of favorite authors! In children’s general market picture-type books, I like Helen Lester, Mark Teague, Helen Oxenbury, Graeme Base, Shel Silverstein, Doreen Cronin, Chris VanAllsburg, David Wiesner, Dav Pilky, Kevin Henkes, and Jan Brett. For general market chapter books I like Lemony Snicket, Mary Osborne Pope, Ron Roy, Eoin Colfer, and Cornelia Funke.

In children’s Christian market picture-type books, I like VeggieTales, Max Lucado, Angela Elwell Hunt, and Michelle Medlock Adams. In the Christian chapter book market I like J.R.R. Tolkien, Bryan Davis, Bill Myers, R.K. Mortensen, and C.S. Lewis. My favorite adult Christian writers include Ted Dekker, Randy Ingermanson, and Dorothy Sayers.

I also have my favorite author friends who have been a great encouragement to me…Carolyn Scheidies, Jewel Sample, and Trish Berg.

What are you reading right now?
I enjoy reading YA novels. I think the most recent books I’ve read include Nim’s Island, which my daughter was reading, and Where the Red Fern Grows.


ABOUT THE BOOKS:

This new series from Standard Publishing introduces Meghan Rose, the bounciest first-grader in the world! Young readers will share Meghan’s adventures, laugh, and learn important life lessons. Each title also includes a bonus section with discussion starters and fun activity ideas.





Meghan Rose on Stage!

Meghan Rose wants to take part in the school talent show, but she can’t sing or dance or even burp very well. Will her braggy classmate Lynette steal the show?

Purchase the book   HERE!!!










Meghan Rose Has Ants in Her Pants

Meghan Rose wants a pair of gravity defying shoes called Kangaroozies, and she just can’t wait to get them. How will she deal with the ants in her pants?

Purchase the book   HERE!!!









Meghan Rose Gets All Dressed Up

Meghan Rose doesn’t own Pickle brand socks, Pickle brand shirts, or Pickle brand ANYTHING. How can she be pretty for picture day wearing her plain old clothes?

Purchase the book   HERE!!!










Meghan Rose Has a Secret

Meghan Rose buys a nice diary at the school book fair, but writes some not-so-nice secret thoughts about her friends in it. What will happen if her friends find out?

Purchase the book   HERE!!!






Meghan Rose Series by Lori Z. Scott
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrator: Stacy Curtis
Publisher: Standard Publishing Company

posted by Rachelle
at 10:02 PM

4 Comments

Friday, May 02, 2008

The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jenny B. Jones is the author of A Katie Parker Production series. The other books in the series are In Between and On The Loose. Though now an adult, she still relates to the trauma and drama of teen life. She is thrilled to see her writing dreams come true, as her previous claim to fame was singing the Star Spangled Banner at a mule-jumping championship. (The mules were greatly inspired.)

Jenny resides in Arkansas, where, as a teacher, she hangs out with teens on a regular basis.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Sometimes there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy—and Katie Parker is walking it.

School is winding down for the summer but Katie Parker is having a bad day. After leaving the drive-in, where her imploding love life was the main attraction, Katie arrives home to a big surprise on the Scott's front porch.

Her mother, Bobbie Ann Parker, a former convict and recovering addict, wants to take Katie away from her family, friends, and church. Now Katie's life will be changed by a series of dramatic choices as she struggles to understand what family and home really means.

Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving behind a family who loves her, a town drive-in to save, and a boyfriend who suddenly can’t take his eyes off his ex. When the life her mother promised begins to sink faster than one of Maxine’s stuffed bras, Katie knows she needs to rely on God to keep it together.

But where is he in all this? Can Katie survive a chaotic life with her mother—and one without the Scotts? And if God is there, will he come through before it’s too late?

A Katie Parker Production series offers teen girls real-world fiction balanced by hope and humor. The The Big Picture helps us realize that the difficult chapters in our journey are only part of God's big story for our lives.

You can read the first chapter HERE

"A heroine to love. Jones just gets better with every book, and The Big Picture is her best one yet."
~BARBARA WARREN, author of The Gathering Storm


"Such inspiration in a package of fun and faith!"
~EVA MARIE EVERSON, author of The Potluck Club series


The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
ISBN-10: 1600062083
Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group
Release Date: April 15, 2008
$10.39 from Amazon.com


Purchase The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones HERE!!!

posted by Rachelle
at 6:53 PM

0 Comments