7 Stories 7 Writers 7 Hours

Love this fabulous concept from James Andrew Wilson, Tyndale House and six other amazing authors.  Each individual story will be released in ebook format in May, 2012 and the omnibus in July, 2012.

Be sure to check out the 7 Hours website and Facebook page!

Death comes for everyone. 

But what if you were given seven more hours? Would you go back and relive a previous time in your life? Or would you live seven more hours starting now? The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

7 writers come together to tackle the questions of life, death and time as we know it. Linked together by a mysterious character, each author has taken the same concept and created their unique story with a supernatural twist.

  

Whole Pieces by Ronie Kendig

After a brutal attack left him without a limb and his team dead, former Green Beret Haytham “Hawk” Wilson is angry at life and God. Bitter, he pushes everyone out of his life. Every day he relives his decision to send the Afghan boy home rather than following orders to kill any who came upon his hidden team. So when on his deathbed at age 36, eaten alive by grief and regret, he’s offered the chance to relive any seven hours, Hawk is determined to go back, kill the boy, and save his team. The decision is simple . . . until he gets there.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

 

All of Our Dreams by James Andrew Wilson

Luke Harrison is haunted by dreams of an imaginary past. Five years ago his wife, Arianna, fell victim to a horrifying degenerative disease, unraveling all of their dreams in an instant. Luke’s entire life is focused on her care and comfort.

But there is an approaching darkness, a malevolent Watcher who seems intent on taking Arianna from Luke.

Dreams and reality collide as Luke faces his own impending death. He doesn’t know what's real anymore, and time is running out.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

 

Escapement by Rene Gutteridge 

Mattie Bigham has lost his job, is losing his wife, and is not losing any weight. At just under four hundred and fifty pounds, he figures his doctor’s prediction that he's going to drop dead any second is about to come true. He is right.

When Thomas Constant appears, Mattie chooses murder—to carry out revenge on the bully who tormented him all through school. Except when he arrives for the showdown, he’s shocked to find this man in a scenario not unlike his own. Things get complicated quickly, and time is running out.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

 

Recollection by Tom Pawlik

New York City cabdriver Adrian Colfax awakens one night muttering a mysterious string of numbers and with the fragments of a bizarre dream in his head. He can’t shake the feeling there’s something he’s supposed to do. Something very important. He just can’t remember what it is.

Through a series of haunting visions, Adrian comes to believe he's been transported back in time to prevent the violent murder of the girl he loved. But he also learns that saving Kate could result in something even more catastrophic.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

Teardrop by Travis Thrasher

Mike Harden is living a comfortable life when he discovers he is going to die. Though skeptical of the stranger’s offer, Mike chooses to go back sixteen years to the day he married Ashley.

When Mike realizes this wish has come true, it doesn’t take him long to begin to make plans. He didn’t relive this because it was the happiest day of his life. Mike made this choice in order to go back to the moment when a man named Vince Levy first saw Ashley. The first and only time Vince saw the woman he would go on to kill ten years later. Mike has gone back to his wedding day to kill his wife’s murderer.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

Rearview by Mike Dellosso

Professor Dan Blakely has it all . . . until a false accusation leaves him in financial ruin with nothing to fall back on and little hope.

In a moment of desperation, he decides to do the unthinkable. But when he loses control of his SUV and careens down the side of a mountain, his plans take another turn.

Trapped beneath the frame of his mangled vehicle, Dan is visited by a mysterious stranger who offers him three choices. Filled with regret, Dan makes a decision . . . but little does he know that his troubles have only just begun.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

The Last Night of Alton Webber by Robin Parrish

Thomas Constant ventures to a mansion on a remote island, where a powerful criminal empire is gathering to witness the final moments of one of their own and readying their latest dark and dangerous plot.

They weren’t always this way. They were once ordinary people like anyone else. But a lifetime of complicated circumstances and difficult choices slowly molded them into this shadowy organization.

Can their long, complex history be changed by seven hours? The end has come, but this last leg of Thomas’s experiment may be the most challenging task of his remarkable life.

The clock is ticking. What will you do with the time you have left?

7 hours Omnibus

Death comes for everyone. But what if you were given seven more hours? Would you go back and relive a previous time in your life? Or would you live those seven more hours, starting now?

In this collection of seven full-length novellas, seven writers come together to tackle the questions of life, death, and time as we know it. Each author has taken the same concept, featuring a mysterious central character, and spun their own story.

Stories include: All of Our Dreams, Whole Pieces, Teardrop, Escapement, Recollection, Rear View, and The Last Night of Alton Webber.

7 Stories. 7 Writers. 7 Hours.

July, 2012

7 Stories 7 Writers 7 Hours

Check out this fabulous new project from 7 amazing writers and Tyndale House! I love the concept and can't wait to read the anthology. Click on the links below to stay in touch:

Mike Dellosso

Rene Gutteridge

Ronie Kendig

Robin Parrish

Tom Pawlik

Travis Thrasher

James Andrew Wilson

Like 7 Hours on Facebook 

(The writers have some great giveaways going on if they reach 500 Likes today!)

More 2011 Titles from Tyndale House

Two great authors with two fantastic looking books from Tyndale House.

Can't wait ~ you?


Possession by Rene Gutteridge

In the aftermath of investigating the D.C. sniper case, police detective Vance Graegan is burned out on life and love. Hoping to save his marriage, he quits the force and moves his wife and son to the other side of the country. But when the movers decide to hold his belongings for ransom, Vance is determined to ensure that his family’s new beginning is not ruined. Soon, though, losing his possessions becomes the least of his problems as everything they are fighting for begins to unravel in the hands of Vance’s past. In an unforgettable climax, a little boy’s innocent faith brings a group of desperate people to their knees. What is at stake counts for everything, but nothing can prepare Vance for who is behind it.

January, 2011




The Brotherhood by Jerry B Jenkins

Boone Drake has it made. He’s a young cop rising rapidly through the ranks of the Chicago Police Department. He has a beautiful wife and a young son, a nice starter house, a great partner, and a career plan that should land him in the Organized Crime Division within five years. Everything is going right. Until everything goes horribly, terribly wrong. His personal life destroyed and his career and future in jeopardy, Boone buries himself in guilt and bitterness as his life spirals out of control. But when he comes face-to-face with the most vicious gang leader Chicago has seen in decades, he begins to realize that God is a God of second chances and can change the hardest heart . . . and forgive the worst of crimes.

A thought-provoking police thriller from New York Times best-selling author Jerry B. Jenkins.

February, 2011

Contests and blogs and websites...oh my!

Keeping you all in the loop on very important matters!



Robin Caroll launches the release of Deliver Us From Evil with an
amazing contest to win a Garmi Nuvi GPS!



Susan May Warren launches the release of Double Trouble with a brilliant contest to win a $150 Super Sleuth Prize Package which includes a new iPod shuffle!



Rene Gutteridge has entered the world of blogging to coincide with the launch of
her latest novel, Listen, with a video blog ~ Rene is a perceptive and brilliant writer
and I can't wait to hear her talk about the book and how it came to be!


Tyndale House is launching its new website with a thirty day celebration, giving away four books a day in the following categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Bibles, and Kids.

Please note these contests are open to US or North American residents only

Book Club Interview with Rene Gutteridge on Never the Bride

My Book Club had the wonderful opportunity to interview Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay when we chose their recent collaboration, Never the Bride, for our final selection for 2009. I am delighted to share the interview with you, starting with Rene's take on our questions. I will post Cheryl's responses to some of the same questions and others just for her, tomorrow.

A big thank you to my members for contributing these questions.

Enjoy!

The Novelist

RBC Book Club:~ How long did it take to write the book?

Rene:~ About seven months. It went a lot faster because I was working from Cheryl’s script. I had the whole concept laid out in front of me and I got to play. It was really fun that way.

What joys and challenges did you encounter as you collaborated on this project?

There were a lot of joys. It was fun working with such a giving artist like Cheryl. She really trusted me and let me play with her baby. She understood that there were going to have to be some changes made for it to work as a novel. It was always exciting to send her pages, because she was so excited to see her screenplay as a novel.

What was most challenging about turning a screenplay into a novel?

They are really two very different mediums. So you have to understand why a screenplay is written the way it is to appreciate its art form. Then you have to understand how a novel functions. After that, you decide how to change it to make it work, and what to keep so that the integrity of the story is still in place. Sometimes in a screenplay you’ll have a scene that lasts literally ten seconds. That won’t work in a book, so I had to look at those scenes and decide how to rework them or whether to cut them. Most of the time I ended up fleshing them out to make a scene. Also, in order to make it a full-length novel, I had to add quite a bit to the story, so I was nervous about that. I wanted Cheryl to feel like her story stayed intact.

How did the geographical distance between the two of you impact on your ability to work together?

It was never a problem. We worked primarily by e-mail, with a few phone calls in there. Since I did the majority of the writing, it wasn’t a problem. Cheryl and I didn’t actually meet in person until the entire book was done. By coincidence (or by God’s great design!), we ended up meeting the DAY our book came out, at a writer’s conference, and got to do a book signing together!

Is it easier to write a novel based on a screen play or vice versa (screen play from a novel)?

I think it’s easier to adapt a screenplay into a novel. It’s much harder to take point-of-view and make it work as a visual medium, when you’re adapting a book into a movie. That’s why so many people are disgruntled when they go see a movie and they’ve read the book first. Because the mediums are so different, and have to be told differently, readers often feel cheated. But there is no way to capture the intimacy of point-of-view visually. If someone hasn’t read the book, they typically like the movie because they haven’t experienced the story in another art form. I’ve watched my novel Boo being adapted into a screenplay, and the amount of change that had to occur to make it work as a movie is astounding. It captures the heart of the story, but it looks very different than the original book. Not in a bad way, just in a very different way. I actually love the adaptation that has been done with it, but probably because I understand that it has to be told visually, which means there are going to be a lot of changes. Adapting a screenplay into a novel is much easier because you can expand and add, and take the visual, keep the visual, then add the POV, which makes it an entirely rich experience. Nobody feels cheated!

Do Jessie’s OCD tendencies reflect our society’s heightened anxiety levels? How do you think we combat the demands on our time and people’s expectations of us?

It’s hard to do. I’ve fallen victim many times to the pressures of pleasing others. The older I get, the less likely I am to be a people pleaser, though. You start realizing what is important in life, and it’s not that everyone likes you. In your twenties, that can seem so important. In your late thirties, early forties, you start wondering, “What is the point?” I think Jessie’s OCD tendencies are very reflective of her anxiety.

Did Jessie’s snappy, quick wit take a lot of thought, or did that part of her character come to you ‘snappily’?

Jessie was a lot of fun to write. Cheryl, of course, had written much of her snappy dialogue in the screenplay. Then I had to match that wit inside her head. That was challenging, to keep the wit going in her point-of-view. But it also made it fun because Jessie was fun to hang out with. I love her one-liners!

How do you both experience God speaking into your lives?

God speaks to me in so many different ways: through His Word, through nature, through other people, sermons, books, in the deepest part of my heart, in my mind, through my children…the list is endless. I am always listening for His voice, and I find it quite often. There have been times when He has been silent, and those are very difficult times for me. I hate not hearing Him speak.

I loved how the main character was able to see, talk and dance with God; did you get any negative responses to this concept and how did you handle that?

Oh yeah. Not a lot, but some. And they were very adamant about their views. We’ve been called blasphemous more than once. In fact, my own mother called me to tell me she was not happy with how God was depicted. For me, it is a message about how much God loves us, and God himself used many parables to depict himself. When I first read the story, I knew some people would be unhappy about it. But I hoped that for most people, they would see the story of a God who loves them and is jealous when we get caught up with the things of this world. I set my imagination toward the bride and the bridegroom as Jesus describes it in the Bible.

Could you please share some of your faith journey, maybe with regards to this book?

For me, this book challenged me in my relationship with God, especially in regard to how much time I give Him during my day, and also how intimately He knows me and wants me to know Him. It made me think long and hard about our relationship, and that was a good thing in the end.

Who was your favourite character and why?

Jessie, of course! It was so fun to get in her head. She was hilarious. And so raw!

Did you consider what the story may have become if Jessie Stone never actually found her man ? I know the story would probably not be as satisfying to the popular market… but maybe it would answer the question for all those women who don’t find their ‘prince’.

We actually heard from a woman who totally got the message…that God is her “one”. And I don’t’ think this is a story for just single gals. You can be married and lonely too. Nothing can fill our hearts like God, and I think that message comes through in the story. God answered Jessie’s prayers. He doesn’t always answer every prayer in all the ways we want. But He will never leave or forsake us.

What is the one thing you would like readers to take away from this story?

Definitely that God loves them fiercely and intimately and powerfully. That is what matters in life.

Rene, was it difficult to incorporate your writing style and personality into this book without altering the feelings and ideas that Cheryl had for the storyline or did you find you were both very much on the same wavelength?

We were pretty much on the same wavelength. It took me a bit to convince Cheryl we needed to do first person present tense. But once I got the story going, she saw that was going to work. Her screenplay was so strong that it wasn’t hard to follow along. I knew Jessie very well before I ever started the book.

And completely unrelated to anything literary but something I always find interesting: What is your favourite homemade meal to have for dinner?


So hard to choose. I’m such a good cook! ;) But probably my shrimp scampi. It’s super easy and very yummy! But I also make great gourmet burgers. And pretty terrific Mexican food. And omelettes!!


Who was your favourite superhero as a child? (I know you had one!) (This question came from one of our member's hubby - we know who you are, Dave!)

Well, if you count Magnum P.I. as a superhero, then he was mine!

Rel:~ Sorry Rene, we decided Magnum doesn't count (one of our members was too young to know him!!). Everyone knows to be a superhero you have to wear your undies on the outside ;-)

Do you have a favourite book?

Not one favorite. I’ve enjoyed many throughout the years. My most recent favorite is Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee.

Rel:~ Here's a look at the new cover for Demon: A Memoir being re-released by B&H Fiction in 2010 - looks great.

Are you someone who reads the same book more than once?

Nope, though I have gone back to read some classics I read as a child but would appreciate more as an adult.

What is your favourite genre to write for? and perhaps read?

I like to write comedy and suspense. I like to read those genres too! I like legal suspense, end times, really a lot of genres. Don’t read historical or romance too much.

If you have a husband (or significant partner) do they read your books?

Yes! But only after they’re published. I don’t let him read them before then.

Rel:~ Really?!?! We were divided on whether we would let our husbands read our books prior to publication if we were writers ;-)

Which TV shows and movies do you recommend due to the quality of the writing?

Well, if we’re going ONLY by quality of writing, my favorite TV shows right now are The Middle and Modern Family. Modern Family doesn’t line up with my beliefs, but the writing is amazing. I’m a huge fan of The Office, and will always love Frasier, which I think it the best written comedy series of all time. I also like Grey’s Anatomy, though it’s gotten preachy lately.

Movies, well, what can I say…The Ultimate Gift by the ultra-talented Cheryl McKay! (I also recommend The Blind Side).

Do you have another collaboration in the works?

We do! Another romantic comedy that I think is wonderful!

What dreams do you have for your writing career?

I would like to keep working as a novelist, but I’d also like to work as a screenwriter, which has always been my dream. Somehow I got side-tracked on this novel writing thing! (But it’s fun!)

We are very glad you did, Rene :) Thanks so much for sharing with our Book Club and my readers - can't wait for more to come from you both, in either novel, screenplay or movie form!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Book Club interview tomorrow, when we put screenwriter Cheryl McKay under the spotlight :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Never the Bride
Character spotlight on Jessie Stone
Visit Cheryl's website and Rene's website
Buy Never the Bride at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Rene Gutteridge and Cheryl McKay's Jessie Stone

Today the spotlight shines on.......................Jessie Stone


Never the Bride is a novelization by Rene Gutteridge, based on the screenplay by Cheryl McKay, and it is a match made in heaven! This is a fabulous book that will make a terrific movie, sure to make you laugh, cry, think and look up! I am delighted that Cheryl has been able to share more about Jessie and her God experience at Relz Reviewz.

Over to you, Cheryl:~

Brief physical description of your main characters

Jessie Esther Stone, 34, is a brunette. In fact, if she ever considered going blonde—because all the men in her life seem to gravitate toward them and not her—she’d look ridiculous.

God. Unlike most stories that personify God as fatherly and older (like George Burns or Morgan Freeman), the One who shows up to offer to write Jessie’s love story is quite handsome and her age.

Photo by David Edmonson

Actor/famous person

Jessie ~ She looks like me. J

God ~ When I was writing the script, I was imagining someone like Eduardo Verastegui (from Bella) playing God.

Strengths and weaknesses:

Jessie is a romantic; she believes in true love. She tries her best to not give up hope. She stands by her beliefs. She stepped up to take care of her younger sister when her parents died. She’s responsible and trustworthy. She is extraordinarily creative, especially when it comes to how a man should propose to a woman. She sets up creative proposals for men to use to propose to their women. Being a control freak is definitely one of her weaknesses. Sometimes, she doesn’t have the best self-esteem either and needs to be reminded that her worth does not come from the opinions of men and whether or not they like her.

Naturally, God doesn’t have any weaknesses. There are times in Jessie’s life when she’s believed otherwise (like the fact that God never works as fast as she wants him to.) But God is warm, funny, has a wonderful sense of humor and is the One person who can love Jessie unconditionally.

Quirk (if any)

Jessie is meticulously organized and clean. For example, she can’t stand water droplets on the sink. She’s even OCD about that. If anything is out of place, she must put it away. It’s part of her need to control her environment. It’s one of the few things she can try to control. She also has this obsession with dark chocolate M&Ms. Her allergy to chocolate doesn’t stop her from indulging despite the red splotches she must live with upon indulging.

Your inspiration for the character

I must admit the character of Jessie was inspired by me as a Christian single in my 30’s. It’s inspired by various heartbreaks and years of waiting on God’s best. The friendship Jessie shares with God is inspired by my relationship with God. I consider him to be my Best Friend, my Husband, my Father and a Matchmaker. All of these identities for God are personified through God’s relationship with Jessie in this story.

Background to the story

So many women today feel like if they are single something is wrong with them. They sit in a place of pain because of being unchosen, unseen and unknown. I know many people will relate to Jessie because they either currently feel this way or have felt this way in the past before they found love. I also wanted to write this story to show that the decision to love someone is a decision that’s important enough for God to get involved if we’ll just invite him into the process (as in surrender control, “the pen” we use when we try to write our own love stories.)

I wrote the screenplay in hopes of having this story be told on film. It will first be released as a book, novelized by the wonderful Rene Gutteridge.

Cheryl ~ I adored this book so thanks for sharing some more insight into Jessie and why you wrote the book. I do hope it is not the last McKay/Gutteridge collaboration!


On Monday, I will be spotlighting Rebeca Seitz's Sinclair sisters ~ Tandy, Kendra, Joy and Meg ~ from her Sisters, Ink series, to celebrate the final instalment, Perfect Piece. It is going to be fabulous :)

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Never the Bride
Visit Cheryl's website and Rene's website
Enter Aussie/NZ giveaway of Never the Bride
Enter US giveaway of Never the Bride at My Buckling Bookshelf
Interview with Rene Gutteridge and US giveaway at So Many Books...
Buy Never the Bride at Amazon or Koorong

Never the Bride by Cheryl McKay & Rene Gutteridge

Jessie Stone has spent thirty-five years fantasizing about marriage proposals, wedding dresses, and falling in love. She’s been a bridesmaid eleven times, waved dozens of couples off to sunny honeymoons, and shopped in more department stores for half-price fondue pots than she cares to remember.

But shopping in the love-of-her-life department hasn't been quite as productive. The man she thought she would marry cheated on her. The crush she has on her best friend Blake is at very best…well, crushing. And speed dating has only churned out memorable horror stories.

So when God shows up one day, in the flesh, and becomes a walking, talking part of her life, Jessie is skeptical. What will it take to convince her that God has a better love story than one of the thousands she’s cooked up in her journals? Will she trust Him with her pen when it appears her dreams of being the bride are forever lost?

My take:~

Never the Bride is a brilliantly funny, deeply moving and spiritually powerful novel that will have you pondering its impact long after the last page is read.

The unique premise reveals human nature at its core ~ our deep desire to be loved and our ofttimes misguided efforts to find it. Jessie is such an engaging character, with qualities we recognise in ourselves and the heart felt desires we have lived or are living. Walking with her is a wonderful and witty journey that is as much heart rending as it is joyous but above all, unforgettable, as God's true heart and deep love for us is unveiled. I truly hope this is not the last collaboration between Cheryl and Rene ~ I adored Never the Bride and can't wait for the film!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Cheryl's website and Rene's website

Buy Never the Bride at Amazon or Koorong

Come back Thursday for a character spotlight on Jessie

Aussie/NZ Giveaway

You really don't want to miss this book so I am thrilled to have a copy to give away to my Aussie and New Zealand readers.

To enter, post a comment on or before Sunday 28th June, 2009 and don't forget to leave contact details!

Blog tour for Skid by Rene Gutteridge and Aussie Giveaway

Blissfully unaware that Atlantica Flight 1945 from Atlanta to Amsterdam is about to make aviation history, First Officer Danny McSweeney focuses his energies on navigating the turbulent personalities of an eccentric female captain, a co-pilot with a talent for tactless comments and conspiracy theories, and a lead flight attendant with an outsized attitude that definitely exceeds the limits for carry-on baggage.

On the other side of the cockpit door, the unscheduled in-flight entertainment includes a potbellied pig, a jittery diamond courier, and the recently jilted Lucy Meredith, whose personal mantra of “What Would Oprah Do?” will be challenged by the sudden appearance of her ex and his new traveling partner. On her left sits Hank Hazard, whose unusually polite but constant requests–prompted by his covert role as a spy for the airline–test the limits of the crew’s customer service.

But as Lucy and the rest of the crew discover, Hank’s odd behavior is linked to a quiet faith that may play a key role in the fate of everyone on board. Especially when an unexpected traveler sets this already bumpy flight on a course toward the unfriendly skies.


Author Bio:~

Rene Gutteridge is the author of twelve novels, including the Boo series, the Storm series, and the novelization for The Ultimate Gift, as well as Scoop and Snitch, the first two Occupational Hazard novels. She lives with her husband, Sean, and their two children in Oklahoma City.

My take:~

The words quirky and unique are bandied around a lot in book reviews but Rene's characters and plot lines epitomise the words. Hank Hazard, the flight crew and their fellow passengers, including a seeing eye pig, will entertain and delight as they bumble around each other's eccentricities and issues. While I am only a third of the way through the story, I am engaged in the outcome for these unusual characters that I shouldn't be able to relate to, yet Rene's talent ensures that I do!

Giveaway:~

I have two copies to give away and I'm doing a survey on clowns!! To enter you must have an Australian postal addy and leave a comment before midnight Tuesday 3rd June, 2008. In addition, tell me whether you love clowns or, like me, are slightly wary of anyone dressed up in funny costumes!!

If you are wondering why I am asking this question be sure to read this series in order ~ Scoop, Snitch then Skid.

Relz Reviewz Extras:~

Review of Scoop and Snitch

Interview with Rene

Visit Rene's website

Purchase Skid at Amazon or Koorong (Aust)