Travelers Rest

By Ann Tatlock

Bethany House Publishers, 2012

352 pages

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.

TRAVELER’S REST by Ann Tatlock is one such novel. It’s no surprise for me, though, as Ann Tatlock’s work frequently end up on my Favorites 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.

Story Description

A YOUNG WOMAN determined to honor her commitment...

AN INJURED SOLDIER convinced life is no longer worth living...

A RETIRED DOCTOR certain it's too late to be forgiven... 

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...

About the Author

Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy-Award-winning novel All the Way Home. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon. Ann lives with her husband, Bob, and their daughter, Laura Jane, in Asheville, North Carolina.

Visit her website at www.anntatlock.com.

Lost and Found

by Ginny L. Yttrup

B&H Publishing Group, 2012
352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1433671715

Have you ever read a novel that speaks to your soul? One that gives you gut checks as you read? That's exactly what happened as I read Ginny Yttrup's sophomore novel, Lost and Found.

In this story, Jenna Bouvier loses things: watches, diamonds ... her health, beauty, and worst of all, herself. She and her husband, Gerard, live with her mother-in-law, Brigitte, who manipulates everything and everyone around her. She's controlled her son to the point of making him a weak man, one who's afraid to stand up for his wife. All Jenna wants to do is please Brigitte, and she loses herself in the process.

Adding substance to this story is Andee Bell, a powerful businesswoman with a scarred past, someone who refuses to be hurt again, and Matthew MacGregor, a quirky spiritual director who guides Jenna, trying to help her find herself again.

This story explores emotionally destructive relationships and what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus. When you look at your life, whom do you aim to please? Your husband maybe? How about your father? Maybe a friend? To what extent will you go to try to win their approval? What will you sacrifice? In Jenna's case, she sacrificed who she was. Her desire to please her mother-in-law transcended pleasing God. In effect, she'd made her mother-in-law her idol.

Jenna's journey to finding herself again, with the aid of Matthew, is a beautiful story. I especially enjoyed Matthew's character. I loved his unleashed love of God and his ability to see God in others. His joyous attitude added the perfect touch of levity to an otherwise very serious book.

My one minor complaint has to do with the back cover copy (see Back Cover Copy or Synopsis). It gives away too much information, including a plot point that doesn't happen until near the end of the book. So, if you don't like spoilers, avoid reading the description. Even so, knowing this will not spoil your enjoyment of the book.

Author Ginny Yttrup has proven herself to be a top-notch novelist with Lost and Found, following up last year's phenomenal debut, Words. She not only tells a great story, but she has the gift of changing your heart. Her characters are multi-faceted and very believable. Her prose sings, melding together story and character to create a stirring concerto. I can't wait to read more from Ginny Yttrup.

Ginny L. Yttrup is an accomplished freelance writer, speaker, and life coach who also ministers to women wounded by sexual trauma. She has two grown sons and lives in California.

Jenna Bouvier's blog: http://iluminar.me/
http://ginnyyttrup.com/

The Best of 2011 - Favorite Fiction

It's always fun looking back over the year at the books I've read. Out of 110 completed, I marked ten as favorites, ten that have found permanent residence on my bookshelves, ten I would recommend to others. It's even a fairly diverse grouping. Three of the novels are contemporary, three are speculative, two suspense, and two historical.

If you're a picky reader looking for quality fiction, here are my favorites in no particular order:

Words by Ginny Yttrup
B&H Books 2011

The Resurrection by Mike Duran
Realms 2011

Nick of Time by Tim Downs
Thomas Nelson 2011

Darkness Follows by Mike Dellosso
Realms 2011

Desert Gift by Sally John
Tyndale House 2011

Vigilante by Robin Parrish
Bethany House 2011

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz
Revell 2011

The First Gardener
by Denise Hildreth Jones
Tyndale House 2011

The Queen by Steven James
Revell 2011

City of Tranquil Light
by Bo Caldwell
Henry Hold & Company 2010

Christmas List for Readers

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm one of the crazies who hits the stores the day after Thanksgiving. (No, not Walmart. I'm not THAT crazy.) But for me, this day is about so much more than shopping. it's about spending memorable times with family. You see, I get to spend the day with my mom, sisters, sisters-in-law, and now our daughters.

We're usually at the mall by six a.m. At that time, it's pretty quiet yet. We shop for three to four hours then go out to eat where we often laugh ourselves to tears. I'm so blessed to have this close family. I can't wait till this Friday!

Of course one of those stores I'll be shopping in is the local bookstore. Needless to say, I love giving books! ... If you love to give books too, I have a few suggestions, some of my top reads of this past year.


Contemporary:

DESERT GIFT
by Sally John

WORDS
by Ginny L. Yttrup

BREATH OF LIFE
by Nicole Petrino-Salter

Romance:

A GREAT CATCH
by Lorna Seilstad

THE COLONEL'S LADY
by Laura Frantz

RODEO DUST
by Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Literary:

BENEATH THE NIGHT TREE
by Nicole Baart

THE FIRST GARDENER
by Denise Hildreth Jones

THE OPPOSITE OF ART
by Athol Dickson

Speculative:

THE RESURRECTION
by Mike Duran

VIGILANTE
by Robin Parrish

DARKNESS FOLLOWS
by Mike Dellosso

Suspense:

NICK OF TIME
by Tim Downs

THE QUEEN
by Steven James

BILOXI SUNRISE
by Jerri Lynn Ledford

Biblical Fiction:

DAY OF WAR
by Cliff Graham

Happy Shopping & Happy Reading Everyone!

Nick of Time

by Tim Downs

Thomas Nelson, 2011
336 pages

Page Turning Murder Mystery

As fiction readers, many of us know a fictional character or two we love seeing in action on an annual basis. After following their adventures for a few years, you feel you know the character intimately. Some of my personal favorites are Steven James' Patrick Bowers, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, William Kent Krueger's Corcoran O'Connor, and Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. Each of these characters are highly defined. They have specific and unique traits, and they're all very human, not immune to mistakes, misjudgments, and failures.

One of my all-time favorite characters would be highly insulted if you called him human: Tim Downs' bug man, Nick Polchak. Nick is a forensic entomologist, which means he studies bugs on dead people. He finds bugs far more fascinating--and definitely more reliable--than the human species from which he likes to keep his distance.

But in Downs' latest, Nick of Time, things change. You see, Nick is engaged to be married (to another wonderfully quirky character, Alena) and his wedding is coming up within a week. Yet, even with his impending nuptials, Nick decides to attend an out-of-town meeting leaving Alena behind to finalize wedding plans.

The problem is, when he arrives at the meeting, his good friend, who would never miss the meeting, isn't there. Naturally, Nick has to go look for him. And finds him dead.

Now Nick completely disregards the fact that he's supposed to get married on Saturday and strikes out to find his friend's murderer. Add to that, Alena begins her own investigation as she searches for Nick, and you've got a page-turning mystery.

In Nick of Time, Polchak's sarcastic wit is back in full force. His dialogue is rife with tactless honesty and he says things that many of us probably want to say but are too nice. Even in the middle of a murder mystery I find myself chuckling out loud.

My one complaint about Downs' writing is that the dialogue sounds the same no matter who is speaking and each of his characters seem to have the same sardonic wit. If Downs could make his characters' voices unique and give them a disparate personality, his writing would greatly improve. But, I'm willing to forgive this one flaw since I enjoy Nick Polchak so much.

What I really liked in this book was seeing Nick "evolve" into a human. In a "lightbulb" moment, Nick finally realizes who is is ... and what he is not ...

And what is truly important in life.

The question is, does he realize that in the Nick of Time, or he is too late?

Tim Downs is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University. After graduation in 1976 he created a comic strip, Downstown, which was syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate until 1986. His cartooning has appeared in more than a hundred major newspapers worldwide.  His first book, a work of non-fiction, was awarded the Gold Medallion Award in 2000, and his third novel, PlagueMaker, was awarded the Christy Award for best CBA suspense novel of 2007. Tim lives in Cary, North Carolina, with his wife Joy.

Learn more about Tim Downs at http://www.timdowns.net/

The Resurrection

debut novel by Mike Duran

Realms 2011
320 pages

Haunting and Redeeming

Ruby Case is an ordinary mom living a quiet life ... until her prayer and simple touch raise a boy from the dead.

Ian Clark is a disgruntled pastor, haunted by demons past and present--demons both figurative and literal. He no longer knows what he believes in. It certainly isn't the God who deserted him years ago. And Ian can't wait to remove himself from the church.

When Ruby's touch brings the boy back to life, both Ruby and Ian are thrust into a search for meaning behind this "resurrection" and uncover a spiritual darkness that's been gripping their town for years.

I've recently discovered Mike Duran's blog, deCompose, and found it to be extremely challenging and thought-provoking. I may not always agree with him, but he continuously encourages me to think beyond my typical box and that's definitely a good thing.

The Resurrection does the same by confronting our spiritual complacency and our acceptance of the status quo. It's not comfortable. And that's good.

As I was reading, questions kept invading my thoughts:

• How many of us have secrets, demons, lurking in the corners of our homes that we try to ignore or are too tired or afraid to expel?
• Miracles happen around us daily. An acorn grows into an oak tree. A caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Life is created when a man and a woman join together. All wondrous miracles, but ones that science can explain away. But how would we react to a Lazarus type of miracle? What would we think if our best friend's touch brought the dead back to life? Would we look to God for the answers? Or would we react with fear?
• And what about spiritual warfare? Do hordes of demons swarm around us, vying for our soul, or is that purely myth?

Those are just a few of the questions Duran raises. The Resurrection doesn't necessarily provide tidy answers. Yet, amidst the darkness, this book is filled with hope and redemption.

I don't typically read speculative fiction because it's often so far out I can't relate to the characters or the story. Duran eliminates that problem by creating very real characters. He introduces them in plausible situations, and then throws in the fantastic. By doing that, he makes this story believable and relatable.

He keeps the action moving so the book is impossible to put down, and he keeps the reader guessing. I had no clue how the story was going to play out.

While this  novel is targeted toward adults, I know teens would love it. It's one part This Present Darkness (Frank Peretti), another part The Visitation (also Peretti), another The Nightmare (Robin Parrish), yet the story is fresh and it's told with a unique voice. My teens love Peretti's The Veritas Project two-book series and have read those books numerous times. Now, they're trying Peretti's other works. Parrish's The Nightmare is one of their favorite reads and they've recommended it to their friends. And look at teens' most popular series' today: Harry Potter and Twilight. Kids are hungry to learn more about the spiritual realm. As a parent, I can't think of a better book to give them than The Resurrection.

With this debut novel, Mike Duran has proved his literary prowess and I look forward to reading more from him in the future.

Learn more about Mike Duran at http://mikeduran.com/.

WORDS

debut novel by Ginny L. Yttrup

B&H Publishing Group 2011
352 pages

Haunting. Compelling. Beautiful.

Kaylee Wren is ten. And silent. She hasn't spoken a word since her drug-addicted mother deserted her, leaving Kaylee behind with an abusive man in a run down cabin hidden among redwoods. The only memento her mother left behind is a book filled with the words Kaylee can't say. A dictionary.

Twelve years ago, Sierra Dawn's horrible choices ended up robbing her daughter Annie's life. Living with the guilt steals any joy from Sierra's life.

On the twelfth anniversary of Annie's death, Sierra Dawn flees to the remote redwoods where she discovers the little girl with haunted eyes. Eyes very much like Sierra's.

The two begin a journey searching for truth and find love along the way.

Anything I could write would be inadequate in describing this novel, so I'll just leave you with a few emotions and thoughts I recorded as read this book.

Painful. Compelling. Tear-inducing. Beautiful. Sickening. Powerful. Heart breaking. Uplifting. Maddening. Inspiring. Heart wrenching. Frustrating. Redeeming. Haunting.

Grace. Mercy. Hope. Love. Beauty.

By far, this is the best book I've read in 2011 and I recommend it to anyone looking for books that dare to dig beneath the surface, that dare to get down in the dirt with the hurting and lift them up out of it.

Meet Ginny Yttrup

Ginny Yttrup is an author, freelance writer, and writing coach. She has two grown sons and lives near Sacramento, California. WORDS is her debut novel.

http://www.ginnyyttrup.com/

The Miracle of Mercy Land

by River Jordan

Waterbrook Press
352 pages

Like Reading a Work of Art

Mercy Land was “born in bolt of lightning on the banks of Bittersweet Creek.” So begins Mercy’s life. A down-to-earth, traveling preacher’s daughter in the 1930s, raised in an Alabama town that was barely a town. Mercy leaves home for the bright lights of Bay City and eventually lands a job at the newspaper with newspaper veteran, Doc Philips. For years she trains under the wing of the steadfast owner/editor.

Then the strange book appears at the newspaper office. Not just any book, but one that gifts the reader with insights into the lives, past and present, of Bay City residents, and may give the reader the ability to right the past’s wrongs. But is that a blessing or a curse?

Upon the mysterious arrival of the book, Doc decides to retire and he hires a stranger, John Quincy, a man with Hollywood looks, to take his place. A man Mercy is dangerously drawn to.

The lives of Mercy, Doc, and John weave together and apart until the purpose of the book is revealed, in the process exposing the reader as well.

Have you ever read a book that, when you reach the end, you hold that story in your hand and believe you’re holding a masterpiece? That’s how I felt when I completed The Miracle of Mercy Land. It’s an amazing work of art. I love River Jordan’s Southern prose. The story flows quickly with dancing eloquence, and your heart bleeds right along with the characters’. All throughout, Jordan gives readers peeks inside our own soul. In the end we discover maybe the story isn’t so much about Mercy Land, but ourselves.



Credit: Chris Blanz

 Meet River Jordan

River Jordan is a critically acclaimed novelist and playwright. Her fourth novel, The Miracle of Mercy Land, a southern mystical work set in 1938 features a protagonist full of moxie and a ‘backbone of worthy’ in this suspenseful story about love, mystery, and the choices we make. Jordan’s first non-fiction narrative, Praying for Strangers, An Adventure of the Human Spirit arrives from Penguin/Berkley in Hardcover April 5, 2011. She speaks around the country on the “Power of Story,” and produces and hosts the radio program, Clearstory on 107.1 FM from Nashville, TN where she makes her home.

http://www.riverjordan.us/

White Roses

debut novel by Shannon Taylor Vannatter
(White Rose Trilogy #1)

Heartsong Presents
174 pages

More Than Romance

Back cover:
Grayson can't seem to move on.

Pastor Grayson Sterling loves his wife. The problem is, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver two years ago. Grayson knows he needs to move on, that the continuing depth of his grief is not healthy for him or his young son. Desperate, he convinces his church to hire Mark Welch as associate pastor to relieve him of some of his load. When Adrea Welch arrives at his church with her brother, Grayson cannot deny his attraction to her.

For years, florist Adrea Welch has been artfully arranging white roses for Sara Sterling. Now those flowers are carried to the cemetery by a faithful, grieving husband. How can Adrea be so attracted to a man still devoted to his dead wife?

When secrets from Adrea's past collide with their budding relationship, both she and Grayson must learn to lean on God's abiding wisdom.

Review:

As a Literature major, I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to be snobbish in my literary tastes. While I love strong romantic elements in a story, I typically cringe at the thought of reading straight romance. Give me lyrical prose or action/adventure or messy contemporaries, but please no romance. I want more than that.

Well, God has a way of opening my eyes.

A few years back I was blessed to be placed in a critique group with two other excellent writers: Shannon Taylor Vannatter and Lorna Seilstad. (You can find my review of Lorna’s debut novel, Making Waves, in a previous posting.) Lorna writes historical romance, and Shannon, contemporary romance.  Both Shannon and Lorna proved to me that you can write a sweet romance AND include authentic, broken lives.

White Roses begins in Romance, Arkansas, on February 14. The heroine, Adrea Welch, is a floral designer who dreads this day every year as it's the anniversary of the day she and her ex-fiancé were to be married. A marriage called off when she caught him with another woman shortly before the wedding. Ouch.

As Adrea’s arranging flowers at a church for a wedding, she meets Pastor Grayson Sterling, a man who still grieves the death of his wife Sara. A few years back, Sara was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Grayson still remembers her every year with a bouquet of white roses. Unknowingly arranged by Adrea.

When reading a romance, you already know the basic storyline. Girl meets boy. They fall in love and live happily-ever-after. What you don’t know is how Girl gets to that fairy-tale ending, and it’s the journey that makes the story worthwhile. Shannon Vannatter is an engaging storyteller who isn’t afraid to take unexpected paths in her works; she isn’t afraid to include broken people. Her characters are real, their lives complex, their faith genuine.

Her stories are more than romance.

So, thank you Shannon, for educating this literary snob and teaching me the diversity of story.

Meet Shannon

Central Arkansas author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/writer. Like Janette Oke, she views her work as a ministry and her books as paper missionaries. Vannatter hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as her characters struggle with real-life issues. Their journeys, from ordinary lives to extraordinary romance through Christ-centered relationships, demonstrate that love doesn’t conquer all, Jesus does.

White Rose Trilogy
White Roses, now available in stores
White Doves, currently available through Heartsong Presents. In stores, April 2011.
White Pearls, available through Heartsong Presents, Jan 2011, in stores, July 2011

http://www.shannonvannatter.com
http://www.inkslingerblog.com
http://www.inkspirationalmessages.com

Making Waves

As a writer as well as a reader, I’m blessed to have two incredible critique partners. We’ve been working together for two and a half years and, in that time, we’ve all seen our fiction writing skills grow exponentially. But more importantly, I’ve gained two beautiful, encouraging friends. I am thrilled to highlight their debut novels here. So yes, I’m admitting my bias up front and am gladly giving them shameless plugs.

Shannon Taylor Vannatter’s book, White Roses, was released by Heartsong Presents in May to their book club readers and will be in stores come this November, just in time for Christmas. I’ll be reviewing her book in October so keep watching for it.

____________________________________________



Making Waves
(Lake Manawa Summers Series #1)

debut novel by Lorna Seilstad

Published by Revell

363 pages

Romance Sprinkled with Humor

Lorna Seilstad’s Making Waves released this September and is already receiving rave reviews. The story begins in 1895 with spunky Marguerite Westing being courted by boring Roger Gordon, a very wealthy man chosen by her mother. The first paragraphs start you laughing with Marguerite’s sarcastic wit, and your smile doesn’t fade as you follow Marguerite’s journey. She falls in love with sailing--not a womanly thing to do in 1895--but more so, she falls for the handsome sailing instructor, Trip Andrews. Does she follow her heart and chose Trip? Or, to save her family’s fortune, will she be forced to marry Roger?

I absolutely love the subtle wit Lorna infuses throughout this story. Oftentimes when people write with humor, it’s evident they’re trying too hard. The laugh lines appear tacked on or forced. Not so with Making Waves. Wit flows naturally from the characters, particularly Marguerite, so keep a tissue handy.

One of my favorite parts of this novel is the setting. It takes place in Lake Manawa, Iowa a water resort community near Council Bluffs. Back in the late 1800’s and early 1900s, it was a real place where the wealthy tented for the summer. The resort area offered water shows and activities. It had dance and gambling halls. It even offered a water carnival that was modeled after the World’s Fair. Sadly, today you see no signs of this resort, but with Lorna’s multi-sensory descriptions she brings the area back to life so history can live on.

Award-winning author Lorna Seilstad has called Iowa home her whole life. She received her B.S. in Education from Lubbock Christian University. After her first child was born, she quit teaching and became a professional wiper. “I wiped noses, tears, skinned knees, baby's bottoms, and counter tops every day. But at nap time, I wrote." Today, she writes historical fiction with a generous dash of humor. Making Waves is her debut novel and the first in the Lake Manawa Summers Series. She and her husband have three children.

http://lornaseilstad.com/
http://inkspirationalmessages.com/

Making Waves is the first novel in a three book series (Lake Manawa Summers series). A Great Catch comes out the summer of 2011, and Summer of Dreams (working title) releases the summer of 2012.

Ransomed Dreams

(Defenders of Hope Series #1)
by Amy Wallace

Published by Multnomah (2007)
336 pages

Heart Healing Romantic Suspense

Gracie Lang has it all: a strong faith, a devoted husband, and two precious children. Then, on a rare snowy night in Georgia, she watches in horror as a swerving black vehicle swipes the van carrying her family. As the van careens off the road and down an embankment, the black vehicle speeds away, leaving three dead in its wake.

Two years later, feeling abandoned by God, Gracie is tired of merely trudging through the days, numb, and is determined to find her family’s killer, to see him behind bars, to at last have justice for her family. She’ll finally have the healing she seeks.

But then, the handsome Crimes Against Children Unit, FBI special agent Steven Kessler appears in her first grade classroom to pick up his son, and for the first time in years, Gracie dares to think she might love again.

Steven Kessler is a man once in love with God, until his life caromed out of control: his wife left him for another man just weeks after giving birth to their son, abandoning both of them. Building onto the marriage failure are the haunting memories of all the children he fails to save.

Whisk into the story a man seeking murderous revenge, and another willing to do whatever it takes to hide his guilt and insure his freedom, and you’ve got one spicy plot.

Adding depth to the plot, author Amy Wallace, folds in an issue so many people grapple with today: believing they’re not good enough, they’re unlovable, they’re a failure. Through this story, Amy points out that’s not true. She asks, who are you listening to: the father of lies? Or the Voice of Truth?

She also stirs in the power of forgiveness. How not forgiving can hold us back, and keep us caged and bitter. But to forgive is freeing.

Amy Wallace excels at blending romance and suspense. (Think Dee Henderson ratcheted up a notch or three.) She writes captivating stories, layers them with multi-faceted characters, and creates a foundation of faith to carry them along. She takes you deep inside the messy, true-to-life characters’ heads and hearts so their struggles are tangible and believable. Her books are more than romance, more than suspense, but rather a journey showing heart growth and healing. An exploration of faith.

A Chat with Amy

Before I introduce you to Amy, I need to share a special God-incident. Two years ago the American Christian Fiction Writers held their conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. Being from the Minneapolis area, I was thrilled. I was also eager to get autographs from two specific authors whose books stood over and above others I'd recently read. Amy Wallace was one of those authors.

Since I lived near the conference hotel, I volunteered to chauffeur editors/agents/authors from the airport to the conference. To connect with my riders at the airport, I held out the ACFW sign and had several people stop and talk about the conference. One of the first people to approach me was Amy. What a thrill it was to meet her and best of all, gain a new friend. She is truly a beautiful person.

And she has graciously answered a couple questions to share with you:

What inspired you to write Ransomed Dreams & the other Defenders of Hope novels? Why did you chose the ultra-difficult topic of Crimes Against Children.

The inspiration for the Defenders of Hope novels came from my own wrestling match with God over a mom's greatest fears. I didn't set out to write about crimes against children, but the more I worked with my editor on Ransomed Dreams, the clearer it became that the FBI's Crimes Against Children Unit in DC was where my story belonged. And while each book tackles very difficult topics like abuse, racism, death, cancer, kidnapping, and cases with children, my focus is always on the healing from those situations and how God can redeem even the worst circumstances.

Can you give us a synopsis of your writing journey? I'd personally be very interested in knowing if "being published" lived up to your dreams.

I began my writing journey oddly enough. In searching for good stories to share with my daughters Christmas of 2001, I came across some grown-up novels. Devouring my first taste of fiction since college, I read seven books by the same author and then handed the books to my husband. When he'd finish reading, I'd tell him what changes I'd make. After the seventh, my husband handed the book back and told me to write my own. My response? “No way!”

But then I couldn’t forget a dream I had about an FBI agent with a wounded heart and a mom on a dangerous quest for answers. So I wrote the story after meeting with an awesome federal agent who was a huge help with story ideas and factual details. And even though I had a blast writing it, I had no clue what I was doing. So after typing THE END, I got involved in an awesome writer's group called the American Christian Fiction Writers. I spent a little over three years learning all I’d done wrong and fixing it. As I learned the heart and craft of writing, I kept working on a number of novels, short stories, and proposals. Then I received a recommendation for an agent who loved my first book and we signed a contract. Eighteen months later the publishing house I dreamed of working with offered me a three-book contract, and my first novel, Ransomed Dreams, hit the shelves a little over a year later in 2007.

Has being published lived up to my dreams? That's a loaded question. In the most important ways, yes. I've found a calling and career I love. I've met the most amazing people and part of my work time is spent reading fantastic fiction. My children have watched me pursue a dream and live it and been inspired to pursue their dreams. And I've been stretched and grown and stretched some more by God through each novel and every step of this journey.

But in other ways, no, being published didn't match my dreams. It's HARD work. And there are many, many opportunities for disappointment and discouragement. Just like there are on the other side of a contract. But writing is now part of who I am and who my family is. So I'll continue down this path until the Lord turns me elsewhere. And I'm learning to be thankful for every bright spot: a glowing fan letter, each writing day where the story carries me into another world and I see God at work, my critique partners who share a love of story and make me better with every critique, and the privilege of teaching others about writing fiction and inspiring them to dream big.

Thanks, Amy, for visiting Spire Reviews today. I can't wait to read more from you in the future.

To Find Out More:
Website: Dark Chocolate Suspense  http://amywallace.com/
Blog: Heart Chocolate  http://www.peek-a-booicu.blogspot.com/

Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World

By Tom Davis
Published by David C. Cook (2009)
304 pages

Finding Hope in Suffering

Hoping to salvage a few crumbs from his once award-winning career, photojournalist Stuart Daniels reluctantly takes an assignment in Swaziland, a small African country, to cover the AIDS crisis. What he discovers is suffering that, those of us living comfortably in the United States, can’t imagine.

Interspersed with Stuart’s perspective, is the viewpoint of Adanna, a recently orphaned young girl burdened with the care of her younger siblings, hoping just to survive from day to day. Tomorrow isn’t even a thought.

Adanna can teach all of us so much.

With the current state of the United States economy, we are barraged with negative stories about people losing jobs, overburdened food shelves, and homelessness. All of which are devastating to those affected. Still, in these times, the average American cannot imagine what it would be like to be truly hungry, to live from day to day wondering if you will have food to eat. We search our overfilled closets for the right outfit, while others are fortunate if they have something decent to wear at all.

In this fictional story, author Tom Davis breathes reality into the plight of people who live in places like Swaziland. The reader experiences, along with Adanna, what it feels like not to have eaten for days, to live in fear of man’s brutality. We see through Stuart’s eyes how much we have, and how just a small sacrifice on our part can help.

Like Stuart, we probably have the most to learn.

We also experience hope, and see that God has not forgotten his children. God has presented us with an awesome opportunity to reach out to those who are truly in need.

You can’t read this story and not be affected. This is a rare work of fiction that touches on all our emotions and motivates people into action. It’s a novel I will highly recommend to readers of fiction and non-fiction.

Safe At Home

By Richard Doster
Published by David C. Cook (2008)
348 pages

Painfully Honest Portrayal of Segregation in the 1950's

In the spring of 1953, Jack Hall is content being a sports columnist for a small town south of the Mason-Dixon line, thrilled to write about the town’s minor league baseball team. The town of Whitney is populated with people who would do anything for their neighbor; the idyllic place to live.
Jackie Robinson has only recently broken the color barrier in major league baseball, creating a fissure allowing more may squeeze through.

It is that fissure that rips the town of Whitney apart when a 17 year old “colored kid”, Percy Jackson, joins the minor league team.

Author Richard Doster is painfully honest in his portrayal of the people of Whitney. The helpful, kind neighbor turns into a bearer of fear and hate. Those hired to enforce the law become lawbreakers. Doster paints Jack Hall very realistically, portraying him as someone comfortable with segregation, who, over time, wrestles with his ingrained beliefs as the town fractures.
Doster makes the reader uncomfortable – and that’s a good thing – as he continuously holds a mirror to the reader’s face as if to ask: would you have responded any differently?

The Passion of Mary-Margaret

by Lisa Samson

Published by Thomas Nelson (2009)
320 pages

A Story of How God Pursues and Loves the Unlovely

All her life Mary-Margaret has desired only one thing: to serve the God she loves and dedicate her life to Him as a religious sister. But when Jesus tells her to do the unthinkable and marry the town’s promiscuous prodigal, can she serve God with her obedience and risk her own life in the process?

Lisa Samson has painted a story that shows how God pursues and loves the unlovely by coloring out-of-the-lines with dark and dirty hues, mingling the darkness with light and splendor, crafting a final picture of exquisite beauty. Her characters are fresh, quirky and multi-faceted, and her flowing, vivid prose enhances this masterpiece.

This is Lisa Samson’s best work yet.

Winter Haven

by Athol Dickson

Published by Bethany House (2008)
336 pages

It’s been thirteen years since Vera Gamble’s autistic brother ran away. Thirteen years of cloaking herself in guilt, when the dreaded call finally comes.

Vera’s older brother, Siggy, has been found. Dead. Washed up on a remote island off the coast of Maine, thousands of miles from her home in Dallas.

What she finds when she travels to the island, named Winter Haven, belies all reality. Her brother didn’t age a day after he ran away.

Does this mist-shrouded island, haunted with a deadly past, hold the secret to Siggy’s eternal youth? Will Vera uncover its secret, or will she become the island’s next victim?

Author Athol Dickson has crafted a complex novel of doubt, faith, and truth by appealing to our fears and superstitions. Then he illuminates the truth behind the terror. Winter Haven’s gothic, supernatural storyline is reminiscent of the writings of Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker, but Dickson’s intricate plotting and artistic prose is comparable to the literary works of Charles Martin and Dale Cramer.

It’s a novel I will definitely read again, this time opening my eyes to the truth revealed along the way.

The Road to Unafraid

How the Army's Top Ranger Faced Fear and Found Courage Through Black Hawk Down and Beyond

by Jeff Struecker

Published by Thomas Nelson (2006)
232 pages

"The difference between being a coward and a hero is not whether you're scared, it's what you do while you're scared." Captain Jeff Struecker

U.S. Army Rangers aren’t afraid. At least that’s what they would like you to believe. In this book Captain Jeff Struecker shows us a very human side of a man who shows unbridled courage, even in horrific situations.

That fear is exemplified by an incident in 1993. An elite military force was sent into Mogadishu, Somalia to rein in a warlord’s abusive control over the population and ruination of what should be a beautiful nation. On October 3, 1993, a Sunday afternoon, they received word of an opportunity to capture two of the warlord’s (Mohamed Farrah Aidid) top aides. What resulted was eighteen hours of trekking through bullet and RPG (rocket propelled grenade) laden streets in an attempt to rescue troops from two downed Black Hawk helicopters, an incident we know today as Black Hawk Down.

While the Black Hawk Down incident dramatically represents fear, Struecker doesn’t stop there. He writes about experiencing terrifying nightmares as a child—nightmares that went away when he became a Christian. He tells about his fear of being a good enough husband and father, when the family he’d grown up in was terribly broken. He tells about the fears of sharing his faith with his fellow soldiers—a group comprised of tough men, many who would claim that reliance on God is a weakness. How could he be a Christian and still garner respect from the men he leads? When he felt God’s call to the ministry, he feared the change.

But through it all, he was obedient to God’s call, and went forward despite his very human fears, and is now ministering as a Chaplain in a Ranger unit.

***Captain Jeff Struecker is a decorated member of the U.S. Army Rangers. He was featured prominently in the book, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, by Mark Bowden, and was represented in the movie by the same name. In 1996 he, along with partner, Isaac Gmazel, won the competition for Best Army Ranger, an event far more difficult than Hawaii’s famous Ironman triathlon. He is currently a Chaplain ministering to 1,000’s of troops serving in hot spots around the globe.

Summer of Light

by W. Dale Cramer

published by Bethany House (2007)
400 pages

The freak accident was his fault. Sort of. Regardless, it costs construction worker, Mick Brannigan, his job. He’s got a family to raise—three children—and good construction jobs are rare. At the same time Mick’s wife, Layne, sees her career take off. With a special needs preschool child, he knows a parent should be home full-time. He’s the logical choice, of course, but what kind of man would he be if he’s not the family provider?

Mick accepts the responsibility—on a temporary basis—until he can find the job to equal his last. Until then he chooses to endure the awkward looks and the gossip and the guilt. What he learns about himself, his children, and his life might just have him rethink his opinion on the stay-at-home-Dad.

Dale Cramer has penned a story filled with rich, well-developed characters, using humor and pathos to connect with the reader. His descriptions are vivid, and easily transport you into the setting.

Dale Cramer is the winner of Christy Awards (for fiction) for his books Levi’s Will and Bad Ground. His first novel is Sutter’s Cross. All are highly recommended.

A Voice in the Wind

(Mark of the Lion #1)
by Francine Rivers

Published by Tyndale House Publishers
515 pages


The year is 70 A.D. and Jerusalem is crumbling under the weight of its own disobedience. The beautiful temple is nearly obliterated - only a single wall remains standing. Jerusalem’s ultimate destruction is finalized by legions of Roman soldiers seeking the eradication of the Jewish population. Only a remnant survives - and many of those remaining will be sold as slaves or will soon perish in gladiator arenas.

Young Hadassah is one of those remaining and she questions why. Her mother and sister died of starvation when the doors to the walled city were closed, in an attempt to waylay the Romans ... a move which aided in the city’s destruction. Her brother was killed by a Roman soldier and her father was murdered because of his faith ... a faith in Jesus ... a faith Hadassah has always struggled with.

Francine Rivers weaves a graphic and emotional story of Hadassah as she is led on a harsh journey from Jerusalem to Rome. There she is sold to the wealthy and powerful Valerian family to be the daughter’s personal slave. Julia, the daughter is high spirited and longs to live like her older brother Marcus. He is handsome and brilliant and indulges in everything the amoral and corrupt city has to offer. The mother, Phoebe, finds solace in stone gods and the father, Decimus, is bereft over what has become of his family.

Throughout the novel, Hadassah contends with fear - afraid of proclaiming her faith in Rome, a city where Christians are not accepted and are frequently fed to the lions in the arena as they will not acknowledge the emperor to be a god. She frequently beseeches God to give her the courage to speak to the Valerians about Jesus, still, the words never come.

What Hadassah doesn’t realize is that, through her behavior, her witness is more powerful than words. While Hadassah sees herself as struggling, those around her are affected by her unfailing and gracious servitude. They marvel at her ability to be at peace when they, who have everything, know no peace. Ironically, the only person who is truly free, in the household, is the slave.

In this story we see despair brought on by acts of wanton selfishness and peace gained through acts of true courage, love and sacrifice. We see a family who has the world but no happiness and a young woman who owns nothing but has discovered true joy in her faith. The Valerians see the irony of the situation. The question is, are they willing to sacrifice what they own to gain what Hadassah has?

This novel is one that is better suited for mature teenagers through adult. Graphic depictions of warring and gladiator matches paint a believable picture of life in Rome and Ephesus. Romans are seen as arrogant, placing themselves above all others and living only for the moment ... searching for peace through money, amorality and their numerous stone gods and goddesses.

The book’s 500 pages fly by quickly and leave you yearning for more. The story of the Valerian family continues in a second book, An Echo in the Darkness. A 3rd book in the series, As Sure As the Dawn, follows the life of a Germanic gladiator who plays a prominent role in the first book. I highly recommend all three novels. They are very well written and thoroughly researched. They provide a hard glimpse into a life that today’s Christian could not even fathom.