Thursday, March 27, 2008

Betrayed by Jeanette Windle


This is my kind of book! I hope you find it to be yours too.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Fires smolder endlessly below the dangerous surface of Guatemala City’s municipal dump.

Deadlier fires see beneath the tenuous calm of a nation recovering from brutal civil war. Anthropologist Vicki Andrews is researching Guatemala’s “garbage people” when she stumbles across a human body. Curiosity turns to horror as she uncovers no stranger, but an American environmentalist—Vicki’s only sister, Holly. With authorities dismissing the death as another street crime, Vicki begins tracing Holly’s last steps, a pilgrimage leading from slum squalor to the breathtaking and endangered cloud forests of the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere. But every unraveled thread raises more questions. What betrayal connects Holly’s murder, the recent massacre of a Mayan village, and the long-ago deaths of Vicki’s own parents?

Nor is Vicki the only one demanding answers. Before her search reaches its startling end, the conflagration has spilled across international borders to threaten an American administration and the current war on terror. With no one turning out to be who they’d seemed, who can Vicki trust and who should she fear?

A politically relevant tale of international intrigue and God’s redemptive beauty and hope.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As the child of missionary parents, award-winning author and journalist Jeanette Windle grew up in the rural villages, jungles, and mountains of Colombia, now guerrilla hot zones. Her detailed research and writing is so realistic that it has prompted government agencies to question her to determine if she has received classified information. Currently based in Lancaster, PA, Jeanette has lived in six countries and traveled in more than twenty. She has more than a dozen books in print, including political/suspense best-seller CrossFire and the Parker Twins series.

Monday, March 24, 2008

For Pete's Sake by Linda Windsor

Another fun romp with a dash of romantic suspense hits the shelves! And Karen Kingsbury herself has great things to say about For Pete's Sake by Linda Windsor.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For Pete's Sake
Piper Cove Chronicles
Book Two

Ellen Brittingham isn’t sure true love exists until she contracts to landscape the estate of her sophisticated new neighbor. Adrian Sinclair has it all--at least on the surface.

A successful businessman, he’s engaged to a beautiful woman and he’ll soon have a step-mom for his troubled son Pete. Yet, from the moment Ellen rescues a stranded Adrian on her Harley, his well-ordered world turns upside down. With his business under investigation for espionage and his son pushing for the tomboy next door as his new mom, Adrian’s façade of happiness shatters, revealing the void of faith and love in his life.

As Ellen’s friendship grows with Pete, she realizes that his father is about to marry the wrong woman for the right reasons. Her resolve to remain “neighbors only” with the dad wanes as Pete works his way into Ellen’s heart, drawing her closer to Adrian. But how can her heart think that Adrian is the one when he’s engaged to a sophisticated beauty who is everything Ellen isn’t?

As Ellen’s three best friends step in to help her navigate this uncharted territory, Ellen must ask herself whether she’s ready to risk the heart that she’s always held close. Will Ellen trust that God brought this family into her life for a reason? And is she willing to risk that life when Adrian's enemies threaten Pete?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Maryland author Linda Windsor has written some twenty-nine historical and contemporary novels for both the secular and inspirational markets, but she is most noted for delivering “The Lift of Laughter and Spirit” in her modern inspirational romances.

A Christy finalist and winner of numerous industry awards, Linda has written for Multnomah Publishing (historical fiction and contemporary romances), Barbour Publishing (romcom novella), and Westbow Press (the Moonstruck romantic comedy trilogy). Wedding Bell Blues the first book in her new The Piper Cove Chronicles series, is featured on Avon Inspire's launch list.

In addition to writing and doing fiction-writing workshops at conferences across the country, Linda continues a music and lay speaking ministry started by her and her late husband, and she is a part-time financial analyst. She also works on “as desperately needed” home improvement projects on the 18th-century-plus house that she and her husband began restoring in 1986. Wallpaper and paint are definitely in her near future.

LINDA WINDSOR LOCAL APPEARANCES:
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Jack's Religious Gift Shop
701 Snow Hill Road
Salisbury, MD 21804
2:00PM
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Gospel Shop
800 South Salisbury Blvd
Salisbury, MD 21801
11:00 AM








Friday, March 21, 2008

Whoo-hoo For Chapter-a-Week!



In honor of their 1000th member (actually they're past 1030!) Chapter-a-Week is having a celebration. The 1000th person to sign on has been notified that she will recieve a box of Chapter-a-Week's favorite new releases, including books by Traci DePree, Angie Hunt, Robin Lee Hatcher, Kim Sawyer, DeAnna Dodson, MaryLu Tyndall, Tamera Alexander, Hannah Alexander, Louise M. Gouge, DiAnn Mills, Camy Tang, Tricia Goyer and Judith Miller! You just never know what surprises will come your way with Chapter-a-Week. So keep spreading the word so others can discover new, great reads at Chapter-a-Week .

Leaving November
(Howard Books/Simon & Schuster March 2008)
by Deborah Raney


Daughter of the town drunk, Vienne Kenney has escaped Clayburn for law school in California. But after failing the bar exam—twice––she's back home with her tail between her legs, managing Latte-dah, the Clayburn café-turned-upscale-coffee-shop. Jackson Linder runs the art gallery across the street and Vienne has had her eye on him since she was a skinny seventh grader and he was the hunky high school lifeguard who didn't know she existed. Now it's his turn to fall for her and suddenly Clayburn seems like a pretty nice place to be...until Vienne discovers that Jack is fresh out of rehab and still struggling with the same addiction that ultimately killed her father.


Only Uni
By Camy Tang

Will Trish Sakai be able to follow her three simple rules and hold out against two gorgeous guys?

Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior. And her three cousins are anxious for her to change, too. Trish is always knocking something over, knocking herself out, and taking hard knocks in her perpetual confusion about men.

When Trish's ex-boyfriend, Kazuo the artist, keeps popping up at all the wrong moments, Trish decides to be firm with herself. She creates three simple rules from First and Second Corinthians and plans to follow them to the letter. No more looking at men! No more dating non-Christians! She will persevere in hardship by relying on God.

Except now Kazuo is claiming Trish is his muse, and he can't complete his major work of art without her. And a gorgeous coworker is reassigned, bringing him in daily contact with Trish. But her cousins are determined to hold her accountable to her plan. She thought three rules would be a cinch, but suddenly Trish's simple rules don't seem so simple after all.

To read an excerpt of these new titles go to Chapter-a-Week .

Friday, March 14, 2008

Awesome Book Excerpts at "You've Got Books!"

AS HIGH AS THE HEAVENS
By Kathleen Morgan

It is 1568 and Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned in Lochleven Castle. But her supporters, including noblewoman Heather Gordon, are planning arescue. Heather travels to a cottage in the frigid Highlands to teach a simple man—who just happens to resemble someone with access to Lochleven—how to act the part of a nobleman in order to gain entry to the castle. But in the close quarters of the cottage there is more stirring than political rebellion.

"Kathleen Morgan weaves a love story rich in ancestry, betrayal, and the passionate journey of two stubborn hearts destined to war—and to be conquered."
--Tamara Alexander, bestselling author of Rekindled, Revealed, and Remembered

Ooh, sounds like a spitfire romance from a veteran author!



Stuck in the Middle
By Virginia Smith
Revell, February 2008

Book 1 of the Sister-to-Sister series combines budding romance, soul searching, and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry that is sure to make you smile. "What do you get when you have three generations of women living under one roof? Laughter, tears, and a ton of love. Smith knows how to use everyday situations in a humorous, caring way. This is a great start to a new series."—Romantic Times (4-Star Review)

Ginny is one of my critique partners as we are writing fresh manuscripts. Anything by her is going to be a great buy!


To read an excerpt of these new titles go to Chapter-a-Week .

Tuesday, March 11, 2008


I've got to talk up the latest release from an awesome writer . . . and one of my best friends in all the world, Sharon Hinck! Symphony of Secrets is a soul-stirring harmony of mystery, romance, and mother/daughter pathos.
Right now, this very week, you can read an excerpt at You've Got Books!
Check it out, and take a gander at Sharon's other books at http://www.sharonhinck.com. You may find a new favorite author!

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Theft Down Under!

I was alerted to this tale of bold theft by a fellow writer who lives in New South Wales, Australia. It seems a 17th century painting by Frans van Mieris, titled A Cavalier, disappeared from the Art Gallery of New South Wales last June. This was a daring snatch committed during public viewing hours on a fine Sunday morning. The painting is valued at 1.6 million dollars. No trace of the piece has been spotted since it vanished.

The director of the gallery, Edmund Capon, is quoted as saying, "I am deeply shocked. Well over a million people visit the Gallery each year, and this is a very rare occurence as the security measures at the Gallery are sound and proven. The work is a valuable and important artwork which was painted in 1657/59."

An article on the crime stated that the gallery's camera films are being reviewed by the police. My author friend calls that bit of information "disingenuous." He says there were no cameras in the area where the painting was stolen, and "security was pretty slack for that kind of art work."

A quote in the Sydney Morning Herald says, "All that was required was a Phillips head screwdriver to remove two $2.45 wall fastenings. About 60 seconds. A Cavalier, oil on wood panel, was small, 20 x 16 centimetres, and easily concealed. The thief walked out with it."

According to the Herald, police do not consider this a spur-of-the-moment theft. However, no inside help or information was required. It would have been evident to anyone studying the gallery that no cameras were present in the area, the guard strolled through only occasionally, and removal of the painting from the wall would be ridiculously simple and quick.

"The caption on the work might as well have read 'Steal me!'," commented my fellow writer from Down Under.

Unfortunately, this caption could be posted on many priceless works of art the world over. While art theft is more rampant than I had ever guessed before I began the research for my book series, I'm surprised there isn't more of it. Well, maybe not, considering how difficult it is for thieves to unload well-known pieces.

In any case, perhaps I should send Desiree Jacobs' HJ Secrurities business card to Mr. Capon. Fictional security might well have done the job as nicely as what little was factually there. By the way, this theft is now listed among the FBI's top ten art crimes. If anyone has information on the crime, the number to call is 1800-333-000.