tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58339435688705264072024-02-21T05:40:24.888-06:00SPIRE REVIEWSThoughts on Christian Fiction for the Discerning ReaderBrenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-32509111546184309042014-06-27T18:42:00.000-05:002014-06-27T18:42:12.651-05:00CHAIN OF MERCY Trailer!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://animoto.com/play/tx0GZVtUsW32KSKF1wvaFg">CHAIN OF MERCY by Brenda S. Anderson</a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
To purchase <a href="http://brendaandersonbooks.com/books/coming-home-series/chain-of-mercy/" target="_blank">Chain of Mercy</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chain-Mercy-Coming-Home-Volume/dp/0985723572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403912375&sr=8-1&keywords=chain+of+mercy" target="_blank">Amazon </a>| <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chain-of-mercy-brenda-s-anderson/1119198623?ean=9780985723576" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Chain-Mercy/Brenda-S-Anderson/9780985723576?id=6014024228926" target="_blank">Books A Million</a></div>
Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-73354768947455852502012-08-14T01:00:00.000-05:002012-08-14T01:00:08.803-05:00Saying Goodbye ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaq2q5wTD0tp0O0dzj3Ig8yGJvxg3UPIYEH127ZZktOYDt2g4PdG6Zh3rcPVdZZQMug6hnqYBNJC594EZODC2razFOR0z89hMQ7nyp2_wiU9AZhO7HV9xbTMMOHjwsGpQt1FJrO2Qo2Is/s1600/MC900434918.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaq2q5wTD0tp0O0dzj3Ig8yGJvxg3UPIYEH127ZZktOYDt2g4PdG6Zh3rcPVdZZQMug6hnqYBNJC594EZODC2razFOR0z89hMQ7nyp2_wiU9AZhO7HV9xbTMMOHjwsGpQt1FJrO2Qo2Is/s1600/MC900434918.PNG" /></a></div>
Prior to posting online, I'd written book recommendations for our church newsletter as a way to draw readers into our church library. When that newsletter was scaled back, so was my column.<br />
<br />
It was time to move on to new adventures.<br />
<br />
So, I began this blog some three years ago not to garner attention, but to make my book recommendations more readily available to church members.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this blog has changed, so once again it's time to move on.<br />
<br />
These past few months I've been working on updating my website (<a href="http://brendaandersonbooks.com/">http://brendaandersonbooks.com/</a>), one that includes a blog. Already my page views and visits are higher there than they are at Spire Reviews so changing over at this point, when my readership is low, is a no-brainer. I still plan on talking books on Tuesday, but it'll be at this address instead: <a href="http://brendaandersonbooks.com/blog/">http://brendaandersonbooks.com/blog/</a>.<br />
<br />
I won't be closing down Spire Reviews, but will be keeping it as an archival site rather than an active blog.<br />
<br />
I wish to thank everyone who has visited Spire Reviews, those who have shared their time with an interview and/or commenting, and those who have faithfully followed me.<br />
<br />
And I'm very grateful and thankful for all the friends I've made on this journey! I am truly blessed!<br />
<br />
BrendaBrenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-24656396915275451412012-08-07T01:00:00.000-05:002012-08-07T01:00:04.991-05:00Novel Anticipation - August 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">August may be a slight month when it comes to
the number of books I anticipate reading, but I'm excited that two of my
must-read authors--<a href="http://laurafrantz.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Laura Frantz</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">William Kent Krueger</span></a>--have books releasing.
My reading list might be slim, yet quality. I'm also intrigued by a new
release from an author I haven't read before,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.juliecannon.info/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">J</span><span style="color: #073763;">ulie
L. Cannon</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/loves-reckoning-ballantyne-legacy/laura-frantz/9780800720414/pd/720414?event=WL&item_code=WW" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">LOVE'S RECKONING</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Ballantyne Legacy Series #1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://laurafrantz.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Laura
Frantz</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Revell<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">432 pages</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">To my delight I received my complimentary
copy of <b>Love's Reckoning</b> from Revell this past Saturday. In my estimation,
Laura Frantz is one of the premier authors of historical fiction in the CBA.
She's not a formula writer--which I greatly appreciate--and reading her prose
is like hearing a symphony. Add to that, she's a vivid painter of scene so the
reader is placed right in the middle of action, and her characters are rich and
three-dimensional. I have no doubt that I will enjoy<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Love's Reckoning</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>just as much as I have her past
novels,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/2010/01/frontiersmans-daughter.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">The Frontiersman's Daughter</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-of-2010-books-that-sing.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Courting Morrow Little</span></a>,
and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/2012/01/best-of-2011-favorite-fiction.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">The Colonel's Lady</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i><u>Book Description</u><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i> On a bitter December day in
1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in
York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself,
Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon
discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep
him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the
gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he
chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?</i></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For more Spire Reviews' posts regarding Laura
Frantz's work click <<a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=laura+frantz" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">here</span></a>>.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tricksters-Point-Novel-Cork-OConnor/dp/1451645678/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344263429&sr=1-1&keywords=william+kent+krueger" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">TRICKSTER'S POINT</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">William Kent Krueger</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Atria Books<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">336 pages</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">William Kent Krueger is a fellow Minnesotan
who sets many of his stories in picturesque northern Minnesota. That alone
makes his work intriguing, but its his superb storytelling that keeps luring me
back for more. The majority of Krueger's work centers around Cork O'Connor
who's part Irish and part Anishinaabe Indian. He's a former Chicago cop, former
small-town Sheriff, turned private investigator. His books are not Christian
and if you're offended by rough language (which he uses sparingly), then his
books may not be for you. But his novels always include a spiritual element,
one that favors Christianity as opposed to mocking it. If you haven't read
William Kent Krueger before, I highly recommend giving him a try. And if you
are the type of reader who needs to start at Book #1 in a series, pick up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Lake-Novel-Cork-OConnor/dp/1439157286/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344268103&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+lake" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Iron Lake</span></a>. You won't be disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i><u>Book Description</u><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i> Cork O'Connor is sitting in the shadow of a
towering monolith known as Trickster's Point, deep in the Minnesota wilderness.
Beside him is the first Native American governor-elect, Jubal Little, who is
slowly dying with an arrow through his heart. Although the men have been bow
hunting, this is no accident. The arrow in the governor's heart belongs to
Cork.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i> When he becomes the primary suspect in the
murder, Cork understands full well that he's been set up. As he works to clear
his name and track the real killer, he recalls his long, complex relationship
with Jubal, the Native kid who aspired to be a populist politician and grew to
become a cunning man capable of treachery and murder. As Cork looks deeply into
his own past, he comes face to face with the many motives, good and ill, that
lead men and women into the difficult, sometimes deadly, political arena.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">List of Corcoran (Cork) O'Connor novels,
click <<a href="http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/books.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">here</span></a>>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For more Spire Reviews' posts regarding
William Kent Krueger's work click <<a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=william+kent+krueger" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">here</span></a>>.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/twang-julie-cannon/9781426714702/pd/714702?item_code=WW&netp_id=978815&event=ESRCG&view=details" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">TWANG</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.juliecannon.info/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Julie L. Cannon</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Abingdon
Press<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">320
Pages</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Author
Julie Cannon is new to me, but the concept of <b>Twang </b>has me intrigued. My
daughter's dream is to become a performer so any novels that chronicle a music star's life pique my interest. Hopefully, when I'm done reading <b>Twang</b>, I'll have one more author to add to my must-read list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i><u>Book
Description<o:p></o:p></u></i></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> Twenty-three-year-old Jennifer Clodfelter believes she is
destined to be a country music star. When her passion, determination and
homemade demo tape were rejected by every music label in Nashville, she refused
to give up. In just three years, a combination of guts and raw talent have
propelled her on a journey of fame beyond her best dream.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div _idv_element_hash="41742384" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i> Now
Jennifer has all she ever wanted, only to discover that there is a dark side to
the glitz and number one hits. She will have to decide whether to sing her pain
to a loving audience or find the courage to face the music in the private
studio of her heart.</i></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-29360322588574730882012-07-31T01:00:00.000-05:002012-07-31T08:07:19.813-05:00Blogging like a Church Choir Soprano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC20kJ1uUXcoo-78yqsp9rMNnQ2kW2Dwr6EaWwwvlfVT3lVlOWjT7rR0xfUKuOg_uDh-AnCeVXy8mRPuza-UWXUtJig2UAdsw0Suv2RluYrIeFLiD_P8n5Iq8xE4I_PRwl63LlTKvjq0/s1600/MP900422128%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC20kJ1uUXcoo-78yqsp9rMNnQ2kW2Dwr6EaWwwvlfVT3lVlOWjT7rR0xfUKuOg_uDh-AnCeVXy8mRPuza-UWXUtJig2UAdsw0Suv2RluYrIeFLiD_P8n5Iq8xE4I_PRwl63LlTKvjq0/s320/MP900422128%5B1%5D.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
You clench your jaw and your hands clutch the edge of the pew as the choir anthem approaches its climax. Covering your ears would be a more effective way to block what you know is coming, but obviously rude. Maybe if someone else made the move first ... In the pew ahead of you, the man's shoulders scrunch but won't reach his ears.<br />
<br />
And then <i>that </i>soprano hits the dreaded note. Rather, she warbles around the high G but never quite touches it, and you feel your eyes wobble around in your head like a ball on a trampoline.<br />
<br />
Sopranos are the stars of the show, right? The music is all about them. How many of you know what I'm talking about? You know, that church choir soprano who thinks she's marvelous and sings out for the world to hear but leaves people cringing in their pews.<br />
<br />
Oh yeah, I've known a few.<br />
<br />
For the record, I am a church choir soprano. I've always loved singing in choirs where I'm able to use the gift God gave me while blending in. I've had my share of solos, but I'd much rather be one voice with thirty others than draw attention to myself. While to some degree, everyone wants attention, I greatly dislike being the center of attention. I like blending in.<br />
<br />
Those of us who blog know what it's like to blend in with a cacophony of voices. I'm *comfortable* in not having that soprano solo, but if I'm to be a successful author, I have to get over that. I need to get my name out there. The problem is, I'm afraid I'll blog like that church choir soprano. In my attempt to be heard, I question whether I'm striking all the wrong notes. Are my topics boring? Am I becoming annoying? Where do I draw the line with self promotion? Is it better to blend in, or stick out by singing badly?<br />
<br />
Do I take a deep breath and aim for that high note? Even if my voice is wobbly, at least I'll be heard.<br />
<br />
Is that better than not being heard at all?<br />
<br />
~*~*~<br />
As an aside, one of the greatest experiences I've had as a choir member was at the <a href="http://www.ticephotography.com/ktis-60th-anniversary-concert/" target="_blank">60th Anniversary Celebration</a> (October 2009) for <a href="http://www.ktis.org/" target="_blank">KTIS </a>(a local Christian radio station begun by <a href="http://www.billygraham.org/" target="_blank">Billy Graham</a>). My husband and I and a handful of members from my church choir had the honor of singing in a 1000 voice choir that backed up <a href="http://www.michaelwsmith.com/" target="_blank">Michael W. Smith</a>. It was an amazing evening of worship, emceed by <a href="http://www.matthewwest.com/" target="_blank">Matthew West</a>, that also included music by <a href="http://www.philstacey.com/" target="_blank">Phil Stacey</a>. Below is a video of our choir anthems.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vcTV58sS-L0?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-8731371469774199692012-07-24T01:00:00.000-05:002012-07-24T01:00:06.245-05:00Quality + Controversy = Sales<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaqSfI4jTTtVQcwwYmFaB-PSzpx01rAOqcPLH4KTY8TSfXrUQR88FRMpVmrpcM5zxGJSjKTII1F33B4oULs0HlNyqI298mAunobUnqCmLqSFw57QwLYGYred-_YWhcaz_4b4QI7GaHn4/s1600/MP900431283%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaqSfI4jTTtVQcwwYmFaB-PSzpx01rAOqcPLH4KTY8TSfXrUQR88FRMpVmrpcM5zxGJSjKTII1F33B4oULs0HlNyqI298mAunobUnqCmLqSFw57QwLYGYred-_YWhcaz_4b4QI7GaHn4/s320/MP900431283%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So far this year I've read 80 books, two of which I've marked Favorite: <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/travelers-rest-ann-tatlock/9780764208102/pd/208101?product_redirect=1&Ntt=208101&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Travelers Rest</a> by <a href="http://www.anntatlock.com/" target="_blank">Ann Tatlock</a> and <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/my-stubborn-heart-becky-wade/9780764209741/pd/209742?product_redirect=1&Ntt=209742&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">My Stubborn Heart</a> (Bethany House Publishers) by <a href="http://beckywade.org/home.html" target="_blank">Becky Wade</a>. Favorites are those rare books that I will read again. They're the unique novels that seamlessly weave together engaging story, multi-faceted characters, and intelligent prose creating a beautiful literary tapestry that I could view again and again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s1600/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s320/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
I was thrilled to learn <span style="background-color: white;">that <b>My Stubborn Heart</b> has landed at #18 </span><span style="background-color: white;">on the</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.cbaonline.org/nm/documents/BSLs/Fiction_Inspirational.pdf" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">August 2012 CBA Bestseller Fiction List</a><span style="background-color: white;">. (Congratulations Becky!!) How exciting to see this debut author's name nestled among those names that have permanent residence on the list: Karen Kingsbury, Ted Dekker, and Francine Rivers.</span></div>
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Her appearance among these bestsellers makes me wonder to what extent controversy played in propelling those sales. <span style="background-color: white;">(In my opinion, the controversy was silly. Check out blog posts listed below for more info.) </span><span style="background-color: white;">I'm not drawing quality into question here, but rather I'm pondering whether controversy helped draw readers to her book? How many readers picked up this book because they read of the controversy? How many only learned of it because of the controversy.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Personally, I'd love it if my someday-released books would spark a controversy. Just think of the free publicity! But the product I put out has to be quality (as is </span><b style="background-color: white;">My Stubborn Heart</b><span style="background-color: white;">) or sales will dive as fast as they rise.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">What do you think? Is controversy good for Christian fiction? Do you believe it aids or hurts sales?</span><br />
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<u style="background-color: white;">Blog posts discussing the controversy</u><span style="background-color: white;">:</span><br />
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<a href="http://mikeduran.com/2012/06/thank-you-bethany-house-publishers/" style="background-color: white;">http://mikeduran.com/2012/06/thank-you-bethany-house-publishers/</a><br />
<a href="http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/2012/05/the-goodness-in-my-stubborn-heart.html">http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/2012/05/the-goodness-in-my-stubborn-heart.html</a>
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<a href="http://www.novelrocket.com/2012/06/realistic-christian-behavior.html">http://www.novelrocket.com/2012/06/realistic-christian-behavior.html</a>
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<a href="http://www.10minutewriter.com/?p=1805" style="background-color: white;">http://www.10minutewriter.com/?p=1805</a></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-81321916043314223732012-07-18T10:04:00.002-05:002012-07-18T10:41:57.361-05:00Congrats Christy Winners & Carol Finalists!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0d-wx40tncYMn_jgJWlcjx1sK_LOhsCWi2aqrk7g8fW4SN_rI-QYNgKL3eNIjyUPkf2MeT6Khy7EVPpo53LJCwQlzbH-eF7zKCJIYcDcIl740RMr3q0VPV4J4-slYK0vIrseFM_kn30/s1600/Christy+Award+Medallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0d-wx40tncYMn_jgJWlcjx1sK_LOhsCWi2aqrk7g8fW4SN_rI-QYNgKL3eNIjyUPkf2MeT6Khy7EVPpo53LJCwQlzbH-eF7zKCJIYcDcIl740RMr3q0VPV4J4-slYK0vIrseFM_kn30/s200/Christy+Award+Medallion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I apologize for being late with my posting, but I do have a good reason: I've spent the past two days riding roller coasters with my family. Who has time to be on the web when you're having fun with family? Priorities, right?<br />
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But, naturally, in my absence, the Christian literary world hasn't been quiet as the 2012 <a href="http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/" target="_blank">Christy Award</a> winners and the ACFW <a href="http://www.acfw.com/carol" target="_blank">Carol </a>finalists have been announced. I'm thrilled that two of my favorite books from last year (<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/words-ginny-yttrup/9781433671708/pd/671708?product_redirect=1&Ntt=671708&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Words </a>by <a href="http://ginnyyttrup.com/" target="_blank">Ginny Yttrup</a> and <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-queen-bowers-files/steven-james/9780800733032/pd/733032?product_redirect=1&Ntt=733032&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">The Queen</a> by <a href="http://stevenjames.net/" target="_blank">Steven James</a>) took home Christy's. And in the Carols, three Minnesotans <a href="http://julieklassen.com/" target="_blank">(Julie Klassen</a>, <a href="http://onthewritepath.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Erica Vetsch</a>, and <a href="http://www.susanmaywarren.com/" target="_blank">Susan May Warren</a>) are represented.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Congratulations to all!</span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=10&Itemid=56" target="_blank">2012 Christy Award Winners & Finalists</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.acfw.com/carol/2012_carol_award_finalists" target="_blank">2012 Carol Award Finalists</a></div>
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<br /></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-5354420467708719562012-07-10T08:43:00.000-05:002012-07-10T08:43:05.668-05:00Cartoon EncouragementAll too often failures seem more abundant than successes, especially for those of us attempting writing careers. It's important to have that little pick-me-up, something to remind us that failure is a teacher--something to tell us to keep pressing on.<br />
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Disney's <a href="http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/meet-the-robinsons.html" target="_blank">MEET THE ROBINSONS</a> is one of my favorite encouragers during those times. Here's a fun clip that summarizes the movie's purpose, reminding all of us failures to <b>Keep Moving Forward</b>.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TNXr5Alytg4" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-80049112738149419592012-07-03T01:00:00.000-05:002012-07-03T01:00:08.301-05:00Novel Anticipation - July 2012<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">July is a month of suspense here at Spire Reviews. Sprinkle in a little romance and the books highlighted this month should hold appeal for all readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa3XZ8COmWL0mYPnTa0aA8yGcXXZweqWzKhdbkUwRZhOOPW_-s74EMgdRb0C-ez-h26hyld0JSW3fmV90FcjACUG_SBR9tu5NCvNPVNCuLlgrhvi1qGrpU1x7QqOV0xiB5Ewl2EVMXWg/s1600/The+Stars+Shine+Bright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaa3XZ8COmWL0mYPnTa0aA8yGcXXZweqWzKhdbkUwRZhOOPW_-s74EMgdRb0C-ez-h26hyld0JSW3fmV90FcjACUG_SBR9tu5NCvNPVNCuLlgrhvi1qGrpU1x7QqOV0xiB5Ewl2EVMXWg/s320/The+Stars+Shine+Bright.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-stars-shine-bright-raleigh-harmon/sibella-giorello/9781595545367/pd/545360?product_redirect=1&Ntt=545360&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?action=Search&Ntk=multiple.series&Nso=1&Ns=product.published_date&Ntt=Raleigh%20Harmon" target="_blank">Raleigh Harmon Series</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>#4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.sibellagiorello.com/" target="_blank">Sibella Giorello</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Thomas Nelson, 384
pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I always look
forward to reading Sibella Giorello's next novel. Her (romantic) suspense is
intelligent and challenging. Her prose is mature, and her relationships are
authentic. You won't find eye-rolling romance in her novels--it's all very
real. If you haven't read Sibella's work before, I encourage you to start with
her debut, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stones-Cry-Out-The-Novel/dp/B001PO665I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341251406&sr=8-1&keywords=the+stones+cry+out+sibella+giorello" target="_blank">The Stones Cry Out</a>, and work your way through all five Raleigh
Harmon books. You'll be begging for more.</span></div>
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<u style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></u></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><u style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description</span></u><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> After
the FBI suspends her for bending its rules, Special Agent Raleigh Harmon is
looking for a chance to redeem her career and re-start her life.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Sent undercover to a
thoroughbred horse track, Raleigh takes on a double life to find out who's
fixing the races. But when horses start dying and then her own life is
threatened, Raleigh realizes something bigger-and more sinister-is ruining
Emerald Meadows.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> She's never felt more alone.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Her one contact with the FBI is
Special Agent Jack Stephanson, a guy who seems to jump from antagonistic to
genuine friend depending on the time of day. And she can't turn to her family
for support. They're off-limits while she's undercover, and her mother isn't
speaking to her anyway, having been confined to a mental hospital following a
psychotic breakdown. Adding insult to her isolation, Raleigh's fiance wants
them to begin their life together-now-precisely when she's been ordered not to
be herself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> With just days left before the
season ends, Raleigh races to stop the killing and find out who's behind the
track's trouble, all the while trying to determine if Jack is friend or foe,
and whether marrying her fiance will make things better-or worse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Raleigh is walking through the
darkest night she's faced, searching for a place where the stars shine bright.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://sibellagiorello.com/" target="_blank">http://sibellagiorello.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SibellaGiorelloAuthor" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/SibellaGiorelloAuthor</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gyTVhLLNpSfrjOfWan1qVXDIbZTaT5jM6unkYDC12EsjxfNO7agPFCwDJMT_M5ndiWaLukSih8hV4CRnJMT5c7y2KT41ldI-0hvM9WBxg4xbz9dHFfATaFpphw2Nzaon7X_J1YOzwao/s1600/Hide+and+Seek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gyTVhLLNpSfrjOfWan1qVXDIbZTaT5jM6unkYDC12EsjxfNO7agPFCwDJMT_M5ndiWaLukSih8hV4CRnJMT5c7y2KT41ldI-0hvM9WBxg4xbz9dHFfATaFpphw2Nzaon7X_J1YOzwao/s320/Hide+and+Seek.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/hide-and-seek-jeff-struecker/9781433671425/pd/671425?product_redirect=1&Ntt=671425&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">HIDE AND SEEK</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jeffstruecker.com/" target="_blank">Maj (Ret) Jeff Struecker</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.altongansky.com/" target="_blank">Alton Gansky</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">B&H Books,
400 pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">This is the fourth
book in which Struecker and Gansky have collaborated, all centering around a
Special Operations team. Each book could be classified as Page-Turning action
yet the authors deftly weave in a subtle faith message. Where Gansky brings years of writing expertise, Struecker's Ranger experience (Black
Hawk Down fame) brings authenticity to the characters. As with Sibella's series
above, if you haven't read any of this series, I encourage you to start with
the first,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/certain-jeopardy-jeff-struecker/9780805448535/pd/448535?event=CF" target="_blank">Certain Jeopardy</a>, where you'll first meet the Spec Ops
team. I guarantee you'll speed through all four novels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">:</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Amelia Lennon no longer wears a uniform or carries a weapon. An
Army trained Foreign Affairs Officer, she's negotiating a dispute with the
Kyrgyzstan government that threatens to leave the U.S. without an airbase in
that region. She traded her gun for the power of words, but now she needs both.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">While following her government
contact - Jildiz Oskonbaeva, the lawyer daughter of Kyrgyzstan's president -
Amelia witnesses an attempt to abduct her. She manages to prevent the
kidnapping, but now the two women are on the run in a city that's erupting into
chaos.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Master Sergeant J.J. Bartley is
the Special Operations team leader tasked to rescue Amelia and Jildiz.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> With two new members in his
unit - one with a secret that could endanger everyone's life - J.J. must
soldier his unit through crazed mobs intent on overthrowing the government.
Back home, his pregnant wife is misinformed that her husband and the team have
been killed. But before this is over, Bartley will find out that's the least of
his problems.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.jeffstruecker.com/"><span style="background: white;">http://www.jeffstruecker.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Struecker/149249035094999" target="_blank"><span style="background: white;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeff-Struecker</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.altongansky.com/">http://www.altongansky.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrRuzngv_wB23npOeYus_hUl2Dl_fMuOvhTLoPk3OLFccrbmXoyxFd59xz_xKAAWSiYLqY-wOAR9GLtuwQjxjHUZXOjhpOyTfwey5_d2VmKimc9H4vtU89ZKHBJmgUeo5_eJFg9zsVHI/s1600/Abducted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrRuzngv_wB23npOeYus_hUl2Dl_fMuOvhTLoPk3OLFccrbmXoyxFd59xz_xKAAWSiYLqY-wOAR9GLtuwQjxjHUZXOjhpOyTfwey5_d2VmKimc9H4vtU89ZKHBJmgUeo5_eJFg9zsVHI/s320/Abducted.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/abducted-pacific-coast-justice/janice-cantore/9781414358482/pd/358482?product_redirect=1&Ntt=358482&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">ABDUCTED</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?action=Search&Ntk=multiple.series&Nso=1&Ns=product.published_date&Ntt=Pacific%20Coast%20Justice" target="_blank">Pacific Coast Justice Series</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>#2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.janicecantore.com/" target="_blank">Janice Cantore</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Tyndale House, 384
pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I was pleasantly
surprised by Janice Cantore's debut,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/accused-pacific-coast-justice/janice-cantore/9781414358475/pd/358475?event=CF" target="_blank">Accused</a>. I enjoy romantic suspense when an author doesn't
overdo the romance angle, when the romance seems organic to the story. Cantore
wrote it perfectly. I'm certain <b>Abducted </b>will be as deftly written, and I can't
wait to pick up my copy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Description</span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">:</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> After solving the mayor’s murder and exposing corruption among the
top brass in Las Playas, Carly Edwards is happy to be back on patrol with her
partner, Joe, putting bad guys behind bars. For once, everything in life seems
to be going right.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> But then everything starts going wrong. Slow to recover from an injury, her
ex-husband, Nick, begins pulling away just as they were starting to get close
again. Meanwhile, when Joe’s wife lands in the hospital with a mysterious
illness, their baby is kidnapped. As Carly chases down every lead in a
desperate search to find the baby, her newfound faith is pushed to its limits.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.janicecantore.com/">http://www.janicecantore.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JaniceCantore">https://www.facebook.com/JaniceCantore</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-71362325662048528512012-06-26T01:00:00.001-05:002012-06-26T01:00:03.697-05:00Excellent Legal Fiction Debut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E2wOUHYyl7GRmREfkjB9KqT0-9jnPXWanBNE3N5UlkBMcAoDsespk_tjxzGG4JOy9D1-gHQPtYsfYB_awvAVVehPVXe54q23JNLITkYqWODFd39n4aJcR_8_wX15mhkI0V3dRyzp6J0/s1600/The+Deposit+Slip.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4E2wOUHYyl7GRmREfkjB9KqT0-9jnPXWanBNE3N5UlkBMcAoDsespk_tjxzGG4JOy9D1-gHQPtYsfYB_awvAVVehPVXe54q23JNLITkYqWODFd39n4aJcR_8_wX15mhkI0V3dRyzp6J0/s320/The+Deposit+Slip.JPG" width="206" /></a></div>
While unpublished authors may decry this down-turned publishing economy that makes it difficult for them break in, the reader is definitely benefiting. The debut fiction that has come out these past two years is often better than that of seasoned authors. Anyone familiar with this blog knows that I love supporting the debut author--the works that have come out these past couple of years have made it easy to support them. <span style="background-color: white;">Todd M. Johnson's </span><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-deposit-slip-todd-johnson/9780764209864/pd/209864?product_redirect=1&Ntt=209864&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">The Deposit Slip</a> is no exception.</span><br />
<br />
This legal thriller hooked me from the very first chapter and kept me captivated, escalating the conflict throughout. Johnson created intriguing characters that I cared about. His pacing was excellent and didn't become bogged down with tedious courtroom drama. This novel was as much about the characters as it was about the legal conflict presented. The Christian element isn't in-your-face, but faith is part of the undercurrent pulling the story along.<br />
<br />
If Todd Johnson's follow-up novels maintain this quality, I can easily foresee him joining the ranks of <a href="http://www.randysinger.net/" target="_blank">Randy Singer</a>, <a href="http://www.robertwhitlow.com/" target="_blank">Robert Whitlow</a>, and <a href="http://jamesscottbell.com/" target="_blank">James Scott Bell</a> as a top writer of Christian legal fiction.<br />
<br />
<i>Other Christian legal fiction writers of note: <a href="http://donbrownbooks.com/" target="_blank">Don Brown</a> (JAG fiction), <a href="http://harvesthousepublishers.com/authors/craig-parshall/" target="_blank">Craig Parshall</a>, <a href="http://www.dianeanddavidmunson.com/" target="_blank">Diane and David Munson</a>, <a href="http://www.rickacker.com/" target="_blank">Rick Acker</a>.</i><br />
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~*~*~</div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Deposit-Slip-The-Todd-Johnson/dp/0764209868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340637719&sr=8-1&keywords=the+deposit+slip+by+todd+m.+johnson" target="_blank">THE DEPOSIT SLIP</a><br />
by <a href="http://www.authortoddjohnson.com/" target="_blank">Todd M. Johnson</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>$10,000,000 Is Missing.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Erin Larson is running out of options. In the wake of her father's death, she found a slim piece of paper--a deposit slip--with an unbelievable amount on it. Only the bank claims they have no record of the money, and trying to hire a lawyer has brought only intimidation and threats. Erin's last chance is Jared Neaton.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>How Far Will One Lawyer Go to Find the Money?</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">When Jared wearied of the shady ethics of his big law firm and started his own, he never expected the wheels to fly off so quickly. One big loss has pushed him to the brink, and it's all he can do to scrape by. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>And How Far Will Someone Go to Stop Him?</i></span><span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">He's not sure if Erin's case is worth the risk, but if the money is real, all his problems could vanish. When digging deeper unleashes something far more dangerous than just threats, both Jared and Erin must decide the cost they're willing to pay to discover the truth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><i><b>Todd M. Johnson</b></i> has practiced as an attorney for over 30 years, specializing as a trial lawyer. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he also taught for two years as adjunct professor of International Law and served as a US diplomat in Hong Kong. This is his debut novel. He lives outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife, his son, Ian, and his daughter, Libby.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Website: </span><a href="http://www.authortoddjohnson.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">www.authortoddjohnson.com</a>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-48916444093218315592012-06-19T01:00:00.000-05:002012-06-19T01:00:06.860-05:00Not Your Typical Romance<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s1600/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s320/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/my-stubborn-heart-becky-wade/9780764209741/pd/209742" target="_blank">MY STUBBORN HEART</a><br />
by <a href="http://beckywade.org/home.html" target="_blank">Becky Wade</a><br />
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This novel completely surprised me. When a novel is described as contemporary romance, I expect a nice, casual read, but this was so much more. I loved the unique prologue and epilogue (for those of you who skip prologues, don't! It even convinced my husband to read this book--which he enjoyed, by the way). The characters were quirky, but not over the top, and the prose was musical. Against the backdrop of redeeming an old house, the message of redemption was demonstrated, not preached. I loved how real the characters were in this book as well. They were imperfect, messy, broken people any of us could identify with.<br />
<br />
Debut author Becky Wade seems to have an innate understanding of the head/heart condition by seamlessly weaving head/heart issues together. You're a front-page witness to two people falling in love with their heads and their hearts. The reader can't help but be emotionally tugged into the story.<br />
<br />
This is one of my <u>favorite</u> books this year. I look forward to reading more from Becky Wade.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><u>Story Description</u>: Burned out, Kate Donovan jumps at the chance to restore her grandmother's house in Redbud, Pennsylvania. But when she arrives, she becomes involved in a project she didn't expect. Handsome former hockey star and contractor Matt Jarreau is clearly wounded, hiding from people and God. Can Kate help him face his past---whether he likes it or not? </span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSdD-uGk3GUgWw8rOtvDJCmk_FIInQ-fLGuN7dMkmH4zGVQSlN8Lx2ntfgWFoeyoHPPLEkmw_dPUvI64eWHlvdjP6QAfuiCIhgaxi3tO5cobTriRERqy7dD6t6xFYE24iVvfigJulbvA/s1600/The+Soul+Saver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSdD-uGk3GUgWw8rOtvDJCmk_FIInQ-fLGuN7dMkmH4zGVQSlN8Lx2ntfgWFoeyoHPPLEkmw_dPUvI64eWHlvdjP6QAfuiCIhgaxi3tO5cobTriRERqy7dD6t6xFYE24iVvfigJulbvA/s320/The+Soul+Saver.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-soul-saver-dineen-miller/9781616265823/pd/265823?product_redirect=1&Ntt=265823&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE SOUL SAVER</a><br />
by <a href="http://www.dineenmiller.com/" target="_blank">Dineen Miller</a><br />
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I know they say (just who are *they* anyway?) that a novel about a married couple can't be labeled romance, but I heartily disagree, and Dineen Miller proves otherwise in her debut novel.<br />
<br />
Lexie Baltimore is a sculptor whose husband is an atheist. Her greatest dream is for him to share her faith. Throw in a grieving widower pastor who is the epitome of what she wants in a husband and you have the makings of an intriguing story. But, the author takes this novel much deeper than that.<br />
<br />
Spiritual warfare is at the center of the conflict between Lexie, her husband, and the pastor. The author handles it skillfully and creates a page-turning, emotional story.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><u>Story Description</u>: Lexie Baltimore is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God's calling, Lexie uses her art and dreams to help others. But will she have enough courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a godly man? A widower and a father, Pastor Nate Winslow is drowning in darkness. Will he resist his treacherous assignment to win Lexie's heart or give in to the attraction between them? As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a twisted plot. Will she overcome the evil assailing her or yield to the dark side?</span></blockquote>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-18380451453031866622012-06-12T01:00:00.000-05:002012-06-12T01:00:04.439-05:00Fiction for FathersWondering what to get your dad for this coming Father's Day? Look no further than your local bookstore. For that fiction lover, you can find some terrific novels and/or series. These are some of my favorites.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgQ3-MxBiSD6-vtmPSkFmIf7t25vWm6EF01DPi3UGajogDqr2Qj5Ubb_5cFUAt28SQCXXPl0mIfNZf_lRaq6hvmTnpvHkBz4iojV9EPHQOSlGv6onRwMVEvvsftlOoeirslUSQ1yzbcE/s1600/The+Patrick+Bowers+Files.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgQ3-MxBiSD6-vtmPSkFmIf7t25vWm6EF01DPi3UGajogDqr2Qj5Ubb_5cFUAt28SQCXXPl0mIfNZf_lRaq6hvmTnpvHkBz4iojV9EPHQOSlGv6onRwMVEvvsftlOoeirslUSQ1yzbcE/s400/The+Patrick+Bowers+Files.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.stevenjames.net/Books.htm" target="_blank">THE PATRICK BOWERS FILES</a><br />
by <a href="http://www.stevenjames.net/" target="_blank">Steven James</a><br />
(Revell and Signet Select)<br />
<br />
I was hooked with James' first book in this series, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-pawn-bowers-files/steven-james/9780451412799/pd/412799?event=SERIES" target="_blank">The Pawn</a>. Since then, I've impatiently awaited his next annual release. James has proven himself to be a skilled storyteller, one who garners interest across genre, age, and faith. This series is recommended for anyone who enjoys thrillers.<br />
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/opening-moves-steven-james/9780451237767/pd/237767" target="_blank">Opening Moves</a>, a prequel, comes out in September.<br />
<br />
<i>More Steven James on Spire Reviews <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=steven+james" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.jeffstruecker.com/" target="_blank">Major Jeff Struecker</a> and <a href="http://www.altongansky.com/" target="_blank">Alton Gansky</a>'s<br />
<a href="http://jeffstruecker.com/category/jeff-struecker-books/" target="_blank">Special Ops Series</a><br />
(B&H)<br />
<br />
I first learned of Major Jeff Struecker when I read <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/unafraid-ranger-faced-found-courage-through/jeff-struecker/9781595553324/pd/553324" target="_blank">The Road to Unafraid</a> (another excellent book) that chronicled Struecker's road to faith, including his part in what is now known to as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Hawk-Down-Story-Modern/dp/080214473X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339434204&sr=1-1&keywords=black+hawk+down+book" target="_blank">Black Hawk Down</a> (book by Mark Bowden). Since then he has teamed up with veteran author Alton Gansky and together they've delivered a series of can't-put-down military ops novels. If you're interested in learning the perspective of a Christian in special ops, read this series.<br />
<br />
The next book in the series, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/hide-and-seek-jeff-struecker/9781433671425/pd/671425?product_redirect=1&Ntt=671425&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Hide and Seek</a>, comes out in July.<br />
<br />
<i>Check out reviews of Struecker/Gansky books <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=struecker" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.lionofwar.com/new/novel/" target="_blank">THE LION OF WAR<span style="text-align: center;"> series</span></a><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">by <a href="http://www.lionofwar.com/new/novel/reviews/" target="_blank">Cliff Graham</a></span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">(Zondervan)</span><br />
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This series follows the Mighty Men of Israel (<i>see 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Corinthians 11</i>). It's a fascinating take on the men who stood closest to King David. The war descriptions can be gruesome, but they fit the subject matter. War isn't pretty. The first two of five books, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/day-of-war-lion/cliff-graham/9780310331834/pd/331831" target="_blank">Day of War</a> and <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/covenant-of-war-lion/cliff-graham/9780310331865/pd/331865" target="_blank">Covenant of War</a>, are available for purchase. A movie based on <a href="http://www.lionofwar.com/new/movie/" target="_blank">Day of War</a> is currently in production.<br />
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<i>More Cliff Graham on Spire Reviews <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=cliff+graham" target="_blank">here</a>.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/heros-tribute-graham-garrison/9780825426858/pd/426858" target="_blank">HERO'S TRIBUTE</a><br />
and<br />
<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/legacy-road-graham-garrison/9780825426711/pd/426711" target="_blank">LEGACY ROAD</a><br />
by <a href="http://grahamgarrisonwords.com/" target="_blank">Graham Garrison</a><br />
(Kregel Publications)<br />
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Touching stories surrounding a dying war hero who chooses an unlikely candidate to deliver his eulogy. These stories will give you a greater appreciation of Independence Day as well. Beautifully written and appreciated by men and women alike.<br />
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<i>More Graham Garrison on Spire Reviews <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=graham+garrison" target="_blank">here</a>.</i>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-74095379646812782772012-06-05T01:00:00.000-05:002012-06-05T07:30:58.840-05:00Novel Anticipation - June 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The month of June provides more
exciting reading opportunities, including (2) debut novels. I love the variety
too: a police procedural, a legal thriller, a medical mystery, and an
historical romance. Any of these would be perfect lakeside reading.<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/nothing-to-hide-roland-march-mystery/j-bertrand/9780764206399/pd/206399?product_redirect=1&Ntt=206399&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">NOTHING TO HIDE</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Roland March Mystery, Series #3<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jmarkbertrand.com/" target="_blank">J. Mark Bertrand</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thomas Nelson Publishers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">352 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The body was an undercover agent working to bring
down Mexican drug cartels. The feds want the case closed rather than risk
exposing other agents in the field, but March can't abide letting a murder go
unsolved. And he doesn't have to dig long to figure out something isn't right.
Someone is covering something up, and it seems that everyone has something to
hide. Maybe even March, as the case soon intersects, unexpectedly, with the
murder that led him to become a homicide cop, all those years ago.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-deposit-slip-todd-johnson/9780764209864/pd/209864?product_redirect=1&Ntt=209864&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE DEPOSIT SLIP</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">debut novel by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.authortoddjohnson.com/" target="_blank">Todd M. Johnson</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bethany House Publishers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">368 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Erin Larson is running out of options. In the
wake of her father's death, she found a slim piece of paper--a deposit
slip--with an unbelievable amount on it. Ten million dollars. Only the bank
claims it has no record of the deposit and stonewalls her attempts to find out
more. This lawsuit, her last chance, has brought only intimidation and threats.
Now she needs to convince Jared to take a risk, to help her because the money
is real. And both need to watch their backs as digging deeper unleashes
something far more dangerous than just threats.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/proof-bloodline-trilogy-jordyn-redwood/9780825442384/pd/442385?product_redirect=1&Ntt=442385&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">PROOF</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Bloodline Trilogy Series #1<u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">debut novel by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.jordynredwood.net/" target="_blank">Jordyn Redwood</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kregel Publications<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">304 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Dr. Lilly Reeves is a young, accomplished ER
physician with her whole life ahead of her. But that life instantly changes
when she becomes the fifth victim of a serial rapist. Believing it's the only
way to recover her reputation and secure peace for herself, Lilly sets out to
find--and punish--her assailant. Sporting a mysterious tattoo and unusually
colored eyes, the rapist should be easy to identify. He even leaves what police
would consider solid evidence. But when Lilly believes she has found him, DNA
testing clears him as a suspect. How can she prove he is guilty, if science
says he is not?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/through-rushing-water-catherine-richmond/9781595549259/pd/549259" target="_blank">THROUGH RUSHING WATER</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://cathyrichmond.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Richmond</a><u1:p></u1:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Thomas Nelson<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">352 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<u1:p></u1:p>
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<div style="background-color: white; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Sophia
Makinoff is certain that 1876 is the year that she'll become the wife of a
certain US Congressman, and happily plans her debut into the Capitol city. But
when he proposes to her roommate instead, Sophia is stunned. Hoping to flee her
heartache and humiliation, she signs up with the Board of Foreign Missions on a
whim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> With dreams of a
romantic posting to the Far East, Sophia is dismayed to find she's being sent
to the Ponca Indian Agency in the bleak Dakota Territory. She can't even run
away effectively and begins to wonder how on earth she'll be able to guide
others as a missionary. But teaching the Ponca children provides her with a joy
she has never known-and never expected-and ignites in her a passion for the
people she's sent to serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> It's a passion shared
by the Agency carpenter, Willoughby Dunn, a man whose integrity and
selflessness are unmatched. The Poncas are barely surviving. When U.S. policy
decrees that they be uprooted from their land and marched hundreds of miles
away in the middle of winter, Sophia and Will wade into rushing waters to fight
for their friends, their love, and their destiny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Release dates taken from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://christianbook.com/">Christianbook.com</a></span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-54293792096190232182012-06-04T09:40:00.000-05:002012-06-04T09:40:44.453-05:002012 Genesis Finalist!!!<div>
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Oh, I know this is old news already; it's so last Thursday! But I had a few more important things to do this past weekend than write a blog post. You see, besides going to see <a href="http://www.snowwhiteandthehuntsman.com/" target="_blank">Snow White and the Huntsman</a> (much better than I thought it would be!) with my family, I had to make revisions to my Genesis entry.</div>
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I received <b>The Call</b> on Thursday, May 31at 12:02 (yes, I recorded the time), telling me my Contemporary Romance entry was a Finalist. The category that began with approximately 100 entries was now down to three. Needless to say I was ecstatically stunned. Still am, to be honest. (Read more about my Snoopy Dance <<a href="http://brendaandersonbooks.com/2012/06/01/snoopy-dancing/" target="_blank">here</a>>.)<br />
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I'm blessed and humbled to be included with such terrific authors. And I'm so very grateful to my brilliant critique partners (<a href="http://lornaseilstad.com/" target="_blank">Lorna Seilstad</a>, <a href="http://shannonvannatter.com/" target="_blank">Shannon Vannatter</a>, <a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/" target="_blank">Jerri Ledford</a>, and <a href="http://www.grammaryammer.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Prichard</a>) for providing their ever-honest critique of my work. Additional thanks goes to Steph Prichard for providing last-minute editing of my revised entry. My biggest thanks goes to my family for always supporting and believing in me. I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I am blessed!<br />
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As for my Women's Fiction entry, I received the scores on Saturday and was immensely pleased with them. I don't doubt that I was very close to being a Finalist in that category as well. More affirmation that I'm where God wants me to be.<br />
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Today I'm going to celebrate, then it's time to get back to work.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;">**CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE <a href="http://www.acfw.com/genesis/2012_genesis_finalists" target="_blank">GENESIS FINALISTS</a>**</span></div>
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<em><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Contemporary Romance</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Brenda Anderson<br />
Amy Matayo<br />
Cindy Wilson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Contemporary Fiction</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Michelle Massaro<br />
Anne Prado<br />
Chris Storm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Historical Fiction</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Nancy Kimball<br />
Kathleen L. Maher<br />
Terri Wangard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Historical Romance</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Karen Barnett<br />
Brandy Vallance<br />
Becca Witham<br />
</span><em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Mystery/Suspense/Thriller</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Rich Bullock<br />
Christen Civiletto Morris<br />
Matthew Sheehy<br />
</span><em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Romantic Suspense</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Arlene Coulter<br />
Kelli Hughett<br />
Pat Trainum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Speculative Fiction</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Caleb Jennings Breakey<br />
Carla Laureano<br />
Amanda G. Stevens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Women’s Fiction</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Susan Hill<br />
Rachel Moore<br />
Erin Taylor Young<br />
</span><em><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt; padding: 0in;">Young Adult</span></b></em><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
Kathleen Freeman<br />
Teresa Lockhart<br />
Rondi Olson</span></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-36037585359969265452012-05-29T09:55:00.000-05:002012-05-29T09:55:00.883-05:00New Writing Blogs to Love!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">We all know that continuing education is a must for all authors, published or not. Thanks to the internet, much of that education is a keystroke away, but the blogosphere is replete with so many voices that it can be overwhelming. I’ve chosen to follow a small handful of blogs, each with a different emphasis. Just this year, two friends have created author-craft blogs that I’ve found immensely helpful. Hopefully, you’ll add them to your blog roll.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I met Stephanie Prichard and her co-author husband, Don, roughly six years ago at the <a href="http://www.writehisanswer.com/Colorado/" target="_blank">Colorado Christian Writers Conference</a>, but it was a year or two later at the same conference (while taking the Nangie class—<a href="http://www.nancyrue.com/" target="_blank">Nancy Rue</a> and <a href="http://www.angelahuntbooks.com/" target="_blank">Angela Hunt</a>) that we became friends. We’ve since become critique partners, and, oh my, does she have hawk eyes! Commas don’t dare slip out of place while under her perusal. ;-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I love Steph’s quick wit and her honesty (which is painful at times). She and her husband are also fantastic storytellers. I can’t wait for the world to read the novel they have woven together!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Steph has recently plunged into the world of blogging with her grammar blog, <a href="http://www.grammaryammer.com/" target="_blank">Grammar Yammer</a>, where she </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">daily</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">teaches five-minute lessons. With this blog she’s provided a quick and easy way for all of us to improve our grammar. Check it out!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.grammaryammer.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.grammaryammer.com/</span></a>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <i><b>S</b></i><i><b>tephanie Prichard</b> is the grammar queen for American Christian Fiction Writers (<a href="http://www.acfw.com/index.php/" target="_blank">ACFW</a>). Her editor chose her because her lessons are spiked with humor to entice the reluctant student to laugh and learn. She also writes a monthly, online humor article for <a href="http://thechristianpulse.com/index.php?s=stephanie+prichard" target="_blank">The Christian Pulse</a>.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> Her major in college was English/Lit, but the source of her passion for grammar comes from her youth, when life with her army officer dad exposed her to a fantastic array of cultures around the world. She learned five foreign languages, and although she sniffles over the sad fact that she can’t remember a word of them now, they served to broaden her base for understanding the English language.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> Steph’s goal for her blog is to prosper the writing community. What could be more basic to the art of wordsmithing than grammar? And, one might add, easier to push aside? Today’s publishing industry doesn’t coddle writers with poorly presented manuscripts. More than ever, authors need to be responsible for the quality of their work. Good grammar is as necessary a tool as any for the skillful writer to acquire, use, and stay on top of.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> With this in mind, and knowing what it’s like to juggle a busy schedule, Steph designed <a href="http://www.grammaryammer.com/" target="_blank">Grammar Yammer</a> to teach daily lessons in five minutes max. No fancy-dancy words like “genitive case” or “non-restrictive appositive noun,” either—just simple, sensible explanations, always with examples. At the end of each lesson is a teeny test to help ingrain the content. MWF feature grammar and punctuation, while TT spotlight writing skills. Thursdays from May 24 to October 4 will teach 20 Figures of Speech to help add sparkle to your writing.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">*~*~*</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFX8X49gkAGTmwEahCOLlYjwnkwutvzZ_9QpytnfKjl2VjGxOq920JgfZI1k-3zboNsAGGWZd9Rqt7omZIqZY2dpjfI78JUTpIG5DHZbFRekAVcShAGfhZaxMXKu6Q3ZM0YqrBfPwXHw/s1600/Michelle+Lim.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzFX8X49gkAGTmwEahCOLlYjwnkwutvzZ_9QpytnfKjl2VjGxOq920JgfZI1k-3zboNsAGGWZd9Rqt7omZIqZY2dpjfI78JUTpIG5DHZbFRekAVcShAGfhZaxMXKu6Q3ZM0YqrBfPwXHw/s200/Michelle+Lim.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I met Michelle Lim a few years back when our <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/minnesotaniceacfw/" target="_blank">Minnesota chapter of ACFW</a> was in its infancy. From the beginning, I was amazed at how rapidly she formed ideas. When planning, she’d be tossing out her 20<sup>th</sup> suggestion, while I was still formulating my first. The same goes for plotting--her mind sparks ideas at lighting speed. Since she began her blog, <a href="http://thoughtsonplot.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts on Plot</a>, I’ve learned she is also an excellent teacher. I love how she weaves story into her education process. Her blog has quickly become one to watch. I highly recommend it.</span><br />
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<a href="http://thoughtsonplot.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://thoughtsonplot.wordpress.com/</span></a>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://thoughtsonplot.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts on Plot</a> is a blog that journeys with the writer, celebrating their ups and downs while learning more about the craft of writing. Each day includes a blog varying in topic from writing craft, professional tips, faith, and featured guest authors. Laugh, cry, and celebrate the writing journey with <a href="mailto:www.thoughtsonplot@wordpress.com"><span style="color: windowtext;">www.thoughtsonplot@wordpress.com</span></a>.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i> <b>Michelle Lim</b> is a Romantic Suspense writer with three complete manuscripts that have earned recognition in <a href="http://christianwritersofthewest.weebly.com/phoenix-rattler-contest.html" target="_blank">The Rattler Contest in 2012</a>, the <a href="http://www.acfw.com/genesis/2011_Semi_Finalists" target="_blank">Genesis Contest in 2011</a>, and the <a href="http://www.mybooktherapy.com/2012-frasier-contest/" target="_blank">Frasier Contest </a>in 2010. She is the Brainstorm/Huddle Coach at <a href="http://www.mybooktherapy.com/" target="_blank">My Book Therapy</a> and she serves as Vice President of <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/minnesotaniceacfw/" target="_blank">MN N.I.C.E.</a> (Novelists Inspiring Christian Excellence), a local chapter of <a href="http://www.acfw.com/index.php/" target="_blank">American Christian Fiction Writers</a>.</i></span><br />
Michelle's website: <a href="http://www.michellestreetmatter.com/">http://www.michellestreetmatter.com/</a></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-39202782705388965772012-05-29T01:00:00.000-05:002012-05-29T01:00:04.620-05:00And the Winner of THE TELLING is ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmVt2AOjdZ7JEM3oVcJEsI9HbB1Xi54PoIFoMmJsxMcyIUJyxQvwD1SpfnP9Y-L5zSVKCd39ndq24DbwV4b0Vyaf8o393vXaM4YEXAcwHh_0B0h7xhNB0CAd6NgV9ife-Hqhco66TVnw/s1600/The+Telling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmVt2AOjdZ7JEM3oVcJEsI9HbB1Xi54PoIFoMmJsxMcyIUJyxQvwD1SpfnP9Y-L5zSVKCd39ndq24DbwV4b0Vyaf8o393vXaM4YEXAcwHh_0B0h7xhNB0CAd6NgV9ife-Hqhco66TVnw/s320/The+Telling.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*** <a href="http://www.katheckenbach.com/" target="_blank">Kat Heckenbach</a> ***</span></div>
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Congratulations Kat!<br />
Please send your mailing address to: BrendaBryantAndersonATcomcastDOTnet<br />
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Special thanks to <a href="http://mikeduran.com/" target="_blank">Mike Duran</a> for providing an engaging interview and the book for the giveaway. I greatly appreciate it!<br />
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And thank you, readers, for making Mike's interview the 3rd most popular post ever (so far) on the Spire Reviews blog. I hope you'll stop by again.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Name chosen via the old-fashioned way--</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">my daughter pulled Kat's name out of a Minnesota Twins cap.)</span></div>
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<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-65763954069417575992012-05-22T01:00:00.000-05:002012-05-22T01:00:07.393-05:00Author Spotlight on Mike Duran<br />
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I wish to thank author Mike Duran for stopping by Spire
Reviews today for a brief chat. For those of you who haven't read his blog
(<a href="http://mikeduran.com/" target="_blank">deCOMPOSE</a>) before, I encourage you to hop over there after reading this
interview. Mike is rarely bashful about speaking his mind, and his posts often
encourage thoughtful and heated debates. I've discovered it to be a challenging
forum that continuously inspires my growth in faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also,
Mike has generously offered to give away (1) copy of his new release, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-telling-mike-duran/9781616386948/pd/386948?product_redirect=1&Ntt=386948&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE TELLING</a>. Please see below for instructions on how to enter this contest.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Good
morning, Mike. Thank you for stopping by today, and congratulations on your new
release, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-telling-mike-duran/1107728317?ean=9781616386948" target="_blank">THE TELLING</a>. I loved your debut novel, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-resurrection-mike-duran/9781616382049/pd/382049?event=CF" target="_blank">THE RESURRECTION</a>, and
anticipate your sophomore work will be equally engaging—just like your blog deCOMPOSE.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>One reason I enjoy reading your blog is because you're not
afraid to stir the pot, thereby encouraging discussion. Have you ever found
your opinion swayed by the debate?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Oh yeah. I’m blessed to have such wonderful commenters and
facilitate such fun, interesting discussions. One such time was my review of
<i><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/redeeming-love-francine-rivers/9781590525135/pd/525132?item_code=WW&netp_id=368771&event=ESRCG&view=details" target="_blank">Redeeming Love</a> </i>by <a href="http://francinerivers.com/" target="_blank">Francine Rivers</a>. It remains one of my most visited, hotly debated, posts
(<a href="http://mikeduran.com/2011/04/redeeming-love-a-review/">http://mikeduran.com/2011/04/redeeming-love-a-review/</a>). The reason I even
got to the place to read and review a romance novel was because of my blog
readers. I’ve said some pretty snarky things about romance and romance readers
in the past. Over time, I’ve felt my views changing. Of course, it’s still not
my chosen genre to read or write, but the discussions helped me to a more
balanced perspective, I think. I’m glad I read that book. And though it
reinforced some of the opinions, it also changed some. So, yeah. My opinion is
shaped, if not swayed, often.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A frequent topic on your blog is the quality of Christian
fiction. One of the goals of Spire Reviews is to spotlight *Christian fiction*
that raises the standard. Have you discovered any Christian fiction authors or
novels that you would endorse? What, in your opinion, elevates them above the
rest?<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Wow! More than I could mention. I’ve read enough to know
that there’s great-to-mediocre stuff in both markets. So I’ve never bought into
the complaint that all Christian fiction is junk. Currently, I’m reading <a href="http://www.atholdickson.com/" target="_blank">Athol Dickson</a>’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/lost-mission-athol-dickson/9781416583479/pd/583479?product_redirect=1&Ntt=583479&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Lost Mission</a></i>.
Dickson is such a great writer. Not sure how any objective person could read
his stuff and still say that Christian writers are hacks. <a href="http://www.toscalee.com/" target="_blank">Tosca Lee</a> is another
Christian author who I consider a fantastic wordsmith. <a href="http://timdowns.net/" target="_blank">Tim Downs</a>, <a href="http://tlhines.com/" target="_blank">T.L. Hines</a>,
and <a href="http://www.robertliparulo.com/" target="_blank">Robert Liparulo</a>, just to name a few others. Last year I read Leif Enger's<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Like-River-Leif-Enger/dp/0802139256/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337611733&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Peace Like a River</a></i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and just adored it. While not
considered Christian fiction, its themes are blatantly spiritual. Admittedly, I
haven’t read much in the Women’s Fiction category, even though it comprises
probably three-fourths of the Christian publishing market. Frankly, I think
that’s one of our shortfalls at this point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Well said. You mentioned several of my favorite authors,
and I would like to add that there are several excellent women’s fiction
writers within Christian fiction (see <i>Authors
Who Dare Write Different</i> list in sidebar).<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Regardless of genre, are there authors you read regularly?
Are there any you wish to emulate?<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
I love <a href="http://www.deankoontz.com/" target="_blank">Dean Koontz</a>’s books, especially his <a href="http://www.deankoontz.com/odd-thomas-series" target="_blank">Odd Thomas series</a>. What I like about Koontz is his humorous, existential ruminations. He’s
writing about something “bigger” than just his characters. I’ll never forget
one Christian acquisitions editor telling me at a writers conference that Dean
Koontz was writing some of the best Christian fiction out there. Go figger.
Another writer who has deeply influenced me is G.K. Chesterton. His<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/man-who-was-thursday-g-k-chesterton/1100059635?ean=9781475167689" target="_blank">The Man Who Was Thursday</a></i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>remains one of my all-time favorite
reads. It’s complex, dense, and full of wit. Chesterton’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-G-K-Chesterton/dp/1613820895/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337612032&sr=1-1" target="_blank"><i>Orthodoxy</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></a>is so full of philosophical clarity
and joy, it captivated me when I first read it. Those two writers, Koontz and
Chesterton, are definitely at the top of my To Be Emulated list.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>I loved your debut novel,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Resurrection-novel-Mike-Duran/dp/161638204X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337612118&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Resurrection</a></em>, and am
looking forward to reading your sophomore effort,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>The Telling</em>, which releases
the end May. What is<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>The
Telling</em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span>about, what
inspired you to write it, and do you have a third novel in the works?</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>The Telling</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is about a
disfigured modern day prophet who’s renounced his gift and cloisters himself in
a ramshackle bookstore on the outskirts of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Endurance,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>a quaint but quirky city on the
northern fringes of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><st1:place u2:st="on">Death
Valley</st1:place>. Through an odd series of circumstances, the least of which
is the discovery of his murdered doppelganger, he finds himself
front-and-center in a quest to close one of nine mythical gates of hell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
While<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Telling</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>could be classified
as a horror story, it’s really about destiny. A recurrent question asked in the
novel is, “Do you find your destiny, or does your destiny find you?”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Telling</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a story about
people who, in the midst of horrific circumstances, are grappling with a larger
purpose to their lives. What is destiny? Is it human or divine? Can darkness—inside
or outside us—short-circuit our destiny? Or are some scars actually destined?
It was really a fun, challenging story to unravel.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
My third novel is in the works. It’s a little different
from my first two, an Urban Fantasy about a paranormal reporter who must
investigate the murder of his girlfriend, only to learn of a larger plot to
build a massive conductor to the spirit world. It’s fast-paced, supernatural
noir. The book’s tentatively entitled<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Ghost Box</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and is currently
being shopped.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>The storyline of <i>The Telling</i> sounds intriguing, and I love
the thematic elements! Sounds engaging and profound. <i>The Ghost Box</i> sounds interesting
too!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>When you're not writing, what are you doing?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Since I’ve been contracted, my life has really changed.
It’s honestly something I did not calculate. I work a 40-hour week outside the
home, so writing just takes up pretty much the rest of my time. It’s extremely
hectic and has involved a huge re-thinking of my priorities. Blogging also
takes up a lot of my time. I enjoy doing it, but it’s really pretty hard to put
out good stuff on a regular basis without spending time on it. I am constantly
gathering material for my blog. I also love to garden and watch a lot of
movies. <a href="http://netflix.com/" target="_blank">Netflix </a>has become an important tool in my writing workbox.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Can you briefly describe your journey to publication?<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Well, it’s definitely not the journey I would have chosen!
I was a minister for eleven years—full-time staff at a Christian church. I got
into the ministry as a young man and a new Christian. I had a wife, four kids,
and was on a steep learning curve. But the pressures eventually took their toll
(as they do with many ministers) and, after a lot of teeth-pulling, I felt like
I needed to step away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
But after I left the ministry, I kind of drifted. I didn’t
jump straight into writing. In fact, I had no idea that’s what I’d end up
doing. I returned to construction and kept one ear to heaven. This went on for
three or four years. At the time, I subscribed to <a href="http://www.worldmag.com/" target="_blank">World Magazine</a>. They
sponsored a fiction contest by Westbow and I decided, rather impromptu, to
enter. I’d never written fiction. But years in the pulpit had taught me how to
work with words and engage an audience. To my surprise, out of thousands of
entries, my story received an honorable mention. That affirmation sort of got
the ball rolling on a possible writing career. As a result, I eventually was
asked to join an online writing group. And that was really just the beginning
of a whole other journey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Thanks again, Mike, for stopping by Spire Reviews today! I
wish you the best in all your future writing endeavors.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b>About Mike<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Mike Duran</b> is a novelist, blogger, and freelance writer whose short
stories, essays, and commentary have appeared in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Relief Journal</i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Relevant Online</i>, <i>Breakpoint</i>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Rue Morgue<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>magazine, and other print and
digital outlets. He<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is the author of
the supernatural thriller <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161638204X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0FD4MMQPEXHBYVH1T7SS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank">THE RESURRECTION</a> (<a href="http://charismahouse.com/index.php/books-by-imprint/realms-books" target="_blank">Realms</a>, 2011), which was a finalist
in the 2011 <a href="http://inspys.com/" target="_blank">INSPY Awards</a>, an e-book fantasy novella entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winterland-ebook/dp/B005ZXRMUS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337614234&sr=8-1" target="_blank">WINTERLAND</a>, and
THE TELLING (Realms, May 2012). Mike contributes monthly commentary at<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i><a href="http://www.novelrocket.com/" target="_blank">Novel Rocket</a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>one of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Writer's Digest 101 Most Helpful Websites for Writers</i>. Mike<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is an ordained minister and lives with his wife and four
grown children in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Southern California.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Mike's novels explore the boundaries of belief,
the fragile tether between science and superstition, the depths of despair and
the reaches of faith. You can learn more about Mike Duran, his writing
projects, favorite music, cultural commentary, and arcane interests, at
mikeduran.com.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmVt2AOjdZ7JEM3oVcJEsI9HbB1Xi54PoIFoMmJsxMcyIUJyxQvwD1SpfnP9Y-L5zSVKCd39ndq24DbwV4b0Vyaf8o393vXaM4YEXAcwHh_0B0h7xhNB0CAd6NgV9ife-Hqhco66TVnw/s1600/The+Telling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmVt2AOjdZ7JEM3oVcJEsI9HbB1Xi54PoIFoMmJsxMcyIUJyxQvwD1SpfnP9Y-L5zSVKCd39ndq24DbwV4b0Vyaf8o393vXaM4YEXAcwHh_0B0h7xhNB0CAd6NgV9ife-Hqhco66TVnw/s320/The+Telling.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">THE TELLING<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Realms, 304 pages</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A prophet never loses his calling, only his way.</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Disfigured with a hideous scar from his
stepmother, Zeph Walker lives his life in seclusion, cloistering himself in a
ramshackle bookstore on the outskirts of town. But Zeph is also blessed with a
gift—an uncanny ability to foresee the future,to know peoples’ deepest sins and
secrets. He calls it <i>the Telling</i>, but he has abandoned this gift to
a life of solitude, unbelief, and despair—until two detectives escort him to
the county morgue where he finds his own body lying on the gurney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">On the northern fringes of Death Valley, the
city of <i>Endurance</i> is home to llama ranches, abandoned mines,
roadside attractions...and the mythical ninth gate of hell. Now, forced to
investigate his own murder, Zeph discovers something even more insidious behind
the urban legends and small-town eccentricities. Early miners unearthed a <i>megalith—</i>a sacred
site where spiritual and physical forces converge and where an ancient
subterranean presence broods. And only Zeph can stop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">But the scar on Zeph’s face is nothing compared
to the wound on his soul. For not only has he abandoned his gift and renounced
heaven, but it was his own silence that spawned the evil. Can he overcome his
own despair in time to seal the ninth gate of hell? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">His words unlocked something deadly,</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">And now the silence is killing them.</span></i></b></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt; text-align: center;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Drawing for THE TELLING</span></span></i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">To be
entered in the drawing, tell us, in the comments below, one thing that intrigues
you about Mike Duran’s blog (</span></span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><a href="http://mikeduran.com/">http://mikeduran.com/</a>). One comment per person will be entered. The drawing ends Monday,
May 28 at 6 p.m. CST. The winner will be announced on the Spire Reviews blog on Tuesday, May 29.
Winner must provide a mailing address in an email to BrendaBryantAndersonATcomcastDOTnet.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-82860325761365805632012-05-15T01:00:00.000-05:002012-05-15T01:00:01.857-05:00Travelers Rest<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBRW4zq1GE0VVBTUL-hY3TKpSpVeTQKFs8G4FsfMinWRXpyaa8OiC40al2Gmwk1Nf9QLtKAALZO8ikAmacU44AuIC-xbvuNwmHxCJqPv42vswBJsPDJf1EwGQ3xeTyv9TW8u4iNcCXek/s1600/Travelers+Rest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBRW4zq1GE0VVBTUL-hY3TKpSpVeTQKFs8G4FsfMinWRXpyaa8OiC40al2Gmwk1Nf9QLtKAALZO8ikAmacU44AuIC-xbvuNwmHxCJqPv42vswBJsPDJf1EwGQ3xeTyv9TW8u4iNcCXek/s320/Travelers+Rest.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">By Ann Tatlock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bethany House Publishers, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">352 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When I read, many factors play into how I’ll
rank a novel, but three typically stand above the rest: prose,
character, and story. It’s a rare novel that meets all three criteria and an
ever rarer novel that excels in all three. When an author achieves this, the result
is a page-turning, prose-savoring novel that draws the reader in emotionally,
making you care deeply for the characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/travelers-rest-ann-tatlock/9780764208102/pd/208101?product_redirect=1&Ntt=208101&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">TRAVELER’S REST</a> by <a href="http://www.anntatlock.com/" target="_blank">Ann Tatlock</a> is one such
novel. It’s no surprise for me, though, as Ann Tatlock’s work frequently end up
on my <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/search/label/Favorite" target="_blank">Favorites </a>list, as this one has. This is definitely a book I will read
again and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy thought-provoking fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Story Description<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A YOUNG WOMAN
determined to honor her commitment...</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">AN INJURED SOLDIER convinced life is no longer
worth living...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">A RETIRED DOCTOR certain it's too late to be
forgiven...<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Jane Morrow
has a dilemma. She's engaged to Seth Ballantine, a member of the National
Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, and he's returned from Iraq severely
wounded. Jane hasn't seen him for nearly a year, and with trepidation, she
heads to the VA hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is being
treated. Seth isn't happy to see her. He'd asked her not to come. He wants to
end the relationship. But Jane loves him, and despite his injury, she's
determined to convince him that they can have a life together. Her faith has
never been strong, yet she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what
to do. The answer she finds may not be at all what she expected...<span class="apple-converted-space"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">About the Author<o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ann Tatlock</span></span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;"> is the author of the
Christy-Award-winning novel<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-The-Way-Home-Tatlock/dp/0983319650/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3" target="_blank">All the Way Home</a>. She has also won
the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in
fiction for both<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>All the Way Home<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ill-Watch-Moon-Ann-Tatlock/dp/0983319626/ref=pd_sim_b_1" target="_blank">I'll Watch the Moon</a>. Ann lives with
her husband, Bob, and their daughter, Laura Jane, in Asheville, North Carolina.</span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Visit her
website at www.anntatlock.com.</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-76656920074321555372012-05-08T01:00:00.000-05:002012-05-09T10:04:01.158-05:00Reading Recommendations By Moms - For Moms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">This coming
Sunday, across the nation we’ll celebrate mothers. I’ll admit I’m partial to
this day, being I am a mother of three and a stay-at-home-mom for 19 years. It’s
not an easy job, but it’s one that can be completely rewarding. I’ve watched my
daughter grow into a lovely young woman who’s now a best friend. Our two sons
our both respectful young men, a trait that is sorely lacking in much of today’s
teens. I’m blessed that God has given them to me and my husband to raise. What
an awesome privilege!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">To honor our mothers I’ve asked five writer friends, all mothers,
to talk briefly about a book they would recommend for other mothers, one that would
make a meaningful gift. These friends have responded with a diversity of
ideas! Love it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">So thank you
Sharon, Laura, Nicole, Cathy, and Jerri! I pray God richly blesses your mother’s day!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig48uOD1z98vMkswo49hj8cKFenMeHXBJB_KJWnZ89mb-ZOAUKa4Q3ALqCrATDDL3wf8vnK0GfkPW8eZ4RenE76Xf-xMHjLlk3RycDg2EuIgiCOdwn21EXHeHHWmGhWCkSsZ-0X0Ca4Kc/s1600/Sharon+Hinck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig48uOD1z98vMkswo49hj8cKFenMeHXBJB_KJWnZ89mb-ZOAUKa4Q3ALqCrATDDL3wf8vnK0GfkPW8eZ4RenE76Xf-xMHjLlk3RycDg2EuIgiCOdwn21EXHeHHWmGhWCkSsZ-0X0Ca4Kc/s200/Sharon+Hinck.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/" target="_blank"><b>Sharon Hinck</b></a> - A
book I recently gave my daughter-in-law (who is soon to become a mother) that
has a beautiful depiction of motherhood is actually a children’s book.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguF6mR1p8d3qf-5557r9_Lu34ISWstUkAW6WU2iGKvz-RHDeURBtpJSJVO6Rxmo3Zc9bUj3P5CuvuEDPO8rEjGjiizDf6Soa3RoQ7Hzmn61DnqSBN8PAbvfmYnIX1p6joShBt8jQtWvSI/s1600/The+Runaway+Bunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguF6mR1p8d3qf-5557r9_Lu34ISWstUkAW6WU2iGKvz-RHDeURBtpJSJVO6Rxmo3Zc9bUj3P5CuvuEDPO8rEjGjiizDf6Soa3RoQ7Hzmn61DnqSBN8PAbvfmYnIX1p6joShBt8jQtWvSI/s200/The+Runaway+Bunny.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Runaway-Bunny-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0060775823/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335895571&sr=1-1" target="_blank">THE RUNAWAY BUNNY</a></span> by Margaret Wise Brown. </i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">As the baby bunny tests his limits and grapples with independence, the mother
bunny patiently becomes what he needs to be a reassuring presence in his life. </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Whenever I read this book, I also think of God stepping into our humanity to
find us and call us home.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">For
a terrific Mother’s Day Gift, I highly recommend Sharon’s Restorer series! It’s
combination soccer-mom/fantasy. Every mom can relate to the main character, Susan. Two new editions are now out: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Restorer-Expanded-Sharon-Hinck/dp/1935929356/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896831&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Restorer-Expanded Edition</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Restorers-Son--Expanded-Edition-Sharon-Hinck/dp/1935929577/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896866&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition</a>, both of
which have interactive elements within the book that heighten the reading
experience.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOeV_ZTEncOiZlcqvzcvF12LfxASIG1nPBQRF_Qqht_wPSPVzinjVDQyRCbpU8Cc-qZM2vCYuc71AkvdyxVEHM1R6QkguIOyex-_djv8GhFONwubXnwduB_ffAk7ncYPhKRDMxRJ_ebM/s1600/The+Restorer%2527s+Son.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOeV_ZTEncOiZlcqvzcvF12LfxASIG1nPBQRF_Qqht_wPSPVzinjVDQyRCbpU8Cc-qZM2vCYuc71AkvdyxVEHM1R6QkguIOyex-_djv8GhFONwubXnwduB_ffAk7ncYPhKRDMxRJ_ebM/s200/The+Restorer%2527s+Son.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Restorers-Expanded-Edition-Sword-ebook/dp/B007RSLREQ/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1335895772&sr=1-1-catcorr" target="_blank">THE RESTORER’S SON</a></span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> – Expanded Edition
(Marcher Lord Press) - Plunged again into the gray world of Lyric and Hazor,
Susan and Mark search frantically for their teenage son, Jake, as all signs
hint that a trusted ally has betrayed them. Assassins, political intrigue,
false leads, and near misses beset their path, which will lead them into the
dark prisons of Hazor before the One’s purpose is revealed.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Cast out by those he trusts and preferring to
cross swords with the One rather than yield to His will, Kieran flees to enemy
Hazor, only to find that the One knows no borders. Pursued by his calling,
Kieran finds a boy without a home, a king with burning questions, and a nation
torn by darkness. As he embraces the tasks the One has set before him, this new
Restorer learns that the One requires his all—perhaps even his life.</span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">This Carol Award-winning novel is now in a new
edition that includes a devotion guide, bonus scenes, and other great extras to
immerse the reader in the world on the other side of the portal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">~*~*~</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7BJea_05EPwlAdFWKdKHvsJ01ZQ2nLHbqPAT-yuofsG8nqbPxX4kBi_FGk6dx5f05H8IfhUJXsQzRIcuKFZ5QUBaNU8JgFt9sx_GHzCuS68iuMjbGBkNC26pMsikcB7deTNm83KzQGU/s1600/GetAttachment%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW7BJea_05EPwlAdFWKdKHvsJ01ZQ2nLHbqPAT-yuofsG8nqbPxX4kBi_FGk6dx5f05H8IfhUJXsQzRIcuKFZ5QUBaNU8JgFt9sx_GHzCuS68iuMjbGBkNC26pMsikcB7deTNm83KzQGU/s200/GetAttachment%255B1%255D.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"><a href="http://laurafrantz.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b>Laura Frantz</b></a> - My Mom gave me this book when I was a busy mom of two
young boys. The only problem was I never had time to read it! But once I did,
it became a keeper. Beth Moore's</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=feathers+from+my+nest+by+beth+moore&sprefix=feathers+from+my%2Cstripbooks%2C152" target="_blank"><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">Feathers From My Nest</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">is a collection of personal vignettes about
mothering, being a wife, and the riches children bring to our lives whether
they're little or grown. More personal and reflective than her Bible Studies,
Beth talks about authenticity in the Christian home, communication,
encouragement, and also makes some memorable spiritual parallels.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_WSIeFvPaeiKvN0wbIYjNMFI_N427ZQZEbI0aX2X7n211W868wiMtzGDtcRTfH3dVWOLTnZg6W9LWts8pOsOSFreLV8hrzg7fCZ8T_6lq6d_LpADElQJ2-IBMXacU0bXMrkDf1dK7kA/s1600/Feathers+From+My+Nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_WSIeFvPaeiKvN0wbIYjNMFI_N427ZQZEbI0aX2X7n211W868wiMtzGDtcRTfH3dVWOLTnZg6W9LWts8pOsOSFreLV8hrzg7fCZ8T_6lq6d_LpADElQJ2-IBMXacU0bXMrkDf1dK7kA/s200/Feathers+From+My+Nest.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;">Interestingly, the book begins with twin forwards by her two
daughters and Beth herself ends with a chapter entitled, "One Slightly
Gray, Well-Seasoned Man" in which she talks about her husband, Keith.
This is a book for women of any age and stage. It's timeless and moving and
beautifully done!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">I love authors whose prose
and descriptions create a musical tapestry. Laura is one of those gifted few. I’ve
savored all her previous novels, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Courting-Morrow-Little-A-Novel/dp/B004P5OOU8/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896746&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Courting Morrow Little</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmans-Daughter-The-A-Novel/dp/0800733398/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896746&sr=1-1" target="_blank">The Frontiersman’s Daughter</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Colonels-Lady-The-A-Novel/dp/080073341X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896746&sr=1-2" target="_blank">The Colonel’s Lady</a>, and cannot wait to read her upcoming release,
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Reckoning-Novel-Ballantyne-Legacy/dp/0800720415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896697&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Love’s Reckoning</a>! If you go to Amazon.com now you can pre-order this book for a
very low price.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1HTTctdg4nOXzEvkENES2DLX_Fe3k-JLnSkSQALD0qPQlNSDONCOFAIU8EFGPM-dJBozakqKZPWmig_682eRg9Vd4bkQapenx66DPiROCujX74Mb-xpEbWcwvDqGlVQg74Id_z_9zoc/s1600/Love's+Reckoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1HTTctdg4nOXzEvkENES2DLX_Fe3k-JLnSkSQALD0qPQlNSDONCOFAIU8EFGPM-dJBozakqKZPWmig_682eRg9Vd4bkQapenx66DPiROCujX74Mb-xpEbWcwvDqGlVQg74Id_z_9zoc/s200/Love's+Reckoning.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/loves-reckoning-ballantyne-legacy/laura-frantz/9780800720414/pd/720414?product_redirect=1&Ntt=720414&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">LOVE’S RECKONING</a></span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (Revell) <span style="color: #783f04;">- On a bitter
December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith
Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith
himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But
Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and
endeavors to keep him in Lancaster. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's
daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited
Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?</span></span><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA36Ynt_W7iJ2sEXr3-soTm8doN4hgYvnYjHfKnxUTtYnTsltU0rseTvjq5kw_MBFvBSJYg5mWtEHXBVXYD39YP0fLfSYD1mmL6LSRza37T0xCLWstgyKmiP_7Xnh8hLgagnzi3EvDSQ/s1600/Nicole+Petrino-Salter2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBA36Ynt_W7iJ2sEXr3-soTm8doN4hgYvnYjHfKnxUTtYnTsltU0rseTvjq5kw_MBFvBSJYg5mWtEHXBVXYD39YP0fLfSYD1mmL6LSRza37T0xCLWstgyKmiP_7Xnh8hLgagnzi3EvDSQ/s200/Nicole+Petrino-Salter2.JPG" width="132" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b><a href="http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Petrino-Salter</a></b></span></span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"> - Mother's Day was very special to me until
my mother passed away at the young age of 62. I miss her to this day as tears
come to my eyes even writing this. My husband just asked me last night what I
wanted for Mother's Day. Immediately I thought of which novel to request. (Oh,
and some perfume I'm out of.) But really, Mother's Day almost ceased to exist
for me when I lost mine even though I'm the mom to two
wonderful adult sons.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen5CpoEsj7oJcqw5g1KyT8u8Zobj_CgzGrtBG_ojzhuyN7nCbK3VO0V0Sx_cBKinETInoAVFJO9S-o_vBZA75D2Wj2i-Y8t5wWjXeRoVAmZ1Lv_A0qsgjpljWMMYttwLDz0oVY9vjGqw/s1600/Love+and+Respect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgen5CpoEsj7oJcqw5g1KyT8u8Zobj_CgzGrtBG_ojzhuyN7nCbK3VO0V0Sx_cBKinETInoAVFJO9S-o_vBZA75D2Wj2i-Y8t5wWjXeRoVAmZ1Lv_A0qsgjpljWMMYttwLDz0oVY9vjGqw/s200/Love+and+Respect.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>
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<i><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">If I were to recommend giving a book for Mother's Day, it would probably
be Dr. Emerson Eggrich's</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Respect-Desires-Desperately-Needs/dp/1594153205/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335897024&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Love and Respect</a> </span><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">because there's nothing better a mom can do
than reassure her children that their parents are solid, love each other, and
respect each other. In spite of my life choices, I always had that with my
parents. I know it's strange for this almost exclusive novel reader to
recommend non-fiction, but I think this particular book is that important.
However, in keeping with my "first love" of novels, I would also
recommend the classic</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Redeeming Love</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></i><strong><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;"><i>by Francine Rivers, which demonstrates love
and respect on a whole other level.</i><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">One of the greatest
pleasures of writing has been meeting new friends. In Nicole, I’ve discovered a
friend who shares much the same literary taste, but more importantly, I’ve
found a friend completely in love with God. If your mother likes books that
deal with broken lives and gritty reality, then I highly recommend Nicole’s
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/breath-of-life-nicole-petrino-salter/1106028250?ean=9781414120805" target="_blank">Breath of Life</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDMnV_DRiBGvLYC8IqUY-HrxKnF3K09HvWYFnLlwkPHlefdQZT54a4RxI8s2CQBtMKTCvudYqIeMHeOWIzRRiTIAqzDDpnQbCX5l78gF2w5d-D7xoagNHiayPGI_fFKRTeV1BpA_uOZI/s1600/Breath+of+Life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDMnV_DRiBGvLYC8IqUY-HrxKnF3K09HvWYFnLlwkPHlefdQZT54a4RxI8s2CQBtMKTCvudYqIeMHeOWIzRRiTIAqzDDpnQbCX5l78gF2w5d-D7xoagNHiayPGI_fFKRTeV1BpA_uOZI/s200/Breath+of+Life.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/141412080X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335896952&sr=1-1" target="_blank">BREATH OF LIFE</a></span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (WinePress) <span style="color: #783f04;">- Breath of
Life tells the story of embittered, wounded, and divorced Michael Jamison, who,
after a prolonged period as the casual observer of a lovely woman, discovers
his attraction to her supercedes remaining a stranger. With a smarting ego and
nothing to lose, he figures out a non-threatening way to introduce himself and
is overwhelmed with her pristine beauty and challenged to change everything
about the way he's lived his life so far.</span></span><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdY8H-uCoEFuM4YL-tFRymm-j4RV6l2Fzg1RT_rpyQNdjQR6wCPpRPOVXM0PO8lgLr_OFpEj_XxLaA-MaRgZdu07DMnQNnxPG-FJDPDJioYvQZwGC-8Uwa_MKAEbkKSzwPEpgWkNXjz4/s1600/Catherine+Richmond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdY8H-uCoEFuM4YL-tFRymm-j4RV6l2Fzg1RT_rpyQNdjQR6wCPpRPOVXM0PO8lgLr_OFpEj_XxLaA-MaRgZdu07DMnQNnxPG-FJDPDJioYvQZwGC-8Uwa_MKAEbkKSzwPEpgWkNXjz4/s200/Catherine+Richmond.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b><a href="http://catherinerichmond.com/" target="_blank">Catherine Richmond</a></b> - Mother’s Day brings to mind one of the great mothers in fiction:
Marcy O’Connor of Julie Lessman’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Most-Pure-Daughters-Boston/dp/0800732111/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335897296&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Daughters of Boston</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hope-Undaunted-Novel-Winds-Change/dp/B004P5OPNO/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335897345&sr=1-5" target="_blank">Winds of Change</a>
series. Marcy is the matriarch of a large family, a fount of strength and
wisdom for her children and their spouses. And she’s passionately in love with
her husband. What a great example!</i></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoDlxe6EtQI9AACJLEYb3kgJ8dUp_4XP02F12WMynWtL_SBvQnkqAfjKyGLzTOw9aZg4H618Q35O5PS5O1jL51gXmEpFqntkTV-NHR0U-NPh9A2j97ADUC_Wd2mIEp9vwTlNzBr53oYM/s1600/A+Passion+Most+Pure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoDlxe6EtQI9AACJLEYb3kgJ8dUp_4XP02F12WMynWtL_SBvQnkqAfjKyGLzTOw9aZg4H618Q35O5PS5O1jL51gXmEpFqntkTV-NHR0U-NPh9A2j97ADUC_Wd2mIEp9vwTlNzBr53oYM/s200/A+Passion+Most+Pure.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">Thanks to my Inkspirational Messages friends and my debut
novel site, I was introduced to Catherine Richmond last year. Her lush descriptions
of the Dakota territories and her sizzling romance in her book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spring-Susannah-Catherine-Richmond/dp/1595549242/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335898276&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Spring for Susannah</a> convinced me I need to read more from her.<b> Through Rushing Water </b>(Don’t
you LOVE the cover?) comes out in July, but you can pre-order it and give your
mother something fun to look forward to.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nhe6LXPBJfNrCr_z7fbr_qCAUYmuFPqX8tssvfAZlauIuCf9fRsCvlT_fa4nT58gNPQK_9pnEbZGmeg9TeRmjVoDJbO0b0YlpVVNXqzt94oPzazuX_9duNLA3-I_K_ylYsL3WXcQhFw/s1600/Through+Rushing+Water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Nhe6LXPBJfNrCr_z7fbr_qCAUYmuFPqX8tssvfAZlauIuCf9fRsCvlT_fa4nT58gNPQK_9pnEbZGmeg9TeRmjVoDJbO0b0YlpVVNXqzt94oPzazuX_9duNLA3-I_K_ylYsL3WXcQhFw/s200/Through+Rushing+Water.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Through-Rushing-Water-Catherine-Richmond/dp/1595549250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335897667&sr=1-1" target="_blank">THROUGH RUSHING WATER</a></span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> (Thomas Nelson) - <span style="color: #783f04;">Elegant
and educated, Sophia Makinoff is sure that 1876 is the year she'll wed
congressman Rexford Montgomery. But he proposes to her roommate instead!
Humiliated, Sophia signs on with a foreign missions society to go to
China---but ends up with the Dakota Territory Indians. Can she find a purpose
in God's plan?</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6h85pLKYUTMEyop15qBpy0LhlQWyz7vpp6Penw8lFET-mzqMhjqU7IzJO25j6E7RWhwn26Ttj0T6T0T-bcfriUZEk2wxQD9NQuGFiVm9bCTjlsFl5jN8Y9Bbbw_bA1OR_Z-CuIPym24/s1600/Jerri+Lynn+Ledford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6h85pLKYUTMEyop15qBpy0LhlQWyz7vpp6Penw8lFET-mzqMhjqU7IzJO25j6E7RWhwn26Ttj0T6T0T-bcfriUZEk2wxQD9NQuGFiVm9bCTjlsFl5jN8Y9Bbbw_bA1OR_Z-CuIPym24/s200/Jerri+Lynn+Ledford.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><b><i><a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/" target="_blank">Jerri Lynn Ledford</a></i></b><i> - One book that I found on my own, but would have loved to
receive for Mother's Day was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Love-Overwhelmed-Relentless-God/dp/1434768511/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336145547&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Crazy Love</a> by Francis Chan. The book
really challenged me to stretch my belief system and my faith in God. It's
unconventional in some ways, but in others, it's just clarifying. I love the
book so much that I think I'll pass it on to a couple of my favorite Moms for
Mother's Day. Maybe it will help them to understand why they're so critical to
His plan!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wa9hHSVM4i7GcoSm9eSGQx_BTa5O9O9CwtHue7YluQiLUeaCBCB-0al5BreororBPe20qlD6mPC-zqR6y27fAjOgqDZDee-fUq_aPO41hdat34wBlIRzVJBIQsZKcou1DrKAcLJB68/s1600/Crazy+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wa9hHSVM4i7GcoSm9eSGQx_BTa5O9O9CwtHue7YluQiLUeaCBCB-0al5BreororBPe20qlD6mPC-zqR6y27fAjOgqDZDee-fUq_aPO41hdat34wBlIRzVJBIQsZKcou1DrKAcLJB68/s200/Crazy+Love.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #073763;">A few years back I was blessed to be
assigned to a wonderful critique group (through ACFW). Jerri is one of those
partners. She’s multi-published in non-fiction in topics like SEO and Google
Analytics and things that are way beyond my pay grade. And she recently
released her first work of fiction, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Biloxi-Sunrise-The-Series-ebook/dp/B005YSUS1Y/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top" target="_blank">Biloxi Sunrise</a>. It was so much fun working
with her on this book and I can’t wait until her next novel in the Biloxi
Series, <i>Biloxi Blue</i>, to come out. She’s created captivating characters that I
can’t wait to learn more about!</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Cr_6MwR2xLl3LwhDpkdI4fYAF4VfXhAVlquj-nsTlMMyY1Fsezq1fm-YtWv237JRq2vtcM2pEmg1_1EDs1tA8tSmXaw3ceVu_SYI0g1C25EFgQuZwptXPgUZnTyeJIEQ9YR7tgIEViA/s1600/Biloxi+Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Cr_6MwR2xLl3LwhDpkdI4fYAF4VfXhAVlquj-nsTlMMyY1Fsezq1fm-YtWv237JRq2vtcM2pEmg1_1EDs1tA8tSmXaw3ceVu_SYI0g1C25EFgQuZwptXPgUZnTyeJIEQ9YR7tgIEViA/s200/Biloxi+Blue.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/books/biloxi-series/biloxi-blues/#.T6P1puvY98E" target="_blank">BILOXI BLUE</a></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
(Deep South Press) – <span style="color: #783f04;"><i>They can’t connect …</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #783f04;">With Jack Roe promoted Captain of the
Homicide Division of the Biloxi Police Department, his partner and girlfriend
Kate Giveans is left behind to take on a new partner. Caleb Castille, an
Abercrombie & Fitch model look-alike with a gun, is more than willing to
pay attention to Kate while Jack is focused on other things.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #783f04;">And
the race is on …<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Kate and her new partner have little to
go on when they begin investigating a murder at a local logistics company.
Worse, their suspects keep turning up dead. When the killer’s sights land on
Kate, the two detectives must rush to find the murderer before Kate becomes the
next victim.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #783f04;">But who to trust ...?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #783f04;">While Kate's trying to stay alive, she and Jack grow further apart and his secrets drive a wedge between them. Frustrated with Jack, Kate finds herself drawn more and more to her new partner. But is Caleb who he seems to be? And can Kate figure out who to trust before she ends up on a cold, steel morgue table.</span></span></div>
</span></div>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-2326184418999985032012-05-01T01:00:00.000-05:002012-05-01T01:00:00.666-05:00Novel Anticipation - May 2012<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The list of books I'm
anticipating reading for May is shorter than previous months lists, but that's
okay. The books coming out this month (release dates taken from Amazon.com)
look like winners, two of which are written by debut authors!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Are there any novels releasing this month that you can't wait to read?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-soul-saver-dineen-miller/9781616265823/pd/265823?product_redirect=1&Ntt=265823&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE SOUL SAVER</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Debut novel by <a href="http://authordineenmiller.com/" target="_blank">Dineen Miller</a><span class="apple-converted-space"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Barbour
Publishing, 320 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Meet Lexie
Baltimore, who is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God’s
calling, Lexie uses her art and dreams to help others. But will she have enough
courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a
godly man? A widower and a father, Pastor Nate Winslow is drowning in darkness.
Will he resist his treacherous assignment to win Lexie’s heart or give in to
the attraction between them? As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a
twisted plot. Will she overcome the evil assailing her or yield to the dark
side?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1CMii-5Y626eUr5Yit4GkyTJ7UT5LKma5b7iKj-7ewgkKo2eLiHYgypaXnCjbHIdnOytV-kIuOBt68NMCuOdy4MoglRTU4CnL9aPDMjjZCvbBESzYwOoU7Vioz1NLQdwoNQM-FYZmFw/s1600/The+Anniversary+Waltz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1CMii-5Y626eUr5Yit4GkyTJ7UT5LKma5b7iKj-7ewgkKo2eLiHYgypaXnCjbHIdnOytV-kIuOBt68NMCuOdy4MoglRTU4CnL9aPDMjjZCvbBESzYwOoU7Vioz1NLQdwoNQM-FYZmFw/s320/The+Anniversary+Waltz.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-anniversary-waltz-darrel-nelson/9781616387150/pd/387150?product_redirect=1&Ntt=387150&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Debut novel by <a href="http://www.darrelnelson.com/index.html" target="_blank">Darrel Nelson</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Realms, 304 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At their
sixtieth anniversary party, Adam Carlson asks his wife, Elizabeth, for their
customary waltz. After the dance they gather the family and share their story—a
story of love and courage overcoming adversity and thriving in the face of
overwhelming odds.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It’s the
summer of 1946, and Adam has just returned from the war to his home in Reunion,
Montana. At a town festival he meets Elizabeth Baxter, a young woman going
steady with his former high school rival and now influential banker, Nathan
Roberts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When Adam
and Elizabeth share a waltz in a deserted pavilion one evening, their feelings
begin to grow and they embark on a journey, and a dance, that will last a
lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-telling-mike-duran/9781616386948/pd/386948?item_code=WW&netp_id=967707&event=ESRCG&view=details" target="_blank">THE TELLING</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">by Mike Duran<span style="color: #4c1130;">*</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Realms, 304 pages</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><i>A prophet
never loses his calling, only his way.</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Disfigured
with a hideous scar from his stepmother, Zeph Walker lives his life in
seclusion, cloistering himself in a ramshackle bookstore on the outskirts of
town. But Zeph is also blessed with a gift—an uncanny ability to foresee the
future,to know peoples’ deepest sins and secrets. He calls it <i>the
Telling</i>, but he has abandoned this gift to a life of solitude, unbelief,
and despair—until two detectives escort him to the county morgue where he finds
his own body lying on the gurney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On the
northern fringes of Death Valley, the city of <i>Endurance</i> is
home to llama ranches, abandoned mines, roadside attractions...and the mythical
ninth gate of hell. Now, forced to investigate his own murder, Zeph discovers
something even more insidious behind the urban legends and small-town
eccentricities. Early miners unearthed a <i>megalith—</i>asacred site
where spiritual and physical forces converge and where an ancient subterranean
presence broods. And only Zeph can stop it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">But the
scar on Zeph’s face is nothing compared to the wound on his soul. For not only
has he abandoned his gift and renounced heaven, but it was his own silence that
spawned the evil. Can he overcome his own despair in time to seal the ninth
gate of hell?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>His words unlocked something deadly,</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i>And now the silence is killing them.</i></span></div>
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<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">*Mike will be visiting Spire Reviews later
this month.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130;">Watch for his post, which will include a
book giveaway!</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-57511373508281062282012-04-24T01:00:00.000-05:002012-04-24T07:55:37.571-05:00Perseverance Payoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Seven years is a long time to run after a dream.<br />
<br />
While I've always written, I began writing seriously in May of 2005. Since then I've typed THE END on six novels, and I've penned the first scenes in book number seven. I contribute to two separate blogs, Spire Reviews and <a href="http://inkspirationalmessages.com/" target="_blank">Inkspirational Messages</a>, and I have a website (<a href="http://brendaandersonbooks.com/" target="_blank">Brenda Anderson Books</a>) that's currently under reconstruction.<br />
<br />
Also, during those seven years, I've attended five writing conferences where I've learned from Angela Hunt, Ted Dekker, James Scott Bell, Tim Downs, and many more accomplished authors and teachers.<br />
<br />
I'm in two critique groups with the best partners anyone could ask for (Thanks <a href="http://lornaseilstad.com/" target="_blank">Lorna</a>, <a href="http://shannonvannatter.com/" target="_blank">Shannon</a>, <a href="http://www.jerriledford.com/" target="_blank">Jerri</a>, and <a href="http://www.grammaryammer.com/" target="_blank">Steph</a>). I've entered a handful of contests but never advanced past round one. I've met with numerous agents/editors; twice, I nearly signed with an agent. I've paid for several critiques, gaining improvement with each. And I've received some strange advice: frequently, I've been told that women won't read books with a male protagonist. (Really?) One editor told me that my characters were too messed up, they needed counseling, and should never get together. She said I should take out all the messy stuff and write something sweet. (Not gonna happen.) Once, when pitching to an agent, I told her my protag had previously lived with his girlfriend-- The agent stopped me right there and told me that women who read Christian fiction don't want to read about that. (Oh my!) It was a mutual decision that we weren't right for each other.<br />
<br />
During these years, I've cheered on three critique partners as they published and have happy danced with friends as they signed with agents. But, I couldn't stop the niggling thought, "I've been giving it my all. When is it my turn to win?"<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;"><i style="text-align: center;">Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. </i><i style="text-align: right;">1 </i><i>Corinthians 9:24</i></span></blockquote>
In 2010, I attended the <a href="http://www.acfw.com/conference" target="_blank">ACFW Conference</a> in Indianapolis. The conference began with a very encouraging paid critique from a well-respected, multi-published author who told me she loved my writing and that she fully expected to stand in line for my autograph someday. Oh, I was flying high at that moment.<br />
<br />
Then I crashed.<br />
<br />
After pitching to editors and agents, no one requested I send more. That had never happened before. Even at my very first conference, with a terrible manuscript, an agent requested a proposal.<br />
<br />
It left me wondering, "What do I do now?" After years of perfecting and even completing a novel in the romance genre in order to appeal to a wider audience, no one wanted me. I had no where to run.<br />
<br />
But I couldn't stand still--I kept running, this time without seeking outside approval. While I still worked with my critique partners, I didn't attend a conference or enter any contests. I just wrote. I didn't write for the market, but rather what was on my heart, and I completed two more novels. In the process, I rediscovered my voice.<br />
<br />
A voice I'm ready to share again.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;"><i>F</i><i style="text-align: center;">orgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me Heavenward in Christ Jesus. </i><i style="text-align: center;">Philippians 3:13-14</i></span></blockquote>
And I shared by entering two stories in the <a href="http://www.acfw.com/genesis" target="_blank">ACFW Genesis contest</a>, one in women's fiction, and one in contemporary romance. To be honest, I didn't expect much, and my gut told me I wasn't going to semi-final, but then last Wednesday, April 18, at 12:16 pm (yes, I recorded the time), I received a call from the coordinator for the contemporary romance category who told me I semi-finalled. Needless to say, I was ecstatic! I called my husband right away, then I hurried an e-mail to my critique partners.<br />
<br />
Then at 12:34 my phone rang again. I peeked at the caller I.D., and my heart started palpitating. It was the coordinator for women's fiction! After managing a thank you amid my shock, I called my husband again and flung off another e-mail to my critique partners.<br />
<br />
I don't think my feet touched the ground for two days. After the Genesis contest coordinator announced all the semi-finalists later Wednesday evening, my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrendaBryantAnderson" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and e-mail were flooded with congratulations. My celebration was tempered, though, with the knowledge that several talented friends did not advance--I know too well how that feels and wasn't about to offer them the platitudes. Believe me, empty encouragement doesn't help immediately after a rejection.<br />
<br />
Now, does semi-finalling mean that a publishing contract is around the corner? Nope. This is just the first lap in a multi-lap race. The precentage of finalling in this contest, of being in the top three in either of my categories, is a mere 15%. Not great odds, but not impossible either. With help from my critique partners, I know I did my best.<br />
<br />
What this does mean is that working hard these past seven years has finally paid off with confirmation that I'm running the right race. To advance this far, I must have talent worth harvesting.<br />
<br />
And so, regardless of the outcome of the Genesis contest, regardless of the results of the ACFW Conference in Dallas this fall, I'll persevere. I'll keep running this race, and I will continue to give it my all and leave the results in God's hands.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE 2012</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.acfw.com/genesis/semi_finalists_2012_genesis" target="_blank">GENESIS CONTEST SEMI-FINALISTS</a>!</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-small;"> <i style="text-align: center;">Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us... </i><i style="text-align: right;">Hebrews 12:1</i></span></blockquote>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-1425049887782922872012-04-17T01:00:00.000-05:002012-04-17T01:00:05.790-05:00Author Spotlight on Sharon Hinck<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the priceless benefits of becoming a writer has been meeting and making new friends. Over the past few years I have had the privilege of getting to know author <a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Hinck</a>. She has become a mentor, encourager, and best of all, a friend. Once I'm published, I pray I can handle the responsibility with half the grace as she.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, I'm thrilled to let people know about the re-release of Sharon's novel, <a href="http://www.marcherlordpress.com/books/restorers_son.html" target="_blank">The Restorer's Son</a> as an Expanded Edition (through <a href="http://marcherlordpress.com/" target="_blank">Marcher Lord Press</a>). I'm not typically a fantasy reader, but Sharon's <a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/the-sword-of-lyric-series" target="_blank">Sword of Lyric</a> novels are different. She draws the reader in using real-world characters, making it easier to identify with them even as they're drawn into a foreign world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sharon's a gifted storyteller and I encourage you to give her <i>Restorer </i>novels a try. You won't be disappointed.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #073763;">THE RESTORER'S SON-Expanded Edition</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><i>Book two in the groundbreaking Sword of Lyric series, The Restorer’s Son won a <a href="http://www.acfw.com/carol/2008_winners" target="_blank">Carol Award</a> (2008) for
speculative fiction. </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #073763;">Plunged again into the gray world of Lyric and Hazor, Susan and
Mark search frantically for their teenage son, Jake. All signs hint that a
trusted ally has betrayed them and threatens their son. A target of assassins
and more political intrigue, false leads and near misses beset their path,
which leads them into the dark prisons of Hazor before the One’s purpose is
revealed.<br />
<br />
Cast out by those he trusts, the new reluctant Restorer prefers to cross swords
with the One rather than submit to His will. Pursued by his calling, he
journeys to Sidian, where he finds a boy without a home, a king with burning
questions, and a nation torn by darkness. As he embraces the tasks the One has
set before him, this new Restorer learns that the One requires his all—perhaps
even his life.</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #073763;"><br />
<br />
This new expanded edition of <i>The
Restorer’s Son</i> includes an in-depth devotion guide for readers who want to
dig into the spiritual themes of the book, bonus scenes providing glimpses of
the story through a variety of characters, and fun extras including links to
songs and recipes.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Sharon, I love all the new interactive features! What a clever way to add dimension to your book. What was
it like developing this material for the new edition?</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Books are like children. I
treasure each of them in different ways, and among the novels I’ve written, I
try not to have favorites. However, I confess that <i>The Restorer’s Son</i> has an extra special place in my heart. Because
of that, it was fun to revisit the characters and world of this story. Kieran’s
attitudes were loosely inspired by a verse in Judges where Gideon is told God
will use him to save his people. Gideon’s response is basically, “If God is for
us, why have all these bad things happened to us?” It’s a question many can
relate to, and part of the reason that Kieran is such a beloved character.</span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold;">The new devotion guide gives
readers an opportunity to dig deeper into the Biblical inspirations that helped
inform the book, as well as find personal application. About forty pages of new
content, including bonus scenes and a new song composed for the book, make this
edition a new experience. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>How did
you decide where to put in bonus elements?</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Working with the publisher, we
decided it was important to keep the flow of the story intact and free from
distractions. So the book is designed with a large back-of-the-book section
that can be used either after finishing the story, or during the reading of the
main story. Small symbols and page numbers at the end of chapters direct
readers to bonus scenes, and QR symbols in the margin invite readers to explore
audio files, or recipes, or rules for playing Perish – all without interrupting
the story.</span></b></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold;">It was important to me that
people would feel that it was worth the investment to own <i>The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition</i>, even if they had a copy of the
original edition, so we packed this book with lots of added value.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>As someone who owns all the original Sword of Lyric releases, I can't wait to get my new copies. It sounds like the new features will be very entertaining. But, b</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>esides
an entertaining read, what do you hope people experience in </i>The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition<i>?</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My hope is that readers will
catch glimpses of the way the One speaks to each of us in the language we
understand, and that we can go to Him with our difficult questions. For those
who are walking very painful roads, I hope the story will help them feel
acknowledged. The journey <i>is</i> hard,
heroic, and sometimes frightening. But we are never alone.</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>That's so true. We are never alone. Part of that is having people in our lives to cheer us on our life journey and, in this writing business, having cheerleaders is so important. Who is your biggest cheerleader(s)? </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My
absolutely best cheerleader (although he’s never shaken a pompom) is my
husband. All the best qualities of my male heroes are inspired by him, and he
patiently listens when I’m full of discouragement and doubt about my work.</span></b></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>He sounds like my husband (and no, he's never shaken a pompom either) who's encouraged every step in my writing journey. </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone's path to publication is different and inspiring. Could you briefly describe yours?</i></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I
felt God nudging me to move into writing again. I had done a bit of writing for
magazines, and a lot of writing for newsletters, scripts, marketing material,
etc. during my work in the arts. I joined a Christian writing group, continuing
to pray for direction about WHAT to write. I assumed God would guide me to go
back into writing magazine articles. But all the writers in the group were
working on novels, and it was so FUN hearing what they’d created each month.
The thought took hold. What if I wanted to write a novel? Which genre? What
kind of story? What sort of story would I like to read? Who would the
protagonist be? What would be her core struggle? I created Susan Mitchell and
threw her into an alleyway in Shamgar where a sword fight was going on...and
The Restorer unfolded from there. When the manuscript was finished I brought it
to a writer’s conference and accepted representation from an agent who liked
the work. I kept writing, and it was actually my fifth finished manuscript (<i><a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/the-becky-miller-books" target="_blank">TheSecret Life of Becky Miller</a></i>) that was first contracted, all the Restorer series
sold soon after that. It’s so fun to see those stories have a new life.</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thank you so much, Sharon, for stopping by Spire Reviews today! I hope you'll visit again when <i>The Restorer's Journey-Expanded Edition</i> releases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">~*~*~</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">An interview with Sharon Hinck at <a href="http://inkspirationalmessages.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Inkspirational Messages</span></a> following the
release of <i>The Restorer-Expanded Edition:</i></span></div>
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<a href="http://inkspirationalmessages.com/2012/01/chatting-with-sharon-hinck/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue;">http://inkspirationalmessages.com/2012/01/chatting-with-sharon-hinck</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">To order <i>The Restorer’s Son-Expanded Edition: </i></span><span lang="FR" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://urlcut.me/aM3"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue;">http://urlcut.me/aM3</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kindle version: <a href="http://urlcut.me/aM2"><span style="color: blue;">http://urlcut.me/aM2</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sharon
Hinck</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> writes “stories for the hero
in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected
ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels
include contemporary fiction such as <b>The Secret Life of Becky Miller</b> or <b><a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/standalone-titles" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Stepping into Sunlight</span></a></b> and the
groundbreaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series which includes <b>The
Restorer’s Son–Expanded Edition</b>. She’s been a Christy finalist and has won
three Carol awards.</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sharon’s
undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication. When
she isn’t wrestling with words, she enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats,
and church groups. She loves interacting with visitors at her website and blog:
</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.sharonhinck.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.sharonhinck.com</span></a> and <a href="http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://sharonswriting.blogspot.com/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-17297129899743768462012-04-16T12:55:00.000-05:002012-04-16T12:55:02.985-05:002012 Christy Award Nominees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0d-wx40tncYMn_jgJWlcjx1sK_LOhsCWi2aqrk7g8fW4SN_rI-QYNgKL3eNIjyUPkf2MeT6Khy7EVPpo53LJCwQlzbH-eF7zKCJIYcDcIl740RMr3q0VPV4J4-slYK0vIrseFM_kn30/s1600/Christy+Award+Medallion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0d-wx40tncYMn_jgJWlcjx1sK_LOhsCWi2aqrk7g8fW4SN_rI-QYNgKL3eNIjyUPkf2MeT6Khy7EVPpo53LJCwQlzbH-eF7zKCJIYcDcIl740RMr3q0VPV4J4-slYK0vIrseFM_kn30/s200/Christy+Award+Medallion.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Once again the <a href="http://www.christyawards.com/ca_new/" target="_blank">The Christy Awards</a> have chosen the best in Christian fiction as finalists. I've read a number of these books (marked with *) and am not surprised at their nomination. A few more are on my to-read list. I'm also excited to see two Minnesotan's represented: Susan May Warren and Julie Klassen.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #783f04;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #783f04;">CONGRATULATIONS to all the nominees!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE<br />
<b>My Foolish Heart</b> by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)<br />
<b>Larkspur Cove</b> by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
*<b>Wolfsbane</b> by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing)<br />
<br />
CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS<br />
<b>The Amish Midwife</b> by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers)<br />
*<b>Dancing on Glass</b> by Pam Ewen (B&H Publishing Group)<br />
<b>The Touch</b> by Randall Wallace (Tyndale House Publishers)<br />
<br />
CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE<br />
*<b>Dry as Rain</b> by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House Publishers)<br />
*<b>Promises to Keep</b> by Ann Tatlock (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
*<b>Words </b>by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)<br />
<br />
FIRST NOVEL<br />
*<b>An Eye for Glory</b> by Karl Bacon (Zondervan)<br />
*<b>Southern Fried Sushi</b> by Jennifer Rogers Spinola (Barbour Publishing)<br />
*<b>Words </b>by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)<br />
<br />
HISTORICAL<br />
<b>Forsaking All Others</b> by Allison Pittman (Tyndale House Publishers)<br />
<b>Mine is the Night </b>by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)<br />
<b>Wonderland Creek</b> by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
<br />
HISTORICAL ROMANCE<br />
<b>A Lasting Impression</b> by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
<b>The Maid of Fairbourne Hall</b> by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
<b>To Die For</b> by Sandra Byrd (Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster)<br />
<br />
SUSPENSE<br />
*<b>Over the Edge</b> by Brandilyn Collins (B&H Publishing Group)<br />
*<b>Pattern of Wounds</b> by Mark Bertrand (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
*<b>The Queen</b> by Steven James (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
<br />
VISIONARY<br />
*<b>The Chair</b> by Jim Rubart (B&H Publishing Group)<br />
<b>Forbidden</b> by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group USA)<br />
<b>Veiled Rose</b> by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)<br />
<br />
YOUNG ADULT<br />
<b>How Huge the Night</b> by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn (Kregel Publications)<br />
<b>Merchant’s Daughter</b> by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)<br />
<b>Waterfall </b>by Lisa T. Bergren (David C Cook)<br />
<br />
<i>The Christy Awards are also online at: </i><br />
<i>Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristyAward </i><br />
<i>Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChristyAward</i><br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-52086411919333170572012-04-10T01:00:00.000-05:002012-04-10T01:00:05.006-05:00Novel Anticipation - More April 2012 ReleasesLast week I spotlighted several debut authors releasing their first novel (see <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/debut-novel-anticipation-april-2012.html" target="_blank">Debut Novel Anticipation</a>). Now this week I'm excited to bring you new titles from four of my favorite authors. It's an eclectic group of books, so there should be something for all tastes.<br />
<br />
Are there any other April releases you're looking forward to reading?<br />
<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/the-ride-her-life-lake-manawa/lorna-seilstad/9780800734473/pd/734473?product_redirect=1&Ntt=734473&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">THE RIDE OF HER LIFE</a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?action=Search&Ntk=multiple.series&Nso=1&Ns=product.published_date&Ntt=Lake%20Manawa%20Summers" target="_blank">Lake Manawa Series #3</a><br />
by <a href="http://lornaseilstad.com/" target="_blank">Lorna Seilstad</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.revellbooks.com/ME2/Audiences/Default.asp" target="_blank">Revell</a>, 384 pages</span><br />
<br />
<b>The Ride of Her Life</b> is the 3rd and final novel in the whimsical Lake Manawa series written by my good friend Lorna Seilstad. As Lorna's critique partner, I've had the privilege of reading this fun book in its early stages and can't wait to read it in its polished form.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Description: The only man pragmatic Lilly Hart needs in her life is a six year old. Widowed two years ago, Lilly leaves the shelter of her intrusive in-laws' home to stand on her own and provide for her young son by working for the summer as a cook at Lake Manawa.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">However, her in-laws find that life utterly unsuitable for their grandson, and when a row ensues, a handsome stranger--who designs roller coasters, of all things--intercedes on her behalf. Still, Lilly is not about to get involved with any man, especially this cocky (though charismatic) gentleman. Little does she know she is about to begin the ride of her life.</span></blockquote>
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<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/travelers-rest-ann-tatlock/9780764208102/pd/208101?product_redirect=1&Ntt=208101&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">TRAVELER'S REST</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://anntatlock.com/" target="_blank">Ann Tatlock</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/Default.asp" target="_blank">Bethany House</a>, 368 pages</span><br />
<br />
Ann Tatlock is one of the most gifted wordsmiths around. Reading her novels is akin to listening to a symphony, and her character development is always unique multi-faceted. If you enjoy literary authors, you'll love Ann Tatlock.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Description: Jane Morrow has a dilemma. She's engaged to Seth Ballantine, a member of the National Guard's 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, and he's returned from Iraq severely wounded. Jane hasn't seen him for nearly a year, and with trepidation, she heads to the VA hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, where he is being treated.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Seth isn't happy to see her. He'd asked her not to come. He wants to end the relationship. But Jane loves him, and despite his injury, she's determined to convince him that they can have a life together. Her faith has never been strong, yet she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what to do. Beautifully written, </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Travelers Rest</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> takes readers on a journey through pain and tragedy to a place of hope and redemption.</span></blockquote>
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<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/legacy-road-graham-garrison/9780825426711/pd/426711?item_code=WW&netp_id=951387&event=ESRCG&view=details" target="_blank">LEGACY ROAD</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://grahamgarrisonwords.com/" target="_blank">Graham Garrison</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.kregel.com/ME2/Default.asp" target="_blank">Kregel Publications</a>, 256 pages</span><br />
<br />
<b>Legacy Road</b> is Graham Garrison's sophomore effort and a sequel to <b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/heros-tribute-graham-garrison/9780825426858/pd/426858?product_redirect=1&Ntt=426858&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">Hero's Tribute</a></b>, one of my favorite novels from 2009 (and I'll likely reread it before diving into <b>Legacy Road</b>). I've been looking forward to reading this book for a long time.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Description: Wes Watkins's journalism career took off when he was asked to eulogize Michael Gavin, a stranger to Wes but a hometown hero to the humble folks of Talking Creek, Georgia.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">While researching Gavin's life, Wes was confronted with an estranged relationship of his own that he wasn't prepared to address, having ignored for years the occasional letters from his imprisoned father. Wes has chosen to focus instead on his growing career and his budding relationship with Emmy.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">His life is looking up . . . until his marriage proposal to Emmy goes south. Left to wonder if he can reconcile with Emmy before she is deployed to Afghanistan, Wes can no longer avoid the other reconciliation that troubles him. But when Wes uncovers a painful truth about his parents' past, patching things up with his father may prove impossible. Wes's life is close to spiraling out of control. Will Wes learn to forgive? Or will the best year of his life turn into the worst?</span></blockquote>
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<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/beckon-tom-pawlik/9781414338736/pd/338736?product_redirect=1&Ntt=338736&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">BECKON</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://tompawlik.com/" target="_blank">Tom Pawlik</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tyndale.com/00_Home/index.php" target="_blank">Tyndale House</a>, 384 pages</span><br />
<br />
Tom Pawlik has quickly proven himself a master in the Christian *horror* genre. After reading his books, you might want to sleep with one eye open.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Description: Some things weren’t meant to be discovered. Three people are each drawn to the small town of Beckon, Wyoming. A young anthropologist researches a Native American legend and makes a terrifying discovery. An ex-cop investigating her cousin’s disappearance finds herself in grave peril. And an aging businessman is lured by the promise of a miracle.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">One by one they discover the town’s ghastly secret. The only question is . . . will any of them make it out alive?</span></blockquote>Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-37554881951582591372012-04-05T01:00:00.000-05:002012-04-05T01:00:04.393-05:00Change Ahead ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnchK2SO-h-jNbJZhxLx9rnBHBom0ZzFUs5XEV1Q4BFDtXMlqLmkaD2XA45p-i_N-f7MUjAEBmxedUu_LgJyUfV9dkJeZY-WCv1D14UdZJn5kFtYDT_AfhQHaigkXmH1FRxGzyTUDz0xQ/s1600/MP900423684%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnchK2SO-h-jNbJZhxLx9rnBHBom0ZzFUs5XEV1Q4BFDtXMlqLmkaD2XA45p-i_N-f7MUjAEBmxedUu_LgJyUfV9dkJeZY-WCv1D14UdZJn5kFtYDT_AfhQHaigkXmH1FRxGzyTUDz0xQ/s200/MP900423684%5B1%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
As of this coming Sunday, April 8, the "Debut Novels" page on Spire Reviews will come down. I enjoyed tracking the debut novelists last year and I still love finding new authors (see <a href="http://spirereviews.blogspot.com/2012/04/debut-novel-anticipation-april-2012.html" target="_blank">Debut Novel Anticipation - April 2012</a>). The sheer number of first-time novelists provides hope for those of us who've yet to crack into the publishing industry.<br />
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Thank you to all the Debut Novelists who took time to provide information for this page. I wish you the best!<br />
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In news related to Spire Reviews, my website, <a href="http://www.brendaandersonbooks.com/">www.BrendaAndersonBooks.com</a> will soon be undergoing renovation. My current web host is changing systems and I'm not fond of the direction it's going, so I figured now is a good time to revamp the site, hopefully giving it a more professional appearance. It will be a work in progress for a while as I learn to navigate a new system, but I'm very excited about the change.<br />
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Thank you all for following Spire Reviews!Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5833943568870526407.post-17609373786486896132012-04-03T01:00:00.000-05:002012-04-03T01:00:03.928-05:00Debut Novel Anticipation - April 2012April is not only rich with spring flowers this year, but it's also blooming with new releases including four novels by debut authors. As someone who hopes to be a "Debut" author someday, I love endorsing rookie writers. And I love finding new voices in fiction so I look forward to reading from all these authors.<br />
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Congratulations to you all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s1600/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bcnuqOdgiKsaq70w9-6TAXln9mGsgt5_EKDA-nJOWoaii4PvUmKj2OW25qky7XhV-PTOwGgOAVZKk_g8JlhHFAUTpwEdhr4TOs7H5Cqx5_cgJRg4wraewAbJ57qGeI3ogRMJ8NZoIUg/s200/My+Stubborn+Heart.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/my-stubborn-heart-becky-wade/9780764209741/pd/209742?product_redirect=1&Ntt=209742&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">MY STUBBORN HEART</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://www.beckywade.com/home.html" target="_blank">Becky Wade</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bethany House</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">352 pages</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Burned out, Kate Donovan jumps at the chance to restore her grandmother's house in Redbud, Pennsylvania. But when she arrives, she becomes involved in a project she didn't expect. Handsome former hockey star and contractor Matt Jarreau is clearly wounded, hiding from people and God. Can Kate help him face his past---whether he likes it or not?</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhKOUZeT9n2Ii6O6pxDxrUaRiMO6HAg3vtFUr9emOQMmVIagghygAf6oLzSQKaHKhqdcrDNqZ-RKE6E7TXPBhzKSeCgW3bHg5T6k1M2YQQW9msdLWLLK3A6z-ap-cicEvDRme4TjX_iY/s1600/Submerged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhKOUZeT9n2Ii6O6pxDxrUaRiMO6HAg3vtFUr9emOQMmVIagghygAf6oLzSQKaHKhqdcrDNqZ-RKE6E7TXPBhzKSeCgW3bHg5T6k1M2YQQW9msdLWLLK3A6z-ap-cicEvDRme4TjX_iY/s200/Submerged.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/submerged-alaskan-courage-dani-pettrey/9780764209826/pd/209826?product_redirect=1&Ntt=209826&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">SUBMERGED</a></b><br />
Alaskan Courage Series #1<br />
by <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/" target="_blank">Dani Pettrey</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bethany House</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">320 pages</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey, Alaska, again. She has a past reputation, and Yancey's a town that doesn't forget. She's returned only to bury her beloved aunt killed in the mysterious plane crash.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Cole McKenna faces dangerous rescue dives and he faces the fear that a murderer may be threatening his town. But facing the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHhMbukBjohGXhzMpojwrvs79ozr-cmD8BSlI16-LtfA-Rm1HTq_e0kgXhdkVx3owY0qTaE3NbbLFTyvLZSVmQVJKHCVU64En5pxEXkNv4XZvNjis95TOBSyF4Nl5e1I1AK8pQ6yCjZk/s1600/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHhMbukBjohGXhzMpojwrvs79ozr-cmD8BSlI16-LtfA-Rm1HTq_e0kgXhdkVx3owY0qTaE3NbbLFTyvLZSVmQVJKHCVU64En5pxEXkNv4XZvNjis95TOBSyF4Nl5e1I1AK8pQ6yCjZk/s200/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/wildflowers-from-winter-katie-ganshert/9780307730381/pd/730383?product_redirect=1&Ntt=730383&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP" target="_blank">WILDFLOWERS FROM WINTER</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">Katie Ganshert</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">WaterBrook Press</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">320 pages</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Architect Bethany Quinn reluctantly returns to her Iowa hometown for an "in and out" visit---but then her grandfather dies and leaves her his farm. She wants to sell the place, but even that gets complicated with manager Evan Price watching her every move. Can Bethany make peace with her trailer park past---and find love?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZ-NltoAtfJiz6Dk5LRRdyW6CFqQpBGK5HJ1C8wTazaFXpcERmsBHvP8_30Rqu4L9GIt17BhxQeZLilwRKVGAz6X6WqDfyRyyFNiPdvdMk77I-by-mVnBMkDqftNS72LxjBV2YMOEVtc/s1600/Wish+You+Were+Here.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZ-NltoAtfJiz6Dk5LRRdyW6CFqQpBGK5HJ1C8wTazaFXpcERmsBHvP8_30Rqu4L9GIt17BhxQeZLilwRKVGAz6X6WqDfyRyyFNiPdvdMk77I-by-mVnBMkDqftNS72LxjBV2YMOEVtc/s200/Wish+You+Were+Here.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.christianbook.com/wish-you-were-here/beth-vogt/9781451659863/pd/659863?item_code=WW&netp_id=940927&event=ESRCQ&view=details" target="_blank">WISH YOU WERE HERE</a></b><br />
by <a href="http://bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">Beth Vogt</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Howard Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">320 pages</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Still, kissing the groom's brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison's life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a "Runaway Bride" complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend's car doesn't seem to solve her problems.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"> Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #073763;">Stop back on Thursday, April 5 for Spire Reviews' News!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #073763;">And then, be sure to watch for next Tuesday's post (April 10) where I'll bring you more April offerings.</span></i></div>
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<br />Brenda S. Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03564745973330961790noreply@blogger.com6