Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Coming in 2012 from Howard Books
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
News & Notes
• Sleepless in Seattle 5-Pack Coffee Gift Set
• Seattle Space Needle Relax Du Mocha Cocoa 6 oz
• Washington Artisan Handwarmer Mug – Mossy Creek design
• Pacific Northwest Lemon Honey Creme – 11.8 oz
• Pacific Northwest Artisan Crackers – Parmesan Cayenne 5 oz
• Seattle-Made Garlic Obsession Dip 1 oz
• Washington Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon – 2 oz
• ‘Celebrate the Market’ Pike Place Kitchen Towel & Mitt Set
• Emerald City DVD (visual tour of everything from the Space Needle to the Pike Place Market)
• A personalized (you select the name) marble plaque, featuring Isaiah 43:18-19, Bailee’s favorite verse in House of Secrets
• A copy of Gems of Wisdom, written and signed by author Angie Breidenbach, a close friend of Tracie’s and the woman to whom House of Secrets is dedicated
• A signed copy of Eyes of the Heart, a devotional stories book by Tracie Peterson
• A hardbound copy of House of Secrets, signed by Tracie Peterson
Monday, 27 September 2010
Coming in 2011 from Tyndale House
Here's a taste of the books releasing from Tyndale House in 2011 and there will be more to come.
I can't wait to read Nicole Baart's conclusion to After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow. Nicole writes beautiful literary prose that is second to none.
Henry McLaughlin is the 2009 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel Contest winner with Journey to Riverbend and it looks like Tom, Jason and Steve are serving up more thrills and spills with their 2011 releases.
Which ones are you looking forward to?Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart
Julia DeSmit knew at some point her son would ask about his dad, she just didn’t expect it now that she is finally content with the way her life has unfolded. A single mother to her son and younger brother, she cherishes living with her beloved grandmother and is hoping to be engaged to Michael Vermeer—the man of her dreams—by year’s end.
Julia’s dream is threatened when a cryptic e-mail from her son’s father spins her world off axis. She hasn’t heard from Parker since he left her in a college parking lot without a backward glance. But one look at her son—the spitting image of his father—is enough to convince her that, for better or worse, Parker is a part of their story.
Faced with this new reality and the potential unraveling of her unorthodox family, Julia begins a tightrope walk between what was, what is, and what she hopes for in her sanctuary beneath the night tree.
February, 2011
Journey to Riverbend by Henry McLaughlin
Soon after arriving in Riverbend, Michael meets and falls for the stunning Rachel Stone while waiting for Sam to return from a business trip. Beautiful yet guarded, Rachel seems to be running from a past as dark as Michael’s. When word reaches town that Sam has been kidnapped on the stagecoach home, Michael offers to join the search party formed by the local sheriff.
With a budding romance behind him and a dangerous rescue ahead of him, he sets out on the trail, determined to complete his journey no matter the cost.
February, 2011
Beckon b

Some secrets weren’t meant to be discovered.
Three people are each drawn to Mount Beckon in western Wyoming. A biology professor investigates a mysterious cave-dwelling arthropod and makes a terrifying discovery. An aging millionaire is offered a miraculous remedy for his wife’s dementia but must decide if the cure is worth the cost. And a reporter follows a cryptic lead to a strange compound built over an abandoned mine. One by one they discover the mountain’s ghastly secret.
The only question is . . . will any of them make it out alive?
April, 2011

After taking two football seasons off, Riley Covington is attempting to make a comeback in the league while trying to forget Khadi Faroughi, now on security detail for a prominent senator.
But a new attack turns both of their lives upside down yet again. During a state funeral, terrorists overrun the National Cathedral and take senators, congressmen, and their entourages hostage, including Khadi. This new generation of The Cause is made up of homegrown terrorists—an inside threat to the security of the nation. They release most of the hostages, but not all. Several, including Khadi, are kept behind as significant bargaining chips.
The Cause pledges to behead one member of Congress each day throughout the month of Ramadan as a punishment for their own country’s rejection of Islam. Despite the protests of Counter-Terrorism Division director Scott Ross, Riley races to CTD armed with a plan and a fierce determination to rescue Khadi at all costs.
April, 2011
Saturday, 17 October 2009
Nicole Baart ~ What's Cooking?
Sticky Toffee Spoon Cake
Ingredients
1 ½ cups butter
1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
6 tbsp. golden syrup
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup self-rising flour
¼ tsp. salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 6 ramekins. Heat ¼ cup butter, ¼ cup sugar, and syrup in a pan over low heat until smooth. Pour the sauce equally into the ramekins. Melt the rest of the butter and sugar in a pan. Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Mix in eggs.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in melted mixture and stir until combined. Spoon into ramekins.
Bake for 20 minutes or until springy to the touch. Run a knife around the edge. Carefully turn onto a large plate. Serve with extra toffee sauce (if desired) and whipped cream.
Toffee Sauce
¼ cup butter
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup packed brown sugar
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add cream and brown sugar. Stir until blended.
Stirring constantly, heat until boiling. Remove from heat.
Pour warm sauce over cake just before serving.
After the Leaves Fall ~ Summer Snow ~ The Moment Between
Relz Reviewz Extras
All things Baart @ Relz Reviewz
Visit Nicole's website and blog
Buy Nicole's books at Amazon or Koorong
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
The Moment Between by Nicole Baart
Abigail Bennett strives hard to maintain her well ordered and structured life. A successful accountant with a minimal social life, Abigail has endured enough pain in her past to justify her aloofness.
As seen at TitleTrakk.com
Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Abigail and Hailey
Reviews of After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow
Interview with Nicole
Visit Nicole's website and blog
Enter Nicole's contest to win one of five copies of this amazing book
Buy Nicole's books at Amazon or Koorong
Monday, 4 May 2009
Character Spotlight ~ Nicole Baart's Abigail and Hailey Bennett
Today the spotlight shines on...........................................Abigail & Hailey Bennett
Nicole Baart's newest release is one of the most powerful and moving stories I have ever read - seriously! Her characters Abigail and Hailey will be forever imprinted in your minds after reading their story. I am preparing my review to be sent to TitleTrakk so you will read it here shortly. I know you will be entranced by this look behind the scenes.
Thanks, Nicole:~Appearance
Though Abigail is five years older than her sister Hailey, she looks much younger. The girls are polar opposites in many ways, but the most obvious difference between them is their appearance.
Abigail is petite and athletic. Her hair is short, curly, and nearly black, but her skin is a soft, almost porcelain white.
Hailey, on the other hand, is tall and leggy with perfect curves. Her long, blond hair, big, blue eyes, and olive skin make her a living Barbie doll.
Abigail is convinced that her sister is gorgeous and she is not, but the truth is that they are both lovely--each in her own way.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Abigail is determined, decisive, and trustworthy. Her family relies on her to hold them together when life gets complicated, and she is more than capable of doing the job. In spite of her strong character and commitment to her family, Abigail does have a few weaknesses. She assumes too much responsibility for things that she simply cannot control--it’s a sort of God-complex that becomes so crippling she feels burdened by sins that she could never begin to atone for.
Hailey is undeniably beautiful, unnaturally brilliant, and charismatic. People are drawn to her because she is so full of energy and life. However, she is also very manipulative, and though she tries to keep herself in check, it’s almost impossible for her to control her impulses.
Quirk
Abigail is an obsessive runner (literally and figuratively, though we’ll just focus on the literal J). She runs several miles every day and trains for marathons. Sometimes when she’s bored or frustrated she runs twice a day. And since she already has the figure of a twelve-year-old, it’s difficult for to keep her weight over 100 lbs.
Hailey is an all-around quirky character. According to Abby:
“Hailey was too pretty, too wise. Too capable of manipulating any situation to her advantage, too triumphant when she won, and too moody when she didn’t. She was too much of nearly everything, actually. It seemed as though her spirit was simply too much for her body to contain.”
I think Hailey is a fascinating character--she’s really quite impossible to accurately describe.
Your Inspiration for the Characters
Abigail and Hailey grew in my imagination together. They are two sides of the same coin, alter egos encompassed in a strained but deeply loving sibling relationship. Actually, there’s a song by Ingrid Michaelson that sort of inspired these women. It’s called Die Alone, and although it’s somewhat romantic I can’t help thinking that it fits my characters.
I’m rearranging a proverbial bookshelf
Don’t be a fool, girl…
I never thought I could love anyone but myself.
Now I know I can’t love anyone But you.”
Actually, Ingrid Michaelson’s song Breakable also contributed to my understanding of Abigail and Hailey.
Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts.
So it’s fairly simple to cut right through mass
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess.
We are so fragile, and our cracking bones make noise.
And we are just breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys.”
These two women are intertwined in a way that cannot be undone, even though they may hate each other at times. I love the delicate imbalance of their relationship. I love the way that their bond is incongruously fragile and unbreakable.
Background to the Story
Abigail Bennett knows all about ambition. She’s poised, confident, and successful, a well-respected partner in a prestigious accounting firm. After burying a tumultuous past and rebuilding over the ruins, Abigail is convinced that nothing can shake the firm foundation she has tried to construct for herself. Until the unthinkable h

As Abigail’s life starts to unravel, she abandons her job, her swanky south Florida apartment, everything to chase down the object of her obsession. He’s a bartender and a self-proclaimed womanizer. His name is Tyler Kamp.
Abigail’s journey is awash in memories of her childhood, for even as she races into her future, her past continually pulls her back. Though she tries to ignore each painful recollection of her younger days--a time filled with strict religious rules and regulations, and peppered with the errors and expectations of her aging parents--Abigail’s youth cannot be ignored. And at the center of it all is Abigail’s relationship with her younger sister, Hailey. Hailey is indefinably

Past and present finally collide when Abigail’s obsession forces her to chase Tyler from Florida all the way across the continent to British Columbia’s fabled Summerlands. Torn between grace and condemnation, redemption and revenge, Abigail faces the implications of living a less than perfect life. And though she is convinced that everything is black or white, right or wrong, justice and love prove to be much more complicated than Abigail first imagined them to be.
Thanks Nicole ~ your talent is abundant in this novel. Thanks for sharing

On Thursday I will be spotlighting Don Hoesel's Jack Hawthorne & Esperanza Habilla. Quirky and different, this spotlight is a lot of fun!
Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow
Interview with Nicole
Visit Nicole's website and blog
Enter Nicole's contest to win one of five copies of this amazing book
Buy Nicole's books at Amazon or Koorong
Friday, 24 April 2009
Book Trailer for Nicole Baart's The Moment Between
I'm off to my church's women's retreat tonight for the weekend! Looking forward to it :) I'll see you back here on Monday.
I will leave you with the trailer for one of the most amazing books I have ever read, The Moment Between by Nicole Baart ~ it is an evocative and heart wrenching read of the love between two sisters, a love that is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
My review will be up at TitleTrakk.com soon and then on my blog ~ trust me, you will want to read this book!
Monday, 3 November 2008
Character Spotlight ~ Nicole Baart's Julia De Smit
And today the spotlight shines on...........................................................Julia De Smit

If you haven't read Nicole Baart's beautiful stories, you are truly missing out! Nicole writes evocatively and poetically. Hope this spotlight inspires you to pick up her books and soak them in!
Over to Nicole and Julia:~
Appearance:
Julia is a sort of “every-woman.” She’s medium height, slender but not skinny, and pretty but not beautiful. Julia thinks she’s very plain,
but don’t most women feel that way about themselves? Her hazel eyes, dark waves, and perfect skin are lovely. Since she’s only nineteen, she has that in between appeal--she’s not quite a child, not quite a woman, but there are hints of both her past and her future in her evolving appearance.
Strengths & Weaknesses:
Julia is strong and smart. The various tragedies of her life have forced her to forego idealism at a young age, but that doesn’t mean that she’s jaded. She has a realistic understanding of what she can expect out of life, but she’s not afraid to dream either.
One of Julia’s weaknesses is her perception of herself. Like many women, she has a hard time seeing herself accurately. She doesn’t give herself nearly enough credit.
Quirk:
Julia may not have many definable quirks, but she definitely finds herself in unexpected situations. Between trying her hand at smoking, accidentally killing an innocent animal, stealing street signs, and making up a completely absurd and implausible lie about her estranged mother, she manages to stumble her way through a messy young adulthood. I’m making her sound like a terrible person, but really she’s very innocent, very sweet… She’s just hurt and searching in all the wrong places for healing.
Your Inspiration for the Character:
Julia is, in many ways, the sort of person I could have been as a young woman. The Lord blessed me with a wonderful childhood and adolescence, and I didn’t have to wrestle my way through heartbreaking misfortune. But I’ve often wondered what my life would be like if I had lost a parent or felt the pain of abandonment… Julia is the product of those musings. I think she’s tenacious and lovable in spite of her almost sarcastic outlook on life. Her tough exterior is definitely a defense mechanism.
Background to the Story:
Julia is essentially orphaned at the age of sixteen. Her mother abandoned her when she was eight, and her father died of cancer when she was a teen. This coming-of-age story is about Julia wrenching hope and a future out of a life that seems unsalvageable. It’s about starting over and finding beauty amidst the ashes.
Thanks Nicole ~ really loved these thoughts on Julia :) Can't wait for your next novel.
On Thursday, join me for a spotlight on the Elizabeth and Noah, Jamie Carie's characters from her award winning debut novel, Snow Angel.
You are in for a real treat!
Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of After the Leaves Fall and Summer Snow
Interview with Nicole
Sunday, 15 June 2008
Summer Snow by Nicole Baart
"Strangely when the world implodes before you, it doesn't make a sound."
Janice is destitute, cold and frightened, a mere shell of the vibrant yet distant mother Julia remembers. Janice's desperate need weighs on Julia's conscience but her embittered soul prevails until Grandma insists Janice can stay. Julia's desire for retribution for the pain Janice caused her wars with her need to be loved by the woman who bore her. When Janice reveals a secret, Julia's fledgling hope is shattered.
With sensitivity and unerring perception, Nicole Baart pens a tale of three women struggling to survive the emotional upheaval their reunion imparts. Julia's dramatic change in circumstances which took place towards the end of After the Leaves Fall, and the subsequent impact on Julia's emotions and personality are captured perfectly in Summer Snow. Julia's first person voice has altered to reflect her new responsibilities and rings with authenticity. Janice's brokenness and the consequences of her poor choices are reflected with equal depth and poignancy.
The heavy subject matter is tempered by lighter moments with Julia's work colleagues and the joy of an emerging friendship. Grandma's example of faith and sacrificial love is a tribute to many a prayerful grandparent. The unsurpassed beauty of Nicole's writing creates an ethereal reading experience, culminating for me, in the evocative and moving scene which provides the title for this story. Despite the deep and painful emotions exposed in this story, it is ultimately one of hope, joy and love that will resonate with me for a long time to come.