Monday, January 28, 2008

Awaken My Heart by DiAnn Mills


Awesome author DiAnn Mills is guestblogging here today about her dynamite new release, Awaken My Heart.

So here's DiAnn!

When I was a kid, I used to get spanked for lying. Now I get paid for it! Ah, such is the life of a fiction writer. Hi, I’m DiAnn Mills, and I’m excited about Awaken My Heart, my new historical novel published by Avon Inspire.

I live in Texas, the Lone Star State, where history and adventure are carved out of ordinary people and presented in novels and across the screen. Texas provides the perfect setting for tales of adventure. Here you can find cowboys and rodeos, deserts and mountains, bluebonnets and cactus, rattlesnakes and alligators, trail rides and space exploration. The romance and intrigue of those who helped build this State weave powerful stories. You name it, and Texas has it. But it’s the stories about the courageous people who stand tall and make this state what it is today that captures the readers’ attention.

Let me introduce you to my February release!

Awaken My Heart is set in 1803, when Texas was Tejas, a colony ruled by Spain. Indians, Mestizos (native-Spanish lineage), and the elite ruling class of the Spanish lived and died here. The priests living in the Catholic missions helped educate and train the people in various crafts and how to serve God. From this culture was born my story of forbidden love.

Which brings me to one of my greatest heroes—Zorro. Who can forget the handsome, daring masked man who championed the poor and fought the injustices of his people? His flashing sword, generous smile, and chivalry would bend the strongest woman’s resolve. It also helped Zorro’s cause to be portrayed by Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005).

Is it no wonder that I call Awaken My Heart my Zorro book? My hero, Armando Garcia, is passionate about the cause of his poverty-stricken people, but his passion also extends to Marianne Wharton, the daughter of a wealthy American rancher. The wealthy and the peasant. The Diablo and his angel. And her daddy ain’t happy. Oops! I mean Marianne’s father is out for blood.

This isn’t the first book I’ve written about historical Texas. The Texas Legacy Series was set in the period of the Old West when lawlessness and unscrupulous characters crawled out from under rocks and attempted to claim the state. I chose unlikely heroes and heroines who made a courageous stand for what they believed in.

Hop into the saddle and grab the reins. This ride will keep you up all night.

http://www.diannmills.com/ Let me hear from you!

BUY AWAKEN MY HEART NOW! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061376019

Friday, January 25, 2008

Heads up on a couple more great reads. Excerpts are posted on Chapter a Week. You can get there by clicking on the link at the end of the post.



For Better or For Worse by Diann Hunt

She's a wedding coordinator. He's a divorce attorney. She begins marriages. He ends them. How could these two possibly find common ground?

Oooh, this has got to be one romance that sizzles with sparks!

Diann's web site is http://www.diannhunt.com/.







The Max & Me Mysteries by Patricia Rushford


You'll enjoy meeting Jesse Miller and Max Hunter, both twelve, who form a deep but unlikely friendship. Jesse is thin and frail and has leukemia. Max is wild and adventurous, with spiked hair that changes color from day to day depending on her mood.

Jesse has no real friends until Max comes along. She sees Max as being very brave and adventurous and tries to keep Max out of trouble. Then Jesse discovers Max's dark secrets and must lead Max into danger in order to set her free. There are three books in the series, The Trouble With Max, Danger at Lakeside Farms, and Secrets of Ghost Island.
Patricia's web site is http://www.patriciarushford.com/.

To read an excerpt from For Better or For Worse and The Trouble with Max visit
Chapter-a-Week .

Monday, January 21, 2008



My friend, Molly Noble Bull, just released a wonderful historical romance that explores the era of the French Huguenots and the persecution that drove them from their native country. Molly throws in an even more persecuted group, the Jews, to make this a tense international chase, as our hero and heroine flee for their lives from an obsessed French army captain. Isn't the cover gorgeous?

You can pick up this fascinating read on-line at amazon.com, christianbook.com, bn.com, and other on-line outlets, as well as fine bookstores throughout the US.

Discover more about Molly and her books, including the opportunity to read an excerpt from Sanctuary, at www.mollynoblebull.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91 1 By 1740 hatred and persecution that so blackened France in an earlier era has almost vanished from the land. Rachel Levin, a Jewess pretending to be a Christian and secretly engaged, feels safe. But when her fiance and her parents are murdered by a vicious French army captain, Rachel fears for her life. She flees her village with a young Huguenot, Pierre Dupre, and Rachel and Pierre take refuge in a church. Dressed as a nun and a monk, all goes well until the captain who killed her loved ones arrives. Captain Vallae is rich and powerful. He wants Rachel as his mistress, or he wants her dead. After the captain leaves, Rachel and Pierre agree to a marriage of convenience and manage to escape. Furious that Rachel refused his advances, Captain Vallae demands revenge. Will Rachel and Pierre reach Scotland in time? Or will the captain make good on his threat to end their lives on an English countryside?

Endorsements:

"Set in France in 1740, Sanctuary by Molly Noble Bull is a romantic adventure story about the Huguenots. If you liked Molly's heartwarming historical, The Winter Pearl, you will enjoy Sanctuary as well." -Kristin Billerbeck, top selling author of Split Ends and Trophy Wives Club

"Molly Noble Bull is synonymous with heart-warming and spirit-lifting fiction." -Linda Windsor, award-winning author of Blue Moon and Wedding Bell Blues

"Can the unforgivable be forgiven? With timeless insight, Molly Noble Bull's SANCTUARY depicts the struggle with this question during an era of great excitement and danger in historic France. A must-read!: -Tamela Hancock Murray, author of VIRGINIA HEARTS

"An intriguing story of a courageous Huguenot man and Jewish woman enduring one hardship after another--making it hard for the reader to put down! Laced into it is a tender romance--a marriage of convenience no less!, a theme of forgiveness that inspires one's faith, and an authentic historical backdrop--all elements that capture a reader's heart. I loved it!" -Kristy Dykes, author of The Heart of the Matter and Kiss the Bride

"Molly Noble Bull pens a fast-paced adventure of love, tragedy, courage, and redeeming hope. Her smooth prose lifts the curtain on a fascinating slice of history. A must-read for lovers of historical romance spiced with danger every step of the way." -Jill Elizabeth Nelson, former reviewer for Romantic Times magazine and author of Reluctant Burglar and Reluctant Runaway

"Molly Noble Bull has crafted a story rich in history with characters that tug your heartstrings." -Lena Nelson Dooley, award-winning author of Pirate's Prize and Minnesota Brothers

"I loved the Winter Pearl and I was looking forward to getting my hands on Sanctuary, Molly Noble Bull's newest release. A taut, emotional ride, Molly skillfully pulls you into the action and makes you feel everything her characters feel. A great read delivered by a gifted storyteller." -Mary Connealy author of Petticoat Ranch and Golden Days.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Check Out This TOP PICK Title by Cheryl Wyatt

TOP PICK IN ROMANTIC TIMES MAGAZINE!
"Cheryl Wyatt infuses A Soldier's Promise (4.5) with kindness, compassion and love. Plus, each character in this strong story is multilayered. When young Bradley, a boy dying of cancer, writes to the Air Force Pararescue team, he gets to meet jumper Joel Montgomery, who connects with Bradley and feels an instant and shared attraction to the boy's teacher, Amber Stanton. This absolutely fantastic debut novel proves that while challenges and boundaries are not always easily resolved, they're definitely worth the work." ---Robin Taylor-Romantic Times Reviewer

ABOUT THE BOOK

"My name's Bradley. I'm eight and have cancer. I want to meet a Special Forces soldier more than anything. Well, almost anything. Having a family would be nice."

U.S. Air Force pararescue jumper Joel Montgomery promised to make a sick child's wish come true. Well, not the family part—not with Joel's past. And so despite vowing never to set foot back in Refuge, Illinois, Joel parachuted onto the boy's school lawn to a huge smile. But another smile unexpectedly stole Joel's heart: that of Bradley's beautiful teacher, Amber Stanton, who was trying to adopt the boy. And trying to show Joel it was time for new vows.

A WORD FROM CHERYL ABOUT WHY SHE WROTE THIS BOOK:

I had two friends lose their daughters to leukemia after valiant battles. The thing I kept thinking all through their heart-wrenching plight and flight was how incredibly courageous their little girls (ages 8 and 9) were, even up to the moments of their deaths.

Talking to their mothers, who were literally living every mother's nightmare, I realized one thing: If courage could cure cancer, these two girls' faith and fight alone would have eradicated it from this earth.

So, to honor these girls' memories and their courage in the face of this devastating illness, I decided to write about a little boy with cancer. Only in my story, I could control the outcome. You'll have to read the book to find out the ending, but suffice it to say that I'd hoped and prayed with everything in me that Brandy and Nanette's precious girls' story would have ended as happilly as did Bradley's, Joel's, and Amber's in A Soldier's Promise. In fact in a sequel, I have a secondary character mention that very quote, only he says it in regards to Bradley, the child suffering cancer in the book.

If courage could cure cancer, that child's fight and faith alone would have eradicated it from the earth.

I wrote this book from my heart for every family and every child who has had to face childhood cancer.
ABOUT CHERYL:
Cheryl Wyatt's closest friends would never dream the mayhem she plots during announcements at church. An RN-turned-SAHM, joyful chaos rules her home and she delights in the stealth moments God gives her to write. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. She's convinced that having been born on a Naval base on Valentine's Day destined her to write military romance.

Prior to publication, Cheryl took courses through Christian Writers Guild. An active member of RWA, FHL and ACFW, she won numerous awards with multiple manuscripts. Visit her on the Web at http://www.cherylwyatt.com/. Sign up for her newsletter for news and chances to enter contests with great prizes. Hang with her on the web at http://www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/. You can also find her skittering around Steeple Hill's message boards as "Squirl" at http://www.steeplehill.com/.

Friday, January 04, 2008


Hannah Alexander always serves up super suspense, so I'm proud to introduce the newest release on behalf of the Chapter A Week Club! Don't forget to click on the link at the end of the post to read an excerpt.
DOUBLE BLIND
A Hideaway Novel by Hannah Alexander

A deadly outbreak opens old wounds…

A virus is sweeping the Navajo reservation, and two of Sheila Metcalf's childhood friends are dead. For Sheila, that's a call to leave Hideaway, Missouri, and return to Arizona. Neither her father's objections nor the arguments of Preston Black, the man who loves her, can stop Sheila from returning to the land of her youth. Her nursing skills are needed, and it's past time she found out the truth about her mother's long-ago death.

There's a medical mystery to unravel, secrets about the past to uncover and questions about the future to explore. Along the way, Sheila will need courage and strength—and faith that God will protect her and lead her to where she belongs.

To read a chapter of this exciting new title go to Chapter-a-Week!