Friday, April 25, 2008

Awesome Book! Winter Haven by Athol Dickson

I won't be the least surprised when this book wins awards. I had the honor of being an endorser for this hard cover release from Bethany House. My thoughts didn't make the cover, but they said they'll use them in promo material. Either way, I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to pre-read this wonderful tale. Athol writes intriguingly deep in wonderfully simple ways. I need to learn how he does it!

Leave a pertinent comment, and your name will be in the drawing for a MUST-HAVE copy of this book. You're in for a treat!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Boys who never age, giants lost in time, mist that never rises, questions never asked...on the most remote of islands off the coast of Maine, history haunts the present and Vera Gamble wrestles with a past that will not yield. Will she find refuge there, or will her ghosts prevail on...Winter Haven

Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.

Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Haven's murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.

BUY IT NOW! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764201646

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Athol Dickson's university-level training in painting, sculpture, and architecture was followed by a long career as an architect then his decision several years ago to devote full time to writing.Athol Dickson’s writing has been favorably compared to the work of Octavia Butler(Publisher’s Weekly), Daphne du Maurier (Cindy Crosby, FaithfulReader.com) and FlanneryO’Connor (The New York Times).

His They Shall See God was a Christy Award finalist and his River Rising was a Christy Award winner, selected as one of the Booklist Top Ten Christian Novels of 2006 and a finalist for Christianity Today's Best Novel of 2006.He and his wife, Sue, live in Southern California. Visit AtholDickson.com for more information.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Latest Chiller from Melanie Wells


I'm jazzed about Melanie's new release. This is a very cool, groundbreaking series in supernatural suspense. If you haven't read the first two, treat yourself to the whole set! Oh, and respond to this post with a relevant comment, provide some form of contact information, and you may win your very own copy!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As nasty as I knew Peter Terry to be, I never expected him to start kidnapping kids. Much less a sweet, funny little boy with nothing to protect him but a few knock-kneed women, two rabbits and a staple gun…

It’s psychology professor Dylan Foster’s favorite day of the academic year…graduation day. And her little friend Christine Zocci’s sixth birthday. But the joyful summer afternoon goes south when a little boy is snatched from a neighborhood park, setting off a chain of events that seen to lead nowhere.

The police are baffled, but Christine’s eerie connection with the kidnapped child sends Dylan on a chilling investigation of her own. Is the pasty, elusive stranger Peter Terry to blame? Exploding light bulbs, the deadly buzz of a Texas rattlesnake, and the vivid, disturbing dreams of a little girl are just pieces of a long trail of tantalizing clues leading Dylan in her dogged search for the truth.

“Like water rising to a boil, My Soul To Keep’s suspense sneaks up on you…before you know it, you’re in the thick if a frightening drama…Superbly crafted.”---ROBERT LIPARULO, author of Deadfall, Germ, and Comes A Horseman
“Written with passion, a good dose of humor and, dare I say it, soul, this novel reminds us that we all, with grace and good fortune, bumble our way toward salvation.”---K. L. COOK, author of Late Call and The Girl From Charmelle


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of the Texas panhandle and the child of musicians, Melanie Wells attended Southern Methodist University on a music scholarship (she's a fiddle player), and later completed graduate degrees in counseling psychology and Biblical studies at Our Lady of the Lake University and Dallas Theological Seminary.

She has taught at the graduate level at both OLLU and DTS, and has been in private practice as a counselor since 1992. She is the founder and director of LifeWorks counseling associates in Dallas, Texas, a collaborative community of creative therapists.

When the Day of Evil Comes is her first published work of fiction, and the first of a three-book series. The second work, The Soul Hunter was released in May, 2006. Melanie lives and writes in Dallas.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

I'm Excited About Healing Promises!

Amy Wallace's new book, Healing Promises, is a keeper! She balances emotional intensity with finely honed suspense in a story that will stick in your memory long after you close the last page.

You can find out more about Amy and her books by checking out her fabulous web site chock full of fun and great information about keeping kids safe.

About the Book:

Facing a new threat.

When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the overwhelming powerlessness of hospital tests revealing an unexpected diagnosis. If only Sara weren’t retreating into doctor mode…he needs his wife now more than ever.

Frozen in fear.

Sara Rollins is an oncologist with a mission–beating cancer when she can, easing her patients’ suffering at the very least. Now the life of her tall Texan husband is at stake. She never let the odds steal her hope before, but in this case, the question of God’s healing promises is personal. Can she hold on to the truth she claimed to believe?

Faith under fire.

As Clint continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?

Buy It Now! http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=420107&netp_id=506014&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW&view=details

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Wallace is the author of Ransomed Dreams, a homeschool mom, and a self-confessed chocoholic. She is a graduate of the Gwinnett County Citizens Police Academy and a contributing author of several books, including God Answers Moms’ Prayers and Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes. She lives with her husband and three children in Georgia.

Monday, April 07, 2008

Amber Morn by Brandilyn Collins



The prolific Brandilyn Collins delivers her final nail-biting installment of the Kanner Lake series!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The whole thing couldn’t have taken more than sixty seconds.

Bailey hung on to the counter, dazed. If she let go, she’d collapse—and the twitching fingers of the gunman would pull the trigger. The rest of her group huddled in frozen shock.

Dear God, help us! Tell me this is a dream . . .

The shooter’s teeth clenched. “Anybody who moves is dead.”

On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die...

Amber Morn is the climactic finale to Collins’ widely read Kanner Lake series. All first three titles in the series, Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve, were bestsellers. Library Journal placed Crimson Eve on its Best Books of 2007 list, and hailed it the “Best Christian suspense of 2007.” A few early reviews of Amber Morn:
“… essential reading … a harrowing hostage drama.” – Library Journal
“… heart-pounding … breakneck pace … satisfying and meaningful ending.” – RT Bookreviews
“This cataclysmic ending left me breathless … Kanner Lake is the Best Suspense Series of 2007/2008.” – deenasbooks.blogspot.com
“Collins has saved the best for a last .. a powerful ensemble performance.” -- BookshelfReview.com
“… a staccato tempo … Sometimes you just have to close the book in order to come up for air.” – Dale Lewis
“…a masterpiece of page-turning suspense with a cast of dozens.” – Peg Phifer


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense™. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e …®”

Brandilyn writes for Zondervan, the Christian division of HarperCollins Publishers, and is currently at work on her 19th book. Her first, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. She’s also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons), and often teaches at writers conferences. Brandilyn blogs at Forensics and Faith. Visit her Websiteto read the first chapters of all her books.

Friday, April 04, 2008

A Mixed Bag of Goodies!

Check out these new titles for your reading pleasure!



This week, You've Got Books! Fiction, features Virginia Smith's new release, Sincerely, Mayla. Check out an excerpt from the first chapter here: http://www.canblog.typepad.com/youve_got_books_fiction . You can also read my endorsement of the book! Isn't the cover fabulous?!?






Amber Morn
By Brandilyn Collins

Just released--Amber Morn, the climactic conclusion to Brandilyn Collins' bestselling "Kanner Lake" series.

As the nationally read "Scenes and Beans" bloggers gather at Java Joint coffee shop for a special celebration—chaos erupts. Three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage, shooting one person and dumping the body outside. Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. What they demand, he can't possibly provide. But if he doesn't, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die…

"Best Christian suspense of 2007." –Library Journal for Crimson Eve, previous release in the series

Awaken My Heart
By DiAnn Mills

AWAKEN MY HEART by DiAnn Mills tells the unlikely love story between 18-year-old Marianne, a wealthy rancher's daughter, and the infamous Mexican rebel leader warring against her father.

--What Reviewers are saying:

"AWAKEN MY HEART is a terrific early nineteenth century Texas Colonial romance starring two caring protagonists who in many ways seem like a North American Romeo and Juliet. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action . . . DiAnn Mills provides a delightful historical that brings to vivid life a time and place that rarely if ever has served as the background." - Harriet Klausner

"AWAKEN MY HEART is a colorful inspirational tale of romance and adventure! - Diana Risso
Romance Reviews Today

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