Character Spotlight ~ Don Hoesel's Jack Hawthorne & Esperanza Habilla

Today the spotlight shines on....................................Jack Hawthorne & Espy Habilla


I loved every minute I spent reading Don Hoesel's debut novel, Elisha's Bones. Equally appealing to men and women, especially if you love adventure and like reading outside of the traditional box of many Christian novels.

Don is spot on in my opinion on who could play the roles for flippant Jack and feisty Espy. Enjoy the look behind the scenes and buy the book!

Thanks, Don:~

Jack Hawthorne

Brief physical description

Jack is 5'1” – 6’, dark-haired and perpetually scruffy. No matter what he wears, he always has that slightly rumpled look. At 37, he’s still in pretty good shape—maybe 180 lbs—but he has a bum knee that makes fieldwork a bit harder than it once was.

Actor/famous person who might resemble him

Paul Blackthorne

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths: Jack is rarely ruffled—although that probably has more to do with his inability to take anything seriously than it does any real strength of character. He also has a pretty good sense of humor—although that’s likely another indicator that his chief coping mechanism is avoidance or deflection. In fact, when you get right down to it, most of Jack’s strengths are really well cultivated character flaws.

Weaknesses: Where to begin… His most fulfilling relationship is with his cactus. Some would say he drinks and smokes too much. He’s forgetful about paying his debts. He’s flippant. And when the present-day part of the book starts, he’s disengaged from just about everyone.

Quirk (if any)

He loves cigars and bourbon. The former, especially, seem to serve as markers for the most important events in his life. And he has this nasty habit of owing money to lots of people all over the world—although he prides himself in not owing money to more than one person in any general geographic region.

Your inspiration for the character

I've always been attracted to the skeptic—to someone who has a difficult time believing unless he can see it with his own eyes. Often, skeptics can be very driven people—driven to search for the answers themselves because they’re not content to let others do the legwork for them. But Jack is a skeptic in a holding pattern. After a tragic event in Egypt five years earlier he’s cut himself off from his past and has settled into a comfortable rut. Over the course of the book, we’re really watching Jack recover something he’s lost. It’s that journey toward restoration that I really wanted to tap with Jack.

Esperanza (Espy) Habilla

Brief physical description

Esperanza is 5’7, dark-haired and dark eyed, and light olive skinned. She seldom has a hair out of place, even when bullets are flying and car bombs are going off. She’s a year younger than Jack: 36. And she’s keeping her weight a secret.

Actor/famous person who might resemble her

Sofia Vergara

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths: Esperanza is brilliant. She speaks more than a dozen languages and it’s possible she knows more about South American history than anyone in the world.

She's adventurous, comfortable in just about any environment, and can hold her liquor as well as anyone. Espy’s chief strength, though, is her ability to cross the globe with Jack despite the baggage between them. This is due in equal measure to both her determination to see this thing through and her ability to forgive (however grudgingly) the wrong he did to her years ago.

Weaknesses: Espy has a quick temper—and something of a violent streak, although most of that violence is aimed at Jack.

Quirk (if any)

She almost always slips back into Spanish when cursing. And she has to move her lips when reading Russian.

Your inspiration for the character

When I realized that I wanted to have Jack traveling with his ex-fiancée, I wanted to make her someone who could stand up to him—someone equal or superior to him in just about every way. She doesn’t put up with his sarcasm, nor does she let him redirect her when she wants to discuss something he’s uncomfortable with. She knows all of his tricks, which doesn’t let him get away with much. But Espy also knew Jack before he became the flippant, detached college professor—so she’s one of the things that forces Jack to deal with his past.

Background to the story

There were a number of factors that brought Elisha’s Bones into being:

1. I’m at the right age to have grown up with the Indiana Jones idea to write a book about a rough and tumble archaeologist was always there somewhere.

2. At the time that I was searching for my next book idea, it was with an eye toward finding something that was a better fit for the CBA than the other four books I’d written.

3. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (2003) had sold more than 60 million copies by 2006, with the movie coming out that year.

4. The fourth Indiana Jones movie came out in 2008

So what it comes down to is that I was able to indulge my inner child by writing a book geared toward the CBA and shamelessly riding the coattails of both a best-selling author and a popular movie series.

Fabulous, Don ~ I really enjoyed your insight to the characters. Hope we get to read more about Jack and Espy sometime down the track ;)

On Monday I will be spotlighting the delightful P J Sugar from Susan May Warren's newest release, Nothing But Trouble. Come and meet the heroine for Susie's next series!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Elisha's Bones

Visit Don's website

Buy Don's books at Amazon or Koorong

Book trailer for Shawn Grady's Through the Fire

Debut author Shawn Grady has the smarts and the know how to write this story, having been a firefighter and paramedic for over ten years. When a person has lived the experiences they write about, it gives their book that something extra.

I can't wait for Through the Fire's July release from Bethany.


Even Smoke Runs From the Fire

Firefighting burns in Aidan O'Neill's blood, but his innate gift for reading flames has made him overconfident and sometimes puts lives in danger. When one call goes horribly wrong and a rookie is hurt, Aidan ends up suspended and finds himself questioning everything.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time.

An arsonist is targeting Reno, leaving a scorched path of destruction. The department needs Aidan back, but his return is troubled. The gift he relied on for so long has gone silent and it's as though the fires are coming for him, hunting him down. Teaming with a beguiling fire investigator who may know more than she's saying, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the flames burn ever closer.

An Explosive Blend of Action, Romance, and Danger from a Writer Who's Faced the Flames

Book Club interview with Tosca Lee on Havah: The Story of Eve

Tosca Lee is the author of the ground breaking novels Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. We were blessed to have Tosca answer questions posed to her by my Book Club members in time for us to read at our discussion of Havah, last Friday night.

I am now delighted to share our Q&A with Tosca here at Relz Reviewz.

Thanks, Tosca:~


Questions on Havah....

How long did it take to research and write this book and how was it challenging for you?

It took me about six months to research it and about six to write it. The tough part was when I finally realized what I had gotten myself into; halfway through I realized I needed to know not only about the scriptures, but something about ancient textiles, pottery, basket-weaving--even simple fire-making. And that I knew nothing about pregnancy or child birth or wolves or other animals… birds, plants and foods indigenous to the Iraq/Turkey area… By the time I realized all this, I was ready to crawl into a hole.

Did you characterise some of the persons in the book after people you know?

Haha! The parts where Havah is struggling in her relationship with Adam are modelled after some of my experience from my marriage, and Adam bears a resemblance in some parts of the story to my former husband. Especially the snoring part. And her attacking him for it. Snoring just drives me crazy.

How did you come by your description of the serpent?

I knew the serpent had to be something special, and that it had to have legs or wings or both before the fall. So I was thinking something bird-like, but birds are also rather reptilian, too. I liked the idea of it shimmering because I wanted it to be bright, as Lucifer is said to be in the references to him as a star or masquerading as an angel of light. Because I characterized Lucifer as drop-dead gorgeous in Demon, it made sense to me that he would want to inhabit or be personified by something beautiful. More notes on Lucifer in the back of Demon if you're interested.

It was interesting that you described a storm as Adam & Eve left the garden - I had heard that the rains that bought the flood in Noah's day were the first God sent. Is that incorrect?

The vapour canopy theory has lost some popularity with physicists and scientists the last couple decades. The Bible only tells us that before there was man, there was mist because there was no one to work the garden. So the question of rain was up in the air for me. After consulting physicist friends and learning about some of the complications surroundingthe vapour canopy theory (namely having to do with air pressure and temperature), I leaned in favour of having rain and storms.

I read your description of the fallen angels being jealous of God's people and he way we so often take his unconditional love for granted in Rel's spotlight of your book Demon: A Memoir and felt that you also brought this out very well in the dialogue between the serpent and Havah in this book.

This really got me thinking about Satan being jealous of us and was wondering if this was your intention. I also was very intrigued with your take on Havah's strong feelings of betrayal when Adam blamed her for his part in eating the forbidden fruit and how this appears to be the main reason for the decline in their relationship. Am I reading into this correctly?

The jealousy thing didn't occur to me as a reason to write--but it did come up when I was first contemplating what a real demon might truly feel toward humans. Why would they want humans to fail? Comic book demons seem to do it for fun, or just to be pesky. But what's the motivation of real demons? I had a hard time imagining that they were evil by nature because they don't seem to have been evil before they fell. So something had to happen in their hearts. Of course, spirit beings don't function the way humans do, but speculating from a human standpoint, this was my closest approximation. J

I think the main reason for the decline in Havah and Adam's relationship is that they had fallen--they were no longer innocent. They went from a perfect relationship to an imperfect one… and out of that fall came blame. So the blame caused a toxic reaction, but the real reason for their troubles was their own human and fallen state.

Did you use a significant place (from any travels) for the Garden of Eden?

When I was researching the Havah book, I went to St. Lucia (my travel blogs are online if you go to toscamoon.blogspot.com and then click on the link for my Hundred Thousand Miles travelogues, on the right margin). The bugs there at night were positively musical. So that was one inspiration.

Why did you decide to give God and the adam blue eyes?

Adam was the one with blue eyes… I think because I liked the idea of giving him some ambiguous racial identity: darker skin, but blue eyes (which is rare, but not impossible). I just didn't want to end up with these two pink, blonde naked people like you see on the Sunday school flannel graph boards.

Was it difficult to come up with so many names for the children of the adam and Havah?

Yes. But at times I knew sort of the sound I wanted. And I did find it interesting looking for more obscure names in my Hebrew baby book that had meaning to the character in the story. All of the character's name have significance.

What aspects of your faith were challenged and strengthened because of the writing of this novel?

This novel was such a challenge. I just felt downtrodden a lot while I was working on it, and so worried I was going to let everyone down. As Demon continued to do well, I just got more fearful. Somewhere in the thick of it, I went to this new (Christian) chiropractor and he said, “Can I pray for you?” Well, I just started bawling. He said, “God is happy with the work you're doing. You're a song in his heart.” I bawled more. The thought that God could be happy at all with me, or could recognize me (I know it's stupid, of course He does) was somehow miraculous.

Were there times when melding fictitious detail with biblical fact was difficult? How did you work through those challenges to come to a solution you were at peace with?

Yes, many. Trying to come up with the mark of Cain, for instance, was difficult. In the end, I just try to look at all the scripture and the few facts available, and try to explain it to myself in a way that makes sense. A lot of what I do in my writing is to try to make sense of things for myself.

What was the most enjoyable scene to write, and the most difficult?

The scenes where Havah proclaims who she is. When she talks about her name after Adam names her. I really dug that. And I loved the end. The hard parts were everything else--and getting the bird sounds or geography or plant things or animal things right. Just looking stuff up continually. And trying to describe her relationship with God pre-fall. That was tough.

Was it intended that this story should add to our understanding of who God is and how He worked out His purposes in the very beginning? If not, what was the purpose in writing this story?

I really wanted to put some flesh around Eve, to make her someone recognizable and human--to highlight the ways that she is like us… and the ways her experience are like nothing we will ever be able to identify with. I also wanted to examine what it might have been like, to have faced the choices and the heartbreak that she did. I don't know about you, but when I used to think about Eve, I always thought of her as a little naïve and sort of ditzy, frankly. But realistically, a historical Eve would have had to be the smartest, most physically perfect woman ever created. What a life, to have walked with God… and to have lost that fellowship as she knew it! I wanted to highlight that I really believe any one of us could have made the same mistakes, even with the best of intentions, as I believe we do every day.

I also wanted to set the stage for the hope of a future--the groundwork of God's plan in providing a Messiah, of making something good and eventually fulfilled come out of even tragedy and error.

Right from the beginning Havah is amazed at the beauty of the serpent and is captivated by his words to her, almost ensuring she is unable to resist his 'fatal attraction.' How did you decide that the concept of the serpent's very nature and beauty would pull Havah consistently towards him so she would become enraptured with him, and his words, and not just the fact that she desired something that she was forbidden to take by God?

Well, I always figured that there had to be something special about the serpent to get such an intelligent woman who knew God first-hand to want to listen to him. She was beguiled, the scriptures say… so what was it about him, exactly? He was so smart, he seemed credible… and he didn't lie, per se--he just didn't tell full truths. If we equate the serpent to Satan, then we know that Satan had at one point done the same with the angels before a third of them fell--that he managed to convince many of them to believe and follow him. So this is a very crafty, very persuasive--and very gorgeous--being. He was the most perfect creature under God at one point, as weird as that sounds.

From the beginning of her creation the Adam regards Havah as his equal in every way. After they have taken the fruit and flee the garden he gradually then appears to lose all respect of her opinions and of Havah as a person, isolating himself from her in many ways. At what point do you feel the impact of sin on man's understanding of a woman deteriorated resulting in the crisis of relationship that appears in this story and which we see so strongly in our society today?

That is a good question. If we look at what God says to Eve, regarding the fact that Adam will rule over her, some regard those words as less a curse than simply matter-of-fact prophesy. The egalitarian nature of the garden has given way to a model that was not the original design. Left to my own conjecture, I would think that this power struggle would have its roots about where it did in the story: soon after realization of what happened… to be played throughout history in the evolving roles of man and woman in a growing population.

What type of research did you do for this book?

See above - The list of research still gives me post-traumatic stress just thinking about it. :D

How did you develop the characterisation of Eve?

I pretty much tried to think through each of the situations Eve would experience for the first time and tried to think of my own response. To me, characterization is a lot of role-playing, a lot of time spent imagining the “what ifs” of a character’s thought life and experience. The fact that I was married for 14 years helped me a lot with some of the relational rubs and issues, if only because I imagine that there are few relationship issues that are truly unique to any one couple.

Why didn't you have the name Abel as the traditional name of Havah's second eldest son?

Good question, and one I forget to explain: I wanted to use the traditional Hebrew, nontransliterated names for Eve, Cain, and Abel, and Seth, etc. It seemed somehow more organic to keep them in the Hebrew and not use the English versions--also to help get away from the standard images that arise when we hear “Adam and Eve” or “Cain and Abel.”

I thoroughly enjoyed having the poems scattered throughout the book. Did you write these poems as the story unfolded or were they from a time that you thought would be perfect for the book?

I did them as the story was unfolding.

I didn't like how you would interchange the use of 'God' & 'The One Who Is' throughout the book (though I recognise you didn't do it much). Could you help me understand why you did this? By the way, I thought 'The One Who Is' as a name for God was really cool, it was helpful in entering that period of history.

There were times when, telling the story as an old woman about to die after 900-some years, it seemed to me only natural that Eve should have some name for God that was more like “God”… evolved from the time when all they knew him as was “The One that Is.” I like The One That Is better, myself, but it was getting cumbersome and I thought, if it was getting cumbersome for me… at some point she must have had another name or word for God, herself. J I did slip Adonai in there, too, once--but there were just times “God” seemed to detract from the flow of the narrative less.

So are you going to write a book continuing on the story with a plot surrounding the tower of Babel? I think you could pull it off.

No plans for that right now, though my friend Kacy Barnett-Gramckow did one about that. Definitely check her books out!

How long was your preparation and research before you actually started writing the book?

Including or not including all my procrastination time? J Overall the research was about six months and six months writing (this is in between working at my consulting job, which has me traveling just about every week--last year was crazy).

Do you have a picture of the characters in your mind as you write about them?

I get a more developed picture as I write about them. For Havah I did try to find some images that reminded me of Eve or Cain or Adam, but it sort of happens as I go.

My favourite part of the book was the way you captured the great "loss" of communication between us and God and woman and man, at the garden after the fruit eating madness. I cried. I got it. I grieved. We are accustomed to the way things are, we don't know any better. I hadn't really imagined much past animals being friendly and God being around in Eden. We have lost so much. Our experience is truly so "base" compared to what God had intended it to be.

My long winded question is.. had you already dwelled on this part of our human experience at this depth, and therefore wrote about it, or did this be come a reality as you wrote?

I had not dwelled at length on it--I had mused some, and wondered… but the biggest part of thinking through it happened during the process of writing. There's just no short cut for me--in a way, it's like living through it, and things happen completely different than simply thinking through it. If that makes sense. J

What story are you cooking up now?

Stay tuned! I have an idea and some great publisher interest--I'll hope to announce that soon.

Questions on Tosca....

What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?

Sleeping. Or even better--sleeping in. Or eating! Going to movies. Getting caught up on mail and expenses, e-mail and all those little notes and random scraps of paper that seem to multiply when I'm not looking.

Favourite snack?

Movie theater buttered popcorn!!

Do you have a regular time of day to write?

Unfortunately, no. I'm in and out of town, on planes, with my consulting clients, so it just depends on when I can carve out some time. It often happens at the expense of sleep.

Where is your favourite holiday destination?

I do think that Bora Bora is the most beautiful place on earth. But then… I haven't been to Australia yet. J

What type of novels/books do you like reading?

Anything from thrillers to memoir, to humour. I love stories of strong women and women in general. I am a fan of the Red Tent, of Anita Diamant, of Anne Rice, to Philipa Gregory, Margaret George, David Sedaris, Anthony Bourdain. I'm really struggling to have time to read these days, though.

What do you enjoy doing as a hobby?

Staying at home and being a hermit. J Cooking, uh, nit-picking and cleaning out drawers and things around the house. I do like to travel as a hobby, and to buy clothes. And do pilates. And then eat. I do love to eat. (Except not Vegemite! :)

Do you like crosswords or the like?

LOL. No--I'm terrible at them! I'm also miserable at Scrabble.

From the book I sensed you like using words in an expressive way and sometimes unusual words. Do you have any academic qualifications in professional writing qualifications perhaps?

I've been writing professionally since '92 (and publishing a few things here and there before that), and used to teach junior college composition around that time as well. I got my degree in English at Smith College. J

You seem to have a deeper love of language than usual, even for a writer. What do you think?

I like the sound of language and the rhythm of sentences. Maybe as a former pianist and ballet dancer I like to feel them? I like the malleability of words. Sometimes I know the sound or the feel of the word I want, but have to go look it up to remember what it is. Or that might just be part of turning 40 this year.

How did you get into writing?

I got into writing in third grade doing a pet lover's newsletter on the death of my dog, Oliver. And then doing poems… and short stories… and reading lots, and wanting to be able to write books like I loved. Eventually I wrote my first novel in college. It was very bad. It's in my basement collecting spiders.

As a child what did you dream of becoming?

A ballerina!

What is your favourite scripture?

Zech. 4:6. This is my life lesson--that things are accomplished by God's spirit, not by might or power. Wow, I just today needed to remember this! Why do I always forget this??

What are you most passionate about?

Food. Oh wait. I should say God. God, then food. And stories and writing. And getting out of our little boxes, seeing the world, and daring to examine things. The world is more multi-dimensional and varied and complex than we think. And God is infinitely more complex than we can comprehend. I think that's why I like examining old beliefs with fresh eyes.

Could you share a little of your faith journey, please?

I became a believer at 11. It isn't a very dramatic story--I just learned in Sunday school that I needed to understand I wasn't good enough on my own, and that Jesus paid the cost for me. The journey has gotten interesting over the last few years, as God shows me that He is indeed the author of the unlikely, that grace is much more than I comprehended, and that legalism cannot be substituted for faith.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Havah

Character spotlight on Havah and the adam

Visit Tosca's website and blog

Buy Tosca's books at Amazon or Koorong

Love Finds you in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell

Alexia Travers adored her father and always imagined working with him on their horse ranch but with his sudden death, she is left alone in world that doesn't take kindly to woman taking on a man's job. Battling the bank, land hungry suitors and her own fears, Alexia dreads being unable to fulfil her father's dream.

Accused of being an outlaw his first day in Last Chance doesn't bode well for Justin Phillips and his little boy bit he is determined to fulfill the last request of a friend.

When Justin and Alexia's paths intersect, their faith will be challenged and their future rewritten.

Summerside Press launched their Love Finds You line with the intention to set an inspiratonal love story in each of the 50 American states. With multiple authors writing a tale in a town with a unique name, this series is sure to gain many a faithful follower. In Love Finds You in Last Chance, California, Miralee Ferrell takes the reader back to 1877 with ease, drawing Alexia with depth and credibly establishing the conflict between her independant spirit and the social constraints of the day. Miralee constructs an easily imagined community from its well defined people to the scenery and beyond. The romance between Alexia and Justin is pleasing for its authentic dialogue and moments of real friction and frustration. Blending mystery and romance with the characters' multi layered spiritual journey makes for a satisfying and enjoyable read.

As seen at TitleTrakk.com

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Alexia & Justin

VIsit Miralee's website and blog

Buy Miralee's books at Amazon or Koorong

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 just a stranger, even to myself,

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.

“Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts?

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 happens, and Abigail begins to understand an entirely different motivation: obsession.

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 needy and strangely toxic, dangerously beautiful and frighteningly volatile. Abigail finds herself continually replaying her past, desperate for clues and longing for a chance to atone for long-ago mistakes.

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 with us here :)


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

The winner of The Rivers Run Dry is..................

Jenny ~ congratulations!

I'm sure you will enjoy this one :)

Please email your snail mail addy within 7 days to claim your book.

I'm going local for my pick ~ Catherine McClements as Rachel Goldstein in the Aussie police drama, Water Rats :)

Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander

Dismissed from the university where she served as Professor of Romantic Languages, Dr. Molly Whitcomb travels west to start over in the secluded mountain town of Timber Ridge, Colorado, where she'll be teaching children. Her train stops in Denver, and on a whim, Molly purchases a wedding band; an attempt to cover a mistake, but also a chance at a fresh start.

Sheriff James McPherson was eager to hire a schoolteacher, but Dr. Molly Whitcomb isn't what he expected. His instincts about people, which rarely miss the mark, tell him she's hiding something. And when Molly's secret is revealed, her reinvented life begins to unravel. What's more, she risks losing her new found relationship with the sheriff and her renewed faith in God.

My take:~

Tamera Alexander's name is synonymous with outstanding historical fiction and she confirms her talents once again with Beyond This Moment. The second in her Timber Ridge Reflections series delves deeply into the issues of integrity and forgiveness as Molly attempts to leave her poor choices behind. With an uncanny ability to draw the reader completely into the story with stunning descriptions, charming dialogue and a magnetic attraction between her protagonists, Tamera's writing just keeps getting better. Tamera Alexander is, without question, a must read author for anyone who appreciates exceptional writing and loves to close a book with a heartfelt and satisfied sigh of delight!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Revealed, Remembered and From A Distance

Interview with Tamera

Visit Tamera's website and blog

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Inside Story by Susan Page Davis

Claudia Gillette, an upscale magazine correspondent, will go to any lengths for a good story. Bill White, a navy lieutenant, performs secret missions all over the world. Attraction sizzles between them, but these two can't synchronize their globe-trotting watches long enough for a date. Claudia also has more than romance in mind...she wants the inside story on Bill's exotic assignments.

When she goes over his head and obtains permission to join his outfit on a sensitive mission in the Philippines, Bill is both angry and afraid for her. Will her presence endanger his team? When things go badly, only faith in God can give them hope for tomorrow...but even if they both make it, what's the inside scoop on Bill and Claudia having a future together?

My take:~

Susan Page Davis' third American Heroes novel, Inside Story, contains all the suspense, attraction and fascinating military detail of her first two stories, Frasier Island and Finding Marie. Susan joins together a headstrong and determined journalist with a dedicated Naval Special Operations Lieutenant in this fast paced, character driven tale. A sweet romance amidst the dangers of a terrorist plot combined with the faith journey of a new believer, fans of Dee Henderson's Uncommon Heroes series will find much to like in Inside Story.

Rel's Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Frasier Island and Finding Marie

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