Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: "Highland Blessings" by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Bryce McPherson kidnaps Akira McKenzie on her wedding day to keep a promise made to his dying father.The fact that the McKenzie and the McPherson clans are sworn enemies won't save Akira from marrying the McPherson Chiefton. But can such a marriage bring peace, especially when a series of murders seems to indicate otherwise? And can Bryce and Akira find love in the midst of hatred?

With fine prose and deft skill, Jennifer Hudson Taylor takes us to the highlands of Scotland at a time when men lived and died by the sword. But the struggles woven into this book's plot are not of the flesh alone. Akira needs to make peace with both her earthly and heavenly fathers, and Bryce must learn to trust an enemy.  But a greater threat waits in the shadows...

I recommend Highland Blessings for readers who enjoy historical fiction and historical romance.

~ Review by Janalyn Voigt

* A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the author for purposes of review.

Meet and Greet Monday: Stephen Bly

Book Giveaway Drawing! (Details below.)

Stephen Bly resides in Winchester, Idaho at 4,000 ft. elev., on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. He's been married 47 years to fellow writer, Janet Chester Bly, and they've co-authored 18 books.


Stephen is father of 3 sons: Russell, Michael, & Aaron. The family includes daughters-in-law, Lois, Michelle & Rina Joye, plus grandkids: Zachary, Miranda (& husband Chris), and Keaton.


As a third-generation westerner, Steve spent 30 years working family ranches and farms in central California.

When he's not writing Steve collects and restores antique Winchesters; studies histories of the Old West; and does construction on Broken Arrow Crossing (a false front western village next to his home). He also plays a par game of golf.
Recent books by Stephen Bly include: Creede of Old Montana (2009), The Land Tamers (re-issued 2009), One Step Over The Border, Center Street/Hachette; The Horse Dreams Series—Memories of a Dirt Road Town, The Mustang Breaker, and Wish I’d Known You Tears Ago (B&H); Paperback Writer (B&H); and Fortunes of the Black Hills Series (B&H Publishers).

Noteworthy Facts about Stephen Bly

* Author and co-author of 102 fiction and nonfiction books, including historical and contemporary westerns.
* Christy Award winner, Westerns, 2002, The Long Trail Home
* Christy Award finalist, Westerns, 2003
* Mayor of Winchester, Idaho, pop. 308 (1999-2007)
* Pastor of Winchester Community Church
* Speaker for men’s and writers’ groups, USA and Canada
* Roving editor, "Big Show Journal"
* Mentor, Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild
* Represented by agent Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary
* Fresno State University, CA, Philosophy, summa cum laude
* M. Div., Fuller Theological Seminary, CA, 1974

Interview with Stephen Bly

 • How would you describe your new release?

It’s the closest to memoir that I’ve attempted in a novel. In 1954, I was 10-years-old and spent many hours playing cribbage and listening to narratives of the ‘old days’ from my grandpa.

A 10-year-old boy. Six old cowboys. A ’49 Plymouth with open trunk. And a damsel in distress. All the fixings for adventure in 1954 Albuquerque. Maybe you weren’t born 100 years too late.

The permanent residents of the old hotel: 5 old cowboys, 70s to 90s. Every week these five, plus a young boy’s (“Little Brother”) grandfather, play cribbage in the lobby. But that’s not the real focus. Their chief pleasure centers on tales of their riding and roping days. And every story mostly true. Those who paid attention, heard their hearts too.

The cowboys in my story retire in Albuquerque, not Santa Fe, because even in 1954 the latter was becoming the artsy, celebrity spot it is today. These guys needed a cheap hotel and city amenities. So, Albuquerque suited them fine. Before there were retirement communities and senior citizen housing, some elderly lived in old downtown hotels. Well past their prime to attract overnight guests, they catered to senior citizens who scraped by on something fairly new in the fifties: Social Security.

The eldest was born during the Civil War. All of them cowboyed from the late 1880s until the 1940s. They tell first-hand stories of what the West was truly like.

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon reminisces about real cowboy lives, much the same as Andy Adams’ book, The Log of a Cowboy, written in the early 1900s. Author’s suggestion: this book is best read aloud, as though around a campfire, by someone with a grasp of the rhythm of the language.

On one rainy afternoon, Little Brother sits with his red straw cowboy hat, cap gun, and leather bullet belt with silver-painted wooden bullets, to listen to cowboy tales, romps through past escapades. The old men delighted in their youthful, captive audience. Meanwhile, a drama unfolds, a story brews in the lobby that propels them all into one last cowboy stand.

(Click the link at the bottom of this post to read an excerpt from Chapter One of Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon.)

• What message do you hope it conveys?

The heritage of courage against evil that one generation can pass on to another.

• What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The definite sense throughout the process that I was right there in the lobby of that hotel and later riding in the ’49 Plymouth with all the characters. I was that young boy and re-living parts of my youth through him.

• What did you dislike most about writing this book?

Not being able to sit down and write it all in one full sweep. I hated having to write in-between other projects.

• What inspired you to become a writer?

It’s all my wife’s fault. She got me into it. After going to a couple writer’s conferences, she asked permission to submit some articles and short stories she edited out of my sermons. . .and took a book proposal from a study I’d done for college students to Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference. All of them were accepted. After I got the first checks I said, “Hey, I think I’ll do my own writing.”

So, it was my wife’s insistence that I had something to say to folks beyond my local congregation.

• Tell us about your writing process.

Step One – research, including on-site exploration.

Step Two – Build a bio on each main character.

Step Three – Sit in front of a blank computer screen and add step one and step two, then record what happens. No plotting needed.

• What are you working on now?

September 1st is deadline for my WIP, which has the working title, “Throw Away Heart.” Most of the story happens on a train ride from Omaha to Sacramento in the 1880s. The title sounds more like a romance, which it is, but the editor wants a more western sounding name for their base of Bly fans. So, I’ll brainstorm that while I finish the project.

• What books do you enjoy reading?

In fiction--from Owen Wister to John Steinbeck, Elmer Kelton to William Saroyan, Luke Short to Fyodor Dostoevsky. And, of course, Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey. In nonfiction, I’m meditating again on J. I. Packer’s Knowing God. And I devour most any history book, my favorite subject.

• Where can readers buy your book?

Order Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon through http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.blybooks.com/ or through your local bookstore (via Ingram Distributors). Ask for it at your local library too.

• Where can readers find you online?

Our websites: http://www.blybooks.com/ and http://www.onestepovertheborder.com/

Or our “On A Western Trail” blog: http://www.blybooks.blogspot.com/

Click here to read an excerpt from Chapter One of Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Leave a comment to this post for a chance to win a free copy of Cowboy for a Rainy Afternoon. Be sure and include a way to contact you or your entry will be ineligible. Entries accepted until midnight, Pacific Coast Time/US. The winner will be announced Friday on this blog. Click the link in the side bar to read detailed book giveaway drawing rules.

Thanks for stopping by Book Readers Central. Please consider becomiing a follower of this blog's feed or signing up to receive posts by email.

And We Have a Winner!!!

Kimberli Renee' Campbell won a free copy of White Roses by Shannon Taylor Vannatter. To claim your prize, please contact me at janalynvoigt(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks to all who visited Book Readers Central.  Please consider following this blog's feed or signing up for email delivery of posts. We have more great interviews, book giveaway drawings and book reviews on their way!

Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: "Hearts Awakening" by By Delia Parr

In a time when women are expected to be married and having children, Elvira Kilmer is single and alone. Living on the less-than-generous mercy of a cousin, she is sent out to clean house for a widower and his sons. Jackson Smith is angry and bitter about the way his life has turned out. Loving one woman and marrying another only to be betrayed, he no longer trusts women but understands his children need a mother. He decides that someone as unattractive as Elvira will do just fine.


The characters are not only believable; they make you feel for them. You care about how Jackson treats Ellie, and you wonder why he is so angry. The plot keeps you tuned in and makes this book hard to put down. The dialogue flowed naturally and helped develop plot and character traits. Both characters started with a basic knowledge of faith and God, with Ellie coming to a stronger faith before Jackson.

~ Reviewed by Robin Armijo

* A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.

Meet and Greet: Donn Taylor

Donn Taylor is a novelist and poet who holds a PhD in Renaissance literature and has spent more than 20 years teaching college literature. His fiction includes a light-hearted mystery, Rhapsody in Red, and a suspense novel, The Lazarus File. His poetry has appeared in "Christianity and Literature," "The Lamp-Post" (Journal of the California C. S. Lewis Society), and other journals, as well as general audience publications such as the "Presbyterian Record" (Canada). His poetry collection Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond was published in 2008. He has also published essays on writing, literary criticism, ethical issues, and U. S. foreign policy. In a prior incarnation, he served in two wars with the U. S. Army.

Interview with Donn Taylor

BRC: How would you describe your book?

Rhapsody in Red is a light-hearted mystery set on a college campus. The hero (if you can call him that) is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations. He describes it as living in one movie that’s been mismatched with the music score from another. The heroine is a headstrong professor of comparative religions, determined to succeed with no help from anyone. When they stumble onto the body of a murdered colleague, police try to pin the murder on them. Though they’re completely ill-matched and incompatible, they’re forced to work together to prove their innocence by finding the real murderer. That requires them to prevail against the police, the murderer, organized crime, and (worse yet) an unsympathetic college administration. It’s kind of tough on them. But for the reader, there’s good fun in awkward character conflicts and a background of sometimes-weird campus life.

BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?

First of all, I don’t think fiction should be written to prove a point. If that’s the objective, we should write nonfiction and build our case through presentation of evidence and reasoned argument. Fiction proves nothing: it can only illustrate. That said, there are some realistic themes in Rhapsody. The college does accurately portray denominational colleges’ customary conflicts---commercialism vs. academic standards, education vs. indoctrination, and secularism vs. religious orientation. Mainly, though, there’s a straightforward treatment of the problem of evil, with Christianity as the only adequate explanation of it. That recognition forms the turning point for one of the characters. I don’t think the book contains any further message—except possibly the inadvisability of always saying what you think. That’s what keeps the hero in trouble: he says openly what others on the faculty are thinking but don’t dare say.

BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing the book?

Two things: First, the mild satire of college life, especially the ridiculous thing called political correctness. Then the humor of the continuing conflicts between the hero and heroine, especially the chapter in which a suspect tries to bribe the hero with a kiss. He gets lipstick on his teeth, and that gets him in trouble with the heroine, who thinks he’s been playing around while she took dangerous risks in their investigation. They have an angry encounter with a lot of wordplay: “She burns incense.” “In what sense was she burning?” Etc.

BRC: What did you dislike most about writing the book?

I can’t say that I really disliked anything about it, but I hated the necessity of discarding several good comic scenes in order to keep the plot moving. They’re still in the computer, though, so I may be able to resurrect or modify them for another book.

BRC: What inspired you to become a writer?

I don’t know if you can call it inspiration, but the drive to write seems to be part of my genetic code. I was raised in a home that thought literature was important. When my brother and I were in grammar school, my father read us large chunks of the Mark Twain canon. I began writing music at age fourteen. Two years later I entered college as a music major, studied piano with an instructor on leave from Cincinnati Conservatory, and played some of my compositions in her recitals. But at age eighteen I got interested in poetry---the Romantic poets, of course---and began writing poetry and some very bad short stories. Since then, writing is just something I have to do, though there have been long periods when job and family requirements pushed it far into the background.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process.

For poetry, I block out an entire morning. I begin with a main idea as I would for writing a paragraph. Then I try to come up with interesting images and figures of speech to present it. Sometimes I only get a few good lines in an entire session. Most poems take several days to get into an acceptable first draft. Some remain in fragments for months until I find a way to put them together. No poem comes out of the study until I think it’s as good as I can get it. (What’s that TV commercial---sell no wine before its time? Fiction is different. I start with characters and a premise, then several turning points, and a climax. After that it’s a seat-of-the-pants process of seeing how the characters’ work their way through conflicts into the climax. I do a lot of revision as the novel develops.

BRC: What are you working on now?

I’ve completed a sequel to Rhapsody in Red and started a sequel to the sequel. I’m also planning a thriller, different in tone and character, about the international black market in weapons. In between times, I’m teaching poetry writing at various writers’ conferences, most recently Blue Ridge, with the Texas Christian Writers Conference in Houston coming up in August. In that teaching, I’m advocating a return to good-quality poetry that ordinary readers can understand---the situation that existed in the days of Robert Frost and Edwin Arlington Robinson.

BRC: What books do you enjoy reading?

Classics, of course: Dante’s The Divine Comedy; Milton’s Paradise Lost; most of John Donne, George Herbert, and Tennyson; some of Browning, Robinson, and Frost. In commercial fiction: the classic Western writer Ernest Haycox; the early thrillers of Gavin Lyall, especially The Wrong Side of the Sky; and I’m beginning to work through the Jack Higgins canon. In CBA fiction, I enjoyed Cathy Elliott’s A Vase of Mistaken Identity¬---delightful wordplay throughout, and Ann Shorey’s excellent historical, The Edge of Light. In nonfiction: anything by the economist and Hoover Institute scholar Thomas Sowell. I’m currently reading Newt Gingrich’s To Save America, a superb analysis of the current scene.

BRC: Where can readers buy your book?

I’m not sure which bookstores have it on the shelves, but it can be ordered through any of them or from Amazon.com.

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

My Web site is http://www.donntaylor.com/. It contains previews of all my books and links to Amazon.

Meet and Greet: Shannon Taylor Vannatter

Book Giveaway Drawing.

Details below.

Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife/writer. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband Grant, their eight-year-old son, and their church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, a dragonfish, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

Her series with Heartsong Presents launched in May with White Roses. White Doves follows in October, and White Pearls in January. Each book ships to a 10,000 member bookclub, then to stores six months later. All three books are set in Romance and Rose Bud, Arkansas. Brides and lovebirds take advantage of the re-mailing program to have wedding invitations and Valentines cards mailed from Romance with a unique postmark. Romance also hosts several annual weddings with Valentine’s Day the most popular date.

Interview

 

How would you describe your book?
White Roses is a contemporary romance between two Christians who have had a rough few years and are clinging onto their fears instead of trusting God with their futures.

What message do you hope it conveys?

That life isn't perfect, but God will see you through it. And that love doesn't conquer all, God does.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I really enjoyed grounding the book into a real setting. Romance and Rose Bud are both real Arkansas towns with rich local flavor.

What did you dislike most about writing this book?
The black moment. I hate making my characters hurt.

What inspired you to become a writer?
I couldn't find any clean romances at the library, so I decided to write the kind of book I'd like to read. Inspirational romance was just beginning when I started out and I didn't know the genre existed. The more I wrote, the more my characters prayed and I realized that I couldn't leave God out of the story. I was so relieved to realize there was a market for what I was writing.

Tell us about your writing process.
I get the story on the page as fast as I can. Each day, I re-read what I wrote the day before to get me back into the story, but I don't do much editing until the first draft is finished. Then I send it to my poor critque partners. By the time I finish, I've gone through at least five drafts.

What are you working on now?
I just turned in the third book in the Romance series and I pitched a rodeo series to my editor. For now, I'm enjoying the summer with my son.

What books do you enjoy reading?
Inspirational romance is my favorite read. I like knowing there will be a happily-ever-after. Occasionally, I delve into Inspirational romantic suspense. It keys me up and since I usually read to relax, I have to be in the right mood for suspense.

Where can readers buy your book?
Order White Roses at http://www.heartsongpresents.com/book/detail/9781602607552/. It will be in stores in November.

Where can readers find you online?
Website: shannonvannatter.com. My new blog, The Inkslinger, features true love stories, inspirational author’s real-life romances, insight into the love lives of their fictional characters, book excerpts, romantic destinations, and weekly book giveaways at http://www.shannonvannatter.com/blog.

Book Giveaway Drawing: Comment on this post for a chance to win a free copy of White Roses. Entries accepted until Wednesday, July 7th at midnight, Pacific Time (US). The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, July 9th. Full giveaway drawing rules are in the sidebar of this blog.

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Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: "The Heart Mender" by Andy Andrews

This book starts out from the author’s perspective. He is researching a tin of pictures and other materials he has found in his back yard. Helen Mason and Josef Landermann have both lost family to the War. Helen becomes angry and bitter, while Josef looks for another way out. When Josef is shot and ends up on the beach by Helen’s home, she takes him in and helps him heal. Helen and Josef find peace and salvation along the way.
"The Heart Mender" has great characters and a lot of historical facts. While most of the story flowed smoothly, sometimes it detoured  into facts that, while historically accurate, do nothing to further the plot. And while the book gives important explanations of forgiveness, it does not show us how Helen and Josef found forgiveness.

~ Reviewed by Robin Armijo


*A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.

Meet and Greet Monday: Laurie Alice Eakes

Award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes does not remember a time when books did not play a part in her life; thus, no one was surprised when she decided to be a writer. Her first hardcover was an October, 2006 Regency historical from Avalon Books and won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency, as well as being a finalist for Best First Book. After selling her first book in the inspirational market, she also wrote articles and essays for Christian publications. A brief hiatus in publishing climaxed with her selling thirteen books in thirteen months, to publishers such as Barbour, Avalon, and Baker/Revell.

She is an active member of RWA and ACFW, and started the Avalon Authors group blog. A graduate of the Seton Hill University Master of Arts Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, And a Bachelor of Arts graduate in English and French from Asbury College, she is an experienced speaker, and has made presentations at local and national RWA conferences, as well as local universities and libraries.

Until recently, she lived in Northern Virginia, then her husband’s law career took them and their dogs and cats, to southern Texas, where she writes full-time and enjoys the beach whenever possible.

Dear Reader,

My name is Laurie Alice Eakes. That was the name with I was given at birth and it worked so well for a writer that I don’t use my married name. Yes, I have a long-suffering husband, bless him. He’s been supportive of my writing career even when I wasn’t selling.

And let me tell you about that. It was rough. We think that when we get “the call”, we are on our way. Not. My first book, Family Guardian, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency. Yet I didn’t sell another book for a year and a half after that first one. Then I didn’t sell another one for another year and a half. Frustrating? Yes. Questioning whether or not I should be a writer? Absolutely.

Then it happened. I was in new Jersey doing some training and my agent called to say that Heartsong Presents wanted my New Jersey historical series. The flood gates opened. Over the next thirteen months, I signed contracts for thirteen more books. The first book in the New Jersey series, The Glassblower, will forever be special to me because of this. Interestingly, the hero, the glassblower, is from Scotland and his name is Colin. In my class was a man from Scotland named Colin. Awesome, wasn’t it? I listened to the cadence of his speech so I could get it down without resorting to a lot of Scots dialect that is so hard to read.

I bring Colin to New Jersey to help with a fledgling glassworks. He wants to be successful so that he can bring his family over to make a better life in 1809. Unfortunately, he falls in love with his boss’s daughter and she is engaged to another man. She doesn’t want this engagement. Her father insists on it, and as Colin gets to know Meg, her father, and the local world, he realizes something about the engagement is fishy. His pursuit of the truth and Meg nearly cost him his life.

A prominent theme in The Glassblower is seeking God’s will first and allowing Him to provide for our futures as we do so. It’s a difficult concept for those of us who are control freaks. Meg and Colin like to take matters into their own hands, and it costs them dearly. How true! I hope my readers will take away an understanding that God has our best interests in His heart and His way is perfect.

The Glassblower is followed by two more historical novels set in New Jersey. The Heiress follows the fortunes and misfortunes of Colin’s grandson. The Newcomer is related to the first two, but if I say too much, I give away the ending of The Heiress.

All three are available from http://www.heartsongpresents.com/ and The Glassblower is on amazon.com. Or you can wait until next March when all three books will be released in one book called Jersey Brides. I promise, I have no cows in the book. Jersey Brides will be available in WalMart and Sam’s and on Amazon. Bookstores can order it, too.

Besides the New Jersey books, I have a book coming out in hardcover from Avalon Books. Both my hero and heroine are doctors in 1890, but the hero has been blinded in a shooting. The story is about healing of mind, if not body, and finding how one can rebuild one’s life after tragedy. This is a secular book, but squeaky clean and holding the biblical principle of hope in Christ.

And—TADA!—my first trade paperback is coming out from Baker/Revell in February. Lady in the Mist is the first of the midwife series set in 1809 Virginia. This is a historical romantic suspense with a dashing and sometimes badboy English hero. Currently, I am working on the second midwife book, while doing my edits on my first Regency for Revell out in October of 2011.

So, as you can see, I’m more than a little busy with my writing, but I love to take a few minutes out to socialize.

You can keep up with Laurie Alice Eakes and her books on her blog: http://www.seizethechance.blogspot.com/

And We Have a Winner!!!

Congratulations go to BJ, who won a free copy of Jill Nelson's Calculated Revenge.

Thanks, everyone, for visiting Book Readers Central. Please consider following this blog or signing up for email delivery. Look for more giveaway drawings in the future.

Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: "The Map" by David Murrow

While genre crossing is common nowadays, it's rare to find a novel crossed with a nonfiction book. David Murrow's The Map begins as a page-turning thriller, takes a corner onto a teaching road introduced by the story, and then merges back into the novel for a cliffhanger ending.

While I enjoyed the thriller and think the teaching important, needed and life changing, I developed a case of literary whiplash due to the hybrid nature of the book. The format might have worked better if it had been clear from the start that the thriller was an illustration. Instead, we have the author opening the teaching portion of the book by stating, "I have a confession to make." We are thus jolted out of an excellent novel into a classroom. Although David Murrow has a wonderful teaching style, the shift jars.

Despite this, I recommend The Map for male readers and the women who love them. Murrow proposes that a valid reason exists for the absence of men in church services. He goes on to explain the Christian walk as three journeys up a mountain. While I differ from him in seeing a separate teaching for men in the passages from Matthew he cites, men will most benefit from his honest insights and call to manliness.

Available at Amazon.com

*A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.

Meet and Greet Monday: Jill Nelson

Book Giveaway Drawing! Details below.

Jill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she delights in bringing the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild.

Dear Reader:

I’m excited to “meet” you through the pages of my books. I write what I like to read-- tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith; hence, my tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. If this sounds right up your alley, pull up a seat and let me tell you about my latest release, Calculated Revenge.

Available on Amazon.com

Calculated Revenge begins when a young school teacher finds on the playground a backpack that belonged to her kid sister--victim of a murderous abductor eighteen years ago. Now she must team up with a reluctant investigator to stop this killer before her own daughter meets the same fate.

It’s been eighteen years since Laney Thompson’s sister was abducted and killed, but Laney’s pain and haunting guilt has never faded. Now the murderer is back, taunting Laney with mementos of her sister and threatening Laney’s young daughter. School principal Noah Ryder is her best hope for protecting her daughter—if she can convince the former investigator to take the case. As the threats escalate and clues lead to shocking secrets from the past, Laney’s survival—and that of her daughter—depends on the rusty gifts and skills Noah wants only to forget.

What do you think, dear Reader? Will you brave the deep waters of this tale of danger, abduction, and betrayal? My heroine is honest, sincere, sensitive, and caring. She’s also fiesty and can be touchy and a bit blind in defense of her family. My hero is strong, honorable, protective, and determined, but ultra-cautious about relationships. They both wrestle with guilt over past tragedies. I hope their struggles with issues of faith and forgiveness in the face of tragedy will strike a resonant chord in your heart.

My web site contains excerpts, links to purchase books, my speaking schedule, a monthly contest to win an autographed copy of my latest release, and an opportunity to sign up for my quarterly newsletter. Pop on by at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/. I have a readers’ group on Facebook where we chat about all sorts of things, book-wise. I’m also on Twitter and Shoutlife. Oh, and I have a blog on my web site, too. I give away lots of books there that are not my own.

Calculated Revenge released in April. My next book releases in October:

Legacy of Lies finds a cop’s widow scrambling to defend her family’s honor after the bones of a long-ago kidnap victim are found in her grandparents’ back yard. In order to unearth the truth, she must defy her hometown’s powerful founding family and team up with the last man on the planet for whom she’d like to feel attraction—another cop.

Blessings, dear Reader, in all your adventures within the pages of a good book.

Jill

Enter to win a free copy of Calculated Revenge by leaving a comment to this post, including your contact information. A link to detailed rules for Book Readers Central book giveaway drawings is located in this blog's footnotes. Entries will be accepted until midnight on Wednesday, July 21st. The winner will be announced on this blog on Friday, July 23rd.

Please consider following this blog to keep informed of future giveaways and for more great interviews and book reviews. An email sign-up form is located in the sidebar if you prefer to receive posts by email.

Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: Stumbling Souls

When Chris meets Larry, an HIV-positive homeless homosexual, he reacts as most of us would: do just enough to ease his conscience and then pretend he doesn’t exist. When Chris feels God leading him to do more, he and his bible study group welcome James into their midst.


Stumbling Souls by Chris Plekenpol is well written and thought provoking. The people in this book are very relatable. Chris does a great job of putting his story on paper and even shares when he doesn’t feel like doing what God asks of him. He uses Scripture in a strong way to reinforce the truth of his message. This is a book I feel comfortable recommending all to read for personal growth.

© 2010 Robin Armijo

Note: A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.

An Interview With the Author

Q: Stumbling Souls tells of the lessons you learned about faith after having met James, a homeless man off the street who attended the newcomers’ meeting at your church one day. Why did you reach out to him? When you saw him walking away from church that day, why did you call after him?

A: For any disciple, there comes a time when learning Christ must become living Christ. As much as I was enjoying learning and being at seminary, the greatness of my seminary experience was complete only when the miraculous intangibles of God’s character became real in me. That day something awakened deep inside of me—maybe in the place where a small filling of the Holy Spirit resides. I couldn’t take my eyes off the figure walking away, and something inside me stirred. I tried to quell the desire to stop him and find out about his life. And before I knew it, my legs started walking after this stranger who had no idea of the welling up of something in my soul.

Q: How did you know God was leading you to reach out to James and serve him in the radical manner that you did?

A: One of the ways God really revealed his leading to me was through the encouragement of others, both friends and strangers. I began blogging about James and one reader contacted me and said he would like to help financially. He literally tracked me down to tell me in order to give something to help James. Not only did he give something for James. He personally encouraged me. There were moments like those when God intervened and let me know he was watching. No, they don’t come every day, but they serve as reminders that he wants me to live by faith.

Q: As readers make their way through Stumbling Souls, they will find themselves rooting for James, wanting him to change and turn his life around, and impatient when it doesn’t happen quickly and he seems to take some wrong turns. Why did you not give up on him?

A: I knew, as I said, that God was calling me to live by faith, but of course that was, at times, so difficult because I wanted to see results. I wanted to see life change, and when that didn’t happen, I got frustrated. But in one of those moments of discouragement this thought hit me. I don’t serve James because of James; I serve James because of God. So James’ actions don’t matter. If James never gets on his feet and I do an exercise in futility, it doesn’t matter, because my God told me to always remember the poor. So here I am doing it. Here I am living this thing called faith.

Q: “Is Love Enough?” is the subtitle of Stumbling Souls. But isn’t that exactly what we’re called by God to do, to love others?

A: Yes, we are. We are called to love and to serve. But I’ve found that our human love isn’t perfect. Selfishness and pride leave much to be desired, and, therefore, our love is never enough. I don’t have the ability to love unconditionally outside of Christ. That is why the only love that will ever be enough is the love of God. He gave his only Son to die on a cross for the sins of the world, and then he gets involved in the mess of ministry, of our working out our salvation with fear and trembling, by using flawed people to piece together another person’s redemption so that only he gets the glory.

Q: How do you believe God changed you through this experience?

A: I went from a Christian ideologue to a person who has an understanding of life on the streets and an understanding of how Christ makes believers righteous on the basis of grace, by means of faith. Through this process I really saw my own growth and I hope that those who read this story will see that too, the way that God used James to change me. I can’t help but notice the difference. I have more compassion. I have a deeper love for the lost. I have a better grasp at how rotten I can be in my own sufficiency. There wasn’t just one stumbling soul in this book; my sins were pretty apparent, and God is still working on my selfishness and pride. I know that with God all things are possible.

http://www.stumblingsouls.com/

Meet and Greet Monday: Marybeth Whalen

Marybeth Whalen is the wife of Curt and mom of six children. The family lives outside Charlotte, NC. Marybeth is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker team and a regular contributor to their daily devotions which reach over 350,000 people each day. She served as general editor of For The Write Reason and The Reason We Speak. She and her husband Curt co-authored Learning To Live Financially Free and her first novel, The Mailbox will be released in June 2010. Additionally, she serves as director of She Reads, Proverbs 31 Ministries' fiction division. Marybeth speaks regularly to women's groups and enjoys sharing stories from her daily adventures as a wife, mom, writer, and, most importantly, a follower of God. You can find her online at http://www.marybethwhalen.com/.

The Interview

BRC: How would you describe your book?
My novel, The Mailbox can best be described as the perfect summer read. Set on a beach in NC and revolving around a real landmark with folklore and mystery surrounding it, it is a story of first love and second chances.

BRC: What message do you hope it conveys?
That God loves us, pursues us, and always has surprises waiting if we are ready to risk.

BRC: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
The challenge of actually writing a novel, start to finish. And feeling like I spent a lot of time at the beach while I wrote it-- I may not have actually been there, but I felt like I was!

BRC: What did you dislike most about writing this book?
The edits. It was grueling to do some things my editor asked of me that I totally didn't think I could do. She stretched me... and ended up creating a book that I am proud of.

BRC: What inspired you to become a writer?
I came that way-- I have always loved writing, making up stories.

BRC: Tell us about your writing process.
I create an outline for the story, scene by scene. Then each day when I sit down to write, I just look at that outline to find where I am and write whatever comes next. I write 1000 words a day on average.

BRC: What are you working on now?
My second novel will come out next June. And I am thinking about my third...

BRC: What books do you enjoy reading?
Contemporary Women's Fiction, both secular and Christian

BRC: Where can readers find you online?

Website and Blog: http://www.marybethwhalen.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marybethwhalen
Twitter: www.twitter.com/marybethwhalen

BRC: Where can readers buy your book?
I would love it if they would buy it from Proverbs 31, the ministry I work with!http://www.proverbs31.org/. But you can find it most anywhere-- or ask for it at your local bookstore.

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Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: "Anonymous Bride" by Vickie McDonough

How many brides does one man need? This question serves as the tagline for Vickie McDonough's new release, The Anonymous Bride, book one in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series.

Luke Davis returns as the new town marshall to his childhood home of Lookout, Texas to discover that the woman who betrayed him by marrying someone else is now a widow. Rachel asks Luke to forgive and forget, but old hurts take time to heal. Can Luke and Rachel put the past behind them and start over or is it too late?

Enter three mail-order brides, all of them expecting to marry Luke. One of them hides a deadly secret.

Vickie McDonough provides a lively Western Romance set in Texas, an ever-popular setting. I found it easy to get lost in the pages of this book. I appreciated the masterful characterizations.

*A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for purposes of review.

Meet and Greet Monday: Carla Stewart

A two-time ACFW Genesis winner, Carla Stewart is a Guideposts Writers Workshop alumna and has been published in Guideposts, Angels on Earth, and several regional magazines and anthologies. Her debut novel, Chasing Lilacs, releases in June 2010 with FaithWords. Carla enjoys a good cup of coffee, weekend getaways with her husband, and the antics of their six grandchildren.
Dear Reader

Hi there. My name is Carla Stewart and I’m so happy to be here today to share a little about my writing journey and to introduce you to my first book, Chasing Lilacs.

I’m a wife, mom to four boys, and Mimi to six terrific grandkids (only one girl in the bunch). I believe in Jesus, the power of the written word, and a good cup of coffee. Nine years ago, I hung up my nurse’s cap and strapped myself to a chair in front of the computer, eager to pursue my lifelong dream of writing a novel. It’s been a circuitous journey with a lot of bumps along the way, but I’m very excited that finally, my debut novel, Chasing Lilacs, is about to become a reality. June 17 to be exact.

The idea for the story sprang from childhood curiosity—the occasional whisper about someone who’d had a nervous breakdown or shock treatments. The term “nerve problems” frequently cropped up with no explanation of what that meant. Not only were these taboo topics for conversation in the 1950s, I later learned that the ailments themselves were often misunderstood and not always treated properly. As a writer, I wanted to explore what it might have been like for an adolescent girl from that era to have a mother with these problems.

The setting is similar to the one where I grew up in the Texas Panhandle: a close-knit petroleum camp where neighbors helped one another and kept an eye on everyone’s kids. The theme of community was a natural outcropping of that. It was a more carefree time, almost magical, and I hope I’ve portrayed some of that feeling—Elvis on the radio, poodle hair cuts, endless hot summers, Grapette in a bottle.

Even in the best of times, though, tragedy can strike and faith can be tested. As my young protagonist, Sammie, struggles with her own identity and her mom’s “nerve” problems, she has to decide who to trust to help her through the storm. When grief comes, she learns that God’s healing often comes through the embrace a loving community.

One final thing that I hope all of my readers find in Chasing Lilacs is that small part of themselves that longs for childhood, for simpler times. A final sigh that, as the book ends on a positive note, you’ll be glad you’ve taken a step back into another era.

I’ve just turned in a second novel to my publisher, FaithWords. It, too, has a nostalgic thread and showcases the power of friendship—this time between two women, an aging jazz singer and a young paralegal who is in an abusive relationship. I’m in the process of researching a third novel, but it’s too early to share about it since I’ve not discovered the heart of the story myself.

My heart’s desire is to write the kind of novels I love to read. Some of my recent favorites are The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and anything by Lisa Samson. Two all time favorites are The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

I’ve enjoyed being here and am always excited when I can connect with other book lovers. You can find me here:

http://www.carlastewat.com/
Carla’s Writing Café (Blog) 
Facebook
Twitter

Chasing Lilacs is available for pre-order now at:
Amazon
CBD

CHASING LILACS (FaithWords, June, 2010)

It’s the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother’s “nerve” problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.

As her life careens out of control, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious boy from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there’s the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.

Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

“A remarkable debut novel. Carla Stewart cleverly captures the stark simplicity of a young girl’s voice with all the masterful qualities of powerful prose. Unforgettable.”
—Susan Meissner, author of The Shape of Mercy

“Chasing Lilacs is the kind of coming of age story that sticks to you beyond the last page. Unforgettable characters, surprising plot twists, and a setting so southern you’ll fall in love with Texas. Carla Stewart is a new talent to watch!”
—Mary E. DeMuth, author of Daisy Chain and A Slow Burn

Whistlestop Wednesday Book Review: Medieval Sieges & Siegecraft

Geoffrey Hindley covers the mechanations, psychology, rules, art and finally -- the horror -- of medieval siege warfare in MEDIEVAL SIEGES & SIEGECRAFT. The writing, although sometimes cumbersome, is not dry. Geoffrey's passion for his subject comes through and the text is enlivened with examples and quotes taken straight out of history. Even those who dislike reading about war may find interest in the story of an earl's son forced to swim across a lake in his nightshirt, the woman whose husband refused to take her back after her captives released her, and the invaders who dressed in female garb and followed the town's women from a well located at the edge of town back through the gates.

A chapter covers the various tools of war and provided interesting information. For instance, siege towers were huge and might reach a height of 60 feet. One gigantuan siege tower even capsized the boat meant to transport it. Of interest, too, were the various incindiary weapons, especially Greek fire, which I'll use as an example of the detail in this book. A secret formula of combustibles perfected by the Byzantines ignited upon contact with water. It was used primarily in naval warfare (although it did show up in castle sieges). It burned with ferocity, even as one account claims, beneath the water. One eyewitness account of a lighted barrel catapulted toward a besieging army describes it as a fireball with a long tail that lit up the night as if it were day and roared like a dragon. Not surprisingly, its deployment ended more than one siege. The formula for Greek fire has been lost in the mists of time. While some believe it contained naphtha or petroleum in some form, and also oils and resins, no one today knows for certain what was in it.

The book covers both the strengths and vulnerabilities of castles and names the measures taken by miners and masonry sappers to topple towers and bring down walls. We learn of the formalities, the trickery employed and, yes, even the chivalry found in medieval warfare. Sadly, too, we learn of man's inhumanity to man. A chapter discusses the surprising role of women in medieval warfare. Another chapter deals with the problem of logistics.

Illustrations scatter throughout the book, and a more-organized section of photographs enliven the center pages. Color illustrations and photographs would be preferable than black-and-white, however the scope and execution of this amazing resource redeems this flaw.

I recommend this book for adults who enjoy reading nonfiction historicals written in a personable style.