Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Brave New Fantasy! Check Out Auralia's Colors

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As a baby, she was found in a footprint.

As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.

As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.

When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history.

Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.

Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse.

Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.

Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia's Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to jeffrey's introduction of the book, plus a lit more!

PRAISE
"Film critic and author Overstreet (Through a Screen Darkly) offers a powerful myth for his first foray into fiction. Overstreet’s writing is precise and beautiful, and the story is masterfully told. Readers will be hungry for the next installment."--Publishers Weekly

“Through word, image, and color Jeffrey Overstreet has crafted a work of art. From first to final page this original fantasy is sure to draw readers in. Auralia's Colors sparkles.”-–Janet Lee Carey, award-winning author of The Beast ofNoor and Dragon's Keep

“Jeffrey Overstreet’s first fantasy, Auralia’s Colors, and its heroine’s cloak of wonders take their power from a vision of art that is auroral, looking to the return of beauty, and that intends to restore spirit and and mystery to the world. The book achieves its ends by the creation of a rich, complex universe and a series of dramatic, explosive events.”-–Marly Youmans, author of Ingledove and TheCurse of the Raven Mocker


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jeffrey Overstreet lives in two worlds. By day, he writes about movies at LookingCloser.org and in notable publications like Christianity Today, Paste, and Image.
His adventures in cinema are chronicled in his book Through a Screen Darkly. By night, he composes new stories found in fictional worlds of his own. Living in Shoreline, Washington, with his wife, Anne, a poet, he is a senior staff writer for Response Magazine at Seattle Pacific University.
Auralia’s Colors is his first novel. He is now hard at work on many new stories, including three more strands of The Auralia Thread.

Monday, November 26, 2007

For Parents Only - Book Giveaway!




"For every bewildered parent, there's a kid longing to be understood."

Shaunti Feldhahn is a name that's long been known for her relationship help books. Now this nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker has teamed up with Lisa A. Rice, associate editor of Christian Living magazine, to bring parents a vital communication manual. FOR PARENTS ONLY: Getting Inside the Head of Your Kid is a compact stick of dynamite that will blow down communication barriers between you and your kids.

And I've got two copies to GIVE AWAY! Read on to find out how you can qualify for the drawing.

Check out these great chapter teasers:

Taking a tour inside your kids head and heart.
Why even good kids go crazy for freedom and how to restore sanity.
Why your child suddenly treats you like an alien--and acts like one too.
The Good Thing About Being a Bad Guy: Why your child secretly hopes you'll stand your ground.
Don't these just wet your appetite for more? One of the niftiest things about this book is that it's short, sweet, and to the point. The authors present their well-researched material concisely, clearly and with compassionate passion for their topic. Keep reading to find out how you can win one just in time to head off unneeded extra holiday hassle with your kids.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University. She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children. Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.

Buy it now! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590529324

Win it now! Reply to this post with either a typical hassle between you and your kids (one you'd like help with) OR an example of a way that works for you in communicating with your kids. Simply responding with "count me in the drawing" won't cut it. Let's get some communication going!

Monday, November 19, 2007

I'm Jazzed Today!

I just discovered that one of my books has finally been reviewed in the Library Journal!

The reviewer, Tamara Butler, said cool things about my upcoming January release, Reluctant Smuggler. Stuff like, “worthy third series entry,” and “This is a smart, fast-paced suspense title with enough relationship drama to please both fans of thriller and romance genres.” Hey, I’m smart! Well, she thought the book was smart anyway. She even mentioned that this is the third in a series, and the previous two are Reluctant Burglar and Reluctant Runaway. Whoo-hoo!

Maybe you’re thinking, “What’s the big deal?” To me, it’s a milestone. Librarians across the country pay attention to the Journal’s opinion when ordering books to stock. Library placement equals increased readership. Increased readership means more people potentially touched by the faith and hope I infuse into every novel. It also means increased sales, and increased sales leads to a happy publisher, which tends toward more book deals for a smiling author. . . Well, you get the picture.

My next big goal is to get the attention of the grand poobah of publishing industry opinion, Publisher’s Weekly. But I am still left with a burning question: When I’m reviewed in PW, does that mean I have at last “arrived” as an author?

How about for you, dear reader? What events in your life have made you feel validated in your endeavors?

To celebrate my personal milestone, I'm giving away several books from my own library. Not Smuggler. That one hasn't released yet, and not even moi, the author, has a finished copy.

However, if you'd like to get started on the To Catch a Thief series, I have a copy of Reluctant Burglar that I'd love to put someone's name on. Also, if you like chic lit, I'd be happy to bless someone with a copy of Splitting Harriet, a hilarious romp by fellow Waterbrook/Multnomah author, Tamara Leigh. And how about a set of suspense novels? I've got a copy of Ever Present Danger and one of Never Look Back, also by a fellow Waterbrook/Multnomah author, Kathy Herman.

What do you need to do to get your name in the hat? Just reply to this post with a moment of personal validation--very appropriate for this season as we count our blessings. Don't forget to include your contact information so I can let you know if your name is drawn!

Oh, and all three To Catch a Thief books can be ordered/pre-ordered from my books page on this site. http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/tcatbooks.shtml

Excellent blessings on Thanksgiving and always!

Jill

Friday, November 16, 2007

Splitting Harriet by Tamara Leigh


Chic lit lovers will have a blast with this one--or anyone who needs to be reminded that walking with the Lord is fun!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Once upon a time, I was a rebel . . . And I have the tattoos to prove it.
Did I mention I'm also a preacher's kid? That's right. And like the prodigal son after whom I model myself, I finally saw the error of my ways and returned to the fold. Today my life is all about "lead me not into temptation." When I'm not serving as Women's Ministry Director at my father's church, I'm working at Gloria's Morning Cafe. I even have worthy goals, like saving enough money to buy the cafe, keeping my Jelly Belly habit under control, and never again hurting the people I love. No more parties. No more unsavory activities. And no more motorcycles! You'd think I was finally on the right track.
But since my dad's replacement hired a hotshot church consultant to revive our "dying" church, things aren't working out as planned. And now this "consultant" says I'm in need of a little reviving myself. Just who does this Maddox McCray think he is? With his curly hair that could use a good clipping, tattoo that he makes no attempt to hide, and black leather pants--the man is downright dangerous. In fact, all that's missing is a motorcycle. Or so I thought . . . but if he thinks he's going to tkae me for a ride on that 1298cc machine, he can think again.
Harriet Bisset is a reformed woman, and she's going to stay that way. Even if it kills me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tamara Leigh’s first novel, Warrior Bride, was published in 1994 and was followed by six more bestselling, award-winning historical romances for Bantam, HarperCollins, and Dorchester. Leigh’s inspirational chick lit debut, Stealing Adda, was published in 2006 to great critical acclaim. Leigh has also written for Romantic Times magazine and been a guest speaker for WaldenBooks’s corporate conference. Leigh lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and two sons and enjoys time with her family, volunteer work, faux painting, and reading.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Try Dying by James Scott Bell



I'm always excited when a new James Scott Bell book releases. Talk about tight writing and riveting plot, Bell does it for me. Check out his latest!


ABOUT THE BOOK:

On a wet Tuesday morning in December, Ernesto Bonilla, twenty-eight, shot his twenty-three-year-old wife, Alejandra, in the backyard of their West 45th Street home in South Los Angeles. As Alejandra lay bleeding to death, Ernesto drove their Ford Explorer to the westbound Century Freeway connector where it crossed over the Harbor Freeway and pulled to a stop on the shoulder.

Bonilla stepped around the back of the SUV, ignoring the rain and the afternoon drivers on their way to LAX and the west side, placed the barrel of his .38 caliber pistol into his mouth, and fired.His body fell over the shoulder and plunged one hundred feet, hitting the roof of a Toyota Camry heading northbound on the harbor Freeway. The impact crushed the roof of the Camry. The driver, Jacqueline Dwyer, twenty-seven, an elementary schoolteacher from Reseda, died at the scene.

This would have been simply another dark and strange coincidence, the sort of thing that shows up for a two-minute report on the local news--with live remote from the scene--and maybe gets a follow-up the next day. Eventually the story would go away, fading from the city's collective memory.But this story did not go away. Not for me. Because Jacqueline Dwyer was the woman I was going to marry.

In Try Dying, this fast-paced thriller, lawyer Ty Buchanan must enter a world of evil to uncover the cause of his fiancee's death--even if he has to kill for the truth.

"Bell is one of the best writers out there...he creates characters readers care about...a story worth telling."~Library Review~



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

James Scott Bell is a former trial lawyer who now writes full time. He is also the fiction columnist for Writers Digest magazine and adjunct professor of writing at Pepperdine University.

His book on writing, Plot and Structure is one of the most popular writing books available today. The national bestselling author of several novels of suspense, he grew up and still lives in Los Angeles, where he is at work on his next Buchanan thriller.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Novella Lovers Unite!

Craving some fun, fast holiday reads? These four awesome authors have crafted just the treat to satisfy your hunger. Check out Big Apple Christmas by Carrie Turansky, Gail Sattler, Lynette Sowell, and Reyes Acosta.

ABOUT THE BOOKS:

Moonlight and Mistletoe by Carrie Turansky -- Christmas plans are set askew when professional organizer Sarah Montgomery meets free-spirited poet Justin Latimer. As they work together on a project for her neighbor, romantic sparks fly - but will new revelations douse them?

Shopping for Love by Gail Sattler – Two tourists try to lose themselves in the holiday shopping crowds. But when Bryan Evans literally knocks Emily Jones off her feet, her heart's secrets are spun even more off balance.

Where the Love Light Gleams by Lynette Sowell -- Christmas in Rockefeller Center puts a widow's spruce tree on center stage. Professor Theophilus Stellakis volunteers to host Gwynn Michaud, and they both find new dreams in the glow of the holiday lights.

Gifts of the Magi by Vasthi Reyes Acosta -- The gift of the Magi comes full circle for two lonely Latinos when Cecilia Montes takes time out of her busy schedule to help an old friend with youth group activities. But can she trust her heart to Elias Perez?



THE AUTHORS TALK ABOUT THEIR BOOK:


Readers often say that memorable characters are what make a book enjoyable. Describe the hero and heroine in your novella.


Vasthi: Cecilia Montes is a grad student dependant on her own strength and wisdom. Elias Perez, the youth pastor, was a childhood friend of Cecilia.


Carrie: Sarah Montgomery is a professional organizer who likes to feel she has everything under control in her life. Justin Latimer is a free-spirited children’s poet who is spontaneous and fun loving.


Lynette: Gwynn Michaud is a nontraditional Grandma with a big heart for her family. She's not looking for love. Then her surroundings change, and her family must do without her for the holidays. Theophilus Stellakis loves his ordered life and teaching college chemistry. When Gwynn comes to stay with him and his daughter, she brings a delightful splash of color to his life.

Gail: Emily has made some big changes in her life, and she thinks New York City is the perfect place to get lost in the crowd and regroup. Bryan needs some vacation time.

How do these characters grow and change in your novella? Or what do they discover about themselves or others?


Vasthi: Cecilia discovers that her old childhood friend, Elias, is not the sickly boy she remembers. And as she begins to fall in love with him she learns to rely in God's wisdom and strength not her own.


Carrie: Sarah has put up a protective wall around her heart, and she must learn that faith is the remedy for her fear. Justin discovers how important honesty is in building a strong relationship.


Lynette: Gwynn realizes during her time in New York that she's let herself slide, and that her family can function without her for a while. Not that she loves them any less, of course. Theo realizes how he's pushed people away, but he needs people to enrich his life, and that God often uses people to show us how much He loves us.


Gail: They both discover companionship and friendship is best found in unexpected places, and helping a stranger, or being willing to be helped, can be the best way to find a new friend.

What other books have you written?


Vasthi: I've written a trilogy based on a contemporary adaptation of the story of Ruth with Latino characters, titled MANGOES AND APPLE PIE. It is not yet published.


Carrie: I have written two other novellas, “Wherever Love Takes Us” and “Tea for Two” which is a finalist for the ACFW Book of the Year Contest. I’ve also written ALONG CAME LOVE, for Love Inspired. I just finished SURRENDERED HEARTS and hope it will be published soon.


Lynette: I have novellas in three other anthologies, plus my first two cozy mystery novels release in 2008, A SUSPICION OF STRAWBERRIES and THE WILES OF WATERMELON.


Gail: Too many to list here. You'll have to go to my website at http://www.gailsattler.com/, then you can see everything, including the covers.


Tell us something fun about yourself that we might not know.


Vasthi: I love to ride roller coasters. If I'm lucky enough to get a seat in the front, I sit back and watch the sky as the car climbs up and up and up and then when its at the tip just about to take the plunge I throw my arms up and scream all the way down. Yes! It's exhilarating.


Carrie: I love Africa! Our family spent a year in Kenya as missionaries, and I left a big piece of my heart there. I love to see what God is doing there through missionary friends and Christian organizations like Charity is:, and Samaritan’s Purse.


Lynette: Like my heroine Gwynn, I have an art degree and I love to paint...but I haven't done it in years. I'm thinking of picking up my brushes again.


Gail: I belong to a local jazz band, and I'm just taking on a new project - an electric upright bass.


We hope you will stop by the special new web site we created for this book. You can read excerpts of each novella, learn more about the authors, see some of our favorite Christmas recipes and enjoy photos of New York City. http://www.abigapplechristmas.com/.


You can learn more about the authors at their websites:
Gail Sattler: http://www.gailsattler.com/
Lynette Sowell: http://www.lynettesowell.com/
Carrie Turansky: http://www.carrieturansky.com/