Meet and Greet: Angela Breidenbach

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.


Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009, a multi-award winning inspirational speaker and the author of the Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life from Journey Press, the Creative Cooking Series including the new release of Creative Cooking for Simple Elegance and the new Kindle release, Creative Cooking for Colitis. 


Other works by Angela include compilation books and devotionals from Guidepost, Group, and articles in magazines, ezines, and newspapers. She connects missions to her work with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries and the Jadyn Fred Foundation. 


Angela also teaches online classes and coaches one-on-one in courageous confidence, personal growth, and powerful living. She’s certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and life coach. Angela serves as an assisting minister for her congregation in Missoula, MT. She volunteered as the American Christian Fiction Writer's publicity officer for two years. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom's brain for the study of schizophrenia, but she’s also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. Angela is married with a combined family of six grown children and two grand children. 


Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life releases May 2011 from Journey Press, a Sheaf House imprint.


BRC: Welcome, Angie! What brings you to Book Readers Central?


Angie: I'm hoping to really reach out to women who want to overcome negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors so they can lead an intentional, missional life style. As I spoke more and more on the topics from Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life, I found two surprising results.

First, women love doing this book in small groups. That just blew me away. I had no idea I'd written a small group or personal study. I thought readers would want to work through this privately only. The stunning dynamics have happened in the group settings. The interaction has opened up break-through moments for healing in relationships.

The second unexpected result is the amount of women who harbored misunderstandings and/or anger toward their own moms. I really want to offer freedom from the burdens of buried issues and empower people to live the calling God has placed on their lives.

BRC: What type of books do you write?

Angie: I'm an eclectic writer. I write Christian fiction, devotionals, cookbooks, and this one (Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life) is considered Christian Living/Women's Issues. I also write articles and have a monthly feature in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine. 

BRC: Why do you write?


Angie: My mind is full of questions and stories. I really want to help people heal from the past and grow into their life purpose. I think God just made me to write and speak. I describe it as having a busy bee buzzing around in my head. She has to get out and pollinate the keys on my laptop to tell her stories. ;-) My husband says it's just because I'm full of awe attacks and can't keep quiet about it, lol.

BRC: How would you describe your newest release?

Angie: Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life is very transparent. I use real historical pirates to embody negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Then the gemstones are gems of wisdom God uses to help us live fulfilled and valuable lives in His will. 

About the book: In Gems of Wisdom: For A Treasure-Filled Life you'll embark on a treasure hunt for God's unique gems of wisdom. Be empowered, learn to influence through your own life lessons, and preserve important relationships. Gems of Wisdom invites the reader on a treasure hunt to find important life concepts represented by the beautiful stones God created. Excellent for small groups as well as individual study. Tracie Peterson, best-selling inspirational author of over 80 books says, “Angela’s book is thoughtful, insightful, and heart touching.”

BRC: What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?

Angie: If I could tell you one thing? It's that all of our experiences, negative and positive, help us to really change the world and leave a legacy. It's those experiences that God uses to shine His strength in our weaknesses. We naturally want to hide, forget, or avoid those moments we wish never happened. But when we go on the treasure hunt, God shows us His wisdom and fills our treasure chest with gems of wisdom that overflow to touch other people's lives. 

BRC: Which is your favorite character from your book?

I really love Cookie Smythe. He's a funny old pirate that embodies the sense of God bringing good out of our shameful moments.

BRC: Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

Angie: During interviews with volunteers, one of the most poignant stories belongs to my friend Rachel. She had the "perfect" mom while I didn't. But as we told one another our stories and bonding at a writers retreat in front of a roaring, crackling fire, a sense of grace and mercy changed both of our lives. Because of that profound experience, I share that specific story in Chapter 1. It was that powerful to me.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process.

Angie: I tend to have a fiction and non-fiction happening at the same time because the different styles feed my creativity. I do a lot of marketing though and break up the day with important details to promote my work. Both have to be in each day for my career goals. If it's not in your daily schedule, it's not attainable.

BRC: What will you write next?

Angie: I'm currently working on a 365 day devotional and an inspirational historical trilogy. But every now and then I pull out a contemporary romantic comedy to tickle my funny bone. I am getting some questions about the next Gems of Wisdom book, but I have some requests I need to fulfill first.

BRC: Which books do you recommend to readers?

Angie: Tracie Peterson used Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life to research her upcoming trilogy from Bethany House. The House of Secrets first book in the series will be coming out this fall. Tracie and I plan to do some speaking events together and co-promote because our books are not competitive, but rather build and deepen the experience for the reader. I'm just so excited because I've had the honor of pre-reading quite a bit of the first book as Tracie went through her writing process. I've also had the honor of having Tracie read mine. I can't wait for her series to release!

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

Readers can interact with or learn more about me at the following links:

AngelaBreidenbach.com

MyGemofWisdom.com

GodUsesBrokenVessels.com

ColitisCooking

TheFaithGirls.com (Weekly Wednesdays)

Facebook for Angela Breidenbach

Twitter for Angela Breidenbach

LinkedIn for Angela Breidenbach

Youtube for Angela Breidenbach


BRC: How can readers contact you?

Readers may email me at: angela (at) mygemofwisdom (dot) com 

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing:

Angela Breidenbach will give away a free e-book copy of Gems of Wisdom: For a Treasure-filled Life to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this coming Sunday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central next Monday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

As an Amazon Associate, Janalyn Voigt benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Lisa Harris

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.

Lisa Harris is an award-winning author who has over 20 novels and novella collections in print. She and her husband, Scott, along with their three children, live near the Indian Ocean in Mozambique as missionaries. As a homeschooling mom, life can get hectic, but she sees her writing as an extension of her ministry, which also includes running a non-profit organization. The ECHO Project works in southern Africa promoting Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity and is a way for her to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” (Proverbs 31:8). 

When she’s not working Lisa loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, and heading into the African bush on safari. 

Dear Reader,

I’m thrilled for the opportunity to stop by and visit Book Readers Central! I’m an author and homeschooling mom, living in Mozambique, Africa with my husband and three children where we minister as church planters and discipleship makers. I currently write romantic suspense and love the challenge of creating paging-turning adventures.

Last month, Zondervan released book two in my Mission Hope series, Blood Covenant. While the first book dealt with the very real issue of today’s human trafficking problems, the second is another fast-paced suspense set in a refugee camp.

In this story, Paige Ryan and Nick Gilbert are trapped in an overpopulated African refugee camp where an outbreak of measles erupts and renegade soldiers block their only way out. Desperate for vaccines, they must put their own lives in the hands of God as they fight for the safety of the refugees under their protection.

If you enjoy historicals with a strong thread of adventure and romance, I have a second book, An Ocean Away that is being released this month from Summerside Press. Half of the story is set in Northern Rhodesia (Africa) while the other half is set in New York City in the early 1920s. This was definitely one of the most fascinating, but also research-intense books I have ever written. With two settings and a 1920’s time frame, I wanted to bring that period--from sides of the world--to life and show the stark contrast between the two continents.

Another thing I love about writing is the chance to learn from the characters I create. In Blood Covenant, my main character, Paige comes to the realization that she has to admit her weaknesses and fears and rely only on God’s strength. There are numerous examples in the Bible of men and women who God called to serve Him in an extraordinary way through His power. Gideon was victorious with only three hundred men, a handful of trumpets, jars, and torches. Esther saved her people from the threat of death, David was a shepherd boy who became king of a nation, and I could go on and on. 

As I wrote the story, I was reminded again and again how God calls us in the middle of our ordinary, run-of-the-mill, take-out-the-trash- and drive-the-kids-to-school routine. He’s the one who gives us the strength to live daily for Him. 

Because let’s be honest, life has its constant ups and downs just like the writing life has its ups and downs. For those of you who are writers, you already know that writing is hard work. I’ve learned and studied and continued to write for over a decade, always aware that there is more to learn. It takes perseverance to keep writing after receiving a rejection from an editor or a bad review which isn’t always easy.

On the positive side, I love getting to know these characters and what makes them tick, because as a writer, when I spend months creating characters they come to life in my mind. I also love it when they don’t act the way I expected them to. Often, I find that when this happens, the story ends up coming together stronger because of it.

For more information about my books and life in Africa please stop by my website, Lisa Harris Writes or My Blog In the Heart of Africa. We’ve also just started a non-profit to help address the physical needs of people we work with. You can find out more about that project at The Echo Project.

Thanks again for letting me drop by!

Be blessed,

Lisa Harris

Blood Covenant Book Trailer from Lisa Harris on Vimeo.

©2011 Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.


Book Giveaway Drawing: Lisa Harris will give away a free copy of the winner's choice of either Blood Covenant or An Ocean Away. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Thursday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Friday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

Meet and Greet: Elizabeth Johnson

Book Giveaway Drawing!

Read the details later in this post.

Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream—becoming an author. Liz makes her home in Nashville , TN , where she enjoys theater, exploring the local music scene, and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her two nephews and three nieces.

BRC: Welcome to Book Readers Central.

I’m thrilled to have been invited to Book Readers Central to talk about my writing and my most recent book, Code of Justice.

BRC: What type of books do you write?

So far, I’ve published three romantic suspense novels, but I’m open to writing any love stories. I’ve put together some contemporary romance stories, and even an historical romance. I just love love!

BRC: Tell us, why do you write?

I’ve always had ideas, stories and characters who just want me to tell their tale. But it’s not that easy. Writing takes a lot of hard work, so what keeps me writing is believing that God has given me a talent for writing. In the New Testament Jesus tells a parable of a man who takes what he’s been given and buries it. In the end what he was given is taken away. But in that same story, Jesus speaks of a man who is given many talents and puts them use. His talents are multiplied. I’d rather be the latter, so it keeps me working on my writing, continuing to improve.

BRC: You have a good attitude. 

How would you describe your newest release?

Code of Justice is a story of a sister’s love. FBI agent Heather Sloan is broken when her sister Kit dies in a helicopter crash, and Heather vows to figure out who’s responsible. Her love for her sister leaves Heather willing to risk her own life to find the killer. But that drive also risks her budding romance with sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham, who’s assigned to investigate the crash. Heather must discover if justice and mercy can go hand in hand.

BRC:What do you hope the reader takes away after reading it?

I hope that the readers take away a reminder that we can trust God to be just in every situation. When we love mercy and put our trust in God, we free ourselves from the prison of hate and vengeance and open ourselves to the amazing things that God has in store for us.

BRC:Which is your favorite character from your book?

I love Heather, who I first introduced in my second book, but I think that Kit may be my favorite character. She doesn’t live far past the first page, but her fingerprint is all through this story. Who she is is a direct reflection on how Heather reacts to losing her.

BRC:Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book?

I’m not sure I have a funny or touching story, but I am very thankful for the reminder that writing this book brought me. Sometimes it’s easy to take my amazing family for granted, especially my sister. Writing this book reminded me of how special our bond is and how much I appreciate and love being her sister. I was reminded to tell her that every chance I get. This book is incredibly special to me for just that reason.

BRC:Tell us about your writing process.

Every one of my books has started with a simple idea sparked by a trip I’ve taken or a map I saw or something like that. And from that comes a question. What if. What if there was a girl who did this? What if there was a guy who did that? Then I build on that. I start to flesh out the ideas, writing a several-page summary. At some point in this process, I begin to really get to know my characters, including finding pictures of people who look like them. This helps me keep the characters in mind, figuring out their motivations and goals. When I have the summary and characters figured out, I divide it up by chapters and begin writing. When I finish the first draft, there’s lots of editing to be done, and I’m very thankful to have a great editor.

BRC:What will you write next?

My next book is a novella called A Star in the Night, which is part of A Log Cabin Christmas Collection, releasing from Barbour in September. It’s an historical romance set near Franklin, TN at the end of the Civil War. All the stories in this collection are set in log cabins at Christmas-time. After that I’ll be working on more romantic suspense novels as well as a contemporary romance.

BRC:Which books do you recommend to readers?

I recommend books that I love! For humor I recommend Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones. For overall uniqueness, I always recommend The Princess Bride, which is one of the most original novels I’ve ever read. It’s so smart! For YA, I recommend nearly anything by Meg Cabot, who’s written across genres but maintains really amazing characters.

BRC:Where can readers find you online?

I blog at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com. I’m also on twitter @lizjohnsonbooks. I love hearing from readers, so stop by any time.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Elizabeth Johnson will give away a free copy of Code of Justice to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Friday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Saturday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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*Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when books are purchased on Amazon through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Dana Mentink

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.

Dana Mentink

Dana Mentink lives in California where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Her family includes two girls (affectionately nicknamed Yogi and Boo Boo.) Papa Bear works for the fire department and he met Dana doing a dinner theater production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Ironically, their parts were husband and wife.

Dana is a 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest.  Her October release, Betrayal in the Badlands, has been nominated for a 2010 Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. 

She spent her college years competing in speech and debate tournaments all around the country. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching Sunday school and working in second/third grade combination class. Mostly, she loves to be home with her family, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle and a quirky parakeet. 


Howdy, all. 


I’m Dana Mentink, a harried mom of two who writes inspirational romantic suspense for Harlequin’s Steeple Hill line. My newest book, Turbulence, is on bookshelves this month. Though I started out as a mystery writer, these days I write mostly suspense. I enjoy fast-paced, action-packed books which have a thread of mystery and intrigue running through them. My books are Christian fiction, which means they also have a faith element.

My newest release is about a woman who has suffered the tragic loss of her young nieces in an accident that leaves her father on the brink of death. In the process of delivering a prototype mechanical heart to him, her plane crashes into a snowy mountainside. One of the other survivors is Dr. Paul Ford, her former fiancé and the man she blames for the death of her nieces. Sticky situation, no? To make matters worse, someone is determined to make sure the little band of survivors doesn’t make it off that mountain alive.

My favorite character is Maddie Lambert, because she is stubborn, deeply wounded and angry at the world. It’s a great starting place for character growth, not to mention a lovely stewpot for tension and conflict! I got the idea for the story after I read about the Berlin Heart which is a prototype mechanical heart not yet approved for use in the U.S. If it’s eventually approved, it might save the lives of many people waiting for donor hearts.

My next few books are going to be about treasure hunting I think. What could be more fun in a story than a little romance, a smidge of treasure and a whole lot of suspense?

Frequently people ask me to recommend books on writing. Anyone who is interested in writing professionally should check out Donald Maas’s book , The Fire In Fiction. Also Stephen King’s book on writing is really inspirational. Fictionally speaking, one of the finest suspense writers I’ve ever read is Harlan Coben, though he’s not a Christian fiction writer. That man can fool me every time!

Thank you for letting me share today. I’d love to chat via my website at www.danamentink.com or my Facebook Reader Page.

Thanks again and happy reading! 

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing: Dana Mentink will give away a free copy of Turbulence to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Thursday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Saturday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.


**Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased through links from Book Readers Central.

Meet and Greet: Elisa Maria Crites

Elisa Maria Crites

Book Giveaway Drawing!
Read the details later in this post.

Elisa Maria Crites is a mom to three and a grandmother to nine terrific kids. She lives in Alaska in a large household, including five kids, three dogs, two cats, two guinea pigs, three birds, and a dust bunny in the hall tree. While not at her day job or writing, she enjoys travel, bicycling, going to the gym, cooking, quilting, reading, music and friends.

BRC: What brings you to Book Readers Central? 

I am happy to be here today to share a bit about my book, Secrets Under the Midnight Sun.

BRC: It's great to visit with you. Tell us, why do you write? 

I have been a teller of stories all my life. I enjoyed essay assignments in school and took a creative writing course in the late 80’s at the university. In the 90’s I entered some essays in the fair and took ribbons on them, but had never thought of myself as a writer, because typically other people didn’t see my writing. Yet, stories kept coming. About five years ago I took several trips and on each trip the person next to me would chat a bit then ask: “Are you a writer?” “What do you write?” “Do you write children’s books? Why don’t you?” 

And finally, “I feel in my heart that you are a writer.” That particular encounter ended with the lady giving me her card and a twenty dollar bill to cover the cost of sending my first book to her.

“I’m not a writer,” I insisted as I pushed the money back towards her.

She folded my fingers around the bill. “Well then, you better get started. I’m not a young woman, you know.”

Why do I write? Hmmm, the Lord works in mysterious ways. I think I’ve gotten a directive.

BRC: It would seem so! 

How would you describe your newest release?

Secrets Under the Midnight Sun is a coming of age story set in Alaska in 1967. Twelve-year-old Fredricka, (Freddie) longs for the love of a father. She faces things that girls her age now might face, bullies at school and her brother being in the military when she'd rather he be at home. She also faces some unusual obstacles, such as when she flees her home as a flood takes over the city. But her biggest challenge in life is in her home.

BRC: What do you hope the reader takes away after reading your book? 

My desire is that my reader who may be walking in Freddie’s shoes will seek help for her situation. I’ve included a contact at the end of the book for that help. I realize that many of my readers are adults and I hope if they relate to Freddie, that they will find healing, and if they sympathize with her, their hearts will be sensitive to children around them who may need help. Most of all, I hope that those who read it will become a voice for the voiceless. The greatest compliment I’ve gotten is from my readers who have contacted me to tell me how deeply they care about Freddie.

BRC: Which is your favorite character from your book? 

Freddie has to be my favorite. She’s spirited, funny, and loving. As I got to know her I found her irresistible. Even in her circumstances, she wants to please God.

BRC: Do you have a funny or touching story that relates to your book? 

Freddie loves to tease her friend, Karl by being obnoxious, but around his mom she behaves herself. At one point Karl calls Freddie and while on the phone she crams her mouth full of cereal to talk to him. When writing this scene, I went to my pantry and crammed my mouth full of Cheerios over and over, while speaking so I could write how it sounded. (Of course I kept spitting them out rather than swallowing.) One of the kids asked me what I was doing in the pantry and I told them, “research”.

While writing the scene about the talent show, David making an appearance completely took me by surprise. I was so moved at his adoration of Freddie, and the way her heart soared when she saw him that I wept. 

BRC: Tell us about your writing process. 

Typically an idea comes to me and I mull it around for a few days to see if it’s just an idea, or has the potential to become an entire book. I get a lot of ideas, but don’t have time to follow up on all of them. I need to know if it interests me enough to be ‘married’ to it for months and years while it develops.

BRC: What will you write next?

I’m working on another YA story now which is still in the mulling process. This one also will be set in Alaska.

BRC: Which books do you recommend to readers? 

There are so many good reads available. My blog is new and I’ll be mentioning what I’m reading on there. For YA readers, a good resource is www.novelteen.com where YA appropriate books are reviewed. Actually, many adults enjoy YA books, so anyone can check out the reviews for clean reads and I hope you will.

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

My author site: www.elisamariacrites.com

As a Contributing Writer: www.novelteen.com

Facebook: Elisa Maria Crites

Posted by Janalyn Voigt, author of novel books

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Book Giveaway Drawing: Elisa Maria Crites will give away a free copy of Secrets Under the Midnight Sun to a reader of this blog. To enter, leave a comment to this post. If you are a follower of Book Readers Central and tell me so in a separate comment, I'll give you an extra chance to win. 

Please include a valid email address in an anti-spam format (example: youremailhandle[at]gmail[dot]com]) or your entry will become invalid. Entries will be accepted until this Thursday at midnight (Pacific Time/US).

I'll announce the winner on Book Readers Central on Friday. The winner must respond within two weeks of notification. Detailed rules of giveaways on Book Reader's Central are located in the footer of this blog.


**Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased through links from Book Readers Central.