Southern Christian Inspirational Fiction

Land of Misfit Teens by Katie Charles

2012-02-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Land of Misfit Teens by Katie Charles is a YA book by a brand new nineteen-year-old author who has penned a tale worth sharing, published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. December 1, 2011. Amelia MacDonald not only loses her mother to cancer, but loses her home and her friends at school as well, when her father loses his job. The only teaching job he's able to land is located in gang land, Chicago. It isn't long until Amelia forms a new circle of friends and falls for a musical hunk. She not only has to deal with gangs at school, but also at the apartment she now calls home. The author does a great job with the plot. Though there were a few mistakes, they didn't distract me from the storyline. She captures the teens as realistic and believable right down to their lack of self confidence, being in love and afraid to tell, and the turmoil that some teens must endure. I enjoyed this story of sweet, innocent young love. Her dad is all she has left. Will two rival gangs take him and her new love from her as well. Amelia has lost so much in life so young. When gun shots blast school hallways she finds herself trapped with no place to hide. Her locker has been tagged by one gang. Which gang will find her first and will it even matter? I found the Scottish traditions interesting and the fact that being Scottish she called her father, Da. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-253/Land-of-Misfit-Teens/Detail.bok Also available as an eBook at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and Kobo.

A New Type of Vampire Story by Sarah M. Ross, AWAKEN

2012-02-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

Sarah M. Ross has created a unique type of vampire story in Awaken. I'm not a fan of such stories, but I enjoyed reading this one. It's 19 chapters with vivid description. I loved the way the author described the hero's eyes. I like to use eyes and vivid description of them myself. She's used original wording and coined a new phrase. The ending of this novel will make you hunger for the next. I loved the way she ended it like a good soap opera and left readers on the edge of their seats awaiting the next serial, Avenge. It's a short, easy read, a light one, so if you're looking for a weekend read, check out Awaken. It might keep you awake wanting to discover what happens next.

http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-The-Patronus-ebook/dp/B0070CFHTA/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328395961&sr=1-3

Fudge-Laced Felonies by Cynthia Hickey

2012-02-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

http://cynthiahickey.blogspot.com/
Fudge Laced Felonies is the first novel in the Summer Meadows series of three. I loved the first two and can't wait to read the third. This one is only 99 cents at Amazon.com right now, so jump on it!

*Don't miss the cover art in the pictures to the side. Click on book cover to go to author's site.

From the lead, “I marched into church on Sunday – not to search for God, but to find a killer,” spunky heroine Summer Meadows captures your heart with humor even in the darkest situations, as you journey with her to solve a diamond mystery. A light, easy read, this page turner takes you into the Ozark foothills. Set in a small town, Summer owns a candy store and is up to her wrists in chocolate, when she’s not knee deep in trouble playing detective.

Hooked from the lead, I was riveted in the mystery and completed the novel in several readings. When interrupted, I couldn’t wait to return to Summer’s world of chocolate, diamonds, and mystery.

Rich with fresh similes and metaphors, readers savor a taste of Southern grit as two handsome men compete for Summer’s attention, but only one of them truly loves her. She must decide between Man of God, Ethan, with rough, working hands, or smooth-talking Nate with hands softer than her own. Nate says all the right things while Ethan teases like a childhood friend, leading Summer to believe that he thinks of her as a sister. Then there’s beautiful Terri Sue who once dated Ethan and attempts to pick up where she left off. Summer knows her natural beauty can’t complete with her store-bought façade.

Summer is down-to-earth, but feisty. Used to being in control, she has to learn to let God guide her steps and relinquish control to the One who can make an eternal difference in her life. She’s a Christian who attends church every Sunday, but grows in her faith through her struggles and learns to depend on God to see her through.

Have you ever treasured your flower garden and thought it worth gold? Summer’s rose garden is worth a small fortune in cash and diamonds, and she must solve the mystery of who killed her prized rose bush before she ends up a dead summer flower.

Candy-Coated Secrets is the second book in the Fudge-Laced Felonies series – Heartsong Presents. If you love humor and mystery entwined, snag both books for great summer reads. See http://cynthiahickey.blogspot.com/ for more information. ISBN-978-1-60260-181-9, $6.95 paperback, 244 pages, 22 chapters of love and mystery.

If you need bookmarks, check out Cindy's site! For fun cozy mysteries and riveting romantic suspense, check out her Summer Meadows mysteries.

http://www.amazon.com/Fudge-Laced-Felonies-Meadows-Mystery-ebook/product-reviews/B005UHJ04U/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Candy Coated Secrets by Cynthia Hickey

2012-02-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Candy Coated Secrets is the second novel in the Summer Meadows series by Cynthia Hickey. Summer meadows, doesn't that sound so visually appealing and soothing? When the circus comes to town and Summer finds herself escorting an escaped elephant, you'll laugh at the humor and fun, but you'll also enjoy the mystery. Cynthia has a flair for humor , and her cozy mysteries are unique. The first novel in the series is Fudge Laced Felonies, and I love her opening line. In Candy Coated Secrets, Summer has difficulty keeping herself out of trouble. She doesn't look for it, but trouble has a way of finding her. If you like mystery, humor, and romance entwined, you'll love this novel, and you won't want to miss her first one, or the third one in the series. I can't wait to read it next!. You'll be entertained and that's a promise.

http://www.amazon.com/Candy-Coated-Secrets-Meadows-Mystery-ebook/dp/B005VGN0E6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328372283&sr=1-1

Faith in the Shadows by Sadie and Sophie Cuffe

2012-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Faith in the Shadows by Sadie and Sophie Cuffe, published November 2011 by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. the first book in The Wainwright Trilogy. It's seventeen touching chapters and an epilogue, a sweet, inspirational novel that will touch your heart. Alice Wainwright is a spinster, and she blames it on her purple-splotched birthmark that Joshua, a man who claims he wants to marry her, finds hideous. She feels branded and marked for life as a spinster no man in his right mine could love until a blind war veteran, Hawk deems her beautiful and appreciates her. Still, she worries if he regains his sight, he'll also find her hideous. Meanwhile, Joshua presses her to marry, but she sees through him, and Hawk warns her about him. Hawk is proud and doesn't want to burden Alice or his family. Through the unfolding of their story, your heart will melt, and you'll want Alice to end up with Hawk, but will she? Joshua doesn't seem to give up. There's a surprise before the end. Don't want t spoil it, but the authors did a great job with it, and I loved it. If you like a short, inspiring read, this one is for you. The Cuffe sisters do a grand job scheming this plot together. Discover for yourself. It's a five-star short novel in my book.

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-225/The-Wainright-Trilogy-Book/Detail.bok

Sweetest Blog Award

2012-01-21T15:54:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this strawberry chantilly pie look yummy? The Southern Christian Inspirational Fiction blog was nominated by author Stepanie Burkhart. Stephanie Burkhart's "The Count's Lair" is a 2011 Silver Award Winner in the Romance: Sci-Fi/Fantasy category from Reader's Favorites. Visit her blog, Desert Breeze Publishing Blog at http://desertbreezepublishing.blogspot.com/
Since the rules for this award say that I have to nominate at least ten other blogs, and tell you seven things you may not know about Southern Christian Inspirational Fiction. Here goes:

I nominate the following blogs:

RITA GARCIA, http://www.reflectionswithdrrita.com/ A beautiful inspirational blog.

NAN TRAMMELL JONES, http://www.thereigningjewels.com/2011/05/nancy-nan-trammell-jones-shines-a-little-light-.html Nan has more than one blog. I love her Morning Glory one, devotionals.

NAOMI MUSCH, http://www.naomimusch.com/empireinpineseries.htm, Read, loved, and reviewed THE GREEN VEIL AND THE RED FURY. You won't forget her characters, and I love her vivid description.

EVA MARIE EVERSON, http://evamarieeversonssouthernvoice.blogspot.com/ A Southern writer, and I love her novels. She's also my writing mentor from The Christian Writers Guild. Check out her Cedar Key series, THINGS LEFT UNSPOKEN, etc. One of her novels is being made into a movie!

LISA BUFFALOE, http://lisabuffaloe.blogspot.com/ Beautiful inspirations.

DOLORES AYOTTE, http://doloresayotte.wordpress.com/ She's a self-help author. Visit her blog and check out her books.

NIKE CHILLEMI, http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/ READ, LOVED, AND REVIEWED BURNING HEARTS. LOVE THE BOOK COVER TO GOODBYE NOEL and looking forward to reading it, too.

SHAWNA K. WILLIAMS, http://shawnakwilliams.com/ She has a series of novels, and I love them all. NO OTHER, THE GOOD FIGHT, to name a couple.

DANIELLE THORNE, The Balanced Writer:http://thebalancedwriter.blogspot.com, Read loved and reviewed TURTLE SOUP AND BY HEART AND COMPASS.

ANNE PATRICK, http://suspensebyanne.blogspot.com/2012/01/angela-britnell-interview-giveaway.html, Read, loved, and reviewed FIRE AND ASH.

MELANIE ATKINS: http://melanieatkins.wordpress.com/ Love her novels.

The CUFFE SISTERS, Off the Cuffe, http://cuffesisters.com/off-the-cuffe/ I am presently reading FAITH IN THE SHADOWS, their latest novel, and loving it. Look for the review here on my blog soon!

I'm supposed to tell readers seven things about my blog they don't know, so here goes:

7 Things about Southern Christian Inspirational Fiction Blog:

1. I started this blog when I started writing LAST RESORT,my romantic suspense novel, when it was tentatively titled HIDDEN TREASURES, THEN TRUE HIDDEN TREASURES, and it became LAST RESORT after three years of work.

2. I've posted some of my personal writing on this blog, but you'd have to scroll to locate it. I've been writing since the third grade when my teacher submitted my pet story to a local newspaper, and it was published. I still love dogs, and I still write about them. Sunflower, my golden cocker spaniel is a character in my novel LAST RESORT.

3. I have posted pictures on this blog from vacations, but you'd have to scroll to find them.

4. I have read, loved, and reviewed many great books by many great authors on this blog and will continue to do so. My latest novel SOUTHERN SUPERSTITONS was developed from my first-prize winning short story and if you click on the book cover of THE LORD HAS SOMETHING BETTER IN MIND, you can download it for free from my publisher, and it is the companion to my latest release SOUTHERN SUPERSTITIONS.

5. You can always find my latest novel news and book covers by visiting.

6. You can also win free novels by following. I draw and send books to readers several times each year.

7. You will find pictures of my children and pets if you scroll through the blog.

By Heart and Compass by Danielle Thorne

2012-01-21T07:36:00.000-08:00

By Heart and Compass by Danielle Thorne is a sweet, contemporary novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. in July 2010. If you love the sea, the ocean, nature, boats, hidden treasure, old homes, pirates, and their ships, this novel is the read for you! Did I mention diving and the beautiful turquoise water? Not to mention the dive bum, Max Bertrand, who has eyes as deep and turquoise as the water. Lacy Whitman lives in the past, loves history, and is picking up where her father left off, trying to discover a missing pirate ship. She restores an old Victorian home in Georgia and discovers an antique diary. Will it lead her back to the sea and the dive bum she once encountered and has tried to forget? Lacy is a determined character who follows her father's advice of letting her heart be her compass. I love the vivid description, and the ending was glorious and unexpected. What hidden treasure will Lacy Whitman ultimately discover? I love the title and how it fits perfectly with this story. Check out Danielle's TURTLE SOUP, a novel I read, loved, and reviewed on my blog some time ago. If you scroll down, you'll find the review. Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as from the publisher, Desert Breeze.

New Release Southern Superstitions by B. J. Robinson

2012-01-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

Southern Superstitions began as a short story years ago when I was in college attending Southeastern Louisiana University. It won first prize in fiction-writing competition and years later I developed it into a full-length novel. The altered prize-winning short story is available as a free download at Desert Breeze, the companion to Southern Superstitions. Check out the two books on my publisher's homepage. Southern Superstitions and its companion are side-by-side, and you can get two books for one, since the companion book is free. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bokIt was necessary to make some changes in the process of expanding it into a novel, but June, Andy, and Myrtle are the same characters and the novel begins with the altered short story which was published in the university's literary magazine and ran as a three-part series on the front page of my hometown newspaper. Since then, the short story has been published in other local newspapers and an online magazine, as it was originally written. Read a free excerpt at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-249/Southern-Superstition-BJ-Robinson/Detail.bok.

Prayer versus Southern superstitions when a woman's husband mysteriously disappears in the swamp on a deer-hunting trip. Reviewer Kathy Boswell says, "Very good! She never gives up hope that Andy will return to her someday. She puts it all in God's hands like she's done every crisis in her lie. She knows He will take care of this for her." As steamy as the hot, thick, sticky heat of Louisiana, this page-turner will keep readers in suspense, as the author spins a tale of love, loss, superstition, pain, heartache, and faith in God. God and the power of prayer versus Southern superstitions. Through belief, faith, hard work, the power of prayer, and God's help, this powerful, moving story is a thought-provoking Christian romantic suspense about a young couple who fall in love, but have to change her mother's mind in more ways than one, if their relationship is to survive. Can Andy convince June there's more to their relationship than friends? Will he win the approval of Myrtle, her mother, and can love survive strawberry season and an April flood? Will June be able to give Andy a child?

The weirdest superstition Mom ever told and one I've never heard elsewhere is if you plant a cedar tree, when it grows big enough to shade your grave you'll die. Will Andy die in Southern Superstitions? I'm sure you've heard the traditional superstitions about opening umbrellas inside a house and such, but Mom had a few more. Oh, and the one about black cats, let's just say that was a favorite. In Southern Superstitions, you'll encounter what Myrtle believes is bad luck caused by a black cat. Will the white cat Andy gives her counteract it?

Read the first two chapters free at http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Superstitions-ebook/dp/B006X8GAWA/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326620592&sr=1-6Southern Superstions. I found it interesting that a reader told me in England, black cats are considered good luck. Too bad my mother never heard that one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoo962DbF0&feature=share View book trailer here.

Click on book cover to the side to read a free excerpt.

B. J. Robinson writes inspirational Christian fiction in the romantic suspense genre from Florida, where she lives with her husband, a cat named Frankie, a cocker spaniel named Sunflower, and a golden retriever named Honi. Her children are grown and have made her a grandmother multiple times. She promises to take her readers on a continuous journey to another world. Reading and writing are her passions, and Jesus is her best friend. Last Resort released July 15 and Whispering Cypress is next on the horizon and will release August 15. It's not about strawberries.

Southern Superstitions by B. J. Robinson

2012-01-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Author B. J. Robinson was reared on strawberries, God's Word, and southern superstitions. While you've probably heard traditional superstitions like walking under a ladder and opening an umbrella inside a house is bad luck, June's mother in this novel has some you've probably never heard of. I'm sure you've heard black cats are bad luck. Well, Myrtle, her mother thinks so. You'll encounter a black cat and a white one during the course of this story, and you'll discover some silly superstitions along the way. June believes in God's Word, not luck or superstitions, but her mother is a different story. Is there any changing her mind?

This novel was written over a decade ago, reworked, and rewritten to become a brand new story with an entirely different ending. Take a trip down South into the Louisiana swamps and bayous and decide for yourself. Do you believe in southern superstitions?

Prayer versus Southern superstitions when a woman's husband mysteriously disappears in the swamp on a deer-hunting trip. As steamy as the hot, thick, sticky heat of Louisiana, this page-turner will keep readers in suspense, as the author spins a tale of love, loss, superstition, pain, heartache, and faith in God. Reviewer Kathy Boswell says, "Very good! She never gives up hope that Andy will return to her someday. She puts it all in God's hands like she'd done every crisis in her life. She knows He will take care of this for her." God and the power of prayer versus Southern superstitions. Through belief, faith, hard work, the power of prayer, and God's help, this powerful, moving story is a thought-provoking Christian romantic suspense about a young couple who fall in love, but have to change her mother's mind in more ways than one, if their relationship is to survive. Can Andy convince June there's more to their relationship than friends? Will he win the approval of Myrtle, her mother, and can love survive strawberry season and an April flood? Will June be able to give Andy a child?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoo962DbF0&feature=share View book trailer here.

Click on book cover to the side to read a free excerpt.

Better yet, read two free chapters at Amazon.com and order your copy today! Friday the 13'th is over and http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Superstitions-ebook/dp/B006X8GAWA/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326620592&sr=1-6Southern Superstions was released the Sunday after.

Bliss by Tracy Bowen (Can it be Found in South Florida?)

2012-01-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

Bliss by Tracy Bowen is set in South Florida, published by Written World Communications, and released August 29, 2011. Indie Moore seeks her bliss in the ocean and sand of the Sunshine State after escaping Rabbit Hole, Kansas, and her mother. As they say like mother, like daughter, Indie takes parts of her mother with her. She has some of the same traits and there could be no denying she's her mother's daughter. With wit and humor Bowen spins a tale of women ruled by the stars, so addicted they each had to have the morning newspaper to read their horoscopes before they could plan their day. When Indie ends up living in a trailer park with wacky neighbors, working in a pottery shop, a restaurant, and scrubbing toilets, holding down three jobs in order to keep a roof over her head, Florida's bliss isn't all it's cracked up to be. Along comes a handsome man a dog that might make her change her mind until she discovers he's a Christian, and her mother says he'll ruin her life. Will she continue to consult the stars, or will she resort to an even higher power? While there were some formatting issues, and I was disappointed that there was no About the Author page at the end of the novel, the story itself is a delightful, light read. Forgiving the formatting, I'd rate it five stars. Available in paperback or eBook formats through Amazon, Barnes and Noble.com, or Written World Communications.

Orphaned Hearts by Shawna K. Williams

2012-01-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

Orphaned Hearts by Shawna K. Williams is a touching story of what real love truly is and means, published December 1, 2010, through Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. Though it wasn't a 2011 book, I included it on my list of Top Picks of 2011, since I just finished reading it New Year's Eve. Pastor David Langley grew up in an orphanage and never had a real childhood. Severely burned and disfigured in the fire that claimed the lives of the rest of his family, he gives up on finding a woman who can look past his physical appearance and see the man within until he figures out he's met her in Sadie Miller, the town spinster. Sadie was once engaged, but devoted her life to taking care of her father after her mother's death and the disappearance of her betrothed.

Pastor Langley serves in orphanages to help other children and discovers six-year old Caleb Holsheyer who reminds him of the pain of his own boyhood, ridiculed and shunned, since Caleb is missing an arm. He knows this boy will be hard to place. Families want what they deem a "normal" child who can earn his keep. Many are looking for help on their farms and while they're willing to take in an orphan, they want a "whole" one, not one who isn't "normal". Sadie falls in love with Caleb and he brings her empty house to life and turns it into a home, but she's single, and the board won't allow her to adopt Caleb. She could also go for Pastor David Langley if he gave her a chance. Williams is an excellent storyteller and allows the reader to visualize not only the descriptive scenery, but also feel the depth of emotions this story provokes. David and Sadie work together to find Caleb a home with another family to no avail. She can't let him return to the orphanage and promises him he won't have to. Can she keep that promise? Something isn't right with the orphanage, and she vows Caleb won't return.

Will Pastor Langley continue to hide behind his suit and tie, or reveal himself to a woman who might see him for the man he really is? What else can possibly go wrong when the only help they had through the orphanage, besides Mr. Murray, Caleb's case manager, loses an arm and has to take off work temporarily. The man who replaces him doesn't see Caleb's plight and goes strictly by the books. What will become of a six-year old who calls Sadie mother, has a cat she's gifted him for a pet, and has found a grandmother in Mrs. Pritchard? David and Sadie haven't told him she can't keep him. The first family who planned to adopt him bailed out, and they haven't the heart to tell him he has to return to a place where he hides under the bed. Williams weaves a story that will change your perspective about what's normal and what true love really means. Orphaned Hearts is written with depth and emotion, five stars in my book. Available at Desert Breeze Publishing and wherever fine books are sold.

B. J. Robinson's Top Books of 2011

2012-01-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

I've read many great authors and novels this year, but the ones listed below are my top picks and the ones that stayed with me:

TOP PICKS: THE GREEN VEIL and THE RED FURY by NAOMI MUSCH, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc.
3. No Other Shawna K. Williams
4. In All Things Shawna K. Williams
5. The Good Fight Shawna K. Williams
6. Orphaned Hearts Shawna K. Williams, Desert Breeze
7. Burning Hearts, Nike Chillemi, Desert Breeze
8. Sterling Lakes Book One Light of the Heart, Regina Andrews
9. Fire and Ash, Anne Patrick, Desert Breeze
10. Delivery, Diana Pursik
11. Night of the Cossack, Tom Blubaugh

Nike Chillemi also published Goodby Noel with Desert Breeze, but I haven't had time to read it yet. Prettiest cover I've seen all year, and I'll know the book will be as lovely as the cover.

Naomi, Shawna, Nike, and Ann are author's I'll always read,favorite ones I discovered through Desert Breeze Publishing Inc. Discover yours.

There were many other great novels I read, but having to narrow the list, these are the ones that stayed with me after I finished the book.

Some favorite authors from the past, books I remember from reading several years ago that have still stayed with me include:

Dogwood by Chris Fabry
All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin (my favorite)
Eva Marie Everson's novels Things Left Unspoken, This Fine Life, and her Cedar Key series

Check out my publisher's storefront http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok and find some new favorite authors of your own. If you received an eReader or iPad, iPod, or Smartphone for Christmas take advantage of wonderful books and authors at less expensive prices. The covers are beautiful. Desert Breeze covers can't be beat. Travel to other worlds through great books and go places you may never get to experience in real life. Meet new characters and escape to their worlds when you want to escape your own for a while. Relax, kick back, and enjoy a great read. Blessings for a New Year of great, enjoyable reading. Let this be the year you read more than ever and make your own favorite list at the end of 2012.

Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman

2011-12-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Kathy Herman's Dangerous Mercy is the sequel to False Pretenses, the second novel in the Secrets of the Roux River Bayou series, published October 1, 2011, by David C. Cook. While the first novel was good, this one is better with more satisfying depth. I loved Adele Woodmore, an elderly lady who moved to Les Barbres, Louisiana, to be near the Broussards, characters from the first novel in the series. Noah and Murray are two men from a halfway house Adele befriends, thinking she's helping them get back on their feet. Five deaths occur in a week's time, and the murder is dubbed the Bathtub Killer. Adele thought the community would be peaceful and quiet, much safer than the Big Easy, as did tourists and guest to Langely Manor. Despite being warned about employing the two handymen, Adele continues to use them and has a private investigator complete background checks. My favorite character is Adele. While the ending was predictable, Herman has created believable, well-rounded characters in Adele and Murray. I loved the ending and depth of feeling and emotion in this story, and I look forward to the third novel in the series. Available as paperback or eBook at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com.

When Love Collides by Michelle Sutton

2011-12-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

When Love Collides is Michelle Sutton's newest novel and a worthy one with a beautiful cover. It's twenty-eight chapters, a full-length novel, published by Desert Breeze December 15, 2011, contemporary, inspirational, warm. Raquel collides with Scott in the doctor's office of all places. She's having issues and has to have tests run, and she's taking care of an aunt who needs a bone marrow transplant for a chance to live when he reenters her life. This is the story about a woman who settled for another man because she didn't feel worthy of the one she loved, and she didn't know he loved her. Her ex who was an abuser dies in a bike accident, and she relocates to help her aunt and start a new life. Just as she begins to feel hope, her own medical issues increase, and she discovers she has a disease. Her sister Melanie also enters the picture with an abuser of her own and threatens to dash Raquel's hope and love. Can their love survive? If so, at what stakes? This is a novel with a theme of forgiveness. Sutton has woven a worthy story that will touch hearts and souls, evoke reader emotions, and even make a reader ask, "What if?" She weaves issues of abuse, illness, thief, and forgiveness and even includes a cocker spaniel in this one. Available wherever fine books are sold including Desert Breeze Publishing, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.com.

Character Interview from Goodbye Noel by Nike Chillemi

2011-12-19T02:31:00.000-08:00

GN, Barbara Robinson, Interview w/Renata

I thought I'd be interviewing author Nike Chillemi about her new release GOODBYE NOEL, a Christmas/New Year themed historic romantic suspense, but she couldn't make it. To my great surprise Renata Lenart, the mother of the book's heroine and a Czechoslovak immigrant (in the 1940s ) is here to be interviewed. What a treat! And you can find this beautiful new novel at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com for your Kindle or Nook. Available wherever fine books are sold. I think this is the prettiest book cover I've seen all year.

Barbara: It's my understanding that GOODBYE NOEL points out how universally Christmas was celebrated in your day in America. Was it really a time of good cheer and well-wishing across the land?

Renata: Bad things happened to good people then, just as they do today, jo. For example, in GOODBYE NOEL, a murder victim is found with her head bashed in under her Christmas tree a few days after Christmas with her infant child in the next room. [sigh] Still, in my day the Christmas season was a time of excitement and anticipation in America. Nearly all the houses on any given street were decked out. Oh, the decorations might have been simpler, or homemade, but they were there. Every town square had not only a decorated tree, but a crèche. It was generally a very joyful time of year.

Barbara: Talk about a scary Christmas, GOODBYE NOEL opens with your daughter Katrina finding a body. Can you give us an example of what Katrina, received as a Christmas present in those days?

Renata: Well, Katrina was a young woman in 1946, when GOODBYE NOEL was set and she's what you'd call a girly-girl. So, she might receive a pair of heeled peep-toe shoes or slippers, in pink, of course. Pink was one of her favorite colors. Or a pair of kidskin gloves. My husband always made each of us a new hat. My Ambroz owned a millinery shop, said to be the finest on Long Island at that time. Of course, the gift mentioned in the novel is a toboggan. That was a gift given by his parents to young Willie Brogna and Katrina was helping him try it out. When they sailed down the hill, they saw something bloody on a neighbor's property and that led to the discovery of a murder.
Barbara: Takes the joy right out of the Christmas the tree, doesn't it? Since the body was found under the tree, I mean.

Renata: Oh muj, well it was a scary time all right, especially when the bodies started piling up. Detective Ian Daltry began to fear the murderer would strike again and again. Of course, Ian felt something special for Katrina from the moment he first saw her and he feared her life might be in danger. But my daughter did not make it easy for him.

Barbara: I understand that on that first day, Katrina whispered a promise to always protect the infant that was left an orphan.

Renata: Jo, my daughter, Katrina, became quite attached to that little one. In fact, when Ian Daltry showed up demanding that the baby be given to his aunt in Bay Shore, Katrina wanted to shove him right into a snow bank. She had no trouble going toe-to-toe with him. I did mention she made him jump through a few hoops in order to gain her affection. [she chuckles, lightly]

Barbara: How does this story inspire Christian readers?

Renata: The central themes of all of Nike Chillemi's novels are love and justice. That love, the deep love God has instilled in the spirit of every human is very powerful, jo. And as Christians, the love of God that we know and that we strive to express cannot be defeated. God's love is the most powerful force on earth. In GOODBYE NOEL, as the story develops we see Katrina and Ian falling in love. They begin to share deeper intimacies. Now in your day, I know that suggests something quite different than the way we thought of it. What Katrina and Ian shared were the deepest feelings they had. They barred their souls and kept no secrets from each other. In addition, both Katrina and Ian wanted to the killer brought to justice. They both had strong feelings that there must be resolution in that area.

Barbara: As the mother in this story, describe how you decorated your house for Christmas.
Renata: I had a beloved decoration I brought from Czechoslovakia that had hung on my mother's tree...a tiny bell made of seed pearls inside a beaded wreath. When our pastor's wife told me Stewart's Merchantile was getting in ornaments from my country, well, Katrina and I got all dressed up for an afternoon out, jo. We went to the inn for a dinner of roast chicken and sour cherry compote. After that, as you say today, we shopped till we dropped. I came home with a good many more handmade ornaments from Czechoslovakia than perhaps I should have. [she looks from beneath her lashes, slyly] That year, however, I asked Katrina decorate the tree and she has a decorating philosophy that more is more. She put all the ornaments we bought on the tree next to all the homemade ones we had kept from year to year. The ones that held our family's history. Oh muj, the tree was gorgeous when she was finished.
Barbara: What was the traditional Christmas dinner like?

Renata: Christmas Eve is traditionally a meatless meal in Czechoslovakia as that night we await the birth of the Savior. It is "symbolically" a pre-Christmas fast even though the table is filled with food. [runs a red polished nail under the double strand of pearls at her neck] In Czechoslovakia, most families would serve fried carp. If I remember, the year of all those murders, we had salmon in a sour cream sauce. Now Christmas Day is quite different. We put out the good china for breakfast, Bavarian china, of course. We serve yeast breads, cakes, and homemade donuts. For dinner, it was ham, with numerous vegetable side dishes, and roasted potatoes. Of course, I bake my special walnut cookies dusted in powdered sugar for Christmas and also kolachky, you call them Linzer Tarts.
Barbara: Thanks for being a guest on my blog today, Renata. Can you explain to my readers what they'll get out of this Christmas tale? I know they'll be transported back in time to 1946, but what themes might they encounter?

Renata: I think the reader will be transported into an America that had just come out of a devastating war, WWII, where many, many American young men died. The country was recovering from that loss. Yet, there was a spirit of great optimism. Americans at that time were a roll up your sleeves and get it done type of people. It wasn't unusual for one neighbor pitch in and help another. It was as if we were all in this thing together and we all wanted to make something of our country and ourselves. I think something we had then that's missing now is that we all had a sense we were building upon American culture, expanding it. We knew we were standing on the shoulders of giants. We were so proud to be Americans. Back then, we thought that there was nearly nothing that could not be accomplished with hard work. And we did accomplish an awful lot. I don't mean to brag, but we did. I think America is facing some challenges now and that readers will find encouragement and hope in this novel.

Here's the first chapter. Katrina is the heroine and Renata's daughter.
Long Island, NY ~ December, 1946

Katrina Lenart nodded toward a break in the leafless maples and snow covered pines lining Hill Street. A fat blue jay sat on the tip of a pine branch and quirked his head at her, almost mocking. The sun, more the color of wheat than yellow, floated in the pale, cloudless, winter sky, surrendering little heat.
It might seem like we're almost there to you, but we still have to climb that hill. It wasn't high, but steep, as if a pitiless hand had gouged earth from its side. She, turned her head back and squinted against the glare off the snow, adjusting her black velvet earmuffs, stitched into a floret on one side, all the rage since the war.
Said just like a female. Willie Brogna grinned, pulling the toboggan behind him, his rubber boots stomping deep impressions in the fresh fallen snow. Pivoting, he gave her a grateful smile. I know you're just being nice, helping me try out my favorite Christmas present, with my sister on her honeymoon and all. He resumed his climb, out-pacing her.
Determined to put her best friend's teenage brother in his place, Katrina lengthened her strides and arrived at the top of the incline breathing hard. People often comment on how nice I am… and courteous. She tossed off a teasing smile.
The tall, lanky teen snorted then tugged on his hand-knit gloves, securing them, and flexed his fingers.
Shading her eyes with a cable knit glove, she gazed south, unable to see the village of Sanctuary Point or the Great South Bay through the trees. Directly below, the ground dropped away into an empty lot. Beyond that -- Hill Street and the Bauer cottage.
Are you ready? I'll steer and you take the rumble seat. Willie knelt and positioned the toboggan for the first run down the steep hill. Don't forget to hang on tight, I'm gonna let 'er rip, if that won't bruise the dignity of Memorial's most promising nurse.
Katrina gave him a playful smack on the arm. How you do go on. Just watch out for that huge bump down there.
Aw, that's not even a blip on the radar.
She hunkered down behind him and clasped her arms around his waist. The toboggan sped down the hill, her hair airborne behind her. Icy snow crystals flew into her face. They hit the bump and went aloft. Willieee, she shrieked.
They landed so hard her teeth clattered.
When they came to a stop, Willie jumped off. While we were in the air, I saw something near Mrs. Bauer's cottage. Does she have a cat? It looked like a hurt animal… something bloody.
He trotted across the street. It's not in the yard. It's closer and to the side of the road. He hastened down Hill Street, slipping and sliding, to the edge of the Bauer property.
Katrina hurried down the sloping street after him, her arms stretched out for balance. If this was his idea of a practical joke, she'd let him have it.
Willie bent over the object on the ground. Rising, he twisted toward her. Well, it's not an animal.
Rushing to his side, she tried to catch her breath. It's blood on a kitchen towel. Not a lot, but sufficient to warrant concern. Please, let everything be all right.
Do you suppose Mrs. Bauer cut herself out here?
We'd better check on her. Katrina raced back up the hill after Willie along the length of the lot, as fast as she could. She slipped but regained her footing on Bauer's icy walk. When she reached the stoop, her breath came in short painful gasps.
Willie hurdled the two steps and came to a stop on the miniscule porch. The front door stood ajar.
Uneasiness halted her halting gait. Yet, Katrina followed and called. Mrs. Bauer, hello.
Willie nudged the door and shouted. Mrs. Bauer, are you in there?
She peered between the door and its frame into dimness. Mrs. Bauer… Noel, it's Katrina, your neighbor.
This is getting us nowhere. Willie gave the door a shove.
The living room was chilly and silent -- something definitely not right. Mrs. Bauer wouldn't leave the door open on such a cold day, not even a crack. Katrina eased in. Hello, anyone home? She stepped around the couch and froze.
Noel Bauer lay on her living room floor, in front of a decorated Christmas tree. Blood pooled beneath her head.
Oh, my Lord. Katrina rushed to the woman and knelt, applying two fingers to her neck. Willie, she has no pulse.
I mean, I know you're a nurse, but are you sure?
She's dead. Katrina's voice shook in her throat. She's not breathing and her body temperature isn't warm.
The telephone lines come up here, so I'll bet she has a phone. We'd better call the police. This is awful. His eyes darted around the room. There… in the kitchen.
Katrina took a deep breath and calmed herself. How strange and brutal life could be. Yesterday, gay and carefree, she stood as maid-of-honor in Willie's sister's wedding. Today she'd found Noel Bauer's corpse.
She hurried to the phone, dialed the village operator, and asked to be connected to the police station. After relaying the information to young Officer Classen, whose mother worked with her at the hospital, she sank onto a chair at the table and held her head in her hands. There was something peculiar about the position of Noel Bauer's body Katrina couldn't put her finger on, as if she were reaching for something.
Cries of an infant came from the bedroom down the hallway.
*****
Standing by the Christmas tree, Katrina rocked the infant wrapped in a pink blanket. She took a small green and white glass ornament from the top of the tree and dangled it before the baby's face. Look how pretty. Your mommy made such a lovely tree for you. Her eyes misted and her gaze slid to the lifeless form on the floor. A lump formed in her throat.
Detective Daltry's here. Willie turned from the window and hurried to open the door.
Ian Daltry entered with rookie-officer Robert Classen at his heels. The detective removed his brown fedora freeing a riot of salt and pepper hair. He nodded toward Katrina. Miss Lenart, you phoned the station?
Yes, Willie and I found Mrs. Bauer. She glanced at the teen, who stood by the front window, a stricken look on his face. She's gone.
Detective Daltry placed his hat on the coffee table and bent over the still form. The blood on the floor, dark and thick had begun to coagulate. Straightening, he looked at Katrina, his lips in a tight line. You're right. She's dead. I'd guess less than an hour.
Katrina took a halting step toward the body, but the detective put up a staying hand to stop her. She cleared her throat. Severe trauma to the head. She couldn't survive a wound like that.
That's my take on it. I'll phone the medical examiner.
Willie pointed. Phone's in the kitchen.
The detective nodded, turned on his heel, crossed the living room, and disappeared.
Katrina followed stiff legged part way across the room. She wanted to do something, but didn't know what.
Officer Classen stepped forward and blocked her path. You can't go into the kitchen.
She stopped in her tracks, stroked the infant's soft hair, and held her closer. I had no idea Mrs. Bauer had a baby. She closed the house in early spring last year and was gone over six months. She's been back only about three months. Since then, she'd been reclusive, but why?
The baby grabbed for the ornament and cooed.
Katrina lifted the glass bulb away from the tiny hand. Oh no, you don't. You're a quick little lady, aren't you? Yes you are. She made an exaggerated smiling face and shook her head.
The baby started fussing.
Are you cold? Katrina pulled the blanket tight around the infant, rubbed her tiny hands, and blew warm breath on them.
I'd like to throw a log on the fire for the baby, but can't touch anything until we complete our investigation. The young officer shifted from foot to foot.
Detective Daltry emerged from the kitchen and advanced toward her. He touched the pink blanket. A girl. A tremor ran through his fingers and he dropped his hand to his side.
Isn't she pretty? Katrina stroked the infant's face. When she glanced up, she thought she saw pain flicker in the detective's eyes, and then it was gone.
Her mother was lovely. Such a shame. Officer Classen stood over the body with a camera. Detective, do you want me to start taking photographs?
He cleared his throat. Yes, begin with the body and work out to the periphery of the room. Don't spare the film.
The child gurgled, squirmed, and kicked her legs against the coverlet wrapped tight around her. Aren't you a feisty one? Katrina kissed the baby's little fist. You're going to be fine. Somehow, I'll make sure. I promise.
The detective rocked back on his heels and raked his hand through his hair, mangling it. He cast a quick glance at the hearth. With the fire nearly out and the door opening and closing, perhaps the child shouldn't be here. I can phone my neighbor. She watches my daughter when I'm working. I'm sure she'd look after the little one until we figure out what to do with her.
The baby made a face and fidgeted, her knees pumping.
No. That's not necessary. Katrina held the baby tighter, her need to protect this infant growing by the second. I live down the street, and I'm a maternity nurse. If you consent, I'll take her home. I'm sure my mother will agree to mind her while I'm working at the hospital.
A huge wail came from the tiny mouth.
Maybe she's hungry. Willie took two quick steps. Let me see if there's milk in the kitchen.
The detective shook his head. Sorry, off limits. You can't touch or remove anything. We haven't done a walk-through yet and they'll want to brush for finger prints.
Katrina placed the baby on her shoulder and rubbed her back in a circular motion. This child can't drink bottled milk. I'm sure her mother nursed her, most do. We'll have to make formula from evaporated milk. What did men know about babies?
Won't you need a baby bottle? Willie plunked both hands on his hips.
Yes, or something similar. I need to get this baby home where Momma can help me. Katrina bounced the fussing infant in her arms and checked the seat of the diaper. She's dry and didn't leave us a present in her pants.
Detective Daltry moved to Katrina's side and stroked the baby's back. Officer Classen can drive you home. He turned toward the rookie cop. Wait up on the photos and take this young woman and the child down the hill. When you get to the edge of the Bauer property, drive on the wrong side of the street. I'm calling the troopers station to see if they can get any tire impressions near where we picked up the bloody towel.
If Lorne Kincade was finished with trooper training, we'd get that done right quick. Robert opened the door and held it for Katrina.
You bet you would. Willie tried for a grin, but only one side of his lips lifted. Thing is, he won't even start the training until he and my sister get back from their honeymoon.
Katrina rocked the baby whose face had turned bright pink. Heavens to Besty, let's not rush the newlyweds home in our talk. She tried for a smile and managed a small one.
The detective pivoted toward the window. Mr. Brogna… Willie, I'd like you to stay. I have questions for you. Miss Lenart, I'll question your later.
The infant emitted a piercing cry.
Katrina hurried toward the door. Our house is the first one on the right side.

Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh

2011-12-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh is an awesome 34 chapters and 250 pages of adventure young boys will love. It's a Christian novel of adventure,an imprint of Bound by Faith Publishers, a beautiful paperback. When teen Nathan Hertzfield is kidnapped during a raid and forced to become a Cossack solider, life as he knew it is ripped apart. Mixed emotions run rampant as he's faced with life-altering, life-threatening situations. He feels lucky on one hand that his mother and brother are still alive, but he has to leave them and his past behind. Just when he thinks he's built a new life for himself, he finds himself on the run once again. He's lost so much at such a young age: loved ones, his home, family, and his own identity. Can he take losing the one thing he has left, his beloved horse? Just when he finds a woman and falls in love and dreams of starting his own family, he's forced to leave her too, without looking back. How much can one young man stand? He's a Jew forced to hide it and even expected to defend himself as a Cossack solider and kill other Jews, but he doesn't want to take a life. His mother raised a moral son, and even in the face of the obstacle course that's become his life, he vows to hold onto his character.

The author, Tom Blubaugh, a freelance writer who has written mostly nonfiction has turned his pen to fiction and spun an amazing tale of family heritage with a strong character readers will love. Filled with emotions, vivid description, and danger, this novel will keep the reader on his toes until the last page to discover what happens to Nathan in the end.

While it's not the type of book I'd normally select, my interest was captivated from the first chapter when Nathan didn't listen to his mother. I think the best audience is teen boys or men, but I'm a woman, and I have to admit I loved this novel and couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I love the way the novel ends when the captain tells Nathan, "I have a friend who was also betrayed by someone close to him."You'll have to read the novel and find out who this friend is. This novel is also available as an eBook from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

Published by Bound by Faith Publishers.

ebook for Kindle available at Amazon.com. Be sure to like my page and do a review when you finish, if you like my book.

Check out my Author page.

Read the reviews on Amazon.

ebook for Nook available at Barnes & Noble

Night of the Cossack Facebook author page. Be sure to like my page while you're there please.

Personal Facebook page

Visit My Blog. Be sure to sign up as a follower.

Twitter @tomblubaugh

Available at Author's Den. A great Author/Reader site. You can join free. Look me up and be sure to become a fan while you're there.

Also available at New Christian Books.

Check me out on Goodreads.

Co-author of The Great Adventure published by Barbour Publishing. (out of print).

Genesis Project

Jericho Commission, Inc.

Tom Blubaugh, Author of Night of the Cossack--Read the first chapter get a signed copy by ordering here. FREE shipping in USA.

Published by Bound by Faith Publishers.

ebook for Kindle available at Amazon.com. Be sure to like my page and do a review when you finish, if you like my book.

Check out my Author page.

Read the reviews on Amazon.

ebook for Nook available at Barnes & Noble

Night of the Cossack Facebook author page. Be sure to like my page while you're there please.

Personal Facebook page

Visit My Blog. Be sure to sign up as a follower.

Twitter @tomblubaugh

Available at Author's Den. A great Author/Reader site. You can join free. Look me up and be sure to become a fan while you're there.

Also available at New Christian Books.

Check me out on Goodreads.

Co-author of The Great Adventure published by Barbour Publishing. (out of print).

Genesis Project

Jericho Commission, Inc.

The Santa Shop by Tim Greaton: Inspiration for the Hopeless

2011-12-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Tim Greaton's The Santa Shop is well worth the ninety-nine cents you'll pay for an inspirational Christmas story of hope. A young attorney on top of the world goes to a party to build his career and leaves his family home alone. Will they be waiting when he returns? One party changes his life forever. A homeless man contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve on the Christmas Leap Bridge. He has gone over the edge, but will he literally? Available at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. Don't miss this Christmas tale. It'll make you stop and think, cherish sweet childhood memories of favorite Christmas toys, reach out and grab your heart, and inspire you. The author's vivid descriptions and characterization are icing on the cake.

Grab Your Free Read Now Companion to Southern Superstitions

2011-12-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNoo962DbF0&feature=share Prayer versus Southern superstitions when a woman's husband mysteriously disappears in the swamp on a deer-hunting trip. As steamy as the hot, thick, sticky heat of Louisiana, this page-turner will keep readers in suspense, as the author spins a tale of love, loss, superstition, pain, heartache, and faith in God. God and the power of prayer versus Southern superstitions. Through belief, faith, hard work, the power of prayer, and God's help, this powerful, moving story is a thought-provoking Christian romantic suspense about a young couple who fall in love, but have to change her mother's mind in more ways than one, if their relationship is to survive. Can Andy convince June there's more to their relationship than friends? Will he win the approval of Myrtle, her mother, and can love survive strawberry season and an April flood? Will June be able to give Andy a child?

Grab your free read now, a companion to Southern Superstitions: The Lord Has Something Better in Mind by B. J. Robinson

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-264/The-Lord-Has-Something/Detail.bok

An After Thanksgiving Story

2011-11-25T11:04:00.000-08:00

My sunny Florida kitchen looked out upon sunlight sparkling on the turquoise-blue water of our swimming pool. I watched a squirrel run up the palm tree that cornered the pool while I waited for boiled eggs to cool. A few minutes later, I went to peel the eggs, but they’d vanished.

“Where did my eggs go?” I yelled loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

My son, Rodney, grinned. “I don’t know.”

“I put them in the sink to cool.” I looked down the drain. “That thing ate my eggs.”

Rodney came up beside me and asked, “What thing?”

I pointed to the sink’s drain. “The new garbage disposal Scott insisted on.”

The family laughed like I was a comedian.

“When I first met her, she didn’t even know how to work a dishwasher," my husband said. "Now she doesn’t know how to use the new garbage disposal. Do I have to teach you everything?” His brown eyes twinkled. He patted my shoulder, and his grin lit up his face. Teaser that he was, it was easy for him to amuse the family and for them to enjoy the playfulness of his comments. “Reach your hand down there and get them.”

“I’m not putting my hand in that thing.”

The family’s laughter filled the kitchen. “I can’t make potato salad.
Those were my last three.”

“I’ll run to the store,” someone offered.

Rod said, “It’s a wonder you didn’t accuse me of eating them.”

“The garbage disposal did the job for you. I can’t believe I did that. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without potato salad.”

“Don’t you mean without turkey?” Rod rubbed his stomach.

I smiled. “No, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the thanks and the giving. Having you visit makes it blessed. We can thank God for a good laugh and a joyful day. We’ll remember this for many Thanksgivings to come.”

“Yeah, Mom, Scott will never let you live that one down.”

"I’ll remember how I lost my eggs every year.” I diced the pickles and green onions. “When you were small, I cooked huge family meals. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and decorating for the holidays. Another Thanksgiving is etched in the pages of my memories. Unexpected guests arrived with the family, and the ten-foot wide trailer couldn’t hold them. The cramped kitchen only held a small table.”

Rod took a pickle from the jar. “What happened?”

"I had plenty of food cooked, so I borrowed silverware and plates from your grandmother.”

“Who would show up uninvited?”

“Your grandmother and aunts asked friends from church.” I dumped pickles and green onions into a bowl and continued. “By the time the turkey was served, the trailer burst with people trying to find plates and utensils for eating. People packed into it like sardines in a tin can. Since God smiled on us with beautiful Louisiana weather, most of them took their plates and sat outside to eat. The air was crisp, cool, and refreshing after baking in the hot kitchen. I took my plate and joined them on the steps of the tiny porch.”

Rod’s blue eyes twinkled as he listened to me reminiscing. “I can just see you
balancing a plate of turkey and cornbread dressing on your lap.”

“It tasted every bit as good outside.” I playfully tapped his chest. “I had one more chair than Henry David Thoreau, who wrote in his book Walden that he had only three chairs.”

“Thoreau thought houses were “extravagantly large”. My trailer was extravagantly small for all the Thanksgiving dinner guests. We enjoyed the brisk air and sunshine and thanked God for our family and friends, delicious food, and a lovely day. You know son, that Thanksgiving and this one will always be etched in my heart, mind, and soul.”

“When the guests left, they thanked me for a great home-cooked meal, not an impressive dinner. One man with electric blue eyes said, “It didn’t matter if the dinnerware didn’t match. We didn’t come here for you to impress us.”

A lot has changed over the years. My children are grown and have made me a grandmother multiple times. I’ve lost family members. My first husband, mother, father, and youngest sister all live in their heavenly home. Though some of the most loved people in my life are not here to share the holidays, I still have a traditional turkey each Thanksgiving, celebrate, and thank God for our food. Some things never change. I know my lost loved ones are feasting in heaven and waiting for me.

I thank God for the family who now shares my holidays. Last year, I did not bake turkey. Rod fried a turkey for us the Christmas before, and it was so juicy it melted in our mouths. So, Scott bought a turkey fryer and experimented. Ever since he cooked his first fried turkey, he said we wouldn’t have another baked one, so was relieved of one of my Thanksgiving duties for a few years. But, this year, Scott asked me to roast the turkey traditional style, and it came out golden brown and delicious.

We are a close-knit family group. Fancy plates and utensils don’t matter, nor does a fancy setting. What makes holidays special has nothing to do with materialistic things. The warmth and friendliness of our family and friends make up for whatever trivial items are lacking.

Times change, people change, places change, but the heart of the family and thanking God for His blessings and your family remain the same. I thank God for the Thanksgiving the garbage disposal ate the eggs and the year uninvited guests overfilled my tiny trailer. Those blessed Thanksgiving days will be eternally etched in the pages of my family’s hearts and minds.

Bio
B. J. Robinson makes her home in Florida with her husband, a cat, and two dogs. She is a graduate of Christian Writers Guild’s, a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and a graduate from the Long Ridge Writers Group. This story appeared in St. Cloud in the News. Since then, Robinson has authored two Christian romantic suspense novels. Last Resort released July 15, and Southern Superstitions releases January 15. She would like to thank her wonderful readers and supporters and says, "You're a blessing to me and inspire me to keep writing."

The Good Fight by Shawna K. Williams

2011-11-19T15:18:00.000-08:00

The Good Fight by Shawna K. Williams released November 1, 2011, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. It's twenty-nine chapters of inspiration, a sweet 20'th Century historical, a plus novel, so you'll get your money's worth. I normally don't read a lot of historical romance, but this one captivated me as the third novel in a series. No Other and In All Things are the first two. I loved all three. In this one, you're introduced to a new character, Pennye Boyle Carrington, and a character from the first novel comes back to life, Roger Talbot. Pennye and Roger grew up with nothing in common, both living different lifestyles. Roger is captivated by her the first time he sees her in the courtroom, but even when he finds himself falling for her, he doesn't really know who she is. Will it make a difference when he finds out she's the sister to a man he's prosecuted for murder? Pennye sees herself as an elephant that can never be a butterfly and each time she allows herself to hope, her heart and spirit are crushed. Dare she allow Roger to get close? Even though he sees her as a butterfly will he think her an elephant when he finally discovers who she really is? She left her hometown and reinvented herself. She really is Pennye Carrington, but she has to confess to Roger, sooner or later, that she's Pennye Boyle, was married, is divorced. She puts it off and can't bring herself to risk losing him, but she vows she'll tell him soon. He takes her to church with him, and she meets judgment head on in the eyes of an old high-school enemy. Has she waited too late to confide in Roger? She came back to help her brothers. She can't let Roger get in the way. The church confrontation assures her she'll always be an elephant, and she runs again. How far will she go this time? Roger was raised by a wealthy family, and she was raised by a poor one. They're from two very different worlds, and Roger deserves a butterfly, or does he? Can a social butterfly make the real man he is truly happy? Pennye wears clothes with kittens on them. She'll never be a social butterfly. Would she even want to be? What happens when a red-headed elephant falls head over heels for a man the whole town expects to marry a fine woman of good standing? Will Pennye always be judged by her family? Can she ever be her own person? Can she save her brothers? Not without Roger's help. What's an elephant to do? The author weaves a tale with depth and precision that will evoke reader emotions. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll love the ending. I did. It's so touching, and both characters truly have to fight the good fight. Question is, can they both win it? This is a five-star story of depth.

This Time for Keeps by K. Dawn Byrd: Second Chances

2011-11-11T02:27:00.000-08:00

This Time for Keeps by K. Dawn Byrd released October 15 by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. In this sweet romance India McGuire is forced to make a choice between David Richards, a predictable, reliable neighbor, and an old love resurfaced, Chase Porter. She yearns to follow her heart, but fears ending up alone again. Is David really as predictable, loyal, and dependable as he seems, as everyone thinks he is? He's got politics in mind. India wonders if she's cut out to be a politician's wife. Can she trust her heart to Chase again, after a decade of thinking he was out of her life for good? On the eve of her engagement to David, Chase returns to come between them. He plans to fight to win her back, and David plans to marry India. Which man will win her heart for keeps? Which man truly loves her? Is it love with David, or does he merely want a marriage of convenience? Chase claims he wants her land. This is the first book I've read by this author, but I loved the twist at the end of the novel when a long buried family secret is revealed and no other than the town gossip proves she can keep a secret, after all. If you like stories with a love triangle or old love and second chances, you will enjoy this novel.

The Red Fury by Naomi Musch

2011-11-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

The Red Fury Empire in Pine Book Two by Naomi Musch is a plus novel recently released by Desert Breeze Publishing, October 15, 2011, a warm, inspirational historical romance. The first novel in the series is The Green Veil Empire in Pine Book One. When I read the first one, I couldn't wait for the second, and now, I can't wait for the third. Lainey Kade has been unlucky in love, so when she meets Zane and Kelly Beaumont, she vows they'll only be friends. What will she do when both brothers fall for her? Which will she choose, if any? The author has created strong characters that will melt and wrench your heart. Kelly loves Lainey and buys her a ring. Zane loves Lainey, too, and his passion burns as strong as the red fury of a fire, but he takes himself out of the picture so Kelly can propose to Lainey. Lainey cares deeply for both brothers and doesn't want to hurt either, but she feels she can't give her whole heart and wonders if she'll ever be able to give it to any man. The three become the closest friends when an accident takes you by surprise. I wondered if the red fury would start from a lamp left burning so Zane could find his way back into the livery, but, of course, Naomi Musch wouldn't be that predictable. This is a powerful novel that will rip your heart out, so be prepared. It's a great love story of self-denial, trust, selfishness, courage, loyalty, and true love so passionate the red fury has nothing on it. And talk about determined, Kelly is a courageous man who never gives up and keeps on keeping on until the red fury twists its way through their lives without warning. I promise you, if you read these two books, you'll have found an author you'll want to keep reading. Her novels are moving and powerful love stories that evoke your emotions and reduce you to tears, but through all the hardships she has her characters endure, God has a perfect plan that will melt your heart. I rate both these prestigious novels a rating of five stars. Naomi Musch is an author you'll want to read over and over again, no doubt about it. She'll take your heart on a journey you won't soon forget. These terrific novels are full-length, and you'll get your money's worth. Check them out at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com as well as Desert Breeze Publishing. Click on the book covers to read free excerpts.

IN ALL THINGS by Shawna K. Williams Love Like No Other is Illustrated

2011-10-24T04:14:00.000-07:00

IN ALL THINGS by Shawna K. Williams is a full length novel published by Desert Breeze in November 2010, a sequel to NO OTHER. Shawna writes inspirational romances with God at the heart of the story, and I loved this one especially because the ending was so beautiful and touching. The author weaves a story that showcases true human emotions and feelings, life, and troubled relationships as Jacob and Meri continue to pursue their dreams. He's determined that she realizes her dream of becoming an actress and moves them to the city that can make it happen. But is winning an academy award what life's really about? Meri observed her own mother's failure with the same dream. Will becoming a famous actress make her parents proud of her, or will it only make her mother more bitter? This romance illustrates life with God's help and compares the lives of three women who all longed for the same dream, four counting Meri. When Meri opens her eyes, she realizes that only one of those three women is happy, and she's not the one Meri would have said she wanted to be like. Meri discovers who she is and who she belongs to, when a handsome, well-respected producer wants to make her his Sun Goddess and a contract for the film that could make her dream come true is offered upon a silver platter with a fancy brooch that glistens so much it looks like the sun. What will Meri chose? This man claims he can love her like no other, and Jacob learns he has to let her go.

A Familiar Evil by Anne Patrick: A Red Herring Edge-of-Your-Seat Read

2011-10-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

A Familiar Evil by Anne Patrick, published by Rebecca J. Vickery, April 2011, is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat as a childhood monster continues to haunt and literally stalk Jordan. The characters are well rounded and provide realistic dialogue. The novel will keep you guessing who the monster is until very near the end. And, you'll be surprised when you discover which man from her past he is. Sam is her FBI agent husband who follows her back to her hometown, where's she the Chief of Police since quitting her own FBI job so she could return to her roots and catch the serial killer. Will he persuade her to save their marriage, or will she let the monster serial killer and Sam's pretty partner come between them for good? What's worse, Jordan has managed to keep the truth of her childhood attack from Sam. Will it make a difference when he finds out what happened to her at twelve? When Sam is lead on a wild goose chase with his partner, will he return in time, or will the monster claim Jordan for keeps? This book held my rapt interest until the end, and I didn't want to put it down until I discovered who the killer really was. Red herrings keep you guessing, and I just love that. It's available in paperback or eBook formats. If you're looking for a scary Halloween read, you've found it! And, it's only 99cents in eBook format, so grab a great read today. If you love romance and suspense, you'll absolutely love this novel. I did, because I do. The red herrings reminded me of Last Resort. If you enjoy A Familiar Evil, you'll also enjoy Last Resort by B. J. Robinson and The Brotherhood and The Betrayal by Jerry B. Jenkins.

No Other by Shawna K. Williams

2011-10-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

No Other by Shawna K. Williams is an inspirational historical romance published by Desert Breeze in May of 2010. This is the first novel I've read by this author, but I can't wait to read the sequel In All Things. It takes place in the aftermath of WWII, and Jakob Wilheimer has returned from the war and found it necessary to reenter high school to earn the diploma he wasn't able to while serving his country. So, he's no ordinary high school boy, and the war has made a man out of him. He didn't count on a teacher he knew who was slightly older than him, Meri Parker. Meri's life is distracted and controlled by her mother and father to the point that they want to tell her who to marry. They plan for her to marry a rich man who can take care of her in style. After all, her father is the mayor, and a suitor must be fitting for the mayor's daughter. Meri is not interested in the man they choose for her. Though she tries to deny her attraction to Jakob, she ends up living next door to his brother and finds it harder than she thought it'd be to think of him as only one of her ordinary students. Jakob discovers the control her family wields and wants to save her. Will he be able to avoid temptation and help Meri discover God? He invites her to Bible study after Bible study, and she turns down all his invitations, but he doesn't give up. Can Meri overcome her family's control, or will she be forced into a marriage only to make her family happy? This is a warm, sweet love story, and a fast-paced read. I enjoyed it so much, I know I'll continue to read books by this author. She knows how to evoke feelings and emotions to create realistic characters and keep the reader turning pages. Though Jakob and Meri make a mistake, and they're not perfect, Jakob struggles to be a man of God and turn Meri into a woman of God, and he refuses to give up. I loved his character. He's some hero. The author also does a fabulous job with description of Jakob's old family home and evokes the readers emotions when he revisits it. In my book, No Other is a five-star love story, and I'm sure In All Things, it's sequel will be, too. So if you're a fan of romance or historical inspirational romance, grab these two novels and curl up for a great reading session. This is a warm,sweet romance set in the 1950's.

Writing the Christian Romance by Gail Gaymer Martin

2011-10-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

Writing the Christian Romance by Gail Gaymer Martin, published by Writers Digest Books, copyright 2008, is eleven nonfiction chapters of direction and guidance for aspiring Christian romance authors. Some of it is very basic, but other parts go into great detail that can only serve to hone a writer's skills and craft when applied. Chapter 7 deals with point of view and Chapter 8 with dialogue, which are usually two issues beginning writers have to hone. There's also a chapter on plotting. I highly recommend this book from a well-known Christian author as a tool for improving one's writing for the Christian romance market, and I wish I'd picked it up earlier. I've highlighted important concepts and marked my copy for use as a writing tool to add to my library of resources. It's available in a beautiful paperback and is worth the price. If you want to succeed in the Christian market, get the Bible for it by a woman who has published many such novels of her own. She's even included examples of a long and short synopsis. I give it five well-deserved stars.

He Wants me Dead by Marion K. Bullock

2011-09-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

He wants me Dead by Marion K. Bullock is a great eBook released June 15, 2011, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. about special education students laced with romance and suspense. If you've ever taught Special Education, you'll enjoy this story about James who says his well-educated brother is trying to kill him and wants him dead. The teacher and her class are isolated on the third floor of a burning school when James proves he's no coward, and he cares about others. Joanne Sharpe is a teacher who has tried her best to persuade her principal that the resource room shouldn't be on the third floor, but she's new to the school and no one listens to her. No one listens to James either. Will Joanne find romance with the father of one of her students or the brother who is supposed to want James dead? Will James prove he's smarter than anyone could have guessed and become a hero, or will he merely remain a pawn in his brother's hands and end up dead? Can Joanne make a difference despite the challenging problems that face her at the high school, or will the person who's playing cat and mouse with her set a trap she can't escape? She's followed when she walks and even when she drives for dinner to an invitation from another teacher. Joanne sets out thinking she can handle the problems she'll face, but it isn't long before they surmount, and she realizes she can't do it all alone. Joanne has always worried what she and her students would do if they had to open the third-floor windows in a hurry. Her greatest fears fester as the flames fume. Now, she doesn't want to find out.

I highly recommend this engaging novel of teaching, love, courage, mystery, and suspense and give it five stars. I look forward to reading more books by this engaging author.

This engaging novel is available through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. Also available wherever fine eBooks are sold.

Last Resort by B. J. Robinson: Get Inside Faith Grace Roussell's Head

2011-08-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

http://christianbookfestival.blogspot.com/ Faith Grace Roussell, what a character! September 8, 2012. Dear Diary, I was so happy to be home again until that stone came flying in the back kitchen window with an attached note. Words cut from a newspaper or magazine and glued to it made me shiver, so I grabbed the phone and dialed Matt's cell. Alarm blaring, Sunflower tucked her tail between her legs and hid underneath the kitchen table while I clutched my chest and held my breath until I heard pounding at the back door.

I vowed no man would turn my head, and I'd hide my heart so deeply in Christ that to find me a man would have to find him first. But can I keep that vow and lean on Matt? Will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough to keep me on the straight and narrow? I'm just a woman. Lord, I'm being stalked. All I wanted was a life of peace and contentment. Is that too much to ask after Fred? And Matt, his eyes could melt the ice-maiden barrier I've built around my heart as a fortress. They're like magnets, and I could get as lost in them as in unknown woods. What's a woman to do? Would he prove to be a helpmate, or just another strawberry cull like Fred? I didn't dream I'd continue to be pursued. I've lived through shattered dreams and nightmares. There's only one place I can turn. There's only one last resort.

Watch the book trailer. Another dream is shattered when the safe haven of the old family home and the backdrop of a strawberry farm turns dangerous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok Read a free excerpt and buy a PDF file to read on your computer.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson Free samples and rave reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1 Free samples and rave reviews.

Review Excerpts: See the complete reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Good Reads.

B.J. Robinson writes with flair. She manages to incorporate her own love for God in a well-written, romantic, suspense novel.

I immensely enjoyed this sweet romance, filled with suspense and plot twists. I loved Faith, she was not only a believer, but that belief was carried out in her daily life. Through prayer and trusting God, even when she was called to take extreme measures to protect her life and the life of the man she loved. I look forward to reading more wonderful novels from, B. J. Robinson. Dr. Rita Garcia

Wonderful book! Grabs the reader from the very first page. Excellent writing from a new writer, cannot wait to see what her writing future holds.

What a great story! I loved how you drew your readers in so quickly and then constantly threw in twists and turns for them to deal with. Many women deal with losing what they thought was the love of their life to a failed relationship--it's their attitude that determines how they proceed on from there. By letting God lead her through the fiery trials that came her way, and trusting Him in the most difficult of times, Faith found her true destiny in life and love and it was everything she had ever dreamed of. This is a fabulous story of love, real life and how a positive attitude in Christ can lead you through even the most difficult times! I highly recommend it and know you will leave the book feeling inspired and encouraged in your walk in the Lord!

Set in fictional Bridal Wreath, Florida, and Key West, the backdrop of a strawberry farm turns dangerous for Faith, when she's stalked. Will she be forced to use The Pink Lady? Find out today with home delivery in a few minutes. Smoking hot--where will Faith be when the smoke clears and will Faith and Matt's love survive? Five-star reviews on Amazon and B&N. Both men and women readers. Free sample.

She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort
Here's what one reader had to say: You will absolutely love Last Resort. The characters will pull you in and make you part of their world. B.J. Robinson weaves in faith in a way that will catch you off guard as you connect the dots and apply it to your own life. I did not want Last Resort to end. I recommend it with confidence and can't wait to see what is on the horizon for this new novelist.

Last Resort is a 79,000 word woman-in-jeopardy novel that tells the story of Faith Grace Roussell, who escapes an abusive fiancé and endeavors to start a new life filled with peace and contentment. She returns to her family home to farm strawberries only to discover it's not the safe haven she hoped it'd be when the backdrop of the berry farm suddenly turns dangerous. The ones she thought would welcome her want her gone, but she vows to stand firm. Will Matt's love survive?

Last Resort by B. J. Robinson, available wherever fine eBooks are sold. Visit me at http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com. http://christianbookfestival.blogspot.com

2011-08-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

The Betrayal by Jerry B. Jenkins is 37 chapters and an epilogue of police intrigue published by Tyndale House Publishers, copyright 2011. A massive sting involves a higher-up in the Chicago Police Department and the main character Boone is critically wounded and hospitalized in the line of duty as he tries to protect the star witness at all costs. He literally puts his life on the line. Trusting the wrong person could be a fatal mistake, one he can't afford if he's going to survive. How can he keep the witness and his family safe when it's an officer on the inside, sworn to protect and serve, whom they have to fear? A unique plan is put into action, but can it succeed? Between the officers of the law that can't be trusted and the gangbangers it looks like a hopeless situation when Boone and his new interest are both victims of a department they thought they could trust. Jerry B. Jenkins's novels have sold over 70 million copies, and twenty of his books made the New York Times Best Seller List. Books such as Riven, The Brotherhood, and The Left Behind Series will live in your mind long after you've closed them. If you're a fan of crime or police procedures, you'll love this novel. I'm more of a romantic suspense lover, but I never turn down a Jerry B. Jenkins's novel. I did think the pizza guy a bit cliché, and the transport unique. I've been a Jerry B. Jenkins's fan since The Left Behind Series, and if his name is on a book, I want to read it. I know it'll be a worthwhile read. I loved the minor character brought in near the end, Carl, who remained street savy enough to protect them even past his retirement. Boone stood out as someone who is very determined and never gives up since despite serious wounds, he was right back on the case. The unique transport system made me wounder a bit though, since most people wouldn't resort to that first off and would try other avenues to alleviate the problem first. All in all, this novel will make you think twice about betrayal and reminds one of how Jesus was betrayed by those close to Him. Someone in the Chicago PD family is a betrayer, but who? That's the question Boone must answer if he wants to live and save his girlfriend. Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com, wherever great books are sold.

A U.S. Murder South Carolina by Lynette Hall Hampton

2011-08-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever just wanted to get away? Are you have a Calagon moment? Hop on over to Faith, Friends, and Fiction and take a breather. Enjoy. http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/

A U.S. Murder in South Carolina by Lynette Hall Hampton is a full-length romantic suspense released by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. in July 2011. Thirty something chapters keep the reader guessing as Nola Dean falls for a handsome detective. Lots of handsome young men could be the killer. Who is he? Will the slick smooth talker keep evading the police until he snuffs out Nola Dean's life like he does a couple others? I love the red herrings and foreshadowing. If you like mystery, suspense, and romance, this book will make a great summer read. I really enjoyed it. It's available at Desert Breeze, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.com. And, it's the first in a series. Look for A U.S. Murder in North Carolina and A U.S. Murder in Georgia in 2012. I know I will. Have a little fun deciphering the hints and clues along the way. Grab this book and put the puzzle together.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/us-murders-lynette-hall-hampton/1104310397?ean=2940012790194&itm=1&usri=a%2bus%2bmurder%2bsouth%2bcarolina

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-188/Lynette-Hall-Hampton-US/Detail.bok

Last Resort, Romantic Suspense one dollar off, so grab it before it returns to normal price! Amazon.com sale only 4.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Click on the book cover of Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry

2011-08-10T04:02:00.001-07:00
Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry published by Tyndale's Digital First program in June 2011 is full of figurative language and realistic characters. I loved Lynne's writing style and her creative use of words and quips. The book hooked me with the first chapter, and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. It's fast paced and an easy read. Though one part of the novel was predictable, there were a few surprises along the way, and I could just picture the characters, since they were so vividly illustrated. Annoying as some were, they proved their value in the end and that they were really true friends. This is a novel where you can say the characters make it a gem. I loved the laugh near the end, and I especially loved the methods the author used to demonstrate how a preacher's life and a preacher's wife's life aren't easy. I feel the characters were realistically portrayed by showing them all as mere humans and none of them as perfect, even though they were Christians. The vivid descriptions of the looks in their eyes and on their faces were awesome. Get your copy here for the Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/reinventing-leona Also available at Amazon for the Kindle.

Click on the book cover at the top for Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

http://networkedblogs.com/ky6hK

Janet Eckles Publishes Second Book

2011-08-09T04:04:00.001-07:00
My friend Janet Perez Eckles, is a blind author and teaches many how to see the best of life. You might find her story inspiring, please see this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPkXGNtkoOU I’m helping her get the word out on facebook with this post. And if you like, you can also copy and paste it on your facebook wall. When life is complicated and tough, Simply Salsa: Dancing Without Fear at God’s Fiesta shows you the simplicity of a life rich with joy.

When life is complicated and tough, Simply Salsa shows you the simplicity of a life rich with joy. Find out the secret when you order Simply Salsa through Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Salsa-Dancing-Without-Fiesta/dp/0817017011/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312888983&sr=1-1
When you order AUGUST 9, win over $100 bonus gifts and get a chance to win some amazing prizes. Get details here: http://simplysalsathebook.com.

Click on the book covers to buy the books, or the links.

Book Review by B. J. Robinson

Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Lifeby Janet Perz Eckles
Truly amazing Janet Eckles, completely blind, but with more insight than most sighted people, has written a true jewel within the pages of Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. With more personal crosses to bear than most, like the loss of her sight and her son, Janet’s book is inspiring, encouraging, and courageous, like her. She has taken her trials and turned them to treasures for the glory of the Lord. Janet is bubbly and full of joy, a spectacular speaker and gifted writer.

Her nonfiction book takes you on a journey of discovery, as she learns to put her faith and trust in God. When she put Jesus first, He blessed her and turned her life around. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, don’t miss how she deals with her loss. Discover the good news and blessings she has to share. Find out why good people suffer and discover how God uses the bad things that happen to good people for good. Though blind, you'd never know it to meet her. Her book describes how she puts on her own makeup and does her own nails without sight, but even more awe-inspiring is the fact that she never worked when she was sighted, but found the position she was meant to serve in once she lost her sight.

Just as she does in person, her book will evoke strong reader emotions and make you laugh and cry. While sad, it resounds with the joy that overflows from Janet upon meeting her and turns her cross into triumph to truly serve and glorify God while helping others. Don’t miss the journey of a lifetime, Janet’s lifetime, as you turn the pages of a book you won’t want to put down.

Her book makes a wonderful Bible study group guide and Part III of the book actually contains such a guide with thought-provoking questions designed to enhance the spiritual journey.

Published by Xulon Press in 2004, the book may be purchased through Amazon, Xulon, and other book stores. It is a beautiful paperback well worth the reasonable price of $12.47 at Amazon. ISBN number ISBN1-594674-36-1. Visit www.amazon.com and get your own copy while it’s on sale! This book will make a wonderful gift for people in your life who are dealing with the loss of loved ones or other obstacles in life.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trials-of-today-treasures-for-tomorrow-janet-eckles/1006687666?ean=9781594674365&itm=1&usri=janet%2beckles

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

2011-08-08T12:09:00.001-07:00
Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman, copyright 2011, published by Tyndale is twenty-nine chapters of light, sweet romance between Livy Lightfingers and Jake Russell. Livy pickpocketed to survive on the Chicago streets, so she knows all about child labor and sweatshops, the theme of this novel. It makes a great beach or weekend read because it's fast paced, quick and easy to read, and I enjoyed it. Livy moves to Chestnut and becomes a Christian under the influence of Mrs. Brooks, but she feels even though God has forgiven her and given her a clean slate with her former sins washed in the blood of the lamb, she'll never be able to live a normal life and be free of her past. She doesn't count on falling in love, marriage, or children, but Deputy Jake Russell makes her think again. This historical romance would make an excellent novel for school use if the curriculum involves child labor laws. I highly recommend it. Homeschool moms should check it out as a novel that can help maintain reading skills as well as teach a part of history. Ladies, if you love sweet romance, the romance that sparks between Livy and the handsome deputy will make your read. Livy has a rival in a schoolteacher who has her hat set for Jake, but he's interested in Livy. Will he change his mind when he discovers her past? She not only picked pockets, but was also a master at locks. Don't miss this little gem. This is a novel for moms as well as young adults.

Click on the book cover at the top for Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

http://networkedblogs.com/ky6hK

Growing up and Liking It by Dolores Ayotte

2011-08-04T07:23:00.001-07:00
Nan Trammel Jones is the winner of Growing up and Liking It. Dolores will get your beautiful book to you. Congratulations and thanks for visiting us.

Growing up and Liking It: 13 Steps to a Happier Life by Dolores Ayotte is thirteen chapters of down-to-earth life experiences published by Tate Publishing, copyright 2010. This nonfiction book is loaded with the wisdom that comes from personal experience. It's inspiring, encouraging, full of insight, and I love the quotations. Savor it a chapter at a time. Written in her usual style, these personal stories and quotes are easy to identify with and relate to, thus life-altering if you decide to use her practical suggestions. It's a perfect paperback available at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. Be sure to visit Dolores on Facebook and at her blog http://doloresayotte.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/growing-up-and-liking-it-four-rooms-continued-august-4-2011-by-dolores-ayotte/, where she is featuring daily blogs about this wonderful book full of life.

Get Growing up and Liking it Here: http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Up-Liking-Dolores-Ayotte/dp/1617398039/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312469829&sr=1-1 http://desertbreezepublishing.blogspot.com/Catch the author spotlight today for more insight on Last Resort and author B. J. Robinson.

Click on the book cover at the top for Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

http://networkedblogs.com/ky6hK

Hurray God! Hope, Pray, Believe by Jeanette Sharp

2011-08-02T10:34:00.001-07:00
Hurray God! Hope, Pray, Believe compiled by Jeanette Sharp, copyright 2011, published by WinePress Publishing is ten chapters of beautiful stories of answered prayers and hope for ordinary people. It is as beautiful on the inside as the out, with a beautiful cover and healing stories written from the heart and soul. Ignite and renew your faith and prayer through nonfiction that deals with anxiety, illness, relationships, job loss, and many other obstacles in life. These dramatic stories of answered prayer in ordinary lives encourage people to trust in God, keep hope, and pray. Five strawberries for this one.

Below is the link for my author interview. I'm spotlighted on the Desert Breeze Blog this week. Have you ever had a special teacher who made a difference in your life? Today, I'm talking about life influences. Feel free to visit and join us.

http://desertbreezepublishing.blogspot.com/Catch this question/answer session today for more insight on Last Resort and author B. J. Robinson.

Link for Author Interview on DB Blog

2011-08-01T11:55:00.000-07:00
http://desertbreezepublishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/author-spotlight-excerpt-from-last.html

Eva Marie Everson's Southern Voice

2011-07-31T03:25:00.000-07:00
http://evamarieeversonssouthernvoice.blogspot.com/2011/07/friday-with-friends-b-j-robinson.html?showComment=1310770614211#c5556061182248664245

Click on the above-captioned link to read about some of my strawberry days many years ago when an old beat-up car and a baby stroller were part of my daily routine. May God bless. BJ

In my new Christian romantic suspense, Faith is stalked and pursued, will she be forced to use The Pink Lady? Find out for only $4.99 while you can at Amazon!

Last Resort, Romantic Suspense one dollar off, so grab it before it returns to normal price! Amazon.com sale only 4.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Click on the book cover of Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

The Revelation Gate by Brian Thompson: Three Beautiful Love Stories in One!!!!

2011-07-30T07:35:00.001-07:00
The Revelation Gate by Brian Thompson is divided into three parts and tells the sweetest love story of them all in a new way, available as a beautiful paperback or in eBook format, published by Great Nation Publishing, copyright June 7, 2011. In Part I, reading is a challenge due to the names of the characters, description, and bloodlines. It reminded me of the beginning of the Bible, the best book in the world.

Once past the first part of Part I, the storyline begins to envelope you in not one, but three beautiful love stories. Isoke and Chimelu's is that of a mother and son and show even separation for many years didn't break the bonds of love. Lusala is a young girl who loves Chimelu, but he's forbidden to return that love and has to resist the temptation. I love Chimelu's special touch with Lusala that forever changes her life even though he has to refrain from returning her love, at least in the manner in which she desires. Chimelu's love and faithfulness to his one and only God is the third love story, a story so profound it changes the lives of his people forever.

Rich with detail, it's obvious that Thompson spent much time with his creative endeavor, for The Revelation Gate is the greatest love story of them all spun in a new method and brings glory to Jesus Christ. I truly enjoyed reading it and found the romance between Lusala and Chimelu believable, beautiful, and sad, since the one man she could ever love was unable to return her love. But when you think about it, He's the one person who loves unconditionally and never forsakes you. He loved her with his heart, soul, and spirit and that was enough for her in the end, so don't miss the greatest love story ever told in a new way. It's available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. I rate this novel a four-star review because of the slow hook in the beginning, but the remainder of the book and the ending is worth it, so grab it, hang with it, and don't give up on these beautiful love stories that come together to make the greatest love story ever told.

Healing Hearts with Fiction: Can Church be Delivered Like Pizza?

2011-07-28T05:13:00.000-07:00
Healing Hearts with Fiction: Can Church be Delivered Like Pizza?

What better way to reach those who may never darken the door of a church than through fiction. Home delivery through ebooks on Kindle and Nook bring the power of prayer and scripture right to the reader, every bit as much a service as the delivery of pizza. God wants us to reach lost sheep and this is one way to accomplish such a great task, as well as provide great heart-warming stories for lovers of Christian fiction. On the other hand, those who are Christians also enjoy great Christian novels and romance. The hero of the greatest love story is Jesus, and the greatest romance of all is motherhood, and you can quote me on that, if you like.

Michelle Sutton's Danger at the Door and In Plain Sight accomplish such a task by healing hearts with great Christian fiction by weaving prayer and scripture through a romantic suspense novel. Laney Cooper, the main character, has lost everyone she's ever loved through car accidents and fear has caused her to become a recluse, when she meets Bojan, a pizza-delivery man, who turns out to be so much more. He's an unusual hero, strong through Christ, who declares he can't love a woman who isn't a Christian. He manages to deliver romance and love to Laney's door with his pizza delivery.

In Plain Sight, a tale of romance and redemption, has the potential to be life-changing for women who don't consider themselves "good enough" for a decent man. Jovana, the main character, has been abused and abandoned since she was 15 by a former boyfriend, who left her on the street to die, and she loses her unborn child. When she relocates to Arizona, roadblocks to learning the English language are minor setbacks compared to inner struggles with her faith as a new, "baby" Christian and learning to accept the love of a good man.

Michelle Sutton's novels have the potential to truly heal hearts for God's kingdom through prayer, scripture, and great stories to reach the heart and readers' emotions with her powerful storytelling ability. There are many excellent Christian writers who share this common goal, illustrated through Eva Marie Everson's Shadows series, Things Left Unspoken and This Fine Life, Chasing Sunsets, Chris Fabry's Dogwood, and C. J. Darlington's Thicker than Blood. Everson's novels allow the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, deal with life's curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God's fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become.

Yet another life-changing novel may be The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher. Couples whose daily lives are interrupted with roadblocks that threaten to derail a marriage right off the tracks may identify with main character, Katherine Clarkson, who is living her dream life, married to a well-respected handsome man with two grown daughters preparing to make her a grandmother. She has great friends, a good life, and a wonderful ministry. She has it all--until a reporter and a former coworker of her husband's spread rumors and gossip.

Newer Christian authors I've had the pleasure of reading include Nike Chillemi's Burning Hearts and Diana Prusik's Delivery. With the personal touch of each of these Christian authors, they're reaching out, reaching hearts for God and healing hearts along the way. Each author has her own writing style, and God loves them all. I can just picture Him smiling as we pen for Him.

There are too many excellent Christian authors to name in a brief article, but the point is each time a Christian novelist spreads God's word through a great book, there's the potential for more lost sheep to be found. The world is full of avid readers, so fiction is an important form for healing hearts through His word. I've worked long and hard on my own Christian romantic suspense novel, Last Resort, and I pray it will reach and heal hearts for God.

Last Resort, Romantic Suspense one dollar off, so grab it before it returns to normal price! Amazon.com sale only 4.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Click on the book cover of Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

Last Resort Romantic Suspense on Sale at Amazon.com

2011-07-26T13:44:00.000-07:00
Last Resort, Romantic Suspense one dollar off, so grab it before it returns to normal price! Amazon.com sale only 4.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Click on the book cover of Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-resort-by-rj-robinson-interview-by.html

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin This was one of my favorite summer reads. Dogwood by Chris Fabry was another. I recently reposted Dogwood. If you scroll to older posts, you'll see comments from the first posting of Dogwood. Of my many summer reads, these two have stuck in my mind. I've read and reviewed books since both, but these two novels stand out and apart from all the others I've reviewed. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend both, and I'm reposting because no one deserves to miss these two great novels!

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Below is a review of one of my favorite novels. If you haven't read this book yet, you're missing out on a great read.

August in Montana by Kandi Jaynes

2011-07-25T06:42:00.000-07:00
August in Montana by Kandi Jaynes, copyright May 2011, published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. is original, creative, heartwarming, and not your typical horse and dog story. In this beautiful sweet romance, there's a special dog called Mocha for pet lovers and an abused horse. Jerrah Jacobs has spent the past year in her home on the road, a special-built pickup, staying at secluded campgrounds in her endeavor to find solace from the past.

She lands hard for Cal, a rancher, when she strides smack into him, and he knocks her flat in the mud by accident. She's on her way to bring a treat to her dog Mocha, her traveling companion, when the handsome rancher knocks her right into his life and that of his two boys. She's injured and unable to drive her standard clutch pickup with a badly sprained ankle. That truck has been her home, so she's not happy with Cal when he takes her tires off, as well as other parts, to keep her from leaving his ranch until she's fully healed. His brother is the local sheriff, so she gets no help there.

Meanwhile Cal's two boys start calling her Mom, and she finds herself longing for a real home. She teaches an abused horse to trust again, if only it were as easy to teach herself. Ms. Jaynes spins a vivid story of a lonely rancher and his two sons who come to the aid of a lonely woman, but Cal is determined to do more than rescue her from an injury. If it's up to him, he wants to rescue her from her solitary life of a woman alone traveling from one campground to another. But, he can't keep her a stranded prisoner forever, and she wants her truck to leave. Will he be able to persuade her to stay for good, or will she take to the road again? Can she get over her fear of being hurt in time to open her heart to Cal and his two boys, or will she continue to fight her conflicting feelings?

I loved this story because it was unique, creative, and original, and I look forward to reading more novels by Kandi Jaynes. For the originality, creativity, and uniqueness, I give this book five strawberry stars. It's available in all eBook formats and may be purchased from the publisher by clicking on the book cover, where you can read a free excerpt, or you may purchase it for your Kindle at Amazon.com, or your Nook at Barnes and Noble. com. Happy trails to reading!

Click on the book cover of Last Resort to read a free excerpt in my romantic suspense novel. Available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

Laura Kate Plantation Series Book One by Gerrie Ferris, copyright April 2009 by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. features Laura Kate, a journalist who returned home to care for her two cousins. Her attorney is supposed to have completed suicide, but she knows he wouldn't have and finds problems with the evidence. Sparks fly when she meets his business partner, Jack Rhodes, and she's so tempted to fall for him, but can she trust him? He always in the middle of everything. An attempt on her own life makes the case more than a puzzle to her, and a woman she's befriended and tried to help is murdered. Jack makes her nervous, but it's hard to resist his southern charm.

I loved this novel because it kept me in suspense about the killer, and I love romance and suspense. I hated to see the woman who was killed be such an easy target and leave a daughter behind because she was so in love with being in love. It made her careless prey. The part about dog fights lead to more suspense. The author did a fine job of using red herrings to make the reader try to figure out who done it. I enjoy such puzzles, so I give the author five strawberry stars. If you like suspense with your romance, you'll enjoy this novel. Her description is vivid and enables the reader to picture the scenes.

A Quiet Place by Michelle Levigne

2011-07-22T02:46:00.000-07:00
A Quiet Place: A Tabor Heights Ohio Novel by Michelle Levigne released as a beautiful eBook in May 2010 by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. I had the pleasure of reading this wonderful book on my vacation and loved it. Talk about evoke reader emotions, this one will. Jeannette Marshal is a young, pregnant widow who returns to her small town with her son BJ to try to build a new life and live in peace. This book tells a unique story of two men who went off to serve their country and returned. Nathan has loved Jeannette since childhood, but his best friend was released from duty before him, so he sent him to the town and woman he loved thinking Jeannette would introduce him and make him feel welcome. He didn't count on her falling in love before he returned. Which one does she marry? Which one makes her a widow? Another unique feature was the in-law problems, not that it's unique to have them, but these were not the typical ones. What Jeannette endures will evoke strong reader emotions, and the author does a marvelous job, so have tissues handy. I highly recommend this novel. It pulled at my heartstrings and in my book, that rates a five-star review. The story is told well and captured and kept my interest. I look forward to reading more of Michelle Levigne's work, especially the other novels in this series. A Quiet Place was one of my favorite summer reads.

This sweet, inspirational, Christian romance is available at Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. in PDF or epub formats. Available in all other eBook formats. Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

Faith and Friends Deliver

2011-07-18T10:54:00.000-07:00
Delivery by Diana Prusik published June 2011 by Tyndale House Publishers is thirty-five chapters of inspiration that tug your heartstrings. At times, you'll hold your breath, laugh, or cry. It'll evoke emotions with character depth and vivid description, I can just picture the heart-warming characters who come to life on the page right down from one woman's Dr. Scholl's shoes to the beautiful ending and special meaning of red carnations.

From the hub of a small-town flower shop, Livi watches the world go by as she attempts to drown life's problems with alcohol. She's lost too many loved ones too young in life to death, but even the alcohol can't offer enough comfort. It only numbs for a short time. Faith and friends prove to deliver more than the bottle, as she learns to cope and appreciate the time she has left with her mother.

I loved this novel and found the author quite adept at rounding out her characters and providing her readers with a few laughs along with the heartache and pain. It's a novel worth reading, and you don't want to miss it. I didn't want to put it down until I finished, yet I wanted to savor it. Though I read most of it quickly, I slowed down to savor those last chapters because I hated to see it come to an end. Delivery is available in eBook format at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com, so grab a copy from those virtual bookshelves and start your reading adventure.

Book Trailer for Last Resort

2011-07-17T13:54:00.000-07:00
This link will take you to the book trailer for my romantic suspense novel, Last Resort. Happy Reading.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwF0dLLX6M&feature=youtu.be

Buy Last Resort for your Kindle at Amazon.com, link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Resort-ebook/dp/B005CQ7JQK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310918473&sr=1-1

Buy Last Resort for your Nook at the link below:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-b-j-robinson/1030124288?ean=2940012838063&itm=1&usri=last%2Bresort%2Bb%2Bj%2Brobinson

Read a free excerpt of Last Resort from the publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. at the link below, and if you'd like it in PDF format to read on your computer or laptop, or in epub format--get it here!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, a fictional town, and Key West, Florida. A woman vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn't budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages.

What early Readers Had to Say...

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

LAST RESORT, a sensational strawberry romantic suspense story, Christian romantic suspense.

First Review of Last Resort by Valerie Strawmier, Long Ridge

What a great story! I loved how you drew your readers in so quickly and then constantly threw in twists and turns for them to deal with. Many women deal with losing what they thought was the love of their life to a failed relationship—it’s their attitude that determines how they proceed on from there. By letting God lead her through the fiery trials that came her way, and trusting Him in the most difficult of times, Faith found her true destiny in life and love and it was everything she had ever dreamed of. This is a fabulous story of love, real life and how a positive attitude in Christ can lead you through even the most difficult times! I highly recommend it and know you will leave the book feeling inspired and encouraged in your walk in the Lord!

Latest review just in:
Wonderful book! Grabs the reader from the very first page. Excellent writing from a new writer, cannot wait to see what her writing future holds.

My story "Flat Tires: Where is God When You Need Him?" is published in Hurray God! Hope, Pray, Believe, a beautiful book Jeanette Sharp has put together with stories by various authors. It's available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

Last Resort is thirty-five chapters of Christian romantic suspense published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., copyright 2011, available in all eBook formats.

Release Day for Last Resort

2011-07-15T01:44:00.000-07:00
Today's the Day you've been waiting for--release day for Last Resort. Click on the picture of the cover to go to Desert Breeze or the orange Desert Breeze box. If you don't have an eReader, you can order it as a PDF file to read on your laptop or computer. If you have a smartphone, you can get a free app at Amazon for the Kindle or Barnes and Noble for the Nook, but it may take a couple of days for the book to be available for purchase through these associates. The publisher releases it today, and they have to put it up for purchase. Keep checking. I'll post links when it's available at both. You can also order through the publisher today as an epub, but you'd have to convert it for your Kindle or Nook through Calibre eBook Management, which you can also download for free, but if you're like me, you'll want to download from Amazon or Barnes and Noble for the Kindle or Nook :).

First Review In by Advance Reader: Valerie Strawmier, Long Ridge

What a great story! I loved how you drew your readers in so quickly and then constantly threw in twists and turns for them to deal with. Many women deal with losing what they thought was the love of their life to a failed relationship—it’s their attitude that determines how they proceed on from there. By letting God lead her through the fiery trials that came her way, and trusting Him in the most difficult of times, Faith found her true destiny in life and love and it was everything she had ever dreamed of. This is a fabulous story of love, real life and how a positive attitude in Christ can lead you through even the most difficult times! I highly recommend it and know you will leave the book feeling inspired and encouraged in your walk in the Lord! Last Resort is available in all eBook formats and may be purchased directly through the publisher at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-184/B-J-Robinson-Last/Detail.bok or at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

It's available at Barnes and Noble at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/last-resort-bj-robinson/1032019601?ean=2940012838063&itm=6&usri=last%2bresort.

Thanks so much to all of you who've shown me blessed support and cheered me on. Happy reading!

Last Resort by B. J. Robinson is thirty-five chapters of Christian romantic suspense published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., copyright 2011, that author and speaker Deb Haggerty says, "… keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, Florida, a fictional town, and Key West, Florida. Faith Grace Roussell vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. Will she be forced to use The Pink Lady? In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn't budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages.

BJ

Edgy Christian Fiction 2011 Hot Summer Reads Blog Tour

2011-07-10T01:33:00.000-07:00
Welcome to the 2011 Edgy Christian Fiction Hot Summer Reads Blog Tour. To read a free excerpt from any featured author, click on the book cover. Below are hot summer reads just waiting for you. Leave a comment for an opportunity to win a free novel!!! I'm so excited that you stopped by to check out these hot summer reads. Please sign to follow my blog for future updates and reviews. Rita Garcia was last week's Edgy Christian Fiction 2011 Hot Summer Reads winner!

Last Resort by B. J. Robinson is thirty-five chapters of Christian romantic suspense published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc., copyright 2011, that author and speaker Deb Haggerty says, "… keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, Florida, a fictional town, and Key West, Florida. Faith Grace Roussell vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. Will she be forced to use The Pink Lady? In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn't budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages.

Another hot summer read is Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton, a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and released August 1, 2009. Hot for a summer read, let Laney Cooper capture your heart from the beginning. She's lost everyone she's ever loved in car accidents and fear has caused her to become a recluse. She's afraid of riding in a vehicle, driving one, and of loving and losing again.

Thirty-two chapters keep you turning the pages as you experience the healing of Laney's heart as she discovers a new interest in the least likely of places and jobs. A special touch is the use of Chihuahuas who add to the story in their own unique way. The sequel, In Plain Sight. Either novel stands alone, but In Plain Sight picks up on another character's story.

In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton is a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing. Twenty chapters lure you into a well-developed plot where the main character Jovana struggles to overcome her past. Abused and abandoned by a former boyfriend, who left her on the street to die, she loses her unborn child. If you read Danger at the Door, you'll want to read this one, too. It's the second book, and I adored it. The author weaves a tale of romance and redemption. I loved Danger at the Door, the first book, but this novel was even better. Visit Michelle at http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com and let her powerful books heal your heart!

The third author is Nike Chillemi who has her hero ride in on a Harley for a hot summer read. The new sweet historical romance, Sanctuary Point Book One: Burning Hearts just released May 15. It's set in Long Island New York, and the hero, Lorne Kincade, rides in on a Harley Davidson and attempts to rescue a woman from a fire. He meets Erica Brogna, and can't shake her from his mind or heart, but someone is out to frame him for the murder of the woman he tried to save. If they can't succeed in framing him, they'll settle for Erica, but he won't let that happen. I absolutely loved this one!

The fourth author in my hot summer reads recommendations is Naomi Musch for her Empire in Pine Book One: The Green Veil is forty chapters of layered Christian Fiction published January 1, 2011, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and all I can say to begin with is--what a book! I absolutely loved it. A must add to your summer reading list because it's a hot summer read about true love between Colette Palmer and Manason Kade who go from childhood friends through much more and to much more.

Colette Palmer and Manason Kade grew up together as childhood friends in Michigan, and Colette always hoped he'd be the one. He's her first true love, but when her family relocates to Wisconsin they lose track of one another. She waits years in hopes he'll became a lumber cruiser in Wisconsin, so they'll be reunited. Year after year unravels, and she has to build a new life. This Christian Fiction novel is layered with rich details realistic to life, and the author provides rich description of beautiful wood scenes, but in a way that enrich the story without detracting from it. I find the plot original, the theme worthy, and I didn't want to put this novel down until I found out what happened to Colette and Manason. I loved the part the dog played in it. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, Musch throws in a spin and twist that'll take your breath away. The novel is full of twists that'll make your head spin and keep you on the edge of your seat.
This is the first book in the series of three, and I can't wait to read the other two.

Blessings and happy reading!

Last Resort by B. J. Robinson

2011-07-03T13:18:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, stalked by her ex-fiance, will Faith Grace Roussell be forced to use The Pink Lady? She strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods.

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, Florida, a fictional town, Key West, the Panhandle, and Plant City, Florida. Faith Grace Roussell vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn't budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages. Her first interview for Last Resort may be read at http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-resort-by-rj-robinson-interview-by.html.

http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/2011/05/last-resort-by-rj-robinson-interview-by.html

What early Readers Had to Say...

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

Christian Writers Guild Newsletter, scroll to bottom of page two for announcements about my three new releases. http://www.christianwritersguild.com/pdfs/JulyWordSmith.pdf

CLICK ON THE IMAGE OF LAST RESORT TO GO DIRECTLY TO DESERT BREEZE PUBLISHER FOR MORE INFORMATION. Also available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com upon release. Releases July 15. SOUTHERN SUPERSTITIONS releases January 15, 2012, and WHISPERING CYPRESS releases August 15, 2012, both romantic suspense presented by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. of California.

Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh

2011-07-03T11:44:00.000-07:00
Night of the Cossack by Tom Blubaugh is an awesome 34 chapters and 250 pages of adventure young boys will love. It's a Christian novel of adventure,an imprint of Bound by Faith Publishers, a beautiful paperback. When teen Nathan Hertzfield is kidnapped during a raid and forced to become a Cossack solider, life as he knew it is ripped apart. Mixed emotions run rampant as he's faced with life-altering, life-threatening situations. He feels lucky on one hand that his mother and brother are still alive, but he has to leave them and his past behind. Just when he thinks he's built a new life for himself, he finds himself on the run once again. He's lost so much at such a young age: loved ones, his home, family, and his own identity. Can he take losing the one thing he has left, his beloved horse? Just when he finds a woman and falls in love and dreams of starting his own family, he's forced to leave her too, without looking back. How much can one young man stand? He's a Jew forced to hide it and even expected to defend himself as a Cossack solider and kill other Jews, but he doesn't want to take a life. His mother raised a moral son, and even in the face of the obstacle course that's become his life, he vows to hold onto his character.

The author, Tom Blubaugh, a freelance writer who has written mostly nonfiction has turned his pen to fiction and spun an amazing tale of family heritage with a strong character readers will love. Filled with emotions, vivid description, and danger, this novel will keep the reader on his toes until the last page to discover what happens to Nathan in the end.

While it's not the type of book I'd normally select, my interest was captivated from the first chapter when Nathan didn't listen to his mother. I think the best audience is teen boys or men, but I'm a woman, and I have to admit I loved this novel and couldn't put it down once I started reading it. I love the way the novel ends when the captain tells Nathan, "I have a friend who was also betrayed by someone close to him."You'll have to read the novel and find out who this friend is. This novel is also available as an eBook from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

Go to Tom Blubaugh's site, Author of Night of the Cossack--Read the first chapter get a signed copy by ordering here. FREE shipping. Published by Bound by Faith Publishers.
eboook for Kindle available at Amazon.com. Be sure to like my page and do a review when you finish, if you like my book.
ebook for Nook available at Barnes & Noble
Night of the Cossack Facebook page. Be sure to like my page while you're there please.
Visit My Blog. Be sure to sign up as a follower.
Co-author of The Great Adventure published by Barbour Publishing. (out of print).
Genesis Project
Jericho Commission, Inc.

Burned Biscuits

2011-06-10T14:14:00.001-07:00
I am excited to share the following post, with permission. The author has done a beautiful job and this piece well deserves to be shared. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The author said, "Something to share as we eat our McDonald's Breakfast this morning. Have a safe and restful summer." (Our treat this morning :)Thanks)

Burned Biscuits

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner
every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she
had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening
so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely
burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if
anyone noticed!

Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask
me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that
night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that
ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing... never made a
face nor uttered a word about it!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom
apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget
what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if
he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and
said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real
tired. And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

As I've grown older, I've thought about that many times. Life is
full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at
hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like
everyone else. But what I've learned over the years is that learning
to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each others
differences - is one of the most important keys to creating a
healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today... that you will learn to take the
good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the
feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able
to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is
the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or
friendship!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep
it in your own."

So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine.

Kimberly G. Miller

Chasing Sunsets Book I Cedar Key Series by Eva Marie Everson

2011-06-05T16:17:00.001-07:00
Chasing Sunsets, Book I in the Cedar Key Series by Eva Marie Everson, released June 1, 2011, by Baker Publishing. It's 35 chapters that will sweep the reader to an island time hasn't touched, Cedar Key. Relax with a summer island read where Kimberly Tucker, a divorced mother with two sons, struggles with loneliness when they spend five weeks of the summer with their father. When her father sends her back to the family vacation home in Cedar Key, she encounters her first teen love, Steven Granger, and an elderly wise woman of God, Patsy. Patsy might be old, but she's computer savy and facebooks with her grandson, and Kim finds herself seeking advice from the woman who has done some living and trusts God.

Steven is also divorced and a single father, but is he the island playboy an old childhood friend claims, or has he truly become an adult and man of God? The old flame still sparks embers, and Kim dares to believe her first love might become her last, but her youngest son wants to see his mom and dad reunited, though his dad has moved on with his life and has become involved with many other women. Will she let her son and her ex decide her future, or will she learn to let go of what she can't possibly control and let God? Can she trust the man who broke her heart as a teen, or will he rip her heart to shreds once again?

This Christian novel is different in that two divorced people find grace and redemption and this makes it a realistic novel in today's world, a book with the potential to reach hearts for God. It illustrates how people live through mistakes and find it's never too late to turn to God, and change can be good. I loved the single father aspect, but most of all, I love the author's beautiful island description of Cedar Key. Her vivid detail makes the sights, sounds, and colors come alive for the reader. I can just see the marsh from the slider and envision those sunrises and sunsets that make Cedar Key famous along with the seafood, and as the author says, ". . . the island that time forgot."

I've been to Cedar Key and can identify with every inch of amazing sensory details, and I love the island that remains untouched by today's standards. This novel is available in paperback or eBook formats at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. I enjoyed the read on my Nook. If you'd like to visit an island paradise through the pages of a great novel, let Chasing Sunsets sweep you to another world and way of life. Relax and enjoy a virtual paradise, one where life is slower paced and filled with the sweet peace nature offers through God's creativity.

New Announcement

2011-06-05T10:04:00.001-07:00
Signing two more novel contracts with Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. Southern Superstitions will release January 15 and Whispering Cypress August 15 of 2012. LAST RESORT releases July 15 this summer just in time for a great beach read :)

LAST RESORT is set in Bridal Wreath, Florida, a fictional town, Key West, Florida, and the Panhandle. Faith Grace Roussell vows to hide her heart so deeply in Christ that to find her, a man will have to find Him first, but will the true hidden treasures in God's Word be enough when she collides with Matt Allen? Faith is stalked and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull? She's pursued by an ex-fiancé, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . . .There's only one last resort.

Faith left the city to return to the country home where she grew up, but someone wants her to pack bags, not berries. A series of incidents take place to try to force her to leave. When she doesn't budge, arson, attempted murder, and murder kept the reader turning pages.

What early Readers Had to Say...

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

LAST RESORT, a sensational strawberry romantic suspense story, will be on sale as of July 15 at

Desert Breeze Publishing. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok

or Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com

Burning Hearts by Nike Chillemi: Hero on a Harley

2011-05-26T14:58:00.001-07:00
Author Nike Chillemi's new sweet historical romance, Sanctuary Point Book One: Burning Hearts just released May 15. It's set in Long Island New York, and the hero, Lorne Kincade, rides in on a Harley Davidson and attempts to rescue a woman from a fire. He meets Erica Brogna, and can't shake her from his mind or heart, but someone is out to frame him for the murder of the woman he tried to save. If they can't succeed in framing him, they'll settle for Erica, but he won't let that happen.

The action starts with Chapter One and keeps on going. I don't usually read historical romance novels, since my favorite genre is romantic suspense, but I truly enjoyed this one and wanted to keep reading to see what happened. I loved the way the hero rode in to the rescue on a bike instead of a white horse and turned out to be a true hero in more ways than one. If you're looking for a clean romance, the couple is young and innocent, and the romance has the flavor of sweet, young love that it is.

Burning Hearts is available for only $5.99 at the publisher's, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-167/Nike-Chillemi-Sanctuary-Point/Detail.bok, or at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. It's available in all eBook formats. I enjoyed it on my Nook. So, what are you waiting for? With an eReader, you can have romance home delivered in a matter of mintues. Happy reading!

LAST RESORT by B. J. Robinson Releases July 15!!

2011-05-23T01:07:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

Faith is pursued by an ex-fiance, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . .

There's only one last resort . . .

What Readers Are Saying About B. J. Robinson's Last Resort

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

LAST RESORT by B. J. Robinson Coming Soon!

2011-05-18T15:43:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

Faith is pursued by an ex-fiance, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . .

There's only one last resort . . .

What Readers Are Saying About B. J. Robinson's Last Resort

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

ROMANCE AND SUSPENSE--LAST RESORT COMING SOON!

2011-05-13T15:06:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

COMING SOON by B. J. ROBINSON RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011,by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. LAST RESORT is a Christian romantic suspense novel with twists and surprises to keep you flipping pages. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Box to check out their beautiful books. AVAILABLE ON ALL EBOOK READERS!

LAST RESORT COMING SOON by B. J. Robinson

2011-05-06T18:41:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

COMING SOON by B. J. ROBINSON RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011,by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. LAST RESORT is a Christian romantic suspense novel with twists and surprises to keep you flipping pages. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Box to check out their beautiful books. AVAILABLE ON ALL EBOOK READERS!

LAST RESORT BY B. J. ROBINSON COMING SOON!

2011-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

COMING SOON by B. J. ROBINSON RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011,by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. LAST RESORT is a Christian romantic suspense novel with twists and surprises to keep you flipping pages. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Box to check out their beautiful books. AVAILABLE ON ALL EBOOK READERS!

Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick -- Sifting Ashes

2011-04-18T14:19:00.000-07:00
Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick published in July 2010 by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. is an award-winning inspirational with a message of faith along with suspense that weaves research about fires realistically. Sadie McGregor teams up with Police Chief Quinn Harrington to investigate a fire that took the life of a local college student in her hometown, Emerald Point, Missouri.

Sadie lost her own family to a fire when she was only seven and has lived with the guilt of causing it. Now, she sifts through the ashes of her own life and tries to make sense of it, since she believes in God, but she doesn't feel she deserves His love and forgiveness. Quinn hopes his own belief and faith message will help her change her mind, because he knows only God can heal her heart and fill that void, but will it happen in time to save their relationship? From politicians to judges, the community is rocked when Sadie puts her own life on the line to find who murdered the girl and tried to cover it up with a fire.

Several young men were interested in Sadie. Can Quinn compete? Can he control his jealousy when it comes to her former boyfriends, especially when one is a rich, handsome politician and one owns a mansion. How can he, a small-town police chief, even compete? Learn about how fires are investigated while you enjoy the twists and turns of this novel and see if you can figure out who the killer is. You might find yourself holding your own breath, but not from smoke and fire. And, if you're a classic car lover, there's a yellow bug and a mustang. The author intermingles a fine tale woven with educational fire research so it doesn't jerk the reader from the story. You'll fall in love with Sadie and Quinn.

Grab yours before the smoke clears at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/Categories.bok or Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. Available for all e-readers at a price that won't burn your pockets.

LAST RESORT COMING SOON--JULY 15

2011-04-16T13:50:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. The men in her family used guns, but only for hunting. The women never touched them. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

COMING SOON by B. J. ROBINSON RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011, AVAILABLE ON ALL EBOOK READERS!

False Pretenses by Kathy Herman: Grace and Forgiveness on the Bayou

2011-04-10T13:11:00.000-07:00
False Pretenses by Kathy Herman is the first Christian suspense novel in a new series Secrets of Roux River Bayou set in Louisiana, published March 2011 by David C. Cook Publisher in both paperback and ebook formats, available on Kindle and Nook among other ereaders. Over forty chapters of suspense that will keep you riveted once you become entwined in the lives of realistic characters who'll touch your heart and soul. Zoe and Pierce Broussard open a Cajun eatery, Zoe B's, and they're happily married for five years before a drug dealer threatens not only their happy union, but also their very lives. Boarders Vanessa and Ethan Langely and their young son, Carter, become involved in the danger when they attempt to help the Broussard family. Five years of deception on Zoe's part sets off a series of events that include a hanging from an oak tree on the Vincent farm that neighbors the Langely Manor to a fight for their very lives.

Someone is getting inside the manor despite the fact that all new locks have been installed on the doors and windows. Carter says he found a candy man in the closet in an upstairs bedroom. Is the intruding stranger real or only a figment of an active four-year old imagination? Sugarcane fields separate the manor from the farm and secret tunnels add to a vivid tale of forgiveness and grace. When a young newspaper boy is murdered, racial tension threatens the entire community. Vanessa and Ethan are renovating the manor as a bed and breakfast unaware of its unique history that will only add to its personal charm, which they discover from an unexpected source.

Vivid description aids readers in visualizing what a Louisiana Cajun community is like by allowing travel through the pages of a good book. Can Zoe and Pierce's lives be saved? And, if so, what about their marriage? He's a proud Cajun? Will pride get in the way of forgiveness and grace? This beautifully told story is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as other online bookstores. While it has a few word omissions and mistakes, I was able to overlook them for the story told and loved the themes and ending as well as the twists and turns. If you like Southern novels, I'd say this is one you won't want to miss. I'm glad I discovered it and can't wait for the others in the series. There was one spot where an error jumped off the page when Pierce and his father are talking toward the end of the book. They were sitting on the porch in a glider, then on a couch, then the father was pushing the glider. I noticed it because I'm a writer learning to hone my craft. As a reader, perhaps I wouldn't have paid it much attention. It's hard to produce a perfect book. My own novel has been through different reviewers and sets of eyes, and such an error was caught by the copy editor in a scene about a truck. I've corrected it, and I'm so glad I have an editor with this novel, because it amazes me at how many sets of eyes have read over my manuscript, including my critique group and others, and it sneaked past them. I was born and raised in Louisiana though, and I don't think I could change my name and pull off being a Cajun. The author did a great job of making what would seem impossible believable though.

I think of the author as the bird lady due to all the beautiful pictures she captures and shares on Facebook. After reading her novel, I feel I have a better picture of who she really is, a beautiful and gracious lady who wrote a beautiful and gracious story of suspense. There were times I didn't want to put the novel down because I wanted to see what happened next. I'd rate the novel four-and-half only because of the few errors, but I promise you the story spun is a five, and anyone who has a love for the South will enjoy this Southern homespun tale of majestic oaks and a plantation called a manor for all the right reasons. I can just see those sugarcane fields waving in the wind and picture that bayou in my mind. Visit Kathy Herman on Facebook and see for yourself her unique talent for bird photography as well as writing.

Empire in Pine Book One: The Green Veil by Naomi Musch

2011-04-02T14:26:00.000-07:00
Empire in Pine Book One: The Green Veil by Naomi Musch is forty chapters of layered Christian Fiction published January 1, 2011, by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and all I can say to begin with is--what a book! I absolutely loved it.

Colette Palmer and Manason Kade grew up together as childhood friends in Michigan, and Colette always hoped he'd be the one. He's her first true love, but when her family relocates to Wisconsin they lose track of one another. She waits years in hopes he'll became a lumber cruiser in Wisconsin, so they'll be reunited. Year after year unravels, and she has to build a new life. She meets Joseph, and he gives her a yellow dog she names Dandy, a beautiful, fancy blue shawl, and proposes, but she holds him at arm's length and says he's her best friend.

She finds herself proposed to by two different men and finally says yes to the second proposal out of compassion. When this man makes a difficult husband and tells her she can't keep her dog, she turns to Joseph for help. Her first love reappears, and she's faced with a difficult decision when he offers refuge. Will she honor her marriage vows? Her heart is torn. Problems surmount and obstacles larger than the woods of Wisconsin rear their ugly heads.

This Christian Fiction novel is layered with rich details realistic to life, and the author provides rich description of beautiful wood scenes, but in a way that enrich the story without detracting from it. I find the plot original, the theme worthy, and I didn't want to put this novel down until I found out what happened to Colette and Manason. Boggs, a lumberman hired by Collette's husband, is a mean man who'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, and Collette has a face-off with him. I loved the part the dog played in it. Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, Musch throws in a spin and twist that'll take your breath away. The novel is full of twists that'll make your head spin and keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is the first book in the series of three, and I can't wait to read the other two. The Green Veil is available as an ebook at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and at Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. I know I want to read more by this author, without a doubt, and I rate THE GREEN VEIL a five-star novel!

http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Square to the right and go see what a beautiful book it is for yourself. Also, read more about the book and the author at the site.

Light of the Heart by Regina Andrews

2011-03-27T10:32:00.000-07:00
Light of the Heart by Regina Andrews is a beautiful book inside and out, published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. March 1, 2011. It's Sterling Lakes Book One, and I look forward to the other novels in the series.

Cascade Preston is a stained-glass artist who struggles to overcome an awful childhood and trust in men. She doesn't want anything to do with the town she grew up in when she's sought to complete the stained-glass project to remodel an old church in Sterling Lakes. Cascade encounters the project manager, Dan McQuay, and though she's attracted and single, she turns down the job and makes up her mind to forget his blue eyes until the ladies at the prison where she volunteers make her think twice. They throw a guilt trip on her, and she ends up wanting to do the windows for the church when she visits the site and thinks they've gotten another artist.

The beauty of this book is in the method the author uses to convey God's light in the heart and entwine it with the light that filters through stained glass windows in a church. Dan McQuay makes it his business to not get involved until he's entwined in the rays of light Cascade throws his way and he opens his heart to God's light. When they both open their hearts to the stained-glass window project, God works in both.

At first Cascade has to face her fear of Dan's leaving like usual when he completes a job. Then, she's offered a big contract and must go to New York if she wants to follow her dreams. Will she marry Dan or follow her dreams and be the one who does the leaving? She feels like she's sold her soul when she flies to New York and signs that big contract. She must search her conflicted heart, and she's so confused she doesn't know what is the right thing to do. Can she face living in Sterling Lakes again, the town she grew up in and hates? Is it possible for God to change her heart about Sterling Lakes and the people who live there, if she lets the light filter in through those stained glass windows? Can she trust Dan not to leave her?

I bought this book and read it on my Nook and loved it. It's available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com for only $4.79, or from the publisher at http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/StoreFront.bok. Click on the orange Desert Breeze Square to the right and go see what a beautiful book it is for yourself. Also, read more about the book and the author at the site.

If you want to read a beautiful book with a filtered-light story, this is the one. And you won't want to miss what happens when Cascade must face her fear of the water when the canoe tips over during a sudden storm.

Is Heartbreak Necessary? By Michael J. Sullivan

2011-03-25T12:25:00.000-07:00
Necessary Heartbreak by Michael J. Sullivan published by Gallery Books, copyright 2010 is a novel you can't miss. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, since I was hooked from the first chapter. The main characters are a single dad and his daughter, Michael and Elizabeth. Journey with them through life's obstacle course in the world, as we know it today, as well as through first-century Jerusalem. Michael losses two important women in his life, loves of his life, his mother and his wife. Left with his daughter to raise, he strives to do the best he can and vows never to leave her or allow anyone to hurt her. But, in Jerusalem, Roman soldiers threaten to overpower him, and one wants Elizabeth for his wife. She's only 14, not even allowed to kiss, so Michael is determined not to let this solider have his way with his daughter, but can he save her?

While helping the local church with food pantry items, Elizabeth finds a trap door and explores while Michael goes back upstairs for more items. He returns and follows his daughter through the hole in the basement floor to a world that's only existed in the pages of the Bible. After the loss of his mother and living on New York streets homeless, his faith is shaken, but he soon discovers Jesus is real when Jesus looks at him and says, "Heartbreak is necessary for one to understand how great God's gift of time truly is." He asks Michael if he's there to lift his burden, or to help Jesus with his. Then, Jesus informs him that he shouldn't look too far, since his daughter can lift his burden.

Without the help of a beautiful green-eyed lady in Jerusalem, Leah, Michael and his daughter would have been easy prey for the Roman soldiers, but will her help be enough to save Elizabeth from marrying an unknown Roman soldier, or will she be forced to become his wife to save herself and her father?

A novel that truly mixes life's problems of today and blends them with history, this book will enrich your life and soul. It's a pleasurable read I started late on a Friday evening and completed on the following Sunday. And, it deciphers today's teens well, always in a hurry with earbuds tucked in their ears. Parents of today compete with Ipods, cell phones, and electronics for attention. But, Michael and Elizabeth are whisked back in time and history where no electronic gadgets can aid their rescue, and Liz, as she's called by her friends, has to learn to deal with life on a very humble level without her cell phone. She's grateful for her father and never wants him to leave her side. Will their world ever return to normal? If it does, will Leah be a part of it, or will they be forced to leave her to the Roman soldiers? Will heartbreak be necessary for all of them to survive?

Back Cover Material: An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he's lost is still alive--and stronger than ever . . . . Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets. Now, he's raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he's turned his back on his faith--that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door. . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ's life. It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned--or worse--and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow. But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history's most necessary and shattering heartbreak--and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.

About the Author, Michael J. Sullivan: Michael, a sports journalist and author of sports-themed books for children, started the novel decades ago and some of the flashbacks came from that time period. In May 2007, he began to earnestly work to complete Necessary Heartbreak. After the first draft was completed, he acquired an editor. He says he believes there are people who walk the earth who step into your life for reasons, and he had the help of such people in completing his novel, which is based upon his life experiences.

While on vacation in Orlando, Florida, he received a phone call from Simon & Schuster. Their interest was in publishing a revised edition. He found the perfect fit and the support he needed for the trilogy, was placed in the hands of a capable editor, and took a year to write, re-write, revise, and re-write the novel. He thanks his wife for her help and support as well as all others who played a hand in the outcome of its publication. The appendix contains a Reading Group Guide.

Michael lives in New York City and hosts several sports radio shows. He's worked with ESPN and Sporting News. He's a graduate of St. John's University. Visit him at www.whentimeforgets.com. There's also an ebook edition available.

In my humble and honest opinion, this is one of the best books I've read since last summer when I read Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted and Chris Fabry's Dogwood. I urge you to grab Necessary Heartbreak for a read you won't soon forget. It's available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com and hit local bookstores last March 31! If you haven't read it yet, don't miss it on its anniversary!

Blurb for Last Resort Novel to be Released July 15!

2011-03-23T11:50:00.000-07:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

Faith is pursued by an ex, shattered dreams, an awesome God, and a cowboy farmer. There's only one place she can turn . . .

What Readers Are Saying About B. J. Robinson's Last Resort

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

What Readers Are Saying About B. J. Robinson's Last Resort

2011-03-23T09:49:00.000-07:00
What Readers Are Saying About B. J. Robinson's Last Resort

"B. J. Robinson's Last Resort is an inspirational romantic suspense story that keeps you hanging on the edge of your seat -- both to see if the villain is overcome and to see if Matt and Faith end up together. You don't want to miss this one with its twists; it's a great read!"
Deb Haggerty, Author and Speaker

"The warm, sweet romance, yet insightful story, will touch your heart with its simplicity and charm."
Janet Perez Eckles, Author and Speaker

Blog Tour Karen Kingsbury's LEAVING

2011-03-23T01:53:00.000-07:00
TODAY'S THE DAY--DRAWING FOR A FREE COPY OF KAREN KINGSBURY'S LEAVING IN CELEBRATION OF HER BLOG TOUR!

Leaving by Karen Kingsbury is twenty-six chapters of a coming-of-age love story between Bailey Flangian and Cody Coleman published by Zondervan, copyright 2011. After confessing his love for Bailey, Cody disappears from her life with no phone calls or texts, no explanation. She's left to wonder why and while her heart aches for him, her true love, she's tempted by two other very eligible men. She's chasing a dream of dancing on Broadway, but has to face leaving her family and friends for the adventure and lifetime opportunity. Can her heart forget Cody? He seems to have forgotten her and moved on with his life. Even with the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood wooing her, she still can't get Cody out of her mind.

The author keeps you turning the pages with hope and just when you think there's a possibility Bailey and Cody will get together, new friends complicate the situation until they're driven apart again. Will Cody ever be honest with Bailey and confess his true reason for distancing himself, or will he leave her to wonder and yearn? The Baxter family is featured, and this book is suppose to complete the Bailey/Cody story, but it leaves room for more, and readers, like myself, may desire to read more about Bailey and Cody.

Don't miss this best-selling author's new novel. Visit her at www.KarenKingsbury.com. I've read Sunrise and Unlocked, and her books won't disappoint.

Catch a Great Read with Danielle Thorne's Turtle Soup

2011-03-18T17:39:00.001-07:00
Turtle Soup by Danielle Thorne is 21 Chapters of romance set in Georgia with a Caribbean visit, published by the author, Smashwords Edition, Copyright 2010. Sara Hart and Jack Brandon collide, and she ends up with his planner, his little black book. When she discovers he's a marine biologist who works at the Georgia Aquarium and researches sea turltes, she decides to name her deli Turtle Soup. From their first encounter, they conflict instead of click. Sara takes a scuba class and Jack turns out to be a diving-instructor hero in more ways than one. They can't see eye-to-eye on land, but underneath the beautiful water through their diving masks, their vision becomes clear.

Add Jack's eighty-year old secretary and a jealous redhead to the mix. Will Sara and Jack ever reconcile their differences? Sara's deli struggles. Will she be able to survive and save it? What will become of the homeless man who sleeps against the wall of the deli's backdoor? And can Sara overcome her fear of water, after losing both her parents to a drowning accident, long enough to become a certified diver? Worse, when Jack gives up on Sara and leaves Georgia to return home to his boat in the Caribbean, will Sara's Caribbean vacation cost her niece her life? Will Jack give up on Sara for good, or can an underwater world and an old sea turtle friend change their conflicting views?

Once I started this novel, I didn't want to put it down. It's creative and original with a different type of hero. I found the Georgia Aquarium and sea-turtle research interesting, and the author's underwater descriptions allow the reader to experience diving with vivid detail. It's not just another romance, but it's a sea-turtle one I thoroughly enjoyed.

This novel is available at Barnes and Noble as a Nook book for only $4.99, which is the way I enjoyed it. Don't miss the author's beautiful blog at http://www.daniellethorne.com/turtle-soup/, and if you don't have an ereader, you can download the novel as a PDF file and read it on your computer. You may visit Danielle Thorne on Facebook. A free Nook app is available for download on your iphone from Barnes and Noble. The book has a beautiful cover that will make you want to dive right in and discover the Caribbean treasure in a wonderland of underwater diving. Catch Turtle Soup and a free recipe at the end of the novel for Turtle Soup's cherry whip.

LAST RESORT RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011

2011-03-13T01:01:00.000-08:00
Two desperate people--one last resort, Faith Grace Roussell is stalked by her ex-fiance and forced to search her conflicted heart. The men in her family used guns, but only for hunting. The women never touched them. In a battle of love, loss, and raging jealousy, she strives to build a new life with peace and contentment, but Matt Allen has eyes like magnets she could get as lost in as unknown woods. Will he prove to be a helpmate or just another strawberry cull?

COMING SOON by B. J. ROBINSON RELEASE DATE JULY 15, 2011, AVAILABLE ON ALL EBOOK READERS!

Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

2011-03-11T14:20:00.000-08:00
Leaving by Karen Kingsbury is twenty-six chapters of a coming-of-age love story between Bailey Flangian and Cody Coleman published by Zondervan, copyright 2011. After confessing his love for Bailey, Cody disappears from her life with no phone calls or texts, no explanation. She's left to wonder why and while her heart aches for him, her true love, she's tempted by two other very eligible men. She's chasing a dream of dancing on Broadway, but has to face leaving her family and friends for the adventure and lifetime opportunity. Can her heart forget Cody? He seems to have forgotten her and moved on with his life. Even with the most eligible bachelor in Hollywood wooing her, she still can't get Cody out of her mind.

The author keeps you turning the pages with hope and just when you think there's a possibility Bailey and Cody will get together, new friends complicate the situation until they're driven apart again. Will Cody ever be honest with Bailey and confess his true reason for distancing himself, or will he leave her to wonder and yearn? The Baxter family is featured, and this book is suppose to complete the Bailey/Cody story, but it leaves room for more, and readers, like myself, may desire to read more about Bailey and Cody.

Don't miss this best-selling author's new novel. Visit her at www.KarenKingsbury.com. I've read Sunrise and Unlocked, and her books won't disappoint.

Bound by Guilt by C. J. Darlington

2011-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:00
Bound by Guilt by C. J. Darlington is forty-one chapters of page-turning fiction published by Tyndale House Publishers February 21, 201l. I enjoyed it on my Nook. Roxi Gold is a sixteen-year-old who has been shuttled amongst foster parents since she was taken at eight from her mother. Always on the move, she's never known anything lasting. Her heart yearns for a real family and parents who love her, but each new family disappoints her and proves that no one could love her, or so she thinks, especially after tracking her own mother down and finding she's still not wanted.

When she's taken in by a relative, she strives to please no matter what. She's taught to steal books for a living and travels around the country in an RV. One night, they hit the wrong place--Dawson's Book Barn, and their lives slowly begin to unravel when Hunter Dawson, the manager who lives in an attached apartment wakes and catches them red-handed. Roxi can't take the guilt and wishes she could turn back the clock, but the past can't be erased. She runs away one time too many in the end. Will this be her last mistake?

Darlington has woven a Christian tale about a young teen whose life falls apart, one who eventually has to face police woman, Abby Dawson, Hunter's sister. Is it too late to save Roxi, in more ways than one? Will Roxi ever find someone who will truly love and care about her as a person? She's used to fighting her battles alone, determined and independent, but this time, she faces one she can't win alone. I loved the special touch of including the story line about an unwanted dog who was also abused. I didn't want to put this novel down until I found out what happened to Roxi in the end.

BOUND BY GUILT is available in paperback or ebook form from Amazon or Barnes and Noble among other online publishers. I snagged my copy from Barnes and Noble, and I'm so glad I did. This is C. J.'s second novel, and I've read, reviewed, and loved both. Her first, THICKER THAN BLOOD won the 2004 Christian Writers Guild Contest and $20,000, so C. J. is truly an award-winning author. Don't miss either of her inspirational books. Let your fingers race to the nearest online store and let them fly off the shelf to your ereader today! No waiting. No trips to the store. In just a few minutes, you can read this wonderful tale you won't want to put down.

A Promise of Hope by Amy Clipston: A Promise of Hope for Sarah & Luke's Love Story

2011-03-06T11:52:00.000-08:00
A Promise of Hope by Amy Clipston, copyright 2010, published by Zondervan, is twenty-seven chapters of promise with an epilogue and discussion questions. Hope for Luke and Sarah will keep you turning the pages. Sara's lost her husband Peter in a fire at the furniture store, and she's having twins. Secrets from the past reveal their ugly heads and make her wonder if her marriage was a sham, but she loved her husband. Luke sets out to discover what happened to his brother, Peter, and entwines himself in the Kauffman family and the Amish furniture store. He longs for a real family and can't help envying how his brother fell into such a large, caring family and ended up with Sarah, a beautiful, sweet wife.

An old friend, Norman, who also lost his wife and has children to raise on his own, hopes to win Sarah's hand in marriage. Sarah is faced with tough decisions when Norman proposes to her, but she can't get Luke out of her mind. It doesn't help matters that her brother, Timothy, encourages Norman and discourages Luke. Will she listen to her brother and what makes logical sense or her heart? Can she marry a man she doesn’t love for the sake of her twins? She doesn't want to face raising them alone. I became so involved in Luke and Sarah's story that I didn't want to put the novel down until finished. While Amish fiction is not my usual dose, since I love romantic suspense, this book is a worthy read, and I found it engaging.

It's an excellent read and may be purchased online at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. It's available as a paperback, hardcover, or ebook for the Kindle or Nook. The author is an American Christian Fiction Writer (ACFW) and lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons.

Last Resort

2011-02-24T15:32:00.000-08:00
My publisher, Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. has moved up the publication date for my novel Last Resort. It releases July 2011 instead of March 1, 2012, and will be available on all ereaders.

Tina Pinson's Writing Journey

2011-02-20T04:27:00.000-08:00
Clash of the Titles (www.clashofthetitles.com) conqueror, Tina Pinson (www.tinapinson.com), shares her long journey to publication and how to stay true to the Writer Within—the one God made you to be.

I started writing in elementary school. I felt like God gave me a love for words and a grand imagination so I should put them to use.I would write my stories and people would see the unique writer God made me. Editors would read my stories and be astounded. (more true than not when they saw how horrible my editing was).
I won awards for poetry and songs. Published short stories, took writer's courses, finalled in the Noble Theme Contest (Genesis), and had an agent ask to manage me.
Years passed… no contract. Was I a horrible writer? No. It just wasn’t my time. Still, it stung. God never said it would be easy. He said to persevere.

People told me that Christian Fiction was a waste. They said if I really wanted to use my writing for the Lord, I'd write devotionals, or do a biography about someone who had done great things for the Lord. I wondered if they were right. I wasn't getting published, maybe writing novels was stupid. So I tried to write like everyone else thought I should. It turned out bea-u-ti-ful-y. NOT.

God gave me my words and my imagination. When I didn't use it in the way he ordained, I felt listless. Why? Because I needed to write God's will. There are people I was created to touch. If I'm not true to the writer God made me, I may not reach them. I settled on the fact that I should write Christian Fiction. Now that I had that settled before myself and God, the editors would come calling. I would have a contract soon.

More time passed. It hit me, while God had promised to meet my needs and give me a most awesome future, he never promised I'd be published. (Never said I wouldn't, either.)That was tough to wrap my head around, I couldn't believe God would give me these stories and not let me publish them. So, I took matters into my own hands and self-published my own books, and God saw that they were good and blessed me immensely. Yeah… and I never color my hair either. I learned volumes, spent volumes and shed a few tears. Does self-pubbing work for some people? Yes, but not for me.
I ended up in a funk. My brain was all over the place. Words failed me. I thought God was so upset with me he took my gift of writing away.

Shallow thoughts, but they plagued me. I had to go right back and lay my writing, my pride, at God's feet. He filled my imagination and life with promise again. A promise that I'd never lost, I just didn't see it because my own desires made the truth so murky. God promised to use my words—me –even if I never became published. I also learned I could use some preparation. I had some work to do, some things to learn.

I worked on my quality of writing. Rewrites. Editing. But I had to work on more than the written word. I needed to tend to the quality of the writer within.
Toward the end of 2009, God answered, and Desert Breeze Publishing contracted two stories. I just needed to be the writer God wanted me to be and stop bouncing from one plan to the next--to continue forward, and keep my focus on God's plan. I had to stop pushing, stop trying to be like other writers and remember to be myself. To not do so was to lose sight of the unique qualities God formed in me. Now, before I let my emotions and thoughts get the best of me, I remind myself to go to God and rejuvenate my mind and spirit. To reach that place… I rely on one of a writer's greatest assets…Prayer. That's where every story begins.

It's Not About Me by Michelle Sutton

2011-02-18T12:17:00.000-08:00
Michelle Sutton has done it again! She's written It's Not About Me, another novel you won't be able to put down. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a roller coaster ride in a triangle of love. Annie is in love with Tony and plans to spend the rest of her life with him after college, but Tony doesn't want to wait that long for their life together to begin. He produces his grandmother's wedding ring and asks Annie to marry him. His unwillingness to be patient and wait and Annie's wearing the valuable ring starts a chain reaction of events that totally change both of their lives. Tony pays dearly for his lack of patience, but the cost to Annie is even higher. Then, there's Tony's older brother Dan, who is more mature and has his faith in place. He's in love with Annie, too. Annie must fight for her life after a vicious attack. Tony's guilt keeps him from visiting, but big brother steps in. Which brother will she choose, the one who is there for her and stands by her, or the one who turns to the bottle and has his own demons to fight?

This novel showcases realistically how teens are faced with temptation and peer pressure. It also shows the difference between puppy love and a deeper, more mature love, the type of love that survives no matter what. This 27-chapter novel is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as an ebook available for the Kindle or Nook, or a paperback. It may also be purchased from the publisher's site, Sheaf House Publishers, LLC. It's A Second Glances Novel # 1 in the series, and it won't disappoint. The author is becoming well known for her edgy, heart-healing fiction with elements of faith, and this book could prove to be life-changing.

My Novel Last Resort Releases March 1, 2012

2011-01-29T08:08:00.000-08:00
I just signed a contract with Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and Last Resort, my inspirational romantic suspense novel will release March 1, 2012, and be available on all ereaders. I'll read my own novel on my Nook, a Christmas present from hubby this year.

Those of you who've kept up with my writing know that I've worked long and hard on this novel, three years in fact. Praise God it's going to see the light of day. You'll be able to purchase it through Desert Breeze by clicking on the link above, or through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Christianbook.com, and many other online vendors. The great news is it will sell for $5.99, and it's a 79,000 word novel. You'll get your money's worth.

Please sign to follow my blog if you haven't, so you can keep abreast of my other writing and publishing and news about Last Resort. A blurb and a sample chapter will be available nearer to the release date, maybe even a glimpse of the book cover.

"Honoring God's Calling," a story wrote during my first Christian Writers Guild Apprentice class has been published in Together, Fall 2010, and I received a $40 check. This is a church bulletin for a church outreach program in Harrisonburg, VA. I wish to thank my CWG writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, for encouraging me not to give up on this story. I'd revised it and titled it "The Mechanic," but the revised editions were not selected for publication. Go figure. One of my early drafts made it.

My nonfiction story "Flat Tires: Where's God When You Need Him?" was accepted for publication by Hurray God! It will be publihsed in Hurray God! Hope, Dream, Pray, Believe near the end of 2011. President of Hurray God, Jeanette Sharp bought the story for the anthology, and I signed the contract. These stories were submitted years ago when I took my first Apprentice course with the Christian Writers Guild, so don't give up; keep penning. With this one, the revised edition made it.

I have an author devotional, "Why Write When You Keep Getting Rejections?" in the beautiful book Words to Write By compiled by Robin Bayne. This book is pure inspiration for writers, and I hope my journey shows other writers why they should keep writing. Publishing wheels slowly turn.

Thanks to all of my FB friends and family and my blog guests and followers for taking this journey with me.

In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton

2011-01-17T09:43:00.001-08:00
In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton is a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing. Twenty chapters lure you into a well-developed plot where the main character Jovana struggles to overcome her past. Abused and abandoned by a former boyfriend, who left her on the street to die, she loses her unborn child.

Jovana relocates to Arizona where she works in a diner and meets two handsome men. Roadblocks of learning the English language and being confused with idioms are minor setbacks compared to inner struggles with her faith as a new, "baby" Christian and learning to accept the love of a good man.

Will she choose Kurt, a flirting customer, or Randy, the diner's manager? She feels more comfortable with Kurt, because she doesn't feel she's worthy of Randy, her boss. When Laney and Bojan, her brother, (from previous novel Danger at the Door) go to Paris for their wedding, Jovana and Randy are thrown together. Bojan asks Randy to stay with Jovana while they're out of the country. Kurt keeps phoning her and has his own plans for Jovana. Will she ever see through him, or will she rebel against her brother's protection as she did as a teen?

This novel's characters come alive for the reader. Both outer and inner conflicts provide a light suspense, and the short book packs a powerful punch when Jovana's ultimate decision and choice of men determine her future on earth and in heaven. The author spins a tale that has the potential to be life-changing. It's powerful story unlocks keys as to why people act certain ways and can be an instrument to aid understanding that will enable others to reach out and lend that helping hand that is so desperately needed, or at least be able to understand.

With In Plain Sight, the author weaves a tale of romance and redemption. I loved Danger at the Door, the first book, but this novel was even better. I highly recommend both being read one after the other for the most impact. You get to know and love the characters from the first book and continue to read about them in the second for a powerful experience.

Both books are available on Kindle at Amazon.com or Nook at Barnes and Noble.com, where I purchased mine for only $4 something each, and they're well worth it. They may also be purchased through the publisher Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. These novels are fast-paced, hook you within the first chapter, and make you want to finish the story. I found it hard to put them down once I started reading and wanted to continue straight through. Discover another world, another culture, and live other characters' lives through the pages of these excellent five-star novels.
Visit Michelle Sutton on Facebook or at http://www.michellesutton.net. She's an avid reader and writer and has a "Healing Hearts" book review blog at http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com. Let her powerful books heal your heart!

Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton

2011-01-17T09:42:00.001-08:00
Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton is a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and released August 1, 2009. Laney Cooper captures your heart from the beginning. She's lost everyone she's ever loved in car accidents and fear has caused her to become a recluse. She's afraid of riding in a vehicle, driving one, and of loving and losing again.

Thirty-two chapters keep you turning the pages as you experience the healing of Laney's heart as she discovers a new interest in the least likely of places and jobs--Bojan, a pizza delivery man who turns out to be much more. Danger at Laney's door appears in more than one way. There's the danger of falling in love again as well as true physical danger when it comes knocking on her door multiple times.

Hooked early, I nearly read the novel straight through and didn't want to put it down. It's the first one I've read on my new Christmas present, a Nook, and I didn't want to put it or the Nook down until finished. I enjoyed the author's writing style and laughed out loud as well as shed a few tears. This book touched me emotionally, and I enjoyed reading about a different culture than my own. Laney and her new interest have a difficult time communicating, since he's learning the English language and idioms cause misunderstandings between them and afford the reader great laughs.

Bojan is an unusual hero--he's strong through Christ and says he could not love a woman who was not a Christian. Yet, he's compassionate and even sheds a few tears. He turns to prayers to seek God's help in times of need. The author weaves scripture, prayer, and romantic suspense to spin a tale that has the potential to be life-changing. I eagerly devoured the novel, because I truly loved it. This novel shares more than one Christian message, and I'd classify it as a Christian novel. It's a quick, easy, fast-paced read. A special touch is the use of Chihuahuas who add to the story in their own unique way.

The ISBN number is 978-1-936000-32-6, and you may purchase this riveting novel at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, where I bought my copy, or through Desert Breeze. It's available on Kindle or Nook, and an inexpensive read. I've also purchased a sequel, In Plain Sight, so look for the review of it soon. Danger at the Door stands alone, but the next book picks up on another character's story. I rate this novel as a five-star review!

Clash of the Titles: What Do You Think?

2011-01-15T15:00:00.000-08:00
http://www.clashofthetitles.com)

This week's post was written by Lisa Lickel, COTT Advertising Executive and author of Meander Scar. When you're considering new books, I highly recommend Lisa's, as well as the two that competed in COTT.

Clash of the Titles
by Lisa Lickel

Clash of the Titles recent participants Eleanor Gustafson and Gail Palotta (www.gailpalotta.com) share about their experiences.

Ellie Gustafson
Ellie: Some blog hosts have really good ideas, and Clash of the Titles is one of them. The approach is fresh and intriguing for the participants, as well as for the site visitors. Some of my friends who participated really enjoyed the process.

Gail: I was thrilled to have my excerpt chosen for Clash of the Titles. It offered exposure for Love Turns the Tide in such a unique way. Even though putting one’s work up for voting is difficult, I liked the idea of letting the readers decide.

How did you both learn about Clash of the Titles?

Gail: I saw an announcement about it on the ACFW loop.

Ellie: I learned about COTT through the ACFW Loop—a fountain of information and opportunity!

Gail Palotta
What motivated you to participate in their literary challenge?

Ellie: As I am always willing to take advantage of such things, I was quick to respond.

Gail: Exposure for Love Turns the Tide and letting the readers decide.

What did you find most enjoyable, or perhaps surprising, during your week?

Gail: Winning.

Ellie: I was surprised—mostly by the tie vote, but also by the comments—to which I am paying attention! Some found my weather selection good but challenging to read. I could blame it on the necessity of disguising character names, but the David story is complex. It deals with ugliness but also glows with grace. AND The Stones makes the Bible version of David’s life come alive for most readers. Try it, and let me know—thumbs up or down. Check the Amazon comments—all of them five star.

What do you think are the three top essentials to a great story?

Ellie: In defense of a challenging read, I would say that the top essentials to a great story would be:

The story must have substance and be worth telling. Les Miserable is heavy going but a powerful read.
Characters must be authentic and complex, supported by dialogue that drives the plot.
Assuming we’re talking about Christian fiction, the “message” must grow out of the plot and not be simply pasted on. My fear of sounding hokey drives me to dig deep through both good and evil to the spiritual bedrock of our redemptive God. I doubt that anyone ever accused Victor Hugo of being hokey in Les Miserable!
Gail: Interesting characters with problems to solve, a plot with twists and turns and a setting that allows readers to escape to an intriguing place.

Tell us about your books.

Gail: In Love Turns the Tide Cammie O’Shea suffers through a broken engagement and relocates to Destin, Florida to take a new job. Struggling to get over her heartache and loneliness, she tries to renew her faith in the midst of petty crimes committed at her condo. When Vic Deleona comes to her rescue, she grows fond of him. But she gets an offer to return home. Amid fear and confusion she must make difficult decisions.

Ellie: The Stones: A Novel of the Life of King David is hot-blooded drama —a biblical novel that takes in the sweep of King David’s life from his encounter with Goliath to the devastating consequences of counting his fighting men. He is a man of titanic proportions, at once commanding, poetic, earthy, in touch with God. In the story, stones themselves serve as a metaphor that fits well with the contours of David’s life: stones of learning, of victory, of stumbling, of humbling, of hardship, of grief, of sacrifice.

The authors share a fun fact:

Gail: Since publishing Love Turns the Tide, I’ve been amazed at how a person’s personality can come across over the internet. Visiting sites, such as Clash of the Titles, and finding friends is a great experience.

Ellie: And for fun, here’s how NOT to start a novel. I came across an old computer file labeled, “Worst Novels.” I don’t think I wrote the excerpts myself; I probably found them and felt they were worth keeping. Here’s one.
Where to start in the telling of a hypochondriac's awesome battle with the L-germ over 32,940.25 long days [that, dear reader, translates to 89 and 364/365 years], on nineteen continents and thirty-five dorkshires?
The other is even funnier, so email me if you’d like to laugh over that one, too. egus@me.com

Jennifer Slattery
http://reflectionsinhindsight.wordpress.com
http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com
http://www.clashofthetitles.com

Word to Write By: Author Devotionals Compiled by Robin Bayne

2011-01-02T10:49:00.000-08:00
I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By: Author Devotionals, complied by Robin Bayne. The book is full of devotionals for writers, and I've found it very inspiring. It motivates me to continue my writing journey for the Lord.

Five chapters and 168 pages of inspiration encourage writers and include Encouragement and Motivation, Persistence and Rejections, Publishing and Networking, Success and Sustenance, and Write for Him. I read this nonfiction book while I waited for my husband at the hospital on October 22, 2008. He had to have tests, and I read and prayed. God answered my prayers, and He was fine.

The book includes a variety of well-known authors, and they share favorite scriptures and quotations they find inspiring for writing. My devotional is titled "Why Write When You Keep Getting Rejections?"It describes my experience of receiving the best rejection letter ever. Despite the fact that my writing and characters were praised, the novel was still rejected. It didn't fit in with their line.

I'm still writing for Him, and in His perfect timing, His will, not mine, my work will find a home and an audience. I am the daughter of the King. My Prince has come, and He is not fiction.

Clash of the Titles: Readers, You Be the Judge!!!!

2011-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00
Clash of the Titles, Where Authors Compete and Readers Judge

The literary website, Clash of the Titles, launched with a bang, and has increased in momentum ever since. They’ve had phenomenal authors, from historical romance writer, Lena Nelson Dooley to fantasy writer extraordinaire, Janalyn Voigt. Today Jennifer Slattery, Marketing Representative for Clash of the Titles, will highlight six COTT participants.

Shannon Taylor Vannatter was one of our first competitors and all of us at COTT applaud her support and courage. Her novel, White Doves, competed in the Best Opening Hook category on October 18th-22nd.

“I enjoyed being on COTT because I think it’s a unique way of introducing readers to new authors,” Shannon said. “And I love unique, focused blogs. I loved getting reader feedback and the experience made me pay even more attention to the opening of my books.”

Her opening was unique. “I had fun writing the opening of White Doves,” she said, “because it was a role reversal of the heroine checking out the hero for a change.”

Readers loved Shannon, and her competing novel, White Doves, as well! “I already want to see if anything develops between Laken and Hayden,” said one intrigued reader.

As did we! Laken Kroft, the heroine of White Doves, left home eight years ago and never looked back. Who knew when she applied for the promotion to postmaster that she’d end up in Romance, Arkansas, and move closer to her parents and the local gossip maven? But then she meets the dashing Hayden Winters who has his hands full raising his paraplegic nephew, Brady, and wrestling guilt over having caused the child’s injury. When the boy’s father, Laken’s brother, turns up, and starts talking custody, Laken’s influence is Hayden’s only hope. But who’s side is she really on? Will there mutual bond with the seven year old boy be enough to draw them closer or rip them apart?

I’m not telling! You’re going to have to read the book for yourself! Find out more about White Doves, Shannon, and read a few real life romance stories at http://www.shannonvannatter.com.

Lena Nelson Dooley, author of Love Finds You in Golden New Mexico competed in our Best Opening Hook Historical.

“I took part in the COTT because I felt it gave the author and readers another way to connect,” Lena said. “And it got our words in front of readers. I was pleased with the outcome and pray for its continued success. I was glad to have Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, featured. This Heroine-in-Peril, Mail-Order-Bride-gone-awry story was a good fit. Readers have fallen in love with the secondary characters as well as the main characters in this historical.”

In Love Finds You in Golden New Mexico, Lena takes us back to an 1890, Golden New Mexico, mining town where men far outnumber women. So when an old wealthy miner named Philip Smith finds himself in need of a nursemaid, he places an ad for a mail-order bride--despite the protests of his friend Jeremiah. Hoping to escape a perilous situation back East, young Madeleine Mercer answers the ad and arrives in town under a cloud of suspicion. But just as she begins to win over Philip--and Jeremiah himself--the secrets she left behind threaten to follow her to Golden...and tarnish her reputation beyond redemption.

You’re dying to know what happens next, aren’t you? Now you have two must have’s for your winter reading list! Visit Lena’s website and blog to find out more about her and her plethora of novels! www.lenanelsondooley.com

http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Gail Pallotta competed in our best Weather/Nature category with her sweet e-book, Love Turns the Tide. “I was thrilled to have my excerpt chosen for Clash of the Titles,” Gail said. “It offered exposure for Love Turns the Tide in such a unique way. Even though putting one’s work up for voting is difficult, I liked the idea of letting the readers decide.”

In Love Turns the Tide Cammie O’Shea suffers through a broken engagement and relocates to Destin, Florida to take a new job. Struggling to get over her heartache and loneliness, she tries to renew her faith in the midst of petty crimes committed at her condo. When Vic Deleona comes to her rescue, she grows fond of him. But she gets an offer to return home. Amid fear and confusion she must make difficult decisions.

Does her fear paralyze her? Cloud her judgment? Guess you’ve got another book to add to that rapidly growing list, don’t you? Find out more about Gail and her novel at her personal website, http://www.gailpallotta.com and her blog, http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com

Janalyn Voigt likely had one of the most unique entries with her fantasy novel, DawnSinger. She was excited to participate in COTT because she saw it as an excellent way to promote her upcoming release.

“With my book still awaiting its release date in Fall, 2011, participation in COTT helped me gear up for promotion,” Janalyn said. “I enjoyed having the COTT crew's help in getting the word out about Dawn Singer, my epic fantasy adventure. My website received a surge of traffic the week of my clash, and I still get visitors from Clash of the Titles.”

We, at COTT, were very pleased to learn about Janalyn’s positive experience, which led to a special friendship between her and her competitor.

“I enjoyed the friendly rivalry between JoAnn Durgin, my competitor, and myself,” Janalyn said. “We've kept in touch. I worried I'd stress about competing but participating in Clash of the Titles was fun. I appreciated that we both lived with our stories for more than a decade before writing and placing them for publication. I believe that together we modeled perseverance for the readers of COTT.”

That is a great story, and a great reminder to us all. Perseverance pays off. We enjoy celebrating the finished product with our authors, and have been very pleased with the family atmosphere our site has created.

DawnSinger is the story of Nalyn, a young maiden who answers a summons to Torindan, High Hold of her people. Her companion, Spreil, must choose whether to reign and rule in his homeland or serve in Torindan. Ancient Prophecy requires Nalyn to release the Dawn King, and salvation, into Elderland by an impossible task. But first she must overcome her own wayward heart. Will she learn in time that sometimes victory only comes through surrender?

Save your pennies, because it looks like DawnSinger is another one of those “must reads”! Find out more about Janalyn and this captivating story at http://janalynvoigt.com, http://authorhaven.blogspot.com/ and her blog, http://bookreaderscentral.blogspot.com/

Eleanor Gustafson, author of The Stones: A Novel of King David, had a unique COTT experience. (lol) She said, “The whole COTT concept is dull and dreary…NOT!! This was a fresh approach, and some of my friends who participated really enjoyed the process. Hey, it looked like fun—which for me is one of the essentials of life—air, water, and fun (not necessarily in that order).”

But what surprised her most? “The tie vote! Was this an historic first—two clashers actually clashing on the number of votes?”

She goes on to say, “Some found my weather selection good but challenging to read. I could blame it on the necessity of disguising character names, but the David story is complex. It deals with ugliness but yes, glows with grace. AND The Stones makes the Bible version of David’s life come alive for most readers. Try it, and let me know—thumbs up or down. If you don’t believe me, check out the Amazon comments—all five star.”

The Stones is a retelling of King David s life from his teenaged anointing to his death as seen through the eyes of Asaph, a Levite historian. Fictional in scope, yet with amazing scriptural accuracy, The Stones provides a revealing, behind-the-scenes glimpse into biblical history with all the twists, turns, thrills, and romance of the world s great drama.

As you can see, we’ve had a great fall at Clash of the Titles and we are looking forward to an even better winter. Come join the fun at Clash of the Titles, where authors compete and readers judge!

Jennifer Slattery is a freelance writer, columnist, novelist and the marketing representative for Clash of the Titles. In 2009 she won first place in the HAWCN writing contest, book category and in 2010 she placed second in the Dixie Kane and fourth in the Golden Pen, Inspirational category for both. She has a weekly marriage column on the Reflections in Hindsight website and has been published in numerous other publications. You can find out more about her and her writing at http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com.
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Happy New Years!

2010-12-31T08:04:00.000-08:00
On this day of reflection with 2010 ending, may you have a wonderous, blessed, and safe New Years! Just a short post to pray for this for all my Facebook friends and family. I've added a few new pictures to my blog. One is of three of my children who are Saints fans, in more ways than one I might add. Another picture shows all four of my children one Easter when they were young, the way we were then, sweet, precious memories. Thank God for those days and memories.

As we ring in another year, I hope yours will be filled with such sweet, precious memories. Spend it making them and thanking God for them. For us writers in the group, life provides experiences. And, for the readers, more to read about.

I've had a few Facebook friends inquire and ask advice about writing. Thus, my shared posts and one on an article I wrote some time ago. Let God guide your hearts, minds, and writing.

May God bless us all and the new year!

Blessings,
Barb

Introducing New Literary Website

2010-12-30T04:39:00.000-08:00
Hightlights of a new literary website "Clash of the Titles" COTT, where authors submit short excerpts of their novels and readers vote on their favorites. Here’s a quick look back at Clash of the Title's first two months of life.

On October 18th, COTT launched it's first Clash featuring Susanne Lakin's Someone To Blame and Shannon Vannater's White Doves, with Susanne's excerpt taking the crown for Best Hook, Contemporary. And our first two drawing winners were Katie Johnson and Beth Farley.

Reader Quote of the Week: "Both are well written excerpts! I'd love to read both books. I can see that I'm going to be hitting Amazon a LOT because of COTT"

Queen of Hearts by K Dawn Byrd, and The Stones by Eleanor K. Gustafson sparred in round 2 of Best Weather Description during week 4. One for the memory books, COTT had it's first TIE with both books declared victorious! Our drawing winners were Mary T Williams and Joanne Sher.

November 15th ushered in a special double-feature week of Blurb Battles. Janalyn Voigt and JoAnn Durgin went head-to-head, with JoAnne's Awakening crowned the conqueror. Margaret Brownley and Jody Hedlund also climbed into the ring with Margaret's A Suitor For Jenny declared victorious. Readers Edwina Cowgill, Deb Haggerty, Jill Fortner, and Dan Smith all won free books!

Thanksgiving week gave us the chance to highlight a couple of honorable mentions. Erin Rainwater's The Arrow that Flieth by Day went up against Deb Kinnard's Seasons in the Mist and won. Ashley Mott was also a winner- she won the drawing for a copy of Deb's book.

December turned our thoughts toward the holidays and we went looking for the Most Touching Christmas/Winter Scene. Rachael Phillips' Ride Me into Christmas, and Shawna K. Williams' Orphaned Hearts gave us the warm fuzzies. Orphaned Hearts won the match, and Clare Revell and Linda won the drawing this week.

In all, we featured 20 authors and gave away 19 free books! Wow!

We’ll feature two Conversion Scenes that will touch your heart.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of our exciting Clashes!

Win Two Free Books by Michelle Sutton!

2010-12-29T10:13:00.000-08:00
http://continuousdelights.blogspot.com/2010/12/end-of-year-celebration-day-4.html

Go to the above link to enter a contest to win two free books by Michelle Sutton, but hurry the contest ends today!

Other authors are also giving away free books!

Read an article I wrote on Michelle Sutton's blog about healing hearts at:

http://healingheartsseries.blogspot.com/2010/12/barbara-johnson-talks-about-healing.html?spref=fb

The Girl Who Could Fly: Can you fit the Mold?

2010-12-29T03:34:00.000-08:00
The Girl Who Could Fly by Virginia Forester, copyright 2008, ISBN 1429986360, published by Feiwel and Friends features Piper McCloud, a girl who has the exceptional ability to fly. She is born to an old-fashioned country couple who believe in doing everything the traditional way, so she's flown by helicopter to a government facility where she is supposed to get the help she needs to become normal. Dr. Hellion, the beautiful and soft spoken administrator of the institute I.N.S.A. N. E., claims to be the only one who can help such exceptional children. And, this special place is supposed to be the only place these children can live in comfort. She tells them they have no place else to go. The best of food is lavished on them for ulterior motives. But, the worse punishment torments them when they don't follow code. There's even a machine to mold them when all else fails. It doesn't take Piper long to realize that punishment and consequences at the Institute are far worse than any she would have ever received back on the farm.

Piper and Conrad Harrington, another student at the facility Piper thinks is just a spoiled rich kid, team up to plan an escape when Piper discovers Dr. Hellion's true colors. Piper has a heart of gold and nearly loses her own life when she refuses to leave the others behind and fly away with Conrad.

The writing style is similar to my own regarding a particular book I wrote over a decade ago. Some of the phrases and language and the way Ma talks remind me of my own novel, and the way my mother spoke using certain phrases. One of the characters has the name of one of my main characters in my novel, but the story told here is its own.

I laughed and cried my way through the story that illustrates how we shouldn't judge the book by the cover, no pun intended. Dr. Hellion was beautiful and well dressed on the outside, but showed no true feelings or emotion. The reason why is discovered at the end of the tale. On the other hand, Piper wasn't what people expected her to be, and she was institutionalized to try to conform her and make her become what others thought she should be. But, Piper had feelings and emotions and others mattered to her. If you've ever felt out of place or had others not want to have anything to do with you because you were different, weird by their standards, you'll identify with Piper McCloud and root for her. If you feel God made us all as unique human beings and that we shouldn't be carbon copies of one another and be expected to be cookie-cutter models, you'll love this novel. Your heart will go out to each child with his or her own special God-given talent or gift, the ones they were not supposed to use.

It will rip your heart out when a cricket Piper helps saves his only song just for her. You know when an author can make you cry over a cricket, she can write. This book showcases the problem of conformity in society and illustrates the fact that if we were all carbon copies, it'd be a pretty dull, boring world. The ending has a surprise that makes sense and allows us to see how and why Dr. Hellion became a robot of a person.

I give the book 4 stars. It's available in ebook format for the Kindle or Nook at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. It's also available in paperback and hardcover.

Heal Your Heart with In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton

2010-12-27T09:29:00.000-08:00
In Plain Sight by Michelle Sutton is a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing. Twenty chapters lure you into a well-developed plot where the main character Jovana struggles to overcome her past. Abused and abandoned by a former boyfriend, who left her on the street to die, she loses her unborn child.

Jovana relocates to Arizona where she works in a diner and meets two handsome men. Roadblocks of learning the English language and being confused with idioms are minor setbacks compared to inner struggles with her faith as a new, "baby" Christian and learning to accept the love of a good man.

Will she choose Kurt, a flirting customer, or Randy, the diner's manager? She feels more comfortable with Kurt, because she doesn't feel she's worthy of Randy, her boss. When Laney and Bojan, her brother, (from previous novel Danger at the Door) go to Paris for their wedding, Jovana and Randy are thrown together. Bojan asks Randy to stay with Jovana while they're out of the country. Kurt keeps phoning her and has his own plans for Jovana. Will she ever see through him, or will she rebel against her brother's protection as she did as a teen?

This novel's characters come alive for the reader. Both outer and inner conflicts provide a light suspense, and the short book packs a powerful punch when Jovana's ultimate decision and choice of men determine her future on earth and in heaven. The author spins a tale that has the potential to be life-changing. It's powerful story unlocks keys as to why people act certain ways and can be an instrument to aid understanding that will enable others to reach out and lend that helping hand that is so desperately needed, or at least be able to understand.

With In Plain Sight, the author weaves a tale of romance and redemption. I loved Danger at the Door, the first book, but this novel was even better. I highly recommend both being read one after the other for the most impact. You get to know and love the characters from the first book and continue to read about them in the second for a powerful experience.

Both books are available on Kindle at Amazon.com or Nook at Barnes and Noble.com, where I purchased mine for only $4 something each, and they're well worth it. They may also be purchased through the publisher Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. These novels are fast-paced, hook you within the first chapter, and make you want to finish the story. I found it hard to put them down once I started reading and wanted to continue straight through. Discover another world, another culture, and live other characters' lives through the pages of these excellent five-star novels.
Visit Michelle Sutton on Facebook or at http://www.michellesutton.net. She's an avid reader and writer and has a "Healing Hearts" book review blog at http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com. Let her powerful books heal your heart!

Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton

2010-12-26T08:49:00.000-08:00
Danger at the Door by Michelle Sutton is a Christian inspirational suspense novel published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and released August 1, 2009. Laney Cooper captures your heart from the beginning. She's lost everyone she's ever loved in car accidents and fear has caused her to become a recluse. She's afraid of riding in a vehicle, driving one, and of loving and losing again.

Thirty-two chapters keep you turning the pages as you experience the healing of Laney's heart as she discovers a new interest in the least likely of places and jobs--Bojan, a pizza delivery man who turns out to be much more. Danger at Laney's door appears in more than one way. There's the danger of falling in love again as well as true physical danger when it comes knocking on her door multiple times.

Hooked early, I nearly read the novel straight through and didn't want to put it down. It's the first one I've read on my new Christmas present, a Nook, and I didn't want to put it or the Nook down until finished. I enjoyed the author's writing style and laughed out loud as well as shed a few tears. This book touched me emotionally, and I enjoyed reading about a different culture than my own. Laney and her new interest have a difficult time communicating, since he's learning the English language and idioms cause misunderstandings between them and afford the reader great laughs.

Bojan is an unusual hero--he's strong through Christ and says he could not love a woman who was not a Christian. Yet, he's compassionate and even sheds a few tears. He turns to prayers to seek God's help in times of need. The author weaves scripture, prayer, and romantic suspense to spin a tale that has the potential to be life-changing. I eagerly devoured the novel, because I truly loved it. This novel shares more than one Christian message, and I'd classify it as a Christian novel. It's a quick, easy, fast-paced read. A special touch is the use of Chihuahuas who add to the story in their own unique way.

The ISBN number is 978-1-936000-32-6, and you may purchase this riveting novel at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, where I bought my copy, or through Desert Breeze. It's available on Kindle or Nook, and an inexpensive read. I've also purchased a sequel, In Plain Sight, so look for the review of it soon. Danger at the Door stands alone, but the next book picks up on another character's story. I rate this novel as a five-star review!

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

2010-12-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Trials of Today: Treasures for Tomorrow by Janet Perz Eckles

2010-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00
Book Review
by Barbara Robinson
Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life
by Janet Perz Eckles

Truly amazing Janet Eckles, completely blind, but with more insight than most sighted people, has written a true jewel within the pages of Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. With more personal crosses to bear than most, like the loss of her sight and her son, Janet’s book is inspiring, encouraging, and courageous, like her. She has taken her trials and turned them to treasures for the glory of the Lord. Janet is bubbly and full of joy, a spectacular speaker and gifted writer.

Her nonfiction book takes you on a journey of discovery, as she learns to put her faith and trust in God. When she put Jesus first, He blessed her and turned her life around. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, don’t miss how she deals with her loss. Discover the good news and blessings she has to share. Find out why good people suffer and discover how God uses the bad things that happen to good people for good. Though blind, you'd never know it to meet her. Her book describes how she puts on her own makeup and does her own nails without sight, but even more awe-inspiring is the fact that she never worked when she was sighted, but found the position she was meant to serve in once she lost her sight.

Just as she does in person, her book will evoke strong reader emotions and make you laugh and cry. While sad, it resounds with the joy that overflows from Janet upon meeting her and turns her cross into triumph to truly serve and glorify God while helping others. Don’t miss the journey of a lifetime, Janet’s lifetime, as you turn the pages of a book you won’t want to put down.

Her book makes a wonderful Bible study group guide and Part III of the book actually contains such a guide with thought-provoking questions designed to enhance the spiritual journey.

Published by Xulon Press in 2004, the book may be purchased through Amazon, Xulon, and other book stores. It is a beautiful paperback well worth the reasonable price of $12.47 at Amazon. ISBN number ISBN1-594674-36-1. Visit www.amazon.com and get your own copy while it’s on sale! This book will make a wonderful gift for people in your life who are dealing with the loss of loved ones or other obstacles in life.

A Rag Doll Christmas

2010-12-20T13:02:00.000-08:00
"Just what do you think you're doing? That doll was meant to be your Christmas present." Mom stood in the door, and her eyes shot sparks. It was a couple of days before Christmas. She'd been busy with company, and I'd decided I couldn't wait.

I was caught red-handed standing on a chair pulled up to the closet, but I quickly shoved the doll back into the bag and placed the blankets on the top shelf over her. "Sorry, Mom."

"And you should be. You know I can't afford anything else, and now you know what you're getting for Christmas." She turned and stalked from the room. I climbed down and placed the chair back by the bed. Disappointed, I'd planned to slip the doll back into the closet and not let Mom know I knew what I was getting. I hadn't meant to ruin her surprise. And, it was just like her to get some sort of doll. I should've known without even having to look.

Mom's voice rang from the adjoining room. "Now, it won't be a surprise."

"At least sissy will still have one." It was my turn to stand in the door and eye her "I love her. I'll still be happy on Christmas morning. I can't wait to get her."

Mom glared for a second. "Seems you can't wait for anything." Then, her face softened. "It's just that I wanted our first Christmas without your dad to be special." Dad died when I was only four years old on Christmas Day. It's only been a year. The way I looked at it, this one had to be better no matter what. It couldn't get any worse than the last one, could it?

"Curiosity kills the cat, you know."

"What?" I glanced at Mom, but she laughed. "Forget it."

"I guess it killed the Christmas surprise this year." I hung my head.

Christmas morn I found a stocking with fruit and candy, the rag doll stuck in the top. When I look back upon that morning, I call it my rag-doll Christmas, because that was all I got that year.

It wasn't until I grew up and had children of my own that it dawned on me just how much I'd spoiled the holiday for Mom. She only received a small social-security check once a month after my father's death. As I look back with an adult's eyes, I realize how hard it must have been for my mother who always tried her best to make ends meet and make our Christmas special. But, she had me for a daughter, a curious little tomboy of a girl who always managed to find some way to spoil every surprise she planned. I blame it on my love for mystery, of course, but I now realize how disappointed she had to have been. She wanted to watch her young daughter open her Christmas gift with wide-eyed surprise and wonder. I just never had the knack for being surprised, since I couldn't wait long enough to let anything be one.

Now, I realize I missed a lot of fun that way, and you really do remember surprises more, but that's one rag-doll Christmas I'll never forget. Like memories, good surprises are to be cherished, and they're so much more fun. But the greatest Christmas gift of all is sweet Jesus, and He's one surprise I didn't find too soon.

The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher

2010-12-18T07:59:00.000-08:00
The Perfect Life by Robin Lee Hatcher, copyright 2008, published by Thomas Nelson, is 298 pages of inspiration for couples whose daily lives are interrupted with roadblocks that threaten to derail a marriage right off the tracks. Katherine Clarkson is living her dream life, married to a well-respected handsome man with two grown daughters preparing to make her a grandmother. She has great friends, a good life, and a wonderful ministry. She has it all--until a reporter and a former coworker of her husband's spread rumors and gossip.

Her husband, Brad, has been a loving husband and great father and well respected in the church and community. He started as a construction worker and put his heart and soul into his own ministry to help people who couldn't afford to own their own homes. After selling his construction business, he poured his money and spirit into In Step until accusations of an affair with a former employee and financial impropriety shatter his world and his marriage.

Katherine has spent her life reassuring other women, but now her own words are of little comfort to her. Her perfect life has turned to chaos, and it consumes her until she takes a few days for herself in the mountains. She strives to survive her loss of what she thought was the perfect life and to regain her ability to trust her God and her husband again. One daughter thinks she should divorce her cheating husband; the other stands by her father and thinks he's innocent. What will Katherine decide? The thought runs through her head that if he cheated, the Bible gives her a pass. Her future seems to hinge on that little two-letter word IF, such a big word for one so small.

How can she rebuild her life? She been a homemaker and has no resume history to find a job.

Robin Lee Hatcher has authored over 50 novels and won awards including the Christy for Whispers from Yesterday, a novel I'd love to read. Library Journal named Catching Katie one of the best books of 2004.

I really enjoyed this novel and give it five stars. It reminded me of a time I went to the mountains in Tennesse, a rental cabin, and felt closer to God while I was there, after the death of my youngest sister. It's available at Amazon.com where I've also posted a review. The Perfect Life is available at Barnes and Noble.com as well, and it may be purchased in paperback or ebook format. I found my copy at a local Dollar Store and jumped on it.

The boy who came back from heaven: A remarkable account of miracles, angels, and life beyond this world

2010-12-05T11:28:00.001-08:00
The boy who came back from heaven: A remarkable account of miracles, angels, and life beyond this world by Kevin and Alex Malarkey is a true story, nonfiction, published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, copyright 2010. A horrific automobile accident in 2004 impacted the lives of Kevin and his six-year old son, Alex, and changed their lives forever, both physically and spiritually. Alex's survival seemed impossible, and he was thought to be dead on the scene. By a God-given miracle, he survived, but remained locked in a coma for two months. Prayer warriors battled for him, and he awoke with an awe-inspiring story to tell.

He was just a kid, as he himself says in the book, an ordinary one, who went on an extraordinary journey. This book is inspiring, encouraging, thought-provoking and insightful. Alex says he's not amazing, God is. Kevin admitted, "My son couldn't function in the physical world, but it was difficult for me to function in the spiritual world. Who had the greater disability?" This is an eye-opening, insightful quote and my favorite in the book. Hope and faith see this family through their struggles when Alex ends up a quadriplegic and becomes the first child to receive the "Christopher Reeve Surgery." The license plate on their van reads "Wil Walk," as they continue to pray and hope for Alex's complete healing, but Kevin says his faith is not shaken. He understands it's God's choice to heal Alex completely on earth or in heaven.

We've all read stories we've been skeptical about, but one part of this book reminds me of a personal story I wrote years ago, as well as an experience I had, and I've shared with close relatives and friends. I've never been through the agony Alex has, but we do share a very similar experience, so I'm not skeptical, but intrigued, and I know exactly what he is talking about in one of his descriptions. For, I had a similar one in an emergency room years ago. As Alex advises, check skepticism against scripture. Alex and his father say they are not trying to force anyone to believe anything. That is not their job. He and his father are simply sharing their story, and it's your choice to embrace it or not. Don't miss this awesome, life-changing story that eternally impacted their lives in so many ways.

This book is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com in hardback and on ereaders. It's a New York Times Bestseller.

Embracing Change by Debbie Roome

2010-11-27T12:28:00.000-08:00
Embracing Change by Debbie Roome is the winner of the Rose & Crown New Novels Competition 2009, copyright 2010, 36 chapters and 234 pages clearly illustrating God's hand in our lives and how we can embrace change with His help. It's a beautifully written story of love and loss, regained hope and faith, the courage to not only accept change, but to also embrace it, and one woman's ability to do so when she discovers Jesus has been with her through it all.

Sarah, the main character, is engaged to Luke and looking forward to her wedding. They plan to move from South Africa to New Zealand. Luke wanted to make a home in New Zealand, so when she loses him, she brings his ashes and scatters them on the mountains and waterfalls he loved. As she descends the mountain, she meets Joel, a stranger she is afraid of at first. Biblical principles are applied in this moving story that demonstrates how Sarah finds the strength, hope, and courage to move on with her life without her beloved Luke and learns to love and trust again.

The author uses vivid description to allow the reader to travel through South Africa and New Zealand and visualize the landscapes and flowers. She demonstrates through the power of story how forgiveness is necessary to move forward with one's life and provides two sides of a perspective on violence when Sarah comes face to face with Luke's killer, his mother, and his brother. Sarah learns to open her eyes and heart, forgive, and find a future full of hope and promise. This novel is a quick read that evokes readers' emotions. Come learn how to embrace change with Debbie and Sarah, and ponder what you'd do if you had to move half a world away from all family and friends with nothing left of the love of your life but ashes in an urn.

About the Author: Debbie Roome spent 15 years in South Africa before moving to New Zealand in 2006 with her husband and five children. Her writing has won numerous awards, and you may visit her at www.debbieroome.com.

The Thanksgiving the Garbage Disposal Ate the Eggs

2010-11-25T05:54:00.000-08:00
My sunny Florida kitchen looks out upon sunlight sparkling on the turquoise-blue water of our swimming pool. I watched a squirrel run up the palm tree that cornered the pool while I waited for boiled eggs to cool. A few minutes later, I went to peel the eggs, but they’d vanished.

“Where did my eggs go?” I yelled loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

My son, Rodney, grinned. “I don’t know.”

“I put them in the sink to cool.” I looked down the drain. “That thing ate my eggs.”

Rodney came up beside me and asked, “What thing?”

I pointed to the sink’s drain. “The new garbage disposal Scott insisted on.”

The family laughed like I was a comedian.

“When I first met her, she didn’t even know how to work a dishwasher," my husband said. "Now she doesn’t know how to use the new garbage disposal. Do I have to teach you everything?” His brown eyes twinkled. He patted my shoulder, and his grin lit up his face. Teaser that he was, it was easy for him to amuse the family and for them to enjoy the playfulness of his comments. “Reach your hand down there and get them.”

“I’m not putting my hand in that thing.”

The family’s laughter filled the kitchen. “I can’t make potato salad.
Those were my last three.”

“I’ll run to the store,” someone offered.

Rod said, “It’s a wonder you didn’t accuse me of eating them.”

“The garbage disposal did the job for you. I can’t believe I did that. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without potato salad.”

“Don’t you mean without turkey?” Rod rubbed his stomach.

I smiled. “No, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the thanks and the giving. Having you visit makes it blessed. We can thank God for a good laugh and a joyful day. We’ll remember this for many Thanksgivings to come.”

“Yeah, Mom, Scott will never let you live that one down.”

"I’ll remember how I lost my eggs every year.” I diced the pickles and green onions. “When you were small, I cooked huge family meals. I’ve always enjoyed cooking and decorating for the holidays. Another Thanksgiving is etched in the pages of my memories. Unexpected guests arrived with the family, and the ten-foot wide trailer couldn’t hold them. The cramped kitchen only held a small table.”
Rod took a pickle from the jar. “What happened?”

"I had plenty of food cooked, so I borrowed silverware and plates from your grandmother.”

“Who would show up uninvited?”

“Your grandmother and aunts asked friends from church.” I dumped pickles and green onions into a bowl and continued. “By the time the turkey was served, the trailer burst with people trying to find plates and utensils for eating. People packed into it like sardines in a tin can. Since God smiled on us with beautiful Louisiana weather, most of them took their plates and sat outside to eat. The air was crisp, cool, and refreshing after baking in the hot kitchen. I took my plate and joined them on the steps of the tiny porch.”

Rod’s blue eyes twinkled as he listened to me reminiscing. “I can just see you
balancing a plate of turkey and cornbread dressing on your lap.”

“It tasted every bit as good outside.” I playfully tapped his chest. “I had one more chair than Henry David Thoreau, who wrote in his book Walden that he had only three chairs.”

“Thoreau thought houses were “extravagantly large”. My trailer was extravagantly small for all the Thanksgiving dinner guests. We enjoyed the brisk air and sunshine and thanked God for our family and friends, delicious food, and a lovely day. You know son, that Thanksgiving and this one will always be etched in my heart, mind, and soul.”

“When the guests left, they thanked me for a great home-cooked meal, not an impressive dinner. One man with electric blue eyes said, “It didn’t matter if the dinnerware didn’t match. We didn’t come here for you to impress us.”
A lot has changed over the years. My four children are grown and have made me a grandmother multiple times. I’ve lost family members. My first husband, mother, father, and youngest sister all live in their heavenly home. Though some of the most loved people in my life are not here to share the holidays, I still have a traditional turkey each Thanksgiving, celebrate, and thank God for our food. Some things never change. I know my lost loved ones are feasting in heaven and waiting for me.

I thank God for the family who now shares my holidays. Last year, I did not bake turkey. Rod fried a turkey for us the Christmas before, and it was so juicy it melted in our mouths. So, Scott bought a turkey fryer and experimented. Ever since he cooked his first fried turkey, he said we wouldn’t have another baked one. so I’ve been relieved of one of my Thanksgiving duties.

We are a close-knit family group. Fancy plates and utensils don’t matter, nor does a fancy setting. What makes holidays special has nothing to do with materialistic things. The warmth and friendliness of our family and friends make up for whatever trivial items are lacking.

Times change, people change, places change, but the heart of the family and thanking God for His blessings and your family remain the same. I thank God for the Thanksgiving the garbage disposal ate the eggs and the year uninvited guests overfilled my tiny trailer. Those blessed Thanksgiving days will be eternally etched in the pages of my family’s hearts and minds.

Bio
Barbara Robinson makes her home in Florida with her husband, a cat, and two dogs. She is a graduate of Christian Writers Guild’s, a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and a graduate from the Long Ridge Writers Group. This story appeared in St. Cloud in the News last Thanksgiving. Many years ago a much simpler version appeared in The Ponchatoula Times, minus the Florida part of the story.

The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins

2010-11-22T06:34:00.000-08:00
The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins is a moving novel to say the least. It's 371 pages and 24 chapters with an epilogue, copyright 2011, published by Tyndale House Publishers. Jenkins is a New York Times best-selling author well known for The Left Behind series. His new book showcases his talent in a police thriller with Boone Drake as the main character, a young officer blessed with success in his career and personal life. He has a beautiful wife, Nikki, who taught school until they were blessed with Josh, his son.

Boone is living the American Dream and knows it when the unthinkable, unspeakable takes him by surprise and spirals him from a life of sunshine and happiness to a dreary world with storm clouds raging inside. In the blink of an eye his entire world is changed. He wanted a home for his young family with a yard ". . . with enough grass to mow." God provided his heart's desire, but little did he know the price he'd pay.

When tragedy strikes, Nikki's parents are miles away, and Boone must face reality immersed in bittersweet memories. He doesn't understand how a loving God can allow such good, sweet, innocent people like Nikki and Josh to come to such violent harm. His partner, Jack Keller, is a rock who stands beside him, and his pastor texts Bible quotes to comfort and keep him in God's Word.

If it isn't enough with his personal life demolished, his career is on the line, and it's all he has left until he meets Haeley, the new secretary that he's been warned about, and her young son, Max, who reminds him of his own loss, Josh. The most vicious Chicago gang leader in decades teaches him that God allows second chances. This is a book you won't want to put down until completed. It'll wrench your heart out early.

I could say so much more, but then I'd give too much away and ruin a great novel like ruining a wonderful movie. So, grab your copy and get ready for an impact you won't soon forget! It's available in hardcover or paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com as well as through brick and mortar stores. Visit Jerry on Facebook and check out https://www.christianwritersguild.com.

Sign to follow this blog for an opportunity to win The Brotherhood. I will draw for a winner very soon, so don't hesitate!

Scotty's Jeans

2010-11-17T15:14:00.000-08:00
This story was written about my oldest son, Scotty Edbert, who gave me the roses in the picture for Mother's Day. He was named after the song "Watching Scotty Grow," by Bobby Goldsboro and my father, Edbert Russell, who died when I was four years old on Christmas Day.

I jumped out of bed early every morning with the spirit, energy, and vitality of youth, cleaned house, and took care of the family duties. Far too busy to treasure the day with a son in the first grade, I took pride in the fact that I kept a spotless home and had dinner on the table when my husband returned from work.

I hung Scotty's small jeans outside in the sunshine and fresh air. I can still see them blowing in the wind, hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of every color: brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue. I took pride in the fact that he had a pair of jeans in each color for school.

Before I knew it, my son grew, left home, married, had children of his own, and made me a grandmother multiple times. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn't last. All too soon, spring turned to summer, summer to fall, and fall is turning to winter. What I wouldn't give to hang those precious little jeans on the line and watch them blow.

I no longer clean house like it's the most important thing in my life. What I once took pride in is dull, boring, and humdrum--just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no small jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader rushes home to excitedly tell me about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things that didn't last.

Now, my little grandson's mother throws his jeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief in the night, as precious days fly with the speed of lightning. Off to work. Off to school. Years fly. Days of the past, treasured days, just don't last.

First printed in USADeepSouth.com as Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last. Permission given to reprint revised edition. B. J. Russell-Robinson lives in Florida with her husband, cocker spaniel, Sunflower, and an adopted shelter cat named Frankie.

Hot Glazed Donuts

2010-11-09T17:41:00.000-08:00
The following is written in loving memory of my mother. It was published in an earlier version, but I've revised it, and it was published again online yesterday in a second printing in A Woman's Voice published by Dolores Ayotte at http://networkedblogs.com/ahAlQ I hope you enjoy!

Hot glazed donuts . . .

I was a young girl in elementary school when I learned how to make Mom happy. She sent me down the street to Gene’s Bakery for orders of toast and butter for breakfast, to the drugstore on Main Street for ice cream, or to the local donut shop for hot glazed donuts.

Funny thing, we never owned a toaster, and Mom loved toast with her morning coffee. She loved hot glazed donuts on a cold winter morning with a steaming cup of Community coffee, or perhaps I should say some coffee with her sugar and cream. Hot summer evenings, it was ice cream.

We lived in a small town, and Mom could trust me to run errands. She used to brag, “Why, I could send Jane across the main highway with a $20 bill at five years old, and she’d bring back my correct change.

I was Mom’s little errand runner and lady. There wasn’t much time for being a little girl. I was the oldest of three girls, and it was up to me to set the example. I set some, that’s for sure. I made good grades in school, never got into trouble, and was Mom’s little lady, but I was also a curious tomboy of a girl. That part didn’t always set so well with Mom.

When I played in the Mississippi red clay at my Grandmother Russell’s with doodle bugs Mom would say, “You should stay neat and clean like your sister. Girls should be girls. She plays with dolls and tea sets like a little lady.”

I held out my palm and showed her my find. “I love playing with these bugs because they look like Volkswagen cars. Just look how they roll up their tiny bodies.”

Of course, Mom didn’t care to look at bugs, so she’d just shake her head and walk away, and I went on happily playing with the doodle bugs or making mud pies. I wasn’t always the little lady Mom wanted me to be. I loved dirt and mud like a boy, and just like a boy, I usually splashed right through puddles instead of skirting them.

Over the years, I made many footsteps to the bakery, donut shop, or drugstore buying Mom all her favorites. She even taught me how to go to the drugstore and find her favorite hair color in just the right shade. She made me memorize the hair color number. Her hair was supposed to be dark brown after she applied it, at least that’s what the box said, but it was totally black on Mom. She had pale white skin and hazel eyes and dyed her reddish-brown hair coal black because she hated the red highlights girls go for today. The reddish tint kept shining through the brown. She had to have jet black hair, red, red lips, and pearly white teeth like the song Daddy loved. She always kept up her hair and wore it long, hanging straight down her back, or with the ends curved at her shoulders. In her earlier days, as a young mother, she had it permed, but in later years, she’d complain that the perms always frizzed her hair, so she wore it long and straight, like the young girl she always was at heart.

Mom quit school in the 11th grade to stay home and help her father with the younger children when her mother passed. Grandpa had a strawberry farm in Louisiana, and Mom took over the housework and cooking chores, tending to her smaller brothers and sisters and her older sister’s children. She had a large family, four girls and three boys. Mom was next to the youngest.

Mom always talked about growing up on Grandpa’s Louisiana strawberry farm in Springfield. She loved berries, sunshine, and fresh air. She didn’t like packing them though. She was a picker, the fastest one around. She picked two or three handcarriers to my one and had me picking strawberries at dawn when I was five years old before school. And, I picked again, after school in the evenings.

Mom worked for a local schoolteacher who picked us up and took us to her farm, took me to school with her, took us back to the farm after school, and drove us home at dark. So, I’m a product of Louisiana strawberry fields and packing sheds. When I grew up, I decided I liked packing better than picking, and I was a faster packer than I was a picker. I left the picking to Mom, who could outpick anyone around.

Remember, I told you how Mom loved toast and butter with her morning coffee. Well, I happened to get a two-slice pop-up toaster for a wedding gift. I’d drive to Mom’s early in the morning and bring the toaster with me, so she could have her toast and butter with coffee. I wasn’t there to walk to the bakery for her anymore. Besides, the bakery she loved so much had gone out of business.

Years later, I wondered why Mom never broke down and bought herself a toaster. Maybe it was because she was the only one in the family who was toast crazy. Mom was like that. She wouldn’t have spent the money to buy herself a toaster. She figured the family needed it for other things. Now, I wonder if she didn’t buy a toaster because she liked our mother/daughter visits with coffee and toast. She brewed coffee so strong it’d curl your toes and knock off your socks, but I’d manage to weaken it as much as possible with plenty of sugar and cream and sip it with her. Her coffee was always too strong for me.

How I wish I could bring Mom toast and butter or a hot glazed donut for her morning coffee. On her deathbed, she asked, “Did you freeze those glazed donuts?”

How I wish I could bring her ice cream on a hot summer day. I miss her so much. Growing up, I shared candy and love notes with her. We talked about boys and puppy love. I miss those Mom-and-daughter talks. You see, she left years ago. She had cancer, and God called her home. Oh what I wouldn’t give just to be able to bring Mom an order of toast and butter, an ice cream . . . or a hot glazed donut. But, I count my blessings that I had this mother’s love. I’m who I am today because of God and her.

Bio
Barbara Russell-Robinson lives in Florida with her husband, a cocker spaniel named Sunflower, and an adopted shelter cat. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the Christian Writers Guild (CWG), and a graduate of Long Ridge Writers Group and the CWG's Apprentice and Journeyman level courses. She’s completed a novel, True Hidden Treasures.

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

2010-10-31T12:31:00.000-07:00
Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury is a touching, beautifully written story published by Zondervan, copyright 2010. It's 320 pages with discussion questions that make it possible to use the novel for a study group. I smiled, laughed, and cried my way through it and didn't want to put it down.

Holden Harris is eighteen years old and locked away in a prison of autism. Ella Reynolds is a popular cheerleader who seems to live the ideal life and have everything a girl could want down to the football hero, until she catches him bullying and breaks up with him.

She's drawn to Holden, and his love of music and drama makes her decide to reach out to him. She discovers they're old friends while spending time with the family photo albums. The same music they shared as young children bring them together again, after a decade of being torn apart by their families. Ella and Holden's mothers were best friends until his autism drove their friendship apart. Ella and Holden's dads were friends until the same wedge planted itself between their relationship. Ella's mother and father grow apart. Holden's father finds escape on a shrimp boat in dangerous seas and risks his life to avoid a son he's unable to reach. Holden lost his Ella, but their relationship wasn't the only one lost.

Ella reaches out to a special-needs student at her school and finds the childhood friend who left her a decade earlier. He's never forgotten her, and music and drama bring them together again. Can Holden break the chains that hold him in his own private prison? Will Ella and the music he loves be the keys to unlock Holden Harris for the world?

This novel will rip your heart in two as Holden Harris transforms from the beast of autism into a prince. Bullying, suicide, and marriages falling apart are handled in such a way to make this a truly life-changing novel, and it's Holden Harris who changes lives and becomes an inspiration to so many. It didn't take Ella long to realize who the true prince of Fulton High was.

Though the disability in this book is autism, anyone who loves a child with special needs will enjoy this novel. It's a great adult and teen read. Ella wonders what happened to her family and discovers they all lost with Holden's loss, but God works a miracle and Holden is the instrument He uses to renew hope and bring these families together again. Their lives are unlocked with music, drama, Holden, and love, the type of love that despite all odds never goes away. Even when one mother pushes them all apart, the hearts carry that love locked away inside for over a decade, and Ella realizes Holden wasn't the only one who needed unlocking.

A World of Chocolate: The Sweetest Place on Earth

2010-10-14T01:21:00.000-07:00
A World of Chocolate: The Sweetest Place on Earth

by Barbara Russell-Robinson

Discover the sweetest place on earth. Visit Hershey’s Chocolate World Visitor Center, Hershey Park, and Zoo America and take a simulated tour of the Chocolate Factory on the Chocolate Ride. Stroll through a tropical jungle where cocoa beans are harvested. View the chocolate-making process during the ride and receive a free sample at the end. Explore the gift shops and restaurants and have ice cream Hershey style.

View the Really Big 3D Show and get a glimpse of the history of Hershey’s chocolate. The show is designed and produced by Landmark Entertainment, the group who designed Universal Studios “Terminator 2/3D," and free candy samples make the show even sweeter.

Take in 11 acres of wildlife, included with park admission, of Zoo America. The most amazing adventure for some will be Storm Runner in Hershey Park. It's the first hydraulic launch coaster with inversions and speeds off at 72 miles per hour. Discover the thrills of Great Bear, an inverted coaster with four inversions--vertical loop, camelback twist, and wing over that gives the sensation of flying through the air as your feet dangle.

Take lots of great pictures, even some of Hershey Kiss traffic lights. The streets are named after Hershey candy. Jolly Rancher candy is also a Hershey product, though it's not chocolate. White chocolate Hershey bars with almonds and white Kit Kat bars, which are so hard to find, are all available. Like they say, Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the sweetest place on earth; it's a world of chocolate right down to the traffic lights.

The above-captioned piece was written after a summer vacation a few years ago. A slightly different version was published in a local newspaper.

The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins

2010-08-13T02:57:00.001-07:00
The Last Operative by Jerry B. Jenkins is 23 chapters and 371 pages of riveting suspense published by Tyndale, copyright 2010 in hardcover. Jordan Kirkwood's top-notch career as an NSA intelligence operative cost him quality family time causing a rift between him and son until it cost him his wife's life. His daughter is more understanding, but will his son ever forgive him, so hearts can mend, and they can enjoy their time left together? He helplessly watches as he losses the love of his life, his wife, just when she was meeting him for some well-deserved quality time, and he faces a retirement decision. But, as much as he would like to just quit the job that has cost him his family in more ways than one, a larger threat rears its ugly head. He has two grown children and a country to protect, so he's not able to call it quits just yet.

A threat worse than 9/11 and someone at a top level in the NSA might be to blame. On his most dangerous mission, Jordan's deepest secret is revealed and his past confronts him head on, a secret he, himself, knew nothing about. The fate of his country hangs in the balance as he fights to discover who he can trust and depend upon, and his own life is at stake. The risks are high for homeland and family. He wants to be sure his son and daughter are protected and do not follow the same fate as his wife. He loses a best friend. His family home, where he raised his children, is blown to bits, and his uncle takes him in, only to have his own home bombed.

An old love returns during the worse time of his life with a surprise from the past. The book ends like a serial, so I hope we find out what happens to Jordan, Cydya--his former love, and Katrina--someone from the past, as well as his two grown children, Christa and Ken. But, the book is a retelling of his first standalone novel. I felt the ending was too abrupt unless he plans a serial, since it left me with a hunger for more. And, I think it has potential for a great serial. His readers will want to know what happens to these characters as a family, perhaps a family saga. When a reader becomes involved with the characters, they can't help but want to know what happens to them.

The Last Operative is available through Christian Writers Guild, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and many bookstores.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WRITING

2010-07-30T04:38:00.000-07:00
What do I love about writing? Though there are many things, what I love the most is the opportunity it presents to reach out and help others. When you've written a story others can identify with, you have the opportunity to touch their lives, their hearts, and their souls. Writing also allows people to get to know each other, who otherwise never would. It allows you to really get to know yourself, because it becomes a process of self-discovery.

Through writing, I have met and shared stories with people from all over the United States and Canada. My family has learned more about me and who I really am as a person. I have even learned more about them. It allows me to share my heart and soul and my life with others. When I find out something I have written has touched another human being, or has helped them in some way, that is the greatest reward of all. I may never be a famous author, but I am a published one, who knows the feeling, the joy, and the reward of receiving this gift from God.

Writing is what I do because it's a part of me, and I thank God for the gift, the ability, and the benefits it brings every day, not monetary benefits, but people benefits. It is my way of reaching out to others and sharing my life experiences with them. If I only wrote for the money, I wouldn’t be writing. I love the feeling of knowing that somewhere someone may pick up something I wrote and learn about the personal relationship I share with God. Perhaps, they, too, will find the missing link in their lives and come to share that same productive relationship. For me, that is what writing is all about, and it brings joy to my soul.

I want to write to bring joy, hope, peace, faith, love, and life to others. The masses of people who really need to learn more about Jesus and the gift of eternal life may never be reached through a Sunday sermon. Just as Jesus used the art of storytelling, writers may reach lost sheep by following His example. If I can help just one discover Jesus, I will have made a big difference with my writing for another human being.