The Famous One

by Nicole Petrino-Salter

Pleasant Word
364 pages

A Search for Meaning in the Seemingly Perfect Life

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Tom Cruise became a born-again Christian? What about Steven Spielberg? Angelina Jolie? Can you imagine the witness they would have? The stories they could tell through movies? Personally, I’ve always wanted to see what Spielberg could do with This Present Darkness.

And don't you ever wonder why there is so much dissatisfaction in Hollywood when the stars have everything? Why do so many actors try to anesthetize their seemingly perfect lives by abusing drugs and alcohol?

With a concept similar to that of Creston Mapes’ Rock Star Chronicles (Dark Star and Full Tilt--about a Mick Jagger-like rock star who is pursued by God), I wonder if Nicole Petrino-Salter had those questions in mind when she penned The Famous One.

Joey Parr, Jr.’s life begins in turmoil. His parents continuously fight and eventually divorce. All too often, the quiet, deep-thinking, emotive child is left alone. Loneliness becomes his familiar companion. It follows him through his teen years, and he chases it with drugs, booze, and sex, but the emptiness refuses to leave him alone.

Then he’s discovered by a Hollywood bigwig and Joey is propelled into stardom. Still, fame and wealth do little to alleviate the loneliness. Even when he starts a family, something is missing. But what? He’s got everything anyone could ever dream of having. Shouldn’t he be fulfilled?

In The Famous One, Nicole Petrino-Salter digs into the heart of a man who’s continuously searching for meaning in his life. Even when he has everything, there’s a hole, a sense of worthlessness. Salter deftly takes us through Joey’s entire life. We see him grow and change, but it’s so subtle the reader is unaware that it’s happening. And on this journey, we learn to love this passionate man and root for him even when he’s making terrible choices.

Now that’s excellent storytelling.

A Conversation with Nicole

You told me this is a book of your heart. Could you elaborate further on that? What compelled you to tell Joey Parr's story?

The character of "Sarah" makes this small portion of the story somewhat autobiographical, but, no, I didn't write a screenplay and get to present it to an actor. I did in fact watch a film with an actor I'd heard of but had never seen his work. Immediately following the movie the Lord planted the burden for his soul into my heart. The intensity of the prayer for this man lasted two full years before the Lord eased it away. During the initial prayer for this actor The Famous One came to be.

As I was reading this I kept imagining who "Joey Parr" would be in real life. Did you have someone in mind for Joey? Errol? Colleen?

Joey Parr is based on a real actor. When I researched the information for the making of a film in the Hollywood environs, I also read a book about the particular actor just to get a feel for him and understand who he was as a person. Joey is purely fictional, but I tried to capture the essence of the heart of the man without imitating his life. Beyond him the characters aren't based on specific people. It would be great fun to cast them, though.

Biography

Nicole Petrino-Salter was born and raised a city girl in Seattle, Washington. She loved horses from the time she could talk which is probably why the Lord allowed her to work in the Thoroughbred racing industry for over 30 years. Prior to that she attended the University of Washington for a year taking primarily literature classes. After watching a film starring a British actor, she worked for a year and dashed off to Europe to find him. On her final day in London, she saw him and he said good morning to her. She returned to the U but realized it was too much like school and finally found her home with horses at the racetrack.

Nicole loves the Lord Jesus Christ who rescued her and set her free. She's married to the handsomest man in the world, has two adult sons, and three grandchildren.

Nicole's blog: http://hopeofglory.typepad.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.

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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.

What Would You Change in Christian Fiction?

Here's another intriguing discussion regarding the future of Christian fiction, initiated by Nicole Petrino-Salter on her Into the Fire blog: http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/2010/08/change-from-the-inside-out-day-one.html

It's refreshing to see and hear people dialogue honestly about this important topic.

The Future of Christian Fiction

Thanks to a post by Mike Duran (Eric Wilson's Open Letter to Readers, Writers, and Publishers of Christian Fiction) at Novel Journey, I discovered this thought-provoking piece written by Eric Wilson, "Is it Time for Christian Fiction to Die?" As someone who continuously searches for Christian fiction that dares to get messy, I found many of Wilson's observations all too true. I'm not seeking the end of Christian fiction, but I do hope that it opens its doors to authors who dare to challenge readers and not just offer escape.

Back on Murder

(a Roland March Mystery)

by J. Mark Bertrand

Bethany House
384 pages

Crime Drama That Towers Above Others in Christian Market

Roland March is a Houston homicide detective who seems to be headed out of the force. He’s lost the respect of his fellow officers and doesn’t seem to care. But then he’s given one last opportunity to prove himself when an evangelist’s daughter goes missing. His gut tells him her disappearance is tied to recent multiple murders at a drug house, but the facts don’t point in that direction. The case becomes personal to him, and he won’t back down until he uncovers the truth, regardless of what it costs.


Review:

I love a good crime novel. Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch stories are among my favorites. But, in the world of Christian fiction, where Amish and romance stories reign, finding novels that even shadow Connelly’s quality are rare. J. Mark Bertrand, in his first solo effort (He wrote Bequiled with Deeanne Gist), has proven himself more than capable. He’s penned an intriguing mystery, one that keeps the reader guessing to the end. He layers it with details that show he understands not only police procedure, but how it affects their thought process and their home life.

Bertrand also uses a couple of literary devices that I typically don’t care for. Back on Murder is written in first person using present tense, which if not written very well, will draw the reader out of the story. More and more authors are attempting to write in present tense as it theoretically makes what happens more immediate, but what they succeed in doing is jarring the reader from the story. My internal editor can’t help but edit the story to the more common past tense. Not once did that happen in Back on Murder. Bertrand used the device with expertise so that the reader doesn’t automatically say to themselves, “This is present-tense.” You’re just reading his unique voice.

I look forward to reading more from J. Mark Bertrand.

Blaze of Glory

by Major Jeff Struecker
and Alton Gansky

B&H Books
400 pages

Page-Turning Military Suspense

A string of female suicide bombers sends Sergeant Eric Moyer and his Special Operations team overseas to stop the bombings and to thwart a possible attempt to assassinate several heads-of-state. Thus begins the non-stop action in Blaze of Glory by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky.


In Struecker’s and Gansky’s sophomore effort together, they succeed in penning a book even better than their first (Certain Jeopardy). Not only does the reader experience continuous action, but the authors flesh out their characters more in this second novel. With Struecker’s experience as an Army Ranger, the reader knows the storyline is believable. The emotional tension is as intense as the firefights. You’ve got one soldier who proposed right before the team gets the call, and another soldier whose battle with post-traumatic stress disorder is more terrifying to him than a gun fight. His uncontrolled flashbacks may jeopardize the safety of the entire unit. This is more than page-turning adventure. You really care about the people involved.

If you’re looking for a great story, one that’s set apart from the majority of books on the Christian bookshelves, then pick up Blaze of Glory.

***

Major Jeff Struecker now serves as an Army Chaplain. He is probably best known for his role in what has become known as Black Hawk Down. Besides his novel collaborations with Gansky, Struecker penned a biography, The Road to Unafraid (review also posted on this blog), another very worthwhile read. http://www.jeffstruecker.com/

Alton Gasky is the author of thirty books, 24 of which are suspense or supernatural suspense novels. When he’s not writing, he provides writing services through his business, Gansky Communications, and he often speaks at writing conferences around the country. http://www.altongansky.com/

2010 Christy Award Winners

Christy Awards are given annually for books that achieve excellence in Christian fiction. The winners were announced last night in St. Louis, Missouri.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you for advancing Christian fiction.

Contemporary Romance
Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson (Thomas Nelson)

Contemporary Standalone
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)

First Novel
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent (Tyndale House Publishers)

Historical
Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical Romance
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen (Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson (Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster)

Visionary
By Darkness  Hid by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)

Young Adult
North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)