Julie Lessman is a debut author who has already garnered writing acclaim, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She is a commercial writer for Maritz Travel, a published poet and a Golden Heart Finalist. Julie has a heart to write “Mainstream Inspirational,” reaching the 21st-century woman with compelling love stories laced with God’s precepts. She resides in Missouri with her husband and their golden retriever, and has two grown children and a daughter-in-law. A Passion Most Pure was her first novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
No man can resist her charms. Or so she thought. Charity O'Connor is a woman who gets what she wants. Her stunning beauty and flirtatious ways have always succeeded with men. Until Mitch Dennehy, that is.
Brilliant and dangerously handsome, Mitch is a no-nonsense newspaperman who wants nothing to do with her. Charity burned him once, destroying his engagement to the only woman he ever truly loved. He won't play with matches again. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat, hoping to ignite the heart of the man she loves. And she always gets what she wants--one way or another.
Or does she? Will her best-laid schemes win his love? Or will her seductive ways drive him away forever? Book 2 in the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Redeemed will captivate your heart and stir your soul with a story of faith and redemption rising from the ashes of temptation, desire, and shame.
Praise for the first book in the series:
"Full of romance, humor, rivalry, and betrayal, A Passion Most Pure will captivate readers from the first page." --Historical Novels Review "Superb! Incredible!
"I loved Julie Lessman's A Passion Most Pure from the second I picked it up until the very last moment I stopped reading." --Armchair Interviews
"I devoured this book and loved every single page. . . . This is a thick, juicy read, and one I would pick up again in a heartbeat." --christianreviewofbooks.com
Lori Copeland lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. Lance and Lori have three sons, two daughter-in-laws, and five wonderful grandchildren. They are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market. In 1995 after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him. It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market. To date, she has more than 95 books published including Now And Always and Bluebonnet Belle.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Texas, 1865 Willow Madison and her friends, Copper and Audrey taught school in neighboring Texas communities until the Yankees rode into the area and burned them out. In the midst of fear and chaos, survivors banded together to fight for what remained of their homes. Then word reached the people that the terrible war was over.
Now penniless but still hopeful, Willow vows she will take care of her friends, Copper and Audrey, and her ailing uncle, in Thunder Ridge, Texas, even if it means having to marry wealthy Silas Sterling, a man thirty years her senior. But standing in her way is handsome sawmill owner Tucker Gray, with his enticing eyes and infuriating headstrong manner—the man Willow cannot get out of her head . . . or her heart. Even though her friends beg her not to give up her dream of happiness, Willow is determined to do the right thing for those who are dearest to her. But which path does God want Willow to take: a life of duty and commitment . . . or a life of everlasting love?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Twice Loved, go HERE
Twice Loved by Lori Copeland ISBN-10: 0061364916 Publisher: Avon Inspire Release Date: July 22, 2008 $10.36 from Amazon.com
Dandi Daley Mackall has published more than 400 books for children and adults, with more than 3 million combined copies sold. She is the author of WaterBrook’s two other delightful Dandilion Rhymes books, A Gaggle of Geese & A Clutter of Cats and The Blanket Show. A popular keynote speaker at conferences and Young Author events, Mackall lives in rural Ohio with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of horses, dogs, and cats.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
David Hohn is an award-winning illustrator who graduated with honors from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He has worked as both a staff artist and an art director for a children’s software company in Portland , Oregon , a position which led to his art directing an award-winning project for Fisher-Price. Hohn’s recent projects include Lisa Tawn Bergren’s God Gave Us Christmas.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.
Steeped in Hickman’s trademark humor, her spare writing voice, and the bittersweet pathos of the South, Painted Dresses powerfully captures a woman’s desperate longing to uncover a hidden, broken life and discover the liberty of living authentically, even when the things exposed are shrouded in shame.
If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE
Painted Dresses by Patricia Hickman ISBN-10: 1400071992 Publisher: WaterBrook Press Release Date: July 15, 2008 $11.19 from Amazon.com
Purchase Painted Dresses by Patricia Hickman HERE!!!
Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than one million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Heaven is Lisa’s fourth children’s book, following in the tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She makes her home in Colorado , with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:
Laura J. Bryant studied painting, printmaking, and sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore . She has illustrated numerous award-winning children’s books, including God Gave Us You, Smudge Bunny, and If You Were My Baby. Laura lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Little Cub awakens one morning with some important questions on her mind: What is heaven like? How do we get there? Will we eat in heaven? Will we be angels?
During a delightful day spent wandering their arctic world, Papa gently answers each question, assuring Little Cub that heaven is a wonderful place, “a million times better” than she can imagine. He explains how God has made a way for those who love him to enter their heavenly home forever after their lives on earth are over.
Reuniting the best-selling author-illustrator team from God Gave Us You, this gentle story provides satisfying answers for a young child’s most difficult questions about heaven. Parents, grandparents, childcare professionals, librarians, Sunday school teachers, and others will appreciate the gentle approach to a topic that’s on the minds of so many “little cubs.”
Through captivating, full-color illustrations and tender, biblically sound storytelling, young readers and those who love them will find reasons to rejoice in knowing that God Gave Us Heaven.
REVIEW:
"God Gave Us Heaven" is the perfect story to tell children about heaven and everything in between. It uses simple terms and cute, cuddly characters in full-color illustrated presentation, that children can easily identify with. It's a storybook that not only educates children about the place called "heaven" but also prepares them in mind and at heart. It reassures them that there's a special place for children where only love, peace and overwhelming joy abound.
This book is great when first introducing the Bible to a kid; or if trying to comfort a sick child or a child with disability; or a child who just lost someone or something dear. Also great as a bedtime story or a Sunday Church Children's ministry story. Highly recommended as a gift for children and families with kids ages 3-8!
God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa Tawn Bergren ISBN-10: 1400074460 Publisher: WaterBrook Press Release Date: August 19, 2008 $8.54 from Amazon.com
Purchase God Gave Us Heaven by Lisa Tawn Bergren HERE!!!
Matt Bronleewe is a recognized producer, songwriter and author. The former member of the band Jars of Clay, has earned numerous awards producing and co-writing albums that have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. His songs have recently been recorded by Disney pop sensations Aly & AJ, American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, and more. Bronleewe has worked with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Michael W. Smith, International pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Bronleewe was raised on a farm in Kansas, where he lived until he left for college in 1992. At Greenville College in Illinois, Bronleewe formed the band Jars of Clay with his dorm roommate and two neighbors, and the group soon found success. Though Bronleewe opted to leave Jars of Clay early on to pursue an academic career, he soon found himself in Nashville, co-writing, producing, and playing music professionally.
To add to his list of accomplishments, Bronleewe has expanded his love of story telling beyond music into authorship. He is currently penning a 5 book series for Thomas Nelson Fiction. His first book Illuminated began the adventurous series about rare manuscripts and the mysteries within.
Bronleewe currently resides in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife and three children. He continues to write and produce music, and he also volunteers through his church to help disadvantaged youth in the community. Bronleewe enjoys reading, taste-testing good food and watching sports, as well as indulging his interests in art, architecture, design and science.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden . . . or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.
More than ten years he spent writing for various websites, including About.com, CMCentral.com, and Infuze Magazine, which is a unique intersection between art and faith which he also conceived of and created.
One of his more "high concept" ideas for Infuze was to return to his love for storytelling and create a serialized tale that would play out every two weeks, telling a complete, compelling story over the course of nine months. That serialized story eventually came to the attention of several publishers, who saw it as a potential debut novel for Robin Parrish.
In 2005, Bethany House Publishers brought Robin full circle by contracting him for the rights to not only that first book, Relentless -- but two sequels including Fearless and Merciless. A trilogy that unfolded in the consecutive summers of 2006, 2007, and this year, 2008. One massive tale -- of which that first, original story would form only the foundational first volume of the three -- spread across three books.
Robin Parrish is a journalist who's written about pop culture for more than a decade. Currently he serves as Senior Editor at XZOOSIA.com, a community portal that fuses social networking with magazine-style features about entertainment and culture. He and his wife, Karen and son live in North Carolina.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The world as we know it has ENDED. DEATH and CHAOS creep across the globe and only the POWERLESS can RISE UP to stop it.
But can anything stop the onslaught of the DARKWORLD
From the earth's depths crawls a figure with skin like granite, flames for eyes, and the face of Grant Borrows. Oblivion has arrived.
Every clock around the world has stopped. Time has frozen.
The Secretum have fulfilled the prophecy, unleashing on earth the most powerful being to walk the earth in thousands of years. His name is Oblivion and his touch is death.
He can't be slowed. He can't be stopped. And he can't be killed.
But as long as any live who trust in hope and love and freedom, the fight is not over.
They have only one chance before he brings forth the Darkworld.
Oblivion is: Merciless
"Robin Parrish is the kind of writer who understands how to entertain from the word go. His stories are sure to shape fiction for years to come." ~TED DEKKER, author of ADAM
If you would like to read the first chapter of Merciless, go HERE
Merciless by Robin Parrish ISBN-10: 0764201794 Publisher: Bethany House Release Date: July 1, 2008 $13.59 from Amazon.com
Dean Barkley Briggs is an author, father of eight, and prone to twisting his ankle playing basketball. He grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ursila K. Leguin, Susan Cooper, Madeline L'Engle, Terry Brooks, Andre Norton and Lloyd Alexander (just to name a few)...and generally thinks most fantasy fiction pales in comparison. (Yes, he dabbled in sci-fi, too. Most notably Bradbury, Burroughs and Heinlein).
After losing his wife of 16 years, Briggs decided to tell a tale his four sons could relate to in their own journey through loss. Thus was born The Legends of Karac Tor, a sweeping adventure of four brothers who, while struggling to adjust to life without mom, become enmeshed in the crisis of another world. Along the way they must find their courage, face their pain, and never quit searching for home.
Briggs is remarried to a lovely woman, who previously lost her husband. Together with her four children, their hands are full.
Product Details
List Price: $12.99 Reading level: Young Adult Paperback: 397 pages Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group (July 15, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 160006227X ISBN-13: 978-1600062278 Purchase from: Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, OR Navpress.com
GOING IN-DEPTH:
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? In hindsight, I probably should have seen the signs early on. I suspect my mom did. After all, I was a voracious reader. I devoured fantasy literature. But the first real glimpse wasn’t until 7th grade, where I was part of an accelerated program with five other students. Part of our assignment was to produce a compendium of short stories, each writing 4-5 stories. My stories took up one half of the book, my friends the other half! I had an early instinct for story craft, mainly from reading, I think. In High School, I finished my first 300+ page novel, written longhand. And then, with no direct pursuit of the position, I became editor-in-chief of my university newspaper in college. Even with all this, I didn’t imagine myself as a writer. It simply wasn’t a personal ambition. But then the task and pleasure of composing my weekly column slowly awakened something more inside me. Three years out of college, I wrote my second novel. While neither of those first two were published, they directly connected dots that led to my first contract.
What do you love about being an author? Is there anything you dislike? I love the creative process of bringing order out of chaos. I love the way characters can surprise you, taking the plot in unanticipated directions. I love creating an atmosphere where wonder and magic and feeling can all be interwoven. What I dislike is writing part time, squeezing it into late hours that detract from family time. Related to this, I dislike writing in many small chunks, whenever I can grab an hour or two. I prefer large chunks of dedicated time.
How do you balance your personal and writing time? Ahh! As the above answer indicates, I’m still working on it. But with eight kids, it’s vital I get it right, you know? So I schedule time for my kids---individual time and family time. I put it on the calendar and try not to break it. After that, I spent a lot of hours up late. Fortunately, I have a wife who is very understanding and supportive of the process. It would be impossible without her.
How do you write? Do your characters come to you first or the plot or the world of the story? I don’t have a set pattern. With an intricate and vastly interconnected plot like The God Spot, I had a highly detailed chapter-by-chapter plot that allowed for only minor deviations, or the whole thing would fall apart. Even so, the whole idea sprang open like a toy jack-in-the-box from just those two words: God, Spot. It just popped into my head one day and I asked myself, “What could that be?” With an epic fantasy series like The Legends of Karac Tor, I had to map out the general trajectory of all five books, but the heart of the story is grounded in personal experience. There’s a lot of emotion. I wrote as one part story-teller, and one part heartbroken father with a burning desire to help my sons. I want to transport them, and in the process (hopefully), enable them to come through the pain of losing their mother with as much healing, as much re-entry into the adventure of life---and as minimal scarring---as possible.
What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write? I’m proud of my first two novels, both medical thrillers. They got the ball rolling for me, and many found them comparable to great ABA titles in the same genre. But my principle pleasure as a reader and writer has always been fantasy. I have always loved the experience of being swept into another world. From Edgar Rice Burroughs’s tales of Mars which I discovered in elementary, to Lewis’s Narnia, to Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising and Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionovar Tapestry, I enjoy being carried to another world. The more immersive, heroic and magical, the better---not just in plotting, but in the style of writing, the fresh use of imagery and language, the themes woven into the story.
What is the biggest misconception about being an author? That you make lots of money! ;)
Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination? The Book of Names is unusually straightforward on this topic. The four brothers are my four boys. Even their names are almost identical. In reality, I do both. I envision characters out of nothing, and I also use people I know as reference points, either for character traits or physical traits.
Out of all the characters that you've written, who is your favorite and why? Way too hard to answer. You get attached to all of them for different reasons.
If you were writing a script for the big screen, who would you want to act in your movie? It’s a bit of typecasting, I realize, but someone like William Moseley from the Narnia movies would work great for Hadyn. As a young actor, he has the right sense of gravitas for the role. Not sure for Ewan’s character. Maybe Drake Bell from Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon (if Drake was dyed blond)? Gary Dourdan, who plays Warrick Brown on CSI would also be very cool as Sorge, the reluctant warrior monk. It’s fun to think about. I’m not sure who would play Cruedwyn Creed!
What would you want readers to take away from your books? Primarily, I want readers to be moved---mentally, spiritually, emotionally. I want them to be caught up, caught away, to forget this world for a while. I want them to want to visit Karac Tor, just as I wanted to visit Middle Earth as a kid. I want readers to think, “Wow, that was good!” and not mean, that was good for Christian fiction. Just good, period. I would also hope that many young men and women would be stirred to live life a little more courageously.
Do you have any advice for beginning writers in regards to writing a book? 1. Read. 2. Read. 3. Persevere. It won’t just be handed to you. You’ll get a mountain of rejection letters before you get published. Accept that fact and outlast the rejections.
Who are your favorite authors? Fiction: Tolkien, Lewis, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, Susan Cooper, Ursila K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Stephen R. Donaldson Nonfiction: C.S. Lewis, Watchman Nee, Andrew Murray, Henri Nouwen, Frederick Buechner, Dallas Willard, J.I. Packer, Bill Johnson, Francis Frangipane.
What are you reading right now? With eight kids, a separate full time job, and writing deadlines, I don’t get to read nearly as much as I’d like. But I’ve discovered a new book I’m really enjoying: Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind. I got a chance to dig in over family vacation and I’m really enjoying it.
No man can resist her charms. Or so she thought. Charity O'Connor is a woman who gets what she wants. Her stunning beauty and flirtatious ways have always succeeded with men. Until Mitch Dennehy, that is.
Lori Copeland lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. Lance and Lori have three sons, two daughter-in-laws, and five wonderful grandchildren. They are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work in Mali, West Africa.
Texas, 1865 Willow Madison and her friends, Copper and Audrey taught school in neighboring Texas communities until the Yankees rode into the area and burned them out. In the midst of fear and chaos, survivors banded together to fight for what remained of their homes. Then word reached the people that the terrible war was over.
In this story of sisterhood and unexpected paths, Gaylen Syler-Boatwright flees her unraveling marriage to take refuge in a mountain cottage owned by her deceased aunt. Burdened with looking after her adult sister, Delia, she is shocked to find a trail of family secrets hidden within her aunt’s odd collection of framed, painted dresses. With Delia, who attracts trouble as a daily occupation, Gaylen embarks on a road trip that throws the unlikely pair together on a journey to painful understanding and delightful revelations.
Little Cub awakens one morning with some important questions on her mind: What is heaven like? How do we get there? Will we eat in heaven? Will we be angels?
Matt Bronleewe is a recognized producer, songwriter and author. The former member of the band Jars of Clay, has earned numerous awards producing and co-writing albums that have sold a combined total of over 20 million copies. His songs have recently been recorded by Disney pop sensations Aly & AJ, American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, and more. Bronleewe has worked with Grammy Award-winning artists such as Michael W. Smith, International pop singer Natalie Imbruglia and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.
A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
Robin Parrish had two great ambitions in his life: to have a family, and to be a published novelist. In March of 2005, he proposed to his future wife the same week he signed his first book contract.
The world as we know it has ENDED.
Dean Barkley Briggs is an author, father of eight, and prone to twisting his ankle playing basketball. He grew up reading J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Patricia McKillip, Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen R. Donaldson, Ursila K. Leguin, Susan Cooper, Madeline L'Engle, Terry Brooks, Andre Norton and Lloyd Alexander (just to name a few)...and generally thinks most fantasy fiction pales in comparison. (Yes, he dabbled in sci-fi, too. Most notably Bradbury, Burroughs and Heinlein).