Coming soon from Abingdon Press

This collaboration from Abingdon Press between two fantastic and feisty writers, Bonnie Calhoun and Michelle Sutton, can only mean one thing ~ this book will be fast, furious and fun!

Enjoy:~

Deadly Accord by Bonnie S. Calhoun & Michelle Sutton

"There's a fine line between love and hate, so be careful what you pray for."

Precious Madison has a chip
on her shoulder.

Olivia Baldwin is the epitome
of that chip.

Bridging the chip will
create a bond that can
never be broken.

PI Precious Madison is tough, jaded, and judgmental, but are her street smarts enough to save sheltered heiress Olivia Baldwin from her naiveté of the real world?

Ding dong the ogre is dead!

Precious Madison is a P.I that catches cheating husbands.

She’s caught twenty-four in the last six months.

…so what’s one killer?

A young man is murdered, and two women are drawn into the mystery when they assume that the police write it off as a random crime. Unraveling the truth puts their lives at risk when they uncover a high-level crime organization, and another dead body that disappears before they can report it. As the danger escalates, Precious and Olivia, learn to depend on each other for survival.

An African American Private Investigator, in the information business, and best at thinking “out of the box.” A Caucasian Computer Forensic Investigator living in the virtual world.

Can two women from opposite worlds but possessing such compatible skills learn to work together…and like it?

Releasing, 2011

It's Not About Him by Michelle Sutton

When Susie discovers she is pregnant, she has no idea who the father is. She considers having an abortion, but decides to place her baby for adoption instead. Following through ends up being more wrenching than she'd imagined, but she's determined to do the right thing for her baby.

My take:~

Authentic and confronting, emotive and compelling, Michelle Sutton's It's Not About Him takes the reader on a journey of heartache and hope as Susie and Jeff battle fear, temptation and despair. Michelle vividly exposes the frailties of the human heart with a frankness rarely seen as her characters struggle with rape, alcoholism, promiscuity and failing God's call on their lives. Susie, Jeff and Tony experience the painful consequences of their choices, grappling with the true meaning of living by faith and the sacrifices love demands. Despite the difficult subject matter, hope and forgiveness lie at the heart of this novel, offering today's young adults the promise of a restored heart and mind through a relationship with Jesus. It's Not About Him is a brave and riveting story.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of It's Not About Me

Character spotlight on Jeff Rhodes

Interview with Michelle

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's books at Amazon and CBD

Character Spotlight ~ Michelle Sutton's Jeff Rhodes

Today the spotlight shines on............................Jeff Rhodes



Michelle Sutton had her first book, It's Not About Me, published late in 2008 and now has 11 books contracted to release over the next three years! She is Editor in Chief of CFOM, a social worker and wife and mother. I'm surprised she had time to drop in at Relz Reviewz at all ;-)

Here's a look at her male lead in her new release, It's Not About Him.

Over to you, Michelle:~

Brief physical description

Think Zac Efron (he is SO cute).

Strengths and weaknesses

Jeff's strength is his desire to take care of Susie and to help her raise a child that isn't his biological offspring. His weakness is that his motivation for wanting to help her springs from guilt over how she got pregnant and his pain regarding his own adoption as a child. He also has a hard time saying no to people like his friend Mike.

Quirk (if any)

Jeff has an interesting past and because of that sometimes the dregs from his past friendships will return to his life. He has a tendency to get so caught up in the present and with helping others that he will sometimes oversleep and be late for work.

Your inspiration for the character

I based the character on a secondary character in the first book, It's Not About Me. In that story Jeff was a real jerk. He used people and didn't care how that affected them. However, in the beginning of INAH he'd been a Christian about five months so he has changed some from the prior novel. But he is still a very new Christian.

Background to the story

Susie wakes up after a party knowing something isn't right. When she discovers she is pregnant but has no idea who the father is, she decides to place her baby for adoption with an infertile couple from church. Following through ends up being more challenging than she'd imagined. But she wants to do the right thing. If only Jeff would quit trying to marry her so she'll keep her baby! Why doesn't he understand? It's not about him; it's about what's best for her child. Meanwhile, a man shows up in her life that looks irritatingly familiar. Could he be the father?

Thanks Michelle for taking the time to share about Jeff. He certainly has undergone a transformation from It's Not About Me to his own story :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of It's Not About Me

Interview with Michelle

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's books at Amazon and CBD

Character Spotlight ~ Michelle Sutton's Bojan Trajkovski

Today the spotlight shines on....................Bojan Trajkovski



Michelle Sutton's latest book is in e-book form published by Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. A romantic suspense novel, it will keep you reading well into the night! Tomorrow, you can learn more about Michelle's writing in a further spotlight.

Over to you, Michelle:~

Brief physical description

Eric Bana would play the hero because he looks like Bojan in my mind.

Strengths and weaknesses

Bojan's strength is his compassion and his faith. He also has a lot of wisdom tucked behind his strongly accented and often misworded use of English. His weakness is that he has a soft spot for women in difficult situations, like Laney. He wants to fix things for them.

Quirk (if any)

He messes up his sentences when he speaks and often misunderstands others, especially when they use American slang or idioms. But he also would do anything for anyone in need, which is also misinterpreted on occasion even though his motives are pure.

Your inspiration for the character

I based the character on several people and cultures I grew familiar with over the past five years. I have an Albanian friend who gave me a lot of tips, also. What made me want to write this character to begin with was my desire to play with cultural and linguistic nuances that make for humorous romantic situations. I wanted to use an uncommon language, too. Spanish is too common, but the Macedonian alphabet doesn't even look similar to English so it worked for me.

Background to the story

Upon her fiance's death, Laney became a recluse who only left her home for emergencies. She managed to survive - barely - on food delivery service and her work-at-home job. When she tries to move on from her grief, the commemorative meal she orders is ruined. However, it leads to an unlikely friendship with an attractive man, Bojan, who speaks little English. As he befriends Laney he continually says the wrong things, but he doesn't give up trying to win her trust. Meanwhile, she has this strange feeling of being watched and wonders if she's losing her mind. Complicating things further, every time she leaves her house something bad happens, confirming that she is safer at home. Can Bojan convince Laney she'll be safe with him, or will his presence put her in further danger? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves before it's too late?

Thanks, Michelle for sharing Bojan with us! It is great to see a character who doesn't fit the usual mould and if he looks like Eric Bana...well, what more could we want - LOL!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's Danger at the Door ~ also available for your Kindle at Amazon

Friendship Friday ~ What do you value in your close friendships with women?

Tamara Tilley

What I value the most with my dearest friend, is that our friendship is timeless. Vicki used to live and work at Hume Lake, the Christian Conference Center where I presently live and work. We would work out with each other in the gym in the wee hours of the morning, and snatch moments together throughout the day. When she moved to Fresno, I was afraid that we would lose our connection. We both lead such busy lives and the distance between us now is about two hours. Our work schedules don’t line up so we don’t get many opportunities to visit. But our friendship is still as strong today as ever. When one of us calls the other, we fall easily into conversation with each other. We don’t keep track of who called last, or get angry when a call is not returned. We know we are each very busy and time slips away easily. We do not waste valuable moments on the phone making excuses as to why it’s been so long since we talked. We just choose to appreciate each phone call or brief visit, and hold each other up in prayer throughout the week.

Blessings

Full Disclosure - Abandoned Identity - Criminal Obsession

Michelle Sutton

There are so many things I am not sure where to start. With older women there is mentoring and lots of hugs to be gained. I lost my mother when she passed away in 1998 and it has left a gap in my heart that only a mom can fill. Since that time I have felt more drawn to women in their 60s than I have ever before (I'm 42). Sometimes you can really share your heart with an older woman and the special bond that develops makes you feel like you are family. I can't tell my mother things about my current life and what is going on with my kids but I can tell an older woman friend who has been there, done that. I love hugs from my "sisters" in Christ and giving/receiving words of encouragement. I also enjoy mentoring younger women. My boys are both in high school so I've learned a lot I can share with them. This life is hard, so every word that lifts me up or that I can share (from my heart) that lifts someone else up brings us that much closer together. I love my girlfriends. I can laugh with them and cry with them and we feel like sisters in every way even though we aren't related in the flesh. I also adore my cyber friends. I'm a visual person so seeing something in print like, "your story really blessed me" does more for my heart than hearing someone say it in passing. I can function for weeks on those few words. Women are just special to me. Ironically, I didn't care much for my female friends when I was a teenager - and at that time I wasn't a Christian yet myself. They drained me with their boring problems and everything they talked about seemed petty to me. I guess when you have a chronically ill parent like I did you want to slap petty people and say, "enough whining already. Thank God for what you do have." But that's harsh, I know. I've learned since coming to faith in Christ to be patient and offer grace to people who are not necessarily my type of people or who don't see the world the way I do. Oh, and best of all, I love to talk about books and share a great book with a friend. There is so much amazing conversation that can take place surrounding a wonderful story. Okay, so I wrote a novel with my answer. Did you expect any less? Hehehe. Forgive me. :)

It's Not About Me - It's Not About Him

Sneak Peek at Michelle Sutton's It's Not About Him

Michelle Sutton's sophomore novel, It's Not About Him, is set to release in September, 2009 from Sheaf House.

For more details, including synopsis and endorsements (mine included!), check out Michelle's google page here.

Character Spotlight ~ Michelle Sutton's Annie Meyers

Today the spotlight shines on................................................................Annie Meyers



Michelle Sutton is well known for her tireless efforts supporting Christian writers through ACFW, Edgy Christian Fiction Lovers and CFOM. She is now getting her name out and about as the author of It's Not About Me, her debut novel.

Over to you Michelle :)

Brief physical description

Long, fox red hair, cute face, small nose, average build, slightly shorter than most people.

Actor/famous person who might resemble her

Hillary Duff (with reddish hair)

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths are she has strong convictions, especially in regards to honoring her parents and waiting for marriage to have sex. She has no real vices like drinking or smoking, etc. and doesn't swear. She's basically a good girl and a loyal friend.

Weakness is she doesn't want anyone to be upset with her so she tends to give in to keep people happy. She will occasionally lie if she thinks it will keep the peace. She also thinks being a good person is enough and doesn't really know the Bible so is easily duped when someone misquotes it.

Quirk (if any)

She talks to her cat when she is struggling with a decision and can't decide what to do.

Your inspiration for the character

My inspiration for the character came purely from my head in regards to looks, then ironically a young girl- high school age- started attending my church who could have been Annie. So in my revisions I found myself tweaking her out a bit to be more like this gorgeous, soft-spoken darling from church. Also, the event which happened to her and ruined her life, at least temporarily, happened to a friend of mine from a former church.

Synopsis of the book

Annie has it all. She's attractive, graduated with honors, was accepted at the college of her choice, has supportive parents, good friends, and a steady boyfriend who loves her. One night when an unexpected visitor appears, Annie's safe world is destroyed. As she tries to recover the pieces of her broken life, a war ensues between two brothers who both claim to have her best interests at heart. But who will Annie choose? Or will she decide to turn her life in a different direction?


Michelle ~ thanks for sharing about Annie! We'll see you back here next year, featuring a main character from your sequel, It's Not About Him :)


On Monday I will be spotlighting Gracie Lang from Amy Wallace's debut novel, Ransomed Dreams, with a bonus spotlight on Steven Kessler ~ you will enjoy getting to know them a little better ;-)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of It's Not About Me

Interview with Michelle

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's book at Amazon and CBD

It's Not About Me by Michelle Sutton

Annie Meyers is worried. Her gorgeous boyfriend of four years, Tony Lane, is pushing their commitment to wait for marriage. Her faith is weak and their self control is under increasing pressure. She is driven by her fear of disappointing him and losing his love.

When real fear plunges unexpectedly into her life through tragedy, Tony is unable to deal with the fallout and becomes increasingly erratic. His older brother, Dan, is more than willing to step in to provide comfort and support to the girl he has longed to be with since he left for college years before.

Bitter rivalry plunges the three friends and their families into heartache and confusion. Will they enable God to halt their downward plunge into an abyss of emotional grief and anger?

Michelle Sutton lives up to her tag line of "Edgy Inspirational Author", tackling issues of desire, premarital sex, alcoholism and volatile sibling relationships in her debut novel, It's Not About Me. Once hooked by Michelle's characters, the race is on to get to the last page and discover where Annie, Tony and Dan's choices lead them. Michelle is not shy about detailing the main characters' feelings of desire and their battle against acting on their attraction, making this book more suited to those in their late teens and older. Annie's vacillation between Tony and Dan and their penchant for putting themselves in potentially compromising situations was frustrating but a testament to Michelle's dedication to write authentically. This may make some lovers of traditional Christian romance uncomfortable while generating a devoted audience in others who have been waiting for such "real life" fiction. Adding significance to her tale, Michelle unashamedly deals with Annie's ignorance of her lack of faith, confronting the all to common belief that church attendance and "good" life choices are sufficient for a relationship with God. It's Not About Me sends a strong message about commitment, faithfulness and the true source of beauty and love. Michelle is sure to make a splash with her debut novel.

Available now from Sheaf House.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Interview with Michelle

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's book at Amazon or CBD

Please note my view that Michelle's book contains content suited to those in their late teens and older.

Getting to know Michelle Sutton

Michelle Sutton is a woman with unbelievable energy, from wife to mother, writer to CFOM editor-in-chief, social worker to ACFW Volunteer Officer, blogger and reviewer - the list goes on!

With her debut release, It's Not About Me, in stores now, Michelle has been busier than ever.

So I really appreciated her finding the time to answer my interview questions!

Here's Michelle ~ enjoy!

If you could have chosen your own name, what would it be?

I haven't a clue. Maybe something French like my middle name, which is Therese.

Your first pet's name?

Benjina (she looked like the dog Benji in the movies but was a girl dog).

Your best friend's name in primary (elementary) school?

In Kindergarten through second grade it was Jennifer and Sherry. From 3^rd grade to middle school it was Priscilla.

Did you have a special toy that went everywhere with you when you were young? Please describe.

Yep. Had a stuffed dog named Spot (SO not original, I know). I used to drag him around on a leash until his white fur turned gray.

If you could meet a famous person, who would it be?

I haven't a clue. I guess since we all put our pants on the same way I don't have anyone I am truly dying to meet.

If you were stranded on a desert island what one object would you want with you? (Besides your Bible of course)

A crate of books? (Crate is one thing, right? LOL!)

What's your favourite ice cream flavour?

Mint chocolate chip.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Honestly? I wanted to be a full time mom like Laura Ingalls Wilder's mom on Little House on the Prairie.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

An exotic island in the Caribbean like Martinique.

Besides God, who has influenced you the most?

My mother.

What's your favourite book?

LOL! Impossible to choose. I'd say whatever book I'm currently obsessing over fits.

What part of your daily routine do you enjoy most?

Sleeping!

What's your favourite movie?

Probably Charlotte Gray. I love WWII flicks and history.

Where's the most interesting place you have been?

Inside the Merrimac Caverns or hanging out at Niagara Falls.

What's your most fervent prayer?

That God would use me to do something of eternal significance in this life.

What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

Wrote several books and exposed my heart to my readers.

What gift have you received that you will always treasure?

My sons.

What is your favourite Bible verse (or "one" of your favourites) and what does it mean to you?

Romans 8:11-13…. The gist is that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me and therefore I must put to death the deeds of the flesh in order to truly live.

What was your most embarrassing moment in High School?

Can't think of anything.

How did your husband propose to you?

He just asked. And he gave me some mustard seed earrings. Long story, but the short version is that he said God planted a seed of love in his heart for me and that is what the earrings stood for.

What was the best advice you received on marriage before you were married?

Don't marry a man who hates his mother.

It's Not About Me

How did this story come to be?

It was an offshoot of another story and actually the third book in a series.

We have chatted a lot about the “sensuality” in your story. Please share your reasons for your direct approach on physical attraction, teen sex, pornography, etc.

I've worked with youth for over 20 years and frankly they need a lot to hold their attention and it has to be interesting. What could possibly be more interesting for a female reader than reading about a young woman who is being pressured by her boyfriend. And how does she feel about it? Unfortunately I have known kids who have had sex as early as 11 or 12, so the fact that all of my characters are still virgins at the ages of 19 and 23 is pretty unbelievable this day in age, but that's why the temptation theme works for them. They haven't really done anything “bad” before. And frankly, I was pretty stupid as a teen and made my share of mistakes, so I thought I'd share a bit of insight from what I'd learned.

What was your favourite scene to write?

The first kiss Annie shares with Dan. It involves a yummy dessert, but that's all I'm saying. My second favorite is when Tony finds out.

What do you hope readers take away from this story?

That there is a difference between real love and infatuation. And that God's opinion matters, but only if He matters to you. Being “good” is never enough. You have to have a relationship with the living God for it to count.

What is in your writing pipeline? A sneak peek?

Susie's story, of course. I love to take the bad girls and redeem them in the next book. Thanks Michelle for your time and energy :) I'll be following your writing exploits with interest!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Michelle's website and blog

Buy Michelle's book at Amazon or CBD