tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-349733912024-03-08T06:06:12.034+11:00Relz ReviewzRelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.comBlogger2267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-11027975948056035962012-05-14T15:57:00.005+10:002012-05-14T15:57:56.485+10:00This Blog Has Moved!You will be automatically redirected to the new site in ten seconds.<br />
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Or, if the redirect doesn't work for any reason, simply <a href="http://www.relzreviewz.com/">go to the new site now</a>.Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-58609780574106884272012-05-08T21:43:00.002+10:002012-05-08T21:44:55.170+10:00Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI7fkGjFosS4W-G6xQTF0EpSAo8857T5crLtbRRn00btQFBQgfafzzaAMMMue0NmIUsxfIsyTaTaDuqqzGwcOGEN3mxGHzYmNxsPRT_uft8wZ2n5AKFfVI7DTZIdbg07y_y0m8A/s1600/sixty+acres+and+a+bride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWI7fkGjFosS4W-G6xQTF0EpSAo8857T5crLtbRRn00btQFBQgfafzzaAMMMue0NmIUsxfIsyTaTaDuqqzGwcOGEN3mxGHzYmNxsPRT_uft8wZ2n5AKFfVI7DTZIdbg07y_y0m8A/s400/sixty+acres+and+a+bride.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Destitute and grieving, Louise Garner and her beautiful Mexican daughter in law, Rosa, return to Texas and the ranch she called home only to discover that an insurmountable amount of back taxes are due if they wish to retain the property.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Determined to do what she can to assist her disbelieving mother in law, Rosa soon discovers that the vivaciousness and directness that comes naturally to her culture is not always appreciated by the citizens of Caldwell County, Texas. Scrambling not to offend her mother in law, Rosa despairs as she tries to understand and mimic the customs of the ladies who look upon her with suspicion and even derision.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Weston Garner, a wealthy rancher and nephew to Louise, notices Rosa's beauty and effervescent personality but is disinterested in pursuing any initial attraction he might feel. Riding himself hard with regret over his wife's death, Weston does not intend to place a woman at risk again. As Rosa tires of humiliating herself in front of Louise's reserved and somewhat aloof nephew and lives in fear of a neighbour with unsavoury intentions, Louise prompts her to take action in a way that surprises her and changes her life forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Regina Jennings' <i>Sixty Acres and a Bride</i> is an excellent debut novel and aside from taking a few chapters to settle into a good rhythm, it is hard to imagine this is Regina's first published work. Loosely based on the Biblical story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz, rather than a retelling of the story, there is much for historical romance readers to enjoy. Weston and Rosa are both heartfelt characters, driven by the joy and torment of their pasts and what they imagine for their futures. Cultural differences, deeply held fears and plenty of misunderstandings make this an emotional and engaging story of faith, family, love and healing. Regina's talent with words tells of Rosa and Weston's incandescent attraction with authenticity and respect. Readers of Rosslyn Elliott, Elizabeth Camden and Kathleen Morgan will want to look up <i>Sixty Acres and a Bride</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to Bethany for my review copy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>As seen at TitleTrakk.com </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/character-spotlight-regina-jennings.html" target="_blank">Character Spotlight</a> on Rosa & Weston </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Regina's <a href="http://www.reginajennings.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://www.reginajennings.com/blog" target="_blank">blog</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Regina's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764209906?ie=UTF8&tag=reginjenni-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0764209906" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=regina+jennings&salesGroupCode=" target="_blank">Koorong </a></span></blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-28936204545938608202012-05-07T16:34:00.001+10:002012-05-07T16:34:14.674+10:00Character Spotlight ~ Kathy Herman's Sax Henry & Zoe Broussard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kathy Herman completes her Secrets of Roux River Bayou with <i>Relentless Pursuit</i>, available now from David C Cook </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rich with the Cajun flavors of south Louisiana, this final book in the </b><b>Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series is a story of what it means to find true peace in an uncertain world.</b></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sax Henry left home at seventeen to escape his father’s abuse, leaving his mother and sister to fend for themselves. Now, twenty-eight years later, both parents are dead, and guilt compels him to find his sister and make peace. His search leads to Les Barbes, Louisiana, where authorities fear a bio-terrorist has injected cyanide into juice cartons and fresh produce at the grocery store. People are dead. It’s not safe. Sax stays, fearing death less than living another day without peace. A divine appointment is about to change all that forever.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Enjoy meeting Sax & Zoe! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Background for the Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m a Texan, and Louisiana is my next-door neighbor. With all that colorful Cajun culture nearby, I thought it would be fun to set a series there. So I set out on a road trip to south Louisiana with my husband, Paul, and drove from town to town, snapping pictures, sampling delicious food, and making copious notes. But somewhere along the way, I came to realize that this unique little corner of America evolved after a period of terrible persecution. That once upon a time, the British had ordered the forced removal of every last Acadian from what is now Nova Scotia—because they wouldn’t renounce their Catholic faith and become Protestant. And wouldn’t swear allegiance to the British flag and take up arms against France. A third of the Acadians died in the process. The mass exodus was eerily like what we later imposed on Native Americans in the Trail of Tears. Thousands o f these displaced Acadians ended up in south Louisiana, where they began to recreate themselves. Once I understood the faith and fortitude that sustained these proud people, writing the stories in this series became much more personal for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Sax Henry</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk85Ha6q7vf1bow31SFMf64grokfdPdElA1dDxgwCxiiVJQ7U2nNQv5Vh1g9ZGJZP-iL2BeV9dbbTEeDkeigkP0pl8pgTty2Bl9k_7e9LOKSMsrWSMowta0SHCwckpmhFGirKtHg/s1600/Ben_Affleck_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk85Ha6q7vf1bow31SFMf64grokfdPdElA1dDxgwCxiiVJQ7U2nNQv5Vh1g9ZGJZP-iL2BeV9dbbTEeDkeigkP0pl8pgTty2Bl9k_7e9LOKSMsrWSMowta0SHCwckpmhFGirKtHg/s200/Ben_Affleck_4.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Physical Description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sax is nice looking, average height and weight, dark hair and eyes. Five-o’clock shadow. He looks younger than his forty-five years. Just a little rugged—a look befitting a saxophone player.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think Ben Affleck (see attached picture) might be a good fit to play the part of Sax Henry. This is always a hard call for me because I “feel” my characters more than I actually picture them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Strengths and Weaknesses</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sax is kind and sensitive and respectful. He has learned to use music as a way to release deep emotion. He’s also determined. That determination is what has enabled him to survive with the pain that resulted from his violent upbringing and choice to walk away from it. It’s also determination that compels him to find his sister, Shelby, even though he knows she might not want anything to do with him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sax is also moody, unsure of himself, and guilt-ridden. He feels like a loser for leaving his mother and sister to fend for themselves. His inferiority complex is not an attractive quality. He is bitter toward God and openly hostile about spiritual things.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1085844" target="_blank">stock.xchang</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m not sure if this qualifies as a quirk, but Sax has kept the ashes of his parents in two urns in his closet. His feelings about them are so conflicted that he can’t decide whether to scatter them in the gulf or in the landfill—so he does neither.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Since book one, Sax’s sister Shelby (who has changed her name to Zoe Broussard) has struggled to reconcile her past, specifically with her brother, whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to since he left home at seventeen and left her to deal with their abusive father. I wanted to create a brother who would be a catalyst for bringing that healing to fruition in this third and final book. I needed Sax to come to the realization that it’s impossible to find true peace and be at odds with the Prince of Peace. I need him to see that his being reconciled to his sister was a “God” thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Sax Henry was born Michael Austin Sieger in Devon Springs, Texas. He grew up with a father who was a violent drunk and a mother who pretended he wasn’t. He left home at seventeen to travel with his rock band, leaving his mother and thirteen-year-old sister, Shelby, to fend for themselves. He immersed himself in his guitar-playing and went back to Devon Springs several times to try to convince his mother to leave his father and take Shelby to a women’s shelter. She wouldn’t. After that, Michael cut all ties with the family. He eventually changed his interest to jazz and learned to play the saxophone, after which he changed his name to Sax Michael Henry. But Sax never found peace. He was haunted by the undone business in his life. Now, twenty-eight years later, after three failed marriages and both parents dying, Sax is desperate to find Shelby and make peace. Whatever it takes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Zoe Broussard </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOG-_uNeAhh2JcSstZMGMzAloDqmz9aVYfhkp7s9VBFNIblil11vsr6SpM_mosyPmfnNFeXNuBslo55vaAc_Hvzz2-tA-Mtm_FsM9e0EAg4KmHT8J8V57yyxpbR8OFmmjXawLJnQ/s1600/Sandra+Bullock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOG-_uNeAhh2JcSstZMGMzAloDqmz9aVYfhkp7s9VBFNIblil11vsr6SpM_mosyPmfnNFeXNuBslo55vaAc_Hvzz2-tA-Mtm_FsM9e0EAg4KmHT8J8V57yyxpbR8OFmmjXawLJnQ/s1600/Sandra+Bullock.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brief Physical Description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Zoe Broussard is 41, attractive, cropped chestnut hair and blue-gray eyes. She’s average height and weight. Bubbly personality. A real people person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">If I were choosing someone to play her, I would choose Sandra Bullock. (See photo attached) They seem to have similar physical features and an infectious personality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Zoe is friendly; bright; entrepreneurial and organized. She is the founder of Zoe B’s Cajun Eatery, which she began twelve years earlier and continues to operate with husband, Pierce, who is head chef. She’s a devoted wife and a loving mom to their two children, Grace (4) and Tucker (1). Zoe has a soft spot for senior adults and has “adopted” three older gentlemen who hang out at the eatery and play checkers, as well as a woman she once worked for who has become a mother figure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Because of her abusive background, Zoe struggles with abandonment issues and shame. She’s still not entirely comfortable in her own skin. Her newfound faith has helped immensely, but part of her still thinks that if people knew who she really was they would reject her. Her “adopting” people to care for is an unconscious attempt to fill the emptiness that has resulted from her dysfunctional background.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I guess if Zoe has any quirk it’s her obsession with being a few pounds heavier than she wants. She’s always trying to present a perfect facade—again, part of her struggle to get comfortable in her own skin.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3asBK7lkfEVwqF0mWLAKbGS6_G08fgJKU9-Tl6sXhw6LYYAkzttOhHZ9G1oLxoz9NyYn5FwvJtV61NkRzVfqpembUm9KDWjNKesiDXonO91O2BX60huAyPH77lj37kqSQ_ZNpbw/s1600/bro+&+sis+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3asBK7lkfEVwqF0mWLAKbGS6_G08fgJKU9-Tl6sXhw6LYYAkzttOhHZ9G1oLxoz9NyYn5FwvJtV61NkRzVfqpembUm9KDWjNKesiDXonO91O2BX60huAyPH77lj37kqSQ_ZNpbw/s200/bro+&+sis+free.jpg" width="174" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Zoe Broussard has evolved over the three books in this series. In this last story, I used her to help demonstrate the central theme, which is what it means to find peace in an uncertain world. The story is based on a Bible verse: Psalm 34:14: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Zoe realizes that forgiving her brother and being reconciled is the only right thing to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Zoe Broussard was born in Devon Springs, Texas as Shelby Sieger. Abused by her alcoholic father and left vulnerable by a mother who turned a blind eye, she left home when she was of legal age and never went back. Shelby changed her name to Zoe Benoit when she started Zoe B’s Cajun Eatery and to Zoe Broussard when she married Pierce. She has forgiven her parents, though she has no desire to go home and see either of them or to make contact. The one person in her life, who broke her heart and that she just can’t forgive is her brother, Michael. He was the one stable, loving person she could turn to, and he left home at seventeen leaving her (then thirteen) and her mother to fend for themselves. Zoe has not seen Michael in twenty-eight years, and it would be fine with her if she didn’t see him for another twenty-eight. She has no idea that he has been searching desperately for her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/character-spotlight-kathy-hermans-adele.html" target="_blank">Character Spotlight</a> on Adele Woodmore </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Kathy's <a href="http://kathyherman.com/">website</a></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Kathy's books from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AKathy+Herman&keywords=Kathy+Herman&ie=UTF8&qid=1323085323&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B001JPCMS8">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=kathy+herman&salesGroupCode=">Koorong</a></span></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="744" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFFtUjJTS1YtUTRBMndJY1pxWWl3MUE6MQ" width="660">&lt;p&gt;Loading...&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-45883176460552345762012-05-04T17:13:00.000+10:002012-05-04T17:13:10.647+10:00Getting to know Dineen Miller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR4-YO32PrqwNTk8T5qs0q0dRbaLnH7gaBx8IYLBuL7TkpxTbfvcJhnWEP_urN9hb3aANjes-u3tjVbBQeW79e86r_NY-zB5iEEloWtoCpXSiCYqh4N-AfNnRBq4nDhBqzqo-6Q/s1600/Dineen+Miller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR4-YO32PrqwNTk8T5qs0q0dRbaLnH7gaBx8IYLBuL7TkpxTbfvcJhnWEP_urN9hb3aANjes-u3tjVbBQeW79e86r_NY-zB5iEEloWtoCpXSiCYqh4N-AfNnRBq4nDhBqzqo-6Q/s1600/Dineen+Miller.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.dineenmiller.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dineen Miller</b></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Please share a little about yourself</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m a disciple of Christ, wife to a techy guy who’s a disc golf fanatic (he’s awesome!), and mom to two grown daughters (18 & 22) who I have the pleasure of watching grow up into young women of faith! My oldest is engaged to be married to a wonderful young man who’s a believer. Yeah, proud mama, that’s me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr93oJK7l6DdMolsT9div_jiyr59FrN6VntpeaJ0pI6cLaeYuza7vAUKep5S1audnj55Ho43FD5sRIP4b6TDXb-_rrhP0UJR3cCgAIoKC0ivK76WNxAkzX-QBjy_HAd8QDdeHwoA/s1600/WinningHimBookCoverSM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr93oJK7l6DdMolsT9div_jiyr59FrN6VntpeaJ0pI6cLaeYuza7vAUKep5S1audnj55Ho43FD5sRIP4b6TDXb-_rrhP0UJR3cCgAIoKC0ivK76WNxAkzX-QBjy_HAd8QDdeHwoA/s1600/WinningHimBookCoverSM.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m also part of the SpirituallyUnequalMarriage.com ministry, which Lynn Donovan started in 2006. She and I are the coauthors of Winning Him Without Words: 10 Keys to Thriving in Your Spiritually Mismatched Marriage. I’m also the author of The Soul Saver, my debut novel that just released this week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And I’m a speaker. I love sharing the truths in God’s Word and how they apply to our lives, giving us strength, wisdom and freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Butcher, baker, candlestick maker...I’ll stop there. ;-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What appeals to you most about writing fiction?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Creating characters who struggle with their life and faith. Digging deep into what motivates them to make the choices they do and watching them grow through the process and consequences. I find the psychology of it fascinating!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>This is your first novel ~ how does it feel to have it in readers’ hands?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Unbelievable! This week has been such an adventure and a blessing I never expected! I’ve been doing a fair amount of online marketing and interacting with readers this week and it just blows me away when someone tells me they bought or ordered my book. It’s very humbling to think they’re using their time and money to read something I wrote. That’s huge. I wish I could reach through the screen and hug every one of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Name five things you can’t live without (no need to take this too seriously!)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Coffee, unfrosted strawberry Poptarts, my iPad (which includes my Bibles and my current writing project), my Acorn slippers, and diet soda.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsolLx5TfDCeUcCDD7Y-CvH2QmXP5_xUc-viVBJnTXfBpwquUXFxAo6DyVTg5doh8SkoqvwEPBetZEGgVO9LErEOJMvjsd3xhBz-5x12fck38GHMelFneJnDEaUR0Fe7nod-WIA/s1600/Captain_America_The_First_Avenger_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsolLx5TfDCeUcCDD7Y-CvH2QmXP5_xUc-viVBJnTXfBpwquUXFxAo6DyVTg5doh8SkoqvwEPBetZEGgVO9LErEOJMvjsd3xhBz-5x12fck38GHMelFneJnDEaUR0Fe7nod-WIA/s320/Captain_America_The_First_Avenger_poster.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Favourite book ~ Favourite movie ~ Favourite TV show</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now this one is tough!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Book? I’d have to say the Bible because it’s the only book I read over and over again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Movie? Captain America! But that may change by next month. LOL! Up until recently it was Julie & Julia. Food and writing. Doesn’t get better than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">TV Show? Either Castle or Once Upon a Time. Love the twists and turns of both. And they’re both about writers and stories. I think I have a one-track mind. Rel, what do you think?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where is the most interesting place you have been?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Switzerland. Lived there for three years. Beautiful and full of adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What did you want to be when you grew up?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A graphic designer who also designed book covers and an author. I’m blessed to have done both!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">These two seem to consistently surprise people: I have two grown daughters—I guess I don’t look my age, thanks to good genes! And my husband is an atheist, but we are madly in love and thanks to how God has worked in me, my marriage and my faith are thriving.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv4VYjdAVy3ZTubPJM7ut9cs6Dl9Xo65XwGp0Gp9zh3pHqPPn9Pdg_NeIg17dhIw9MPDPWTPHRIZC71bMpwIDn9p7p2kKK6BN8eiyuVUqM5GrXrR60Cwzmw8SETqOiKXpCKP0mQ/s1600/The+Soul+Saver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyv4VYjdAVy3ZTubPJM7ut9cs6Dl9Xo65XwGp0Gp9zh3pHqPPn9Pdg_NeIg17dhIw9MPDPWTPHRIZC71bMpwIDn9p7p2kKK6BN8eiyuVUqM5GrXrR60Cwzmw8SETqOiKXpCKP0mQ/s400/The+Soul+Saver.jpg" width="262" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Soul Saver</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Meet Lexie Baltimore, who is in the supernatural battle of her life. In obedience to God’s calling, Lexie uses her art and dreams to help others. But will she have enough courage to help herself when she becomes torn between her atheist husband and a godly man?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A widower and a father, Pastor Nate Winslow is drowning in darkness. Will he resist his treacherous assignment to win Lexie’s heart, or give in to the attraction between them?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As events unfold, Lexie becomes entangled in a twisted plot. Can she overcome the evil assailing her, or will she yield to the dark side?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What/whom inspired you to write The Soul Saver</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My faith and my life. LOL! I wrote The Soul Saver to compliment my nonfiction book, Winning Him Without Words, which is for the spiritually mismatched. I mentioned my husband is an atheist but we are very happily married and thriving despite our spiritual disconnect. The eerie part is that as this book developed, some of what I wrote about played out in my family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">When I started writing the story in 2009, it was just a glimmer in my heart and mind. I knew the basics. I knew Lexie was a believer. I knew her husband, Hugh, was an atheist and a physics professor at Stanford University. And I knew they’d lost a child to a brain tumor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">With a short synopsis and the first few chapters in hand, I went to a writers conference that September to pitch the story to some editors and see what kind of reaction I would get. I went home without any doubts that I was to write this story. Not because of anything said by an editor, but because God made it clear that was His plan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here’s where it gets a little “strange.” About two weeks after I got home, we found out my youngest daughter had a malignant brain tumor. We were sent to Lucille Packard (love the folks there!) for her surgeries. Her radiation treatments were to be done at Stanford Hospital, which is attached to Lucille Packard AND Stanford University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Because of where the tumor was located, my daughter’s radiation treatments had to be designed so as to treat the area and not bombard the rest of her brain and eyes. This treatment was carefully designed by a physics professor at Stanford University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">God-bumps anyone?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And all the weeks we were driving back and forth to the hospitals became my research for the book. Can you believe it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Your book is a mixture of women’s fiction, supernatural and suspense! How did that interesting combination come about?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">You know, that was a total surprise to me too. I started writing this story, thinking Tobias was the pastor’s friend and mentor. But suddenly he revealed he was quite the opposite! I’ll never forget sitting at my computer and writing out the scene where he kind of gives himself away unintentionally. I got chills. Had to stop and pray, “God, are you sure about this?” LOL! Then I knew the spiritual warfare would be crucial to the story because I can tell you from experience, there is A LOT of spiritual warfare in mismatched marriages. We, the believers are on the front lines praying and battling for our unbelieving spouse. We tend to make the enemy mad a lot. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Share a little about your main characters</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lexie is a believer and a sculptor. God wakes her in the night with visions of a place she needs to go (when He tells her it’s time) but then she has to go into her studio to create the face of the person she’s supposed to help. It’s a process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hugh is Lexie’s husband, an atheist and a physics professor at Stanford University. He’s a really nice guy, a good dad to their son Jeremy, but really struggles with Lexie’s faith at times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And then there’s Nate, the pastor of Freedom Church. He’s a tortured man, having lost his wife and nearly lost his daughter. A bad choice in a panicked moment of grief cost him his faith and his peace. He’s now a pawn in an evil plan to destroy Lexie’s marriage so that Hugh will remain an atheist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Describe The Soul Saver in five adjectives</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I can’t be objective here so I pulled them from some of the reviewer: Relevant. Life-changing. Spine-tingling. Compelling. Heartwrenching.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Please share a favourite paragraph from The Soul Saver</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is from a scene where Tobias, our demon in human form, is giving Nate his assignment and is in Nate’s POV:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Yeah, like he really believed that. He’d sealed his own fate. Saving Samantha had been worth it, right? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Only since Lexie had shown up did he ask that question. Stupid just didn’t fit the bill. He picked up the folder, flipped it open. More pictures filled a page with information to go with each one. “I had no idea hell was so organized. You’re like a CIA for the damned.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What do you hope readers take away from your story?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My hope is that they’ll either be encouraged because they’re spiritually mismatched or that they’ll have a better understanding of what it means to be mismatched, because chances are they know someone who is. And I hope anyone who reads it is entertained but also encouraged to see that God is so very present and real all around us ALL THE TIME! He’s always there loving and helping us more than we ever could imagine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Dineen's <a href="http://authordineenmiller.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://authordineenmiller.com/journal/" target="_blank">blog</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Dineen's books at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dineen-A.-Miller/e/B003LZCKH2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1336115307&sr=1-1" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or </span><a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=dineen+miller&salesGroupCode=" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Koorong </a></span></blockquote>
</div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-22744857720525960052012-05-03T17:56:00.000+10:002012-05-03T17:58:00.816+10:00Character Spotlight ~ Dani Pettrey's Cole McKenna & Bailey Craig<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJOjWHoly8ysMtOjQGmZoWBNgW2tLLJgT_TukkCrs7Md8uSkCOymuz_tZbOC_2o0CLkdnpLB5shv2s_Xz0TguYMlQ4BrDkAf_cfN2ZKH4lVaof79oi55ZWrsWSD7bOw-Aw3cWLA/s1600/Submerged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJOjWHoly8ysMtOjQGmZoWBNgW2tLLJgT_TukkCrs7Md8uSkCOymuz_tZbOC_2o0CLkdnpLB5shv2s_Xz0TguYMlQ4BrDkAf_cfN2ZKH4lVaof79oi55ZWrsWSD7bOw-Aw3cWLA/s400/Submerged.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dani Pettrey's debut romantic suspense, <i>Submerged</i>, the first in her Alaskan Courage series is available now from Bethany House and it's fabulous!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> A sabotaged plane. Two dead deep-water divers. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> Yancey, Alaska was a quiet town...until the truth of what was hidden in the depths off the coast began to appear. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again. She has a past, and a reputation--and Yancey's a small town. She's returned to bury a loved one killed in the plane crash and is determined not to stay even an hour more than necessary. But then dark evidence emerges and Bailey's own expertise becomes invaluable for the case. Cole McKenna can handle the deep-sea dives and helping the police recover evidence. He can even handle the fact that a murderer has settled in his town and doesn't appear to be moving on. But dealing with the reality of Bailey's reappearance is a tougher challenge. She broke his heart, but she is not the same girl who left Yancey. He let her down, but he's not the same guy she left behind. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Can they move beyond the hurts of their pasts and find a future together? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Enjoy meeting Cole & Bailey!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3N9T4n6ylHjSyy_yPD5AghhxtPIQCpgKPQ-QEKA_BGuG2BYsS5_HyZgl7EV9ka4JKqUfEnBAo9doX8fjNYNfO5a8QMEl7Qa7vh4V1fulWOfyjxBrVjDY9fDnmx6ILjd9XHqgTg/s1600/Katherine+Heigl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3N9T4n6ylHjSyy_yPD5AghhxtPIQCpgKPQ-QEKA_BGuG2BYsS5_HyZgl7EV9ka4JKqUfEnBAo9doX8fjNYNfO5a8QMEl7Qa7vh4V1fulWOfyjxBrVjDY9fDnmx6ILjd9XHqgTg/s200/Katherine+Heigl.jpg" width="170" /></a><b>Brief physical description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bailey is 28 years old. She’s 5’7 and graceful in build. She has blue eyes and amber hair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Cole is 29 years old. He’s 6 foot tall with a lean athletic build. He was modeled after a surfer so picture a surfer’s fit and sculpted physique and you’ll have Cole. He has green eyes and sandy blond hair.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bailey:</b> Think Katherine Heigl</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cole:</b> Think Bruce Irons</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bailey is intelligent, a hard worker, she loves learning and she has an incredibly tender heart beneath the stoic exterior she tries to exude.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9in2iLJ3bS186y7QPHOz1nEccx9kAnzYXdHW7plh0YM0Ut5iISaqW3il52bLKbaOP89bTjqD0Or0cd96mdSfotHmBXYAiCfuyFZHDegMvKDfz2jGDkYr0QXj6onKs9T55zW5IA/s1600/Bruce+Irons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9in2iLJ3bS186y7QPHOz1nEccx9kAnzYXdHW7plh0YM0Ut5iISaqW3il52bLKbaOP89bTjqD0Or0cd96mdSfotHmBXYAiCfuyFZHDegMvKDfz2jGDkYr0QXj6onKs9T55zW5IA/s200/Bruce+Irons.jpg" width="169" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Cole is dedicated, protective, loving and comfortable in his own skin. His weakness: Bailey Craig :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bailey:</b> She bites her bottom lip when deep in thought or when she’s nervous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cole: </b>He’s more at home beneath the water than above it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Bailey:</b> Bailey made a lot of mistakes growing up and so did I. In some ways, Bailey and I share a similar background, in other ways we are completely different. I wanted to show how lost someone could be to give up such a loving relationship (like she had with Cole) for a string of meaningless ones. I also wanted to show how God can take the raw and broken pains of our past and make us whole in Him.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07peQJxhm1rPtTpZtx711Pjm39DymoF1XzH7n4tCq9zshxSSLLlgYe_jcYevlIDKp0r1gx6orRfPQLKX0zptiDTq9qssSumUPGu1Lxb-olAyBwdn51DlJ_RGMeSefj8G-5lYzvQ/s1600/Cave+diving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07peQJxhm1rPtTpZtx711Pjm39DymoF1XzH7n4tCq9zshxSSLLlgYe_jcYevlIDKp0r1gx6orRfPQLKX0zptiDTq9qssSumUPGu1Lxb-olAyBwdn51DlJ_RGMeSefj8G-5lYzvQ/s200/Cave+diving.jpg" width="149" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/425602" target="_blank">stock.xchang</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Cole:</b> This really ties in with the background to the story, but I watched a movie about cave divers and I was fascinated. It got me thinking what type of person would pursue something so dangerous and highly skilled for a living, and Cole McKenna was born. I fashioned him, at least physically, after surfer Bruce Irons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Background to the story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It all started with the cave diving movie. Once I had Cole and his siblings, I wanted the perfect setting for all their adventures. I settled on Alaska because it’s gorgeous, ripe for adventure and there’s an inherent risk of danger if you aren’t properly prepared for the extreme conditions. From there, Cole and Bailey’s story unfolded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/q-with-debut-author-dani-pettrey.html" target="_blank">Interview</a> with Dani </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/07/author-alert-dani-pettrey.html">Author Alert</a> @ Relz Reviewz </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Dani's <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/">website</a> and <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/notes/">blog</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Dani's book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3ADani+Pettrey&keywords=Dani+Pettrey&ie=UTF8&qid=1336031649&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B0067NBNWS" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=dani+pettrey&salesGroupCode=" target="_blank">Koorong </a></span></div>
</blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-61863088896509325192012-05-02T10:12:00.004+10:002012-05-02T10:19:29.821+10:00Wish You Were Here by Beth K Vogt & US Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2EZD4XJp4PH3PeugVNyj8D_4HMSxuq-XEsQVE3F1R5xS6K4Y7_TjOHYGVHotjmQkvNxuO_UaD2IVwjqfc4sgjRvO96ZFd7GW2KEU_iVOnId3YJuHLlTVV9SuzCfwxMadvWRUoA/s1600/Wish+You+Were+Here+-+cover+image10.26.11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2EZD4XJp4PH3PeugVNyj8D_4HMSxuq-XEsQVE3F1R5xS6K4Y7_TjOHYGVHotjmQkvNxuO_UaD2IVwjqfc4sgjRvO96ZFd7GW2KEU_iVOnId3YJuHLlTVV9SuzCfwxMadvWRUoA/s400/Wish+You+Were+Here+-+cover+image10.26.11.JPG" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Kissing the wrong guy </i><i>days before her scheduled wedding leads Allison to become a runaway bride. But can it also lead to happily ever after?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Still, kissing the groom’s brother, Daniel, in an unguarded moment is decidedly </i><i>not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison’s life is nothing but mistakes at this point. Daniel’s adventures—chronicled through a collection of postcards—have always appealed to Allison’s well-hidden desire for something more. But how can betraying her fiancé’s trust lead to a true happily ever after? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Recognizing she doesn’t have all the answers won’t be easy because she’s used to being in control. To find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her—one outside her carefully defined comfort zone—and find the strength to let Him lead. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~ </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Beth K Vogt's debut novel will tickle your funny bone just as easily as it will thrum your emotions as Allison Denman takes an uncomfortable journey to discover what truly matters in her life and faith. Beth's writing style is engaging and fresh, her characters very true to life, struggling with rejection, bruised emotions, guilt and confusion. Witty and poignant, Allison, Seth and Daniel's story generates both laughter and compassion as they muddle their way through their complex responses to the choices they make and as well as those made for them. I adored Daniel, became frustrated a time or two with Allison and Seth and became totally invested in the outcome. While the romantic outcome was anticipated, it comes at a cost that in most stories is hidden or played down and it was refreshing that Beth did not shy away from those emotions. Beth's voice is nothing short of delightful and I am already highly anticipating her next story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to Howard for my review copy</b></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/getting-to-know-beth-vogt.html" target="_blank">Interview</a> with Beth</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Beth's <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/author-alert-beth-vogt.html" target="_blank">Author Alert </a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Beth's <a href="http://bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">website</a> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Beth's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beth-K.-Vogt/e/B001JSBFIS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1328095341&sr=1-1-spell" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=beth+vogt&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1&search=" target="_blank">CBD</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Learn about the </span><a href="http://www.relzreviewz.com/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Debutantes' Story Soiree Book Launch</a></span></blockquote>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="744" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dEtCaW5QMlRrRFA5OG1oV2x3SXhtUXc6MQ" width="660">&lt;p&gt;Loading...&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-57630369542015763622012-05-01T07:30:00.000+10:002012-05-01T07:55:21.161+10:00Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkbn1KepQ2EhsreM9aJHIwhOl37VAKCZWI1umzxKbQRAXoo2LjjvZBFgep7LpnZFKJEDQWdLU1PFfC_ExsxSKxmNnOscTpii1zYDa9FCdxqZ_dG3zf_0yxaiagNzJeKyd0Q7Rug/s1600/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIkbn1KepQ2EhsreM9aJHIwhOl37VAKCZWI1umzxKbQRAXoo2LjjvZBFgep7LpnZFKJEDQWdLU1PFfC_ExsxSKxmNnOscTpii1zYDa9FCdxqZ_dG3zf_0yxaiagNzJeKyd0Q7Rug/s400/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring.<br />
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A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.<br />
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Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.<br />
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Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.<br />
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For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure exists?</i></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Apparently Katie Ganshert is a debut author ~ she could’ve fooled me! <i>Wildflowers From Winter</i> is an incredible novel from a young woman with a very bright future ahead of her. Tender, insightful and moving, this is the story of up and coming architect Bethany Quinn with a mountain of hurt buried deep in her heart, which threatens to overflow when she is summoned back to her childhood home. Katie plumbs the depths of human grief, childhood desertion, family dysfunction, religious bullying and sacrificial friendship through Bethany’s journey, uprooting pain and unforgiveness to release joy and healing. As Bethany prepares to sell her surprise inheritance, Evan Price struggles with his anger and attraction to the woman who is causing havoc with his future plans. Their relationship develops naturally from genuine dislike to fledgling feelings then deep attraction that neither will allow to soften their hearts. Bethany’s friendship with the grieving Robin is also <span style="font-family: inherit;">beautifully told and a reminder of the importance of our friendships with women. Katie has penned a beautiful romance, one to rival Denise Hunter at her best, with an authentic spiritual journey that will bring tears of both compassion and joy to readers. Discovering Katie Ganshert’s writing will be one of my highlights for 2012 and I can’t wait to see her writing career blossom from here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to the author for my review copy </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/getting-to-know-debutante-katie.html" target="_blank">Interview</a> with Katie</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Katie's <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/author-alert-katie-ganshert.html" target="_blank">Author Alert </a></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Katie's <a href="http://katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://katieganshert.com/blog/" target="_blank">blog</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Katie's book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AKatie+Ganshert&keywords=Katie+Ganshert&ie=UTF8&qid=1333939053&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B005X0O0O4" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9780307730381" target="_blank">Koorong </a></span></div>
</blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-20581200430153599832012-04-29T20:25:00.000+10:002012-04-29T20:25:51.620+10:00Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaY2T5DciVNiSNZJCzqdTjyWTciXaEaV9n3HqqRNexZd3PTfOEGc-bHCwAxwLDRCFc-oVNz2yrn05g95CPqpULClPUyrUuEECbWQmNs5yZuyi9XCNuCVX9B9Nfs57a39lun59yg/s1600/Trauma+Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWaY2T5DciVNiSNZJCzqdTjyWTciXaEaV9n3HqqRNexZd3PTfOEGc-bHCwAxwLDRCFc-oVNz2yrn05g95CPqpULClPUyrUuEECbWQmNs5yZuyi9XCNuCVX9B9Nfs57a39lun59yg/s400/Trauma+Plan.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Sidelined by injuries from a vicious assault, chaplain Riley Hale is determined to return to her former duties as an ER nurse. But how can she show she’s competent when the hospital won’t let her attempt even simple tasks? Determined to prove herself, Riley volunteers at a controversial urban free clinic despite her fears about the maverick doctor in charge.<br />
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Dr. Jack Travis defends his clinic like he’s commander of the Alamo. He’ll fight the community’s efforts to shut its doors, even if he must use Riley Hale’s influential family name to make it happen.<br />
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As Riley strives to regain her skills, Jack finds that she shares his compassion—and stirs his lonely heart. Riley senses that beneath Jack’s rough exterior is a man she can believe in. But when clinic protests escalate and questions surface about his past, Jack goes into battle mode and Riley wonders if it’s dangerous to trust him with her heart.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While Candace Calvert once again gives readers a sigh-worthy hero and an appealing leading lady, she also packs an emotional punch in her first Grace Medical series that may require your own trip to the ER! Championing community clinics and the health professionals that sacrifice lucrative careers to run them, Candace gives readers a fast paced suspense novel with substance and soul. Jack is great character, dedicated and devoted to the homeless people he serves but with a temper that can damage his cause and pulls him from the trap of being the perfect man. Riley’s determination to work her way back into trauma nursing following a devastating injury is incredibly moving and oozes authenticity, no doubt from Candace’s personal experience with her own past severe injury. <i>Trauma Plan</i> will have your heart racing as the story unfolds and is well worth the eighteen month wait. Thankfully <i>Rescue Team</i> (working title) is not so far away!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to Tyndale for my review copy via NetGalley</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Relz Reviewz Extras<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Reviews of <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/05/critical-care-by-candace-calvert.html">Critical Care</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/03/disaster-status-by-candace-calvert.html">Disaster Status </a>& <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/09/code-triage-by-candace-calvert.html">Code Triage</a><br /><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/character-spotlight-candace-calverts.html" target="_blank">Character spotlight</a> on Nick & Leigh from Code Triage<br /><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/04/character-spotlight-candace-calverts.html">Character spotlight</a> on Scott & Erin from Disaster Status </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/06/character-spotlight-candace-calverts.html">Character spotlight</a> on Logan & Claire from Critical Care</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Visit Candace's <a href="http://www.candacecalvert.com/">website</a> and <a href="http://candacecalvert.blogspot.com/">blog</a><br />Buy Candace's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Candace-Calvert/e/B0028ONKV2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://orders.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?authorCode=1064652">Koorong</a></span></span></div>
</blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-62069031327845819332012-04-27T23:30:00.000+10:002012-04-28T10:01:29.797+10:00Getting to know Olivia Newport<div style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>It is my delight and privilege to introduce you to Olivia Newport, one of four </b></span><br /><span><b>delightful debutantes whose books are officially releasing this May. </b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><span><b>Look for a series of upcoming interviews, character spotlights, giveaways and </b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span><b>reviews on my blog highlighting <a href="http://www.olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">Olivia</a>, <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/" target="_blank">Dani Pettrey</a>, <a href="http://www.katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">Katie Ganshert</a> and <a href="http://www.bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">Beth Vogt</a> </b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span><b>along with some spectacular news regarding the....</b></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Debutantes' Story Soiree - coming May 15th. </span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event! Stay tuned for more info!!</span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcuB-CKeIp89OuQ1ms6wSvQY0CXx9pQ5AI7occ6vsuUOQHT0pedMJbG7LUnfimzVvV42tHUnr-e5QcN_EN8aZkM-qeFmtl3Ww4uAusAa-S14Q8Ua8UMXIzU05khqSNFSLOIiFvg/s1600/Olivia+Newport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcuB-CKeIp89OuQ1ms6wSvQY0CXx9pQ5AI7occ6vsuUOQHT0pedMJbG7LUnfimzVvV42tHUnr-e5QcN_EN8aZkM-qeFmtl3Ww4uAusAa-S14Q8Ua8UMXIzU05khqSNFSLOIiFvg/s320/Olivia+Newport.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> <a href="http://www.olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">Olivia Newport</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Please share a little about yourself</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HazuubAWKQiAKXsVyANY5iMlwlhfoQ66AsKKM_DusYGc0hPJNsk9wh5kG4x0D2FPxmnOTscZ7dcR55T5ARLYBvLSJg9TP6_hplUVhYEVuLWMsaZJl6zHnXcP8KUxB9wddPK25w/s1600/Rocky+Mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5HazuubAWKQiAKXsVyANY5iMlwlhfoQ66AsKKM_DusYGc0hPJNsk9wh5kG4x0D2FPxmnOTscZ7dcR55T5ARLYBvLSJg9TP6_hplUVhYEVuLWMsaZJl6zHnXcP8KUxB9wddPK25w/s320/Rocky+Mountains.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://nps.wikia.com/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_National_Park" target="_blank">Wikia.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I live in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies with my husband and two twentysomething children who are all welcome distractions from the people stomping through my head into my books. Though we have Illinois roots, we love the beauty and temperate climate of Colorado.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What appeals to you most about writing fiction?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve spent more decades than I’m going to specify devouring fiction. This has conditioned me to see story in every experience or setting I encounter. Writing fiction gives me the chance to process all that in a way that hopefully will connect with readers. In some ways I’ve been training for the release of my first novel for years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>How did you celebrate when news of your contract broke?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">That’s a good question! I honestly don’t remember. I hope it was something fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Name five things you can’t live without (no need to take this too seriously!)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Avocado, sugar snap peas, the redeeming marvel of small children, a Brazilian hammock, and bacon-wrapped dates</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXmfxd3AGeF8r0W18Dls5Q5VlOtNzh1Qh2i8m3cjkf972-GjQpjdbaCmgbJRKxJBwZqahREhed3l7zq1drlXwhUK2BU2ipBd-SbDx1XpGXt_8_X81hzDcUlVwtw214jFSPELIUA/s1600/downton_abbey_1724595c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHXmfxd3AGeF8r0W18Dls5Q5VlOtNzh1Qh2i8m3cjkf972-GjQpjdbaCmgbJRKxJBwZqahREhed3l7zq1drlXwhUK2BU2ipBd-SbDx1XpGXt_8_X81hzDcUlVwtw214jFSPELIUA/s320/downton_abbey_1724595c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Favourite book ~ Favourite movie ~ Favourite TV show</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I don’t usually settle on favorites—there are so many great stories out there. Right now I am enamored of PBS’s Downton Abbey, partly because the world it creates overlaps with the world of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning. Does that count as a TV show and a movie?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where is the most interesting place you have been?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I once stood on the balcony of a palace in Nepal that dated to the 1600s and stared at the Himalayas. Quite close up, I might add.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What did you want to be when you grew up?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A writer. Always. And that’s the truth. I just wasn’t brave enough to try for many, many years, so I pretended I was an editor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I will chomp into a fresh red pepper like it’s an apple, and don’t try to stop me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love audiobooks! That way I can redeem the time I spend doing necessary but uninteresting (to me) tasks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pursuit of Lucy Banning</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What/whom inspired you to write The Pursuit of Lucy Banning?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My friend Stephen Reginald decided to train as a docent in the Glessner House Museum, which is right in his neighborhood in Chicago. He immediately saw the potential for a story setting and challenged me to write, while he supported the effort with onsite research. I was smitten immediately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFtnBEqEYo0cazaj1CJAYnG44rGlkEqE5xobEBVb8KiZbmDbR63yRPEBtW-AStQIZh-rSLvKYQ3aINxYxHhLxSR9MfZfhWP6dXJP33inieXxlhUDEDz4fTaLTgo5zBTYUof6xYw/s1600/the+pursuit+of+lucy+banning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFtnBEqEYo0cazaj1CJAYnG44rGlkEqE5xobEBVb8KiZbmDbR63yRPEBtW-AStQIZh-rSLvKYQ3aINxYxHhLxSR9MfZfhWP6dXJP33inieXxlhUDEDz4fTaLTgo5zBTYUof6xYw/s400/the+pursuit+of+lucy+banning.jpg" width="258" /></a><b>Share a little about your main characters</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lucy Banning is a young woman whose wealthy family expects her to live a life befitting her status. Lucy has other ideas. While it’s true she does some sneaking around, her heart is always in the right place. Will Edwards, an unlikely architect, is grateful for friendship and opportunity—and the possibility of love. Against the backdrop of the 1893 world’s fair, Lucy and Will find each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Describe The Pursuit of Lucy Banning in five adjectives</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• layered</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• faithful</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• incarnational</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• compelling</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• enriching</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>A favourite paragraph or scene from The Pursuit of Lucy Banning</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I think I’d have to post a spoiler alert to answer that question. I’ll just say that I still find myself sighing with satisfaction late in the book when Lucy takes charge during a crisis and other people finally see what she is capable of accomplishing when she is allowed to put her compassion to work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What kind of readers do you think will enjoy your story?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Fans of historical fiction will find the story richly faithful to the era. Curious readers will discover a neighborhood brimming with Chicago history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Connect with Olivia</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Author Website & Blog: <a href="http://olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">www.olivianewport.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Author Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OliviaNewport" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/OliviaNewport</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Author Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/OliviaNewport" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/OliviaNewport </a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5197636.Katie_Ganshert">http://www.goodreads.com/olivianewport </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Preorder Olivia's books: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_at_ep_srch?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Olivia%20Newport" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9780800720384" target="_blank">Koorong</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Relz Reviewz Extras</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="http://www.olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">Visit</a> Olivia's website and blog</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span>Buy Olivia's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_0?rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3AOlivia+Newport&keywords=Olivia+Newport&ie=UTF8&qid=1335571071&sr=1-2-ent&field-contributor_id=B006WU3AEK" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9780800720384" target="_blank">Koorong</a> </span></span></div>
</blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-51541252303869090842012-04-26T23:30:00.000+10:002012-04-27T12:22:55.913+10:00Character Spotlight ~ Rachel Hauck's Charlotte, Emily, Daniel and Tim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCN__9jka5Z5Pov4OWo0B_8NzEiKhifAVrZkemnDXkgyOAB_L_a1rVKKi26zAVPvw11KEDDRUIbMmlO_Xlwb434irmCHN0aCy5WCUAbK-1E7dismKrmVnBUQpAJfqca9W4jO2Nw/s1600/The+Wedding+Dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCN__9jka5Z5Pov4OWo0B_8NzEiKhifAVrZkemnDXkgyOAB_L_a1rVKKi26zAVPvw11KEDDRUIbMmlO_Xlwb434irmCHN0aCy5WCUAbK-1E7dismKrmVnBUQpAJfqca9W4jO2Nw/s320/The+Wedding+Dress.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rachel Hauck's acclaimed novel, <i>The Wedding Dress</i>, is now available from Thomas Nelson.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift . . . and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress…or feel certain she should marry Tim? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Then Charlotte discovers a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new-shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been "redeemed." </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Charlotte's search for the gown's history-and its new bride-begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the timeless beauty of finding true love. </i></span></div>
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</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Enjoy meeting Charlotte, Tim, Emily & Daniel!</b></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcvODEm6E1eiQTdL8tbrJVMgdz57Q-f0W06fF66pCWDmGqGuF4v88key4bOSd34tzkjVdO7d5PmSI2PYOvYPc24j8IGmXefGifq5OMYR2-hNCFD5Nk6cimaWhOmPQ48YwinGXvg/s1600/Jennifer+Esposito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMcvODEm6E1eiQTdL8tbrJVMgdz57Q-f0W06fF66pCWDmGqGuF4v88key4bOSd34tzkjVdO7d5PmSI2PYOvYPc24j8IGmXefGifq5OMYR2-hNCFD5Nk6cimaWhOmPQ48YwinGXvg/s200/Jennifer+Esposito.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: Alexx Henry/2009 Crown Media</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brief physical description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Charlotte – Dark. Olive skin, hazel eyes, dark hair.. Famous actress might be Jennifer Esposito from Blue Bloods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Emily – fair,, brown hair. Has a pompador. Young Greer Garson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Daniel – dark hair.. Can’t remember his eyes. Think Robert Wagner when he was young!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Tim – Taylor Kitsch. Nuff said. ;)</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: inherit; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91yjZ6u5A32c4mTYFkZeH2KfT5vwCI6pe23kkykQ-ouznhZr_zUEjjG7OHhcs4avUJ2_CiPUu_DFcRdChMldRRuWck5WwodN_Gmawtd9c-5imgOK1anhiq3huFS0LnoihmOnVJQ/s1600/Greer+Garson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91yjZ6u5A32c4mTYFkZeH2KfT5vwCI6pe23kkykQ-ouznhZr_zUEjjG7OHhcs4avUJ2_CiPUu_DFcRdChMldRRuWck5WwodN_Gmawtd9c-5imgOK1anhiq3huFS0LnoihmOnVJQ/s200/Greer+Garson.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://abc.com/">abc.com</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Strengths and weaknesses</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Emily is strong enough to stand up for what she believes in and confront social norms and racism. But not quite strong enough to defy her father and marry the man she loves. At first…</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Charlotte can dress any bride but herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Daniel loves Emily but gives up too easily. Yet, he’s a man of honor.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWxsjvOmFtT8KHbJWJk-m6tZadLiReOKOreLkgUWuUVNNvJnwJzIyJSVJOHqisBB5P3Ww4Jcdx2QV48RZsTr1Rn8rg20-2YuyyCrm9keItpFYs37bWyqBadYrYW5i7x3hyphenhyphenoymeg/s1600/Robert+Wagner1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWxsjvOmFtT8KHbJWJk-m6tZadLiReOKOreLkgUWuUVNNvJnwJzIyJSVJOHqisBB5P3Ww4Jcdx2QV48RZsTr1Rn8rg20-2YuyyCrm9keItpFYs37bWyqBadYrYW5i7x3hyphenhyphenoymeg/s200/Robert+Wagner1.jpg" width="168" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robert_Wagner_in_Beneath_the_12-Mile_Reef.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tim can’t quite grow up until he realizes he might lose the love of his life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Your inspiration for the character</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Inspiration came from all over the place. The dress had to be a central point of the book so I worked at creating characters that would understand and define the gown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq-PBnpLQ2HB7yaukRpvgOXNw6osqqJncQfJP_dr1bAglQRt0vR8KI5Z2Y0jKywgoCkV-qWjy0FKh-xs5mwsqrOukEoxwPGTVtzda1tbXpIc1r1rKGWc0JlTde-ZmxNNv2XXFzQ/s1600/Taylor+Kitsch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWq-PBnpLQ2HB7yaukRpvgOXNw6osqqJncQfJP_dr1bAglQRt0vR8KI5Z2Y0jKywgoCkV-qWjy0FKh-xs5mwsqrOukEoxwPGTVtzda1tbXpIc1r1rKGWc0JlTde-ZmxNNv2XXFzQ/s200/Taylor+Kitsch1.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Background to the story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’d gone to Nashville for a girl’s weekend and we got to talking about weddings and wedding dresses. Something in the conversation triggered my creative juices and I was off in story land dreaming of a hundred year old wedding gown and all of the possible “what ifs.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This book just seemed to write itself. It’s a rare for idea hit fast and stick but I knew The Wedding Dress would be a book. I pitched it to my editor a few days later and she was sold on the idea as much as I. I’m glad. I love this story!</span></div>
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<blockquote style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Reviews of <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/02/dining-with-joy-by-rachel-hauck.html">Dining with Joy</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/02/sweet-by-and-by-by-sara-evans-rachel.html">The Sweet By and By</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/08/love-starts-with-elle-by-rachel-hauck.html">Love Starts With Elle</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/03/sweet-caroline-by-rachel-hauck.html">Sweet Caroline</a> and <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2007/06/diva-nashvegas-by-rachel-hauck.html">Diva NashVegas</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-rachel-hauck.html">Interview</a> with Rachel</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.rachelhauck.com/">Visit</a> Rachel's website</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Rachel's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rachel+hauck&sprefix=rachel+hauc">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://orders.koorong.com/search/search.jhtml?key=rachel+hauck&context=&action=go">Koorong</a></span></blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-3443332296655321402012-04-25T23:59:00.000+10:002012-04-26T07:52:30.352+10:00Book trailer for Dee Henderson's Full Disclosure<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The excitement is building for <a href="http://www.deehenderson.com/" target="_blank">Dee Henderson's</a> October release, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Full-Disclosure-Dee-Henderson/dp/0764210890/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335390442&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Full Disclosure</a> from <a href="http://www.bethanyhouse.com/" target="_blank">Bethany House</a>! </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Check out the trailer and preorder the book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Full-Disclosure-Dee-Henderson/dp/0764210890/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335390442&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/full-disclosure-dee-henderson/9780764210891/pd/210890?item_code=WW&netp_id=991442&event=ESRCG&view=details" target="_blank">CBD</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/full-disclosure-dee-henderson/9780764210891.jhtml" target="_blank">Koorong</a> :)</span></div>
<br />
<object height="360" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jKc8QwhmJUo&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3">
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<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
</param>
<param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always">
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jKc8QwhmJUo&rel=0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="360"></embed></object>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-89709637871839765402012-04-25T13:39:00.001+10:002012-04-25T13:40:30.469+10:00The winners are......<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MyIwH6A4x8LtwTZEyI1n3idaEl5i-LoiE0vCWR0GI4bFPKzpEh-Nhc4WnTYR_CW30C6x-HY1tVWr9UDLpWK6gywXs4142f23fhymtCKZKKcOrl6-hzFZ7-Lg6S-97UN-_UgIHg/s1600/TheChair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MyIwH6A4x8LtwTZEyI1n3idaEl5i-LoiE0vCWR0GI4bFPKzpEh-Nhc4WnTYR_CW30C6x-HY1tVWr9UDLpWK6gywXs4142f23fhymtCKZKKcOrl6-hzFZ7-Lg6S-97UN-_UgIHg/s200/TheChair.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wildflowers from Winter ~ <b>Laura J</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hiding in Plain Sight ~ <b>Brittanie </b></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Chair ~ <b>Merry</b> & <b>Abby</b> (USA) and <b>Laetitia</b> & <b>Cheryl</b> (AUS)</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Congratulations :)</span></div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-63871635371413691482012-04-24T10:16:00.000+10:002012-04-24T10:16:09.655+10:00Relz Reviewz is moving!<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVw1nFFp4W3CWYDyduEfn-cWTjPycUC-YMMTOsDsJMalEcKTudqOgh49UR3lPT22ceXSUbb4T-GaJGQ0A1IKy5d7-1umJrAioPRdIIQS3Mwy6Z47wIYlgX3Msspb6euQlT9etZA/s1600/moving_truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEVw1nFFp4W3CWYDyduEfn-cWTjPycUC-YMMTOsDsJMalEcKTudqOgh49UR3lPT22ceXSUbb4T-GaJGQ0A1IKy5d7-1umJrAioPRdIIQS3Mwy6Z47wIYlgX3Msspb6euQlT9etZA/s1600/moving_truck.jpg" /></a></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Six years ago, I started my blog, Relz Reviewz, without the first clue as to how Blogger worked, an HTML knowledge of zero, and a belief that only my mum and sister would ever read my posts! Well, there's no question that my mum and sister have been joined by many other readers from the States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, The Netherlands, India and more but not much else has changed ;-D</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As I became more engaged in the book blogger world, made connections with publishers, publicists, authors and reviewers, and became a writer for FamilyFiction.com, I knew it was time for my little blog to have a big makeover. So I'm thrilled to announce that my blog is finding a new home at <a href="http://relzreviewz.com/">RelzReviewz.com</a> and will have a wonderful new Wordpress-based design, fabulously put together by my dear friend and faithful encourager, Kelli Standish. Kelli and I have talked for years about giving my blog a facelift, and I'm delighted that our long talked about dream is finally coming true!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I have also converted my Facebook profile to a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rel.mollet" target="_blank">page</a> so I'd love you to drop in and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/rel.mollet" target="_blank">LIKE</a> it if you are so inclined :) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I can't wait to reveal the design to you, but given that suspense is one of my favourite genres, I'm going to make you wait a little longer ;-) BUT, you can get a little taste of right this instant, when you learn about my other exciting news. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Next month, I'll have the privilege and pleasure of hosting a wonderful event for four amazing debut novelists, in the live event of the season!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Debutantes’ Story Soiree</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W48MEZBFARmjGDZGkZ8zL_RG_pM8opXezB4laZZTHuX2S3EkEphJ97vSJN3QhHzpanFCRMJGuTTAB_7OmkDEubcu-FDx1ZysFsFSlD1gBY9PhcNTUQB-a5EdidW8yjGEwZFffQ/s1600/storysoireewidget.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W48MEZBFARmjGDZGkZ8zL_RG_pM8opXezB4laZZTHuX2S3EkEphJ97vSJN3QhHzpanFCRMJGuTTAB_7OmkDEubcu-FDx1ZysFsFSlD1gBY9PhcNTUQB-a5EdidW8yjGEwZFffQ/s1600/storysoireewidget.gif" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event! </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #660033;">May 15, 2012 7:30-9:00 PM CST</span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Beth Vogt</b> – <i>Wish You Were Here</i>- Simon & Schuster</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dani Pettrey</b> – <i>Submerged</i> – Bethany House</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Katie Ganshert</b> – <i>Wildflowers from Winter</i> – Waterbrook Press</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Olivia Newport</b> –<i> The Pursuit of Lucy Banning</i> – Revell</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">To learn more, sign up for a reminder e-mail the day of the event, and have a sneak peek at my site, go to <a href="http://relzreviewz.com/">RelzReviewz.com</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The DEBS and I would love your support, so grab the widget in my sidebar and spread the news, pretty please! </span><br /></span>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-14680775209217780602012-04-23T21:47:00.000+10:002012-04-23T21:47:00.810+10:00Character Spotlight ~ M.K. Gilroy's Kristen Conner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjpVa2K6jZtvX-TahPxFP84R_100cu4uwroQjkTKdGjyX1g4kS6XP4Xnq69qIsWMgVhYtxdDmiaIW0pgHgtGMN6NgRoVT2Ph1kI2LqsxH5ns6koWjQ1DHYIkIjRUYMcpUbGfBgg/s1600/Cuts+Like+a+Knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcjpVa2K6jZtvX-TahPxFP84R_100cu4uwroQjkTKdGjyX1g4kS6XP4Xnq69qIsWMgVhYtxdDmiaIW0pgHgtGMN6NgRoVT2Ph1kI2LqsxH5ns6koWjQ1DHYIkIjRUYMcpUbGfBgg/s320/Cuts+Like+a+Knife.jpg" width="220" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Publishing executive MK Gilroy has released his first novel, <i>Cuts Like A Knife</i>, available now from Worthy Publishing. </b></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><b><span>Synopsis</span></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b>The Killer ...</b></span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">Chicago
has a new resident; a heartless killer on a decade-long crime spree.
When a successful young woman is found dead in her fashionable town
home, a red flag goes up in Washington, D.C. The FBI knows an elusive
"organized killer" is at work again. The problem is the Feds have only
one tenuous lead to assist local police in the manhunt ... a most
unlikely place the killer likes to find his victims.</span></span> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><br />
<b>The Detective ...</b></span> </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">Conner, turning thirty, single, light as
a feather but tougher than nails—growing up in a cop’s home and taking
every hand-to-hand combat course that the Chicago Police Department
offers does that—and the coach of her niece’s 7-year-old soccer team,
the Snowflakes, becomes a lead detective in her first major homicide
case. She’s a good girl—loves her mom, goes to church, only yells when
she’s really mad—who just can’t stop fighting with her partner, police
department brass, and most of all, her TV news anchor sister,
Klarissa, who can turn a single bite of chicken into a 30-minute ordeal
of starting, stopping, and starting again. Her mom, sisters, and
various suitors all think she’s wonderful—except for her anger and
bonding issues.</span></span> </i></span></div>
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<b>The Climax ...</b></span> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span">From the opening chase scene that leads
to a back alley where a Punk with a knife awaits, to the climactic
scene where Kristen goes one-on-one with a man who is killing innocent
women in her town and now has her in his sights, Cuts Like a Knife, the
debut novel from Mark Gilroy, is loaded with action, humor, and wry
introspection through the voice of its irrepressible lead character.</span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Enjoy meeting Kristen Conner! </b></span></span><i><span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brief physical description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Kristen Conner is a 30-year-old brunette who was a great high school and college soccer player and who is still a workout fiend. She loves to run the steps at the football stadium of the high school close to where she lives along with hand-to-hand combat training from Israeli krav maga to Brazilian jujitsu to traditional boxing, so she is in great shape. She’s a very pretty girl who doesn’t know she is pretty. Her sisters think her fashion sense is in need of a serious upgrade. She wears black slacks and a relaxed fit jacket every day; hair is often in a ponytail because that’s easiest; she wears next to no makeup – but sometimes adds a quick dash of red on the lips.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmBaaTvTgaTjWAKXNa17TbORgRJZj2LmNh-d5rbK5EUfD3v_cg1WU0JNaM9dpvsj-b-DYR0yf_ytA5UdSkrwhF8EfhXYOC7GC5K9Su6h0RIXNMw3nVV5eurteLFTYyhugnaFuCg/s1600/Jennifer-Garner-and-Angelina-Jolie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmBaaTvTgaTjWAKXNa17TbORgRJZj2LmNh-d5rbK5EUfD3v_cg1WU0JNaM9dpvsj-b-DYR0yf_ytA5UdSkrwhF8EfhXYOC7GC5K9Su6h0RIXNMw3nVV5eurteLFTYyhugnaFuCg/s200/Jennifer-Garner-and-Angelina-Jolie.jpeg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Actor/famous person </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">One of my first readers immediately said Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. And that’s not a bad image of Kristen Conner. I was thinking more of the Angelina Jolie fighter toughness from Mr. & Mrs. Smith – but with a little more Jennifer Garner girl-next-door facial look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Strengths and weaknesses</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">She is smart and relentless – great qualities for a cop. She is loyal to her family and friends to a fault. She never misses Sunday dinner with her family, she coaches her seven-year-old niece’s soccer team, and is a great detective partner. I’ve already mentioned she is great at hand-to-hand combat. But – she can’t shoot a handgun straight and that really makes her mad. She switched from a Glock to a Beretta in Cuts Like a Knife – and she is already trying out the Sig Sauer in the next novel. She struggles with her anger – and as a result she has a way of getting into both humorous and serious fights with everyone from the barista at JavaStar to her mom and sisters to the top brass of the Chicago Police Department. Her deceased father was a legend on the force and she tagged along with him every chance she got – so even when she gets into it with colleagues it’s more like a sibling spat. Kristen is a real person with a great faith – but the doubts and troubles that plague all of us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quirk (if any)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Kirsten can’t tell a joke and her sense of timing when she speaks up in a meeting is always off. She is graceful but bumps into things and spills coffee. Speaking of coffee, she can’t get her order at JavaStar right. She loves everyone and they all love her – so why do they fight so much? That’s her quirk. She’s a delightful, charming, graceful – mess!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXG9BIJZWUWnusu9czWqt0hXVWyFCVDUBMDF6U6Vne4cDEy4ODJBwXEBJSOIdZnIke4yZb6ydi-awx511fM1nuld-8HdmosClKJFpWrS8zzt4Uf8d8RP6JKBHaO-1gkd9USk8ew/s1600/Chicago+Police+Officer+badge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXG9BIJZWUWnusu9czWqt0hXVWyFCVDUBMDF6U6Vne4cDEy4ODJBwXEBJSOIdZnIke4yZb6ydi-awx511fM1nuld-8HdmosClKJFpWrS8zzt4Uf8d8RP6JKBHaO-1gkd9USk8ew/s200/Chicago+Police+Officer+badge.jpg" width="196" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Your inspiration for the character</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love the mystery-thriller genre so having a detective as a lead character is no surprise. As the father of three daughters, I think the changes I saw with their generation helped me flesh out Kristen. More independent, more sports oriented, very can-do. She can be very lady like but is also tough and can hold her own in a tough and dangerous profession.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Background to the story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">There is no single historical case or reference that served as background. I had some definite ideas on Kristen and after researching psychopathic personalities, I also had a very strong villain for her to face throughout the book in mind. Once I started writing, I think these two incredibly strong personalities went at it and basically drove the storyline through some great twists and turns of a very general plot I had in mind. Family and faith are very important to me, so those two dynamics are woven throughout in a very realistic and natural way. One of my goals that I’ve been told comes through is that I set out to NOT write a religious novel. I wanted to write a mystery-thriller with a person of faith, however. So I think this comes through as general market suspense but with a fabulous lead character who has a definite Christian worldview.</span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/cuts-like-knife-by-m-k-gilroy-with.html" target="_blank">Review</a> of Cuts Like A Knife </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Visit Mark's <a href="http://www.mkgilroy.com/" target="_blank">website</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Buy Mark's book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cuts-Like-Knife-M-Gilroy/dp/1936034697/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333061045&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9781936034697" target="_blank">Koorong</a></span></span></blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-31838129133162388102012-04-20T14:44:00.001+10:002012-04-20T14:46:49.666+10:00Getting to know Beth Vogt<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>It is my delight and privilege to introduce you to Beth K Vogt, one of four </b><br /><b>delightful debutantes whose books are officially releasing this May. </b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><b>Look for a series of upcoming interviews, character spotlights, giveaways and </b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>reviews on my blog highlighting <a href="http://www.bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">Beth</a>, <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/" target="_blank">Dani Pettrey</a>, <a href="http://www.olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">Olivia Newport</a> and <a href="http://www.katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">Katie Ganshert</a> </b></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>along with some spectacular news regarding the....</b></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Debutantes' Story Soiree - coming May 15th. </span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event! Stay tuned for more info!!</span></span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoDnzoRflDE73GmLGuDYbUZ3lKearF9aK0LWMsyIHwrpeaTxLo2Hi96g_n_rPWLMSi5j2nhk87SMsrA7r4BCYebBbkZ2cHjq8SNR7Umo0RvR9plzOls7YEqjfy58PgOJ6W825mQ/s1600/Beth+Vogt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoDnzoRflDE73GmLGuDYbUZ3lKearF9aK0LWMsyIHwrpeaTxLo2Hi96g_n_rPWLMSi5j2nhk87SMsrA7r4BCYebBbkZ2cHjq8SNR7Umo0RvR9plzOls7YEqjfy58PgOJ6W825mQ/s320/Beth+Vogt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bethvogt.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Beth Vogt</span></b></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What appeals to you most about writing fiction? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I love the ability to weave truth into imaginary characters’ lives. And I love the challenge of becoming not just a good writer but a storyteller.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Why Christian fiction? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve heard it said that the word “Christian” isn’t an adjective. :) I’ve heard writers toss around terms like “inspirational” and “faith-based.” Whatever. My faith is an integral part of who I am—it influences everything I do: How I relate to my husband, how I raise my children, how I write books. Every writer weaves something they consider true – their values – into the stories they write. I have found truth and peace and purpose in my faith.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rel: I wish there was a better descriptor, too! </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Name five things you can’t live without</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1. Laughter</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2. Falling asleep in my husband’s arms</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3. Watching a good football game with no one telling me to “Tone it down!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">4. God’s lavish grace</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">5. Dinner reservations</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx-EE1lNK2Qm6LOjdBZuaasUUcZCl8kQGsYeETCTFl92TGdZcTfWyis65fBTaQYju_W9jrTKzV1sPuNqdMLC0IkVJ9LzshczQGL_wHVEoEw49mkASR6MH-fY1qkrd95vigxr61w/s1600/TheMagicofOrdinaryDays.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrx-EE1lNK2Qm6LOjdBZuaasUUcZCl8kQGsYeETCTFl92TGdZcTfWyis65fBTaQYju_W9jrTKzV1sPuNqdMLC0IkVJ9LzshczQGL_wHVEoEw49mkASR6MH-fY1qkrd95vigxr61w/s200/TheMagicofOrdinaryDays.jpg" width="136" /></a><b>Favourite book ~</b> The first book I ever read because it opened the door to all the other books I ever read. So, yes, this was probably something along the lines of “See Dick run. See Jane talk.” (My husband came up with that last line.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Favourite movie ~</b> The Magic of Ordinary Days, a Hallmark movie I watch over and over again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Favourite TV show ~</b> Lie to Me, which I only started watching on NetFlix after it went off the air!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Where is the most interesting place you have been?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Interesting” is such a vague word, Rel. I lived in Turkey for two years way-back in our “military family” days when I had three children under the age of five. Now that was i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rel: Yep, Turkey even without kids would be challenging, I imagine!! </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What did you want to be when you grew up? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A writer. Isn’t wonderful? I’m living my dream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• I have a twin sister, Brenda. We’re fraternal twins. I’m older than her by four minutes. When we were growing up, we couldn’t even convince people we were sisters, much less twins. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">• I met my husband in a karate studio when he knocked me down—I mean, when he swept me off my feet. Really.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rel: Now, there's a book waiting to happen, right there, Beth! </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyBBzlDxOHQ2eAsPqeQe5BO6CUCQDk96RIlf9GhK4i7oACca1WSL12w4TBKjsm5aQY4zAw3wOD5mvmlimDSjY7zZgkna5A26VsuayCyYMbXg-to_NZMNvbhmYhwq4rv_wPek9VA/s1600/Wish+You+Were+Here+-+cover+image10.26.11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyBBzlDxOHQ2eAsPqeQe5BO6CUCQDk96RIlf9GhK4i7oACca1WSL12w4TBKjsm5aQY4zAw3wOD5mvmlimDSjY7zZgkna5A26VsuayCyYMbXg-to_NZMNvbhmYhwq4rv_wPek9VA/s400/Wish+You+Were+Here+-+cover+image10.26.11.JPG" width="260" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Wish You Were Here</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Still, kissing the groom's brother in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison's life is nothing but mistakes at this point. And pulling a "Runaway Bride" complete with stealing, er, borrowing her best friend's car doesn't seem to solve her problems.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Maybe she just needs to stop orchestrating everything. Allison prefers being the one in control, and giving it up is not going to be easy. But to find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her and find the strength to let Him lead.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What was your favourite scene to write in Wish You Were Here or share your favourite paragraph</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Allison is talking to her Aunt Nita as she struggles to figure out what’s the right thing to do:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>“Why does doing the right thing cut off my breath? It’s like . . . like someone hands me an outfit and says, ‘Put this on.” And then I shove myself into this dress two sizes too small. Cram my feet into shoes that pinch my toes and scrape my heels. I go and stand in front of the mirror and try to convince myself it looks fine. That I look fine. I tell myself to just buy the outfit. And the whole time, I want my yoga pants, cotton top, and flip flops.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Which character did you connect to the most?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Allison – I loved watching her change, discovering who God created her to be. I admired her courage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Which character was the most difficult to write? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Seth. He actually didn’t start talking to me until the second draft of the manuscript. My agent, Rachelle Gardner, wanted to hear more of his story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What’s next in your writing pipeline? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I’m working on a stand-alone story with the working title <i>Catch a Falling Star</i>. It’s also a contemporary romance set in Colorado that wrestles with the question: What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan? Do you keep forcing Plan A? Do you opt for Plan B? Or do you just settle?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Rel: Sounding good, Beth! </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Connect with Beth</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Website: <a href="http://www.bethvogt.com/">www.bethvogt.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Blog: <a href="http://thewritingroad.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">http://thewritingroad.blogspot.com.au/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.vogt" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/beth.vogt</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/bethvogt" target="_blank">http://www.twitter.com/bethvogt </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Beth's <a href="http://bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">website</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Buy Beth's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beth-K.-Vogt/e/B001JSBFIS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1328095341&sr=1-1-spell" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=beth+vogt&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1&search=" target="_blank">CBD</a></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-55661105552650385782012-04-19T13:10:00.000+10:002012-04-20T13:11:15.325+10:00Character Spotlight ~ Tricia Goyer's Marianna Sommer<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKgxB1fkuT5F_NVm7tT6GrWm3-i_ufIB9ojbB9aH4hR4xeb5Z_rCnpdSYXOjl0xg_9QaRMbH1vRvEbA_qJUv0yZBUsbgVymr_BEfAvJbegSp8dtxuUhuUuGjO-mMHSlvTIyDZbA/s1600/BeyondHopesValley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKgxB1fkuT5F_NVm7tT6GrWm3-i_ufIB9ojbB9aH4hR4xeb5Z_rCnpdSYXOjl0xg_9QaRMbH1vRvEbA_qJUv0yZBUsbgVymr_BEfAvJbegSp8dtxuUhuUuGjO-mMHSlvTIyDZbA/s400/BeyondHopesValley.jpg" width="262" /></a></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"> To celebrate the final Big Sky novel, <i>Beyond Hope's Valley</i>, I'm reposting the spotlight on Tricia Goyer's leading Amish lady, Marianna Sommer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>After an extended stay in Montana, where Amish traditions are different than in her home state, Marianna Sommer returns to Indiana for two reasons, first to help her brother and his girlfriend prepare for a baby and their wedding. Second, to plan her own wedding to Aaron Zook -- a marriage she’s been dreaming about ever since childhood. And yet, although she had missed the idyllic farms and families of her upbringing, Marianna is surprised that Indiana is somehow making her long now for Montana.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>As months pass, secrets that were hidden in winter’s frozen grasp thaw and take on a life of their own. The truths about a child, about a past relationship, and about God’s plans are being revealed. Walking through a valley of questions, Marianna must hold on to hope as she decides where and with whom her heart truly belongs.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: bold;"> Enjoy meeting Marianna!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPulm3jMI8lzx8Emp9B5NVwwEfe8lyBRm9Pi5Q0znRCD6oP9egLv-1DjxvgDAIOvz_kudHlXoF9cLuziX6ptlCcGkDYf9CUP6idwm6UpTz4WmWxf3n6gKkRk5s65xn66RtLwf/s1600/Rachel-McAdams-2-QWPCEVAGW4-1280x1024.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599520496158222482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPulm3jMI8lzx8Emp9B5NVwwEfe8lyBRm9Pi5Q0znRCD6oP9egLv-1DjxvgDAIOvz_kudHlXoF9cLuziX6ptlCcGkDYf9CUP6idwm6UpTz4WmWxf3n6gKkRk5s65xn66RtLwf/s200/Rachel-McAdams-2-QWPCEVAGW4-1280x1024.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 160px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brief physical description </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Marianna Sommer is a petite Amish young woman with light brown hair and grey eyes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Actor/famous person </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Rachel McAdams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <b>Strengths and weaknesses </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Strengths: She's dedicated to her family and the Amish way of life. She has a loving a caring heart. She's great in the kitchen and she has a fun sense of humor and quick wit—which many “Englischers” don't expect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Weaknesses: She cares about what others think more than she should. She al</span><span style="font-size: small;">so battles between how she's been raised and what her heart it telling her to be true about God and others.</span><br />
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<b>Your inspiration for the character</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq60B0S83Q-fwGaxzAh-CNBtBCHSoidZyzYllD_EPSlNaDwdxmT17wglNJvE1L9VnBhESN_y9pMpsq17Z8jfz8kfkwifl77L4e7CPFtrhqLSgMsx3Nj7rgYMdckYk5GboYCaNn/s1600/Tricia+Amish.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599520760641989266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq60B0S83Q-fwGaxzAh-CNBtBCHSoidZyzYllD_EPSlNaDwdxmT17wglNJvE1L9VnBhESN_y9pMpsq17Z8jfz8kfkwifl77L4e7CPFtrhqLSgMsx3Nj7rgYMdckYk5GboYCaNn/s200/Tricia+Amish.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 135px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Marianna was inspired by Amish friends of mine. Spending time with them I found them fun, surprising and yet thoughtful, too. Sometimes we think that simple people are boring, but t</span><span style="font-size: small;">hat's not the case with my friends or Marianna either.<b><br />
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<b>Background to the s</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>tory</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Every great novel starts with a bit of fact. This story started with more than that.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">A few years ago I was asked if I'd ever consider writing an Amish novel. The truth is, I hadn't. But the first seed of an </span><span style="font-size: small;">idea was planted and my mind started to feed and water it. That's how novels usually start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Later that day, I remembered that my daughter had a friend, Saretta, whose parents were raised Amish. They moved from an Amish community in Indiana to Montana, and that is how we met. I also remember my daughter telling me Ora Jay and Irene lost two daughter</span><span style="font-size: small;">s in a buggy accident.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Hmmm,</i> I thought. <i> I'd love to hear their story. Maybe someday, if I see them again, I'll ask.</i> The next day, my daughter Leslie and I went out for some mom and daughter time. We went to a bookstore to browse and get coffee. As we looked over the bargain rack guessed who walked in … Saretta. We hadn't seen her for six months at least and there she was. “Saretta,” I told her. “I think I'm supposed to talk to your parents—hear their story.” “Sure, I'm sure they'd love to talk to you!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Less than a week<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zCG0yHRqN7aHsngtuscVB5k6v6VUcJAh_buHlWcE8mDBOQ1CPTrn_js7G4NpGWabXrm7b51SnlFZ0JkOYLS6pceeZzhC41Mqb_vfo5Z5CPrY_fsKeO_Jmx8H9dg93LYeCmD9/s1600/Tricia+amish+boys.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599521225183782834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4zCG0yHRqN7aHsngtuscVB5k6v6VUcJAh_buHlWcE8mDBOQ1CPTrn_js7G4NpGWabXrm7b51SnlFZ0JkOYLS6pceeZzhC41Mqb_vfo5Z5CPrY_fsKeO_Jmx8H9dg93LYeCmD9/s200/Tricia+amish+boys.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 134px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a></span><span style="font-size: small;"> later Ora Jay and Irene sat in my living room. They told me about being Amish, about losing their daughters, about their move. They also talked about their faith. They shared what the meant to be Amish. They shared how their faith had grown after moving to Montana. They shared many ways God had changed their lives and their hearts. I listened amazed. Their story added more water—the Living Water—and sunshine to the seed of a novel planted in my hearts. After talking to Ora Jay and Irene, I met many other Amish women from the West Kootenai Community. I was honored as they shared their lives with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">While this story is still a work of fiction, I've tried to be as true to the lifestyle and faith of this Amish community. As you may know, each Amish community is different, depending on the place and rules of the church. While I may not have gotten everything right, I've tried hard that my words reflect truth. I trust they do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/12/love-finds-you-in-lonesome-prairie.html">Review</a> of Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie, Montana</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/12/character-spotlight-tricia-goyer.html">Character spotlight</a> on Julia Cavanaugh</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Tricia's <a href="http://www.triciagoyer.com/">website</a> and <a href="http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/">blog</a><br />
Buy Tricia's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tricia-Goyer/e/B001JP8FPC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/search?author=Tricia%20Goyer&detailed_search=1&action=Search">Koorong</a></span></div>
</blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-69427742564817742692012-04-18T23:59:00.000+10:002012-04-18T23:59:22.123+10:00Love's Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkX4TCR1qhtk7gIw_d1sv4unoi5yDx6FI9CUHFRcTOkS3XtK4RrQNiupfpfSxU82Ih7hLMZK7S1E3ypACAxRFYcegY1SSvxOB65gf6_FqZeX_Iv8EGWn3wcrjoGDVRVQKJ8Go2g/s1600/love's+sacred+song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkX4TCR1qhtk7gIw_d1sv4unoi5yDx6FI9CUHFRcTOkS3XtK4RrQNiupfpfSxU82Ih7hLMZK7S1E3ypACAxRFYcegY1SSvxOB65gf6_FqZeX_Iv8EGWn3wcrjoGDVRVQKJ8Go2g/s400/love's+sacred+song.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon
wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain
world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love
that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>A
shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first
time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years
old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his
bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from
King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the
kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mesu Andrews tackles the challenging and intriguing life of King Solomon in her second novel, <i>Love's Sacred Song</i>, with great talent and insight. Bringing the intrigue of court life, the spitefulness of his harem and his love for his Shulammite bride to life, Mesu paints a fascinating portrait of Solomon and what might have been. Solomon, Arielah, Jehoshaphat and Benaiah are stand out characters whose strengths and weaknesses reflect the struggles we face today. This is a beautiful story that engages heart and mind as Solomon's political wisdom wars with his vulnerability to women. I can't wait to see which Biblical story Mesu tackles next!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">With thanks to Revell for my review copy</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras<br />
RBC Book Club interview with Mesu ~ <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/08/rbc-book-club-interview-with-mesu.html">Part 1</a> & <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/rbc-book-club-interview-with-mesu.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a><br /><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2011/03/q-with-mesu-andrews.html">Q&A</a></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"> with Mesu <br />
Visit Mesu's <a href="http://mesuandrews.com/">website</a><br />
Buy Mesu's books at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mesu-Andrews/e/B00424KQ4U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://orders.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=mesu+andrews&salesGroupCode=">Koorong</a></span></blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-83787150990128444642012-04-17T07:57:00.002+10:002012-04-17T07:57:22.787+10:00Christy Award Nominations, 2012<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>So, the 2012 Christy Award nominations have been announced and I'm particularly THRILLED to see Ronie Kendig, Jim Rubart, Lisa Bergren and Ginny Y'ttrup nominated in a star studded list of nominees! </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>I've read 15 of the 27 nominations so I have a few more to get through ~ how about you? Any standouts in the list? Other authors you are surprised who missed out?</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">2012 CHRISTY AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The 13th annual Christy Awards for excellence in Christian fiction will</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">be presented at a dinner to be held at 7:00 p.m., Mon., July 16, 2012, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Orlando. The reservation form for the 2012 Christy Awards will be available online at</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">www.christyawards.com after Apr. 26. Watch for an announcement regarding keynote speaker</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">and emcee soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Christy Advisory Board is pleased to announce nominees in nine categories for the 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Christy Awards honoring Christian fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The 2012 Christy Award nominees are:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Dancing on Glass by Pamela Binnings Ewen (B&H Publishing Group)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Touch by Randall Wallace (Tyndale House Publishers)</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House Publishers)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Words by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">FIRST NOVEL</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">An Eye for Glory by Karl Bacon (Zondervan)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola (Barbour Publishing)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Words by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">HISTORICAL</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman (Tyndale House Publishers)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">HISTORICAL ROMANCE</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To Die For by Sandra Byrd (Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">SUSPENSE</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins (B&H Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pattern of Wounds by Mark Bertrand (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Queen by Steven James (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">VISIONARY</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Chair by Jim Rubart (B&H Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group USA)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>YOUNG ADULT </b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn (Kregel Publications)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren (David C Cook)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Christy Awards are also online at:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristyAward</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChristyAward</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">###</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Media Inquiries: Reservations:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Jeane Wynn Donna Kehoe</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wynn-Wynn Media, LLC christyawards@gmail.com</span> </div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">918-283-1834</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">jeane@wynnwynnmedia.com</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-7642578945122424902012-04-17T00:01:00.000+10:002012-04-17T00:01:01.035+10:00Coming in September from Dee Henderson<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>So here it is! Dee Henderson's long awaited new novel, Full Disclosure, now being released in September, 2012 from Bethany House.</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Let's have your thoughts on the storyline, cover art and more! I'm so keen to read this book and see if Dee has recaptured her great talent for storytelling after her long hiatus.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Fjpip7kMOUbQFo2Q04zadlYdnowfSnuPYxGCkv_NVM7CfDVTppi8AykDThGdBggS6wvlcPPtgndyEFkG2pjBLNQLe3Bk7Uz1nMfbkDZYF0IdUr8VJehlFP_2BQzYweXF7U6OQ/s1600/Full+Disclosure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Fjpip7kMOUbQFo2Q04zadlYdnowfSnuPYxGCkv_NVM7CfDVTppi8AykDThGdBggS6wvlcPPtgndyEFkG2pjBLNQLe3Bk7Uz1nMfbkDZYF0IdUr8VJehlFP_2BQzYweXF7U6OQ/s400/Full+Disclosure.jpg" width="257" /></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/isbn=0764210890/bakerbookhouseA" target="_blank">Full Disclosure</a> by <a href="http://www.deehenderson.com/" target="_blank">Dee Henderson</a></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Ann Silver is a cop's cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help local law enforcement on the worst of cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the region's most trusted investigative positions. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Paul Falcon is the FBI's top murder cop in the Midwest. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good Paul and his team see the case file or work the murder. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn't expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The better he gets to know her, the more Paul realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former Vice President. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is... </span></div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-1838763220159912582012-04-16T22:59:00.000+10:002012-04-16T22:59:47.079+10:00Arms of Love by Kelly Long<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zhBDLTMkfA0k7qzK2hXkRGkvZsLgrzwdN1Z5-dzySF-4k1gwZOIFHmr6fVDp5UtSj3uEFMuxzSICtA-JOlOAIHFofonSK3qOUq3qn2XO_IR4IqiZoDqVkibnOTLiWxx6-a0joQ/s1600/Arms+of+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zhBDLTMkfA0k7qzK2hXkRGkvZsLgrzwdN1Z5-dzySF-4k1gwZOIFHmr6fVDp5UtSj3uEFMuxzSICtA-JOlOAIHFofonSK3qOUq3qn2XO_IR4IqiZoDqVkibnOTLiWxx6-a0joQ/s400/Arms+of+Love.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>The year is 1777. America is in turmoil. And Amish life is far different than today.</b></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Pennsylvania in the late 18<sup>th</sup>
century, once called William Penn's Woods, was an assortment of
different faiths living together for the first time in American history.
Included in this tapestry was a small and struggling population called
Amish. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Surrounding this peaceful people were unavoidable
threats: both Patriots and the British were pillaging land and goods for
the sake of the war, young Amishmen were leaving the faith to take up
arms and defend freedom. A simple walk in the untamed forests could
result in death, if not from bullet or arrow, then from an encounter
with a wild animal. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Amid this time of tumult, Adam Wyse is
fighting a personal battle. To possibly join the war efforts and leave
his faith, which would mean walking away from the only woman he's ever
loved: Lena Yoder. But for that love he's made a promise that may keep
them apart permanently.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>When Adam withdraws from Lena, she's
forced to turn to his brother, Isaac, for support. Must Lena deny her
heart's desire to save Adam's soul?<b> </b>And will life in this feral and primitive New World be more than this peace-keeping people can withstand?</i></span></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~ </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you have spent more than a few minutes browsing my blog, you will notice a dearth of reviews of Amish novels. As a genre, it simply doesn't appeal to me and I genuinely struggle to understand why these novels flood the Christian fiction market. Now, before anyone runs me over with a buggy, this is not a criticism of the many talented authors who write these stories, it just explains my lack of interest. So, it goes without saying that an author who can write an Amish novel that I am willing to read is special! Kelly Long is one such author and she did not disappoint me with <i>Arms of Love</i>, the first book in her Amish Beginnings series and another 'out of the box' Amish novel. A unique time period, authentic characters and an unrequited love make <i>Arms of Love</i> captivating and emotive. Adam Wyse, Lena Yoder and Ruth Stone leap from the pages with authenticity as they wrestle sorrow, loss and injustice. Kelly is not afraid to tackle topics they are rarely found in Amish stories, adding depth and emotion to an intriguing tale. I had expected the military conflict to have featured more prominently given the synopsis but Kelly included plenty of relational conflict and historical detail, making the journey all the more fascinating. I can highly recommend <i>Arms of Love</i> and any Kelly Long novel as her talent surpasses any hesitation I feel delving into a genre outside my comfort zone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to Thomas Nelson for my review copy</b></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Visit Kelly's <a href="http://www.kellylongbooks.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://amishliving.ning.com/" target="_blank">blog</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Kelly's books at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Long/e/B003FDZ5O0/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_5?qid=1334580735&sr=1-5" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or </span><a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/productPowerSearch.jhtml?keywords=kelly+long&salesGroupCode=" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Koorong</a></span></blockquote>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-90945966397845878702012-04-13T18:45:00.000+10:002012-04-13T18:45:55.138+10:00Getting to know Debutante Katie Ganshert<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>It is my delight and privilege to introduce you to Katie Ganshert, one of four </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>delightful debutantes whose books are officially releasing this May. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Look for a series of upcoming interviews, character spotlights, giveaways and </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>reviews on my blog highlighting <a href="http://www.katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">Katie</a>, <a href="http://www.danipettrey.com/" target="_blank">Dani Pettrey</a>, <a href="http://www.olivianewport.com/" target="_blank">Olivia Newport</a> and <a href="http://www.bethvogt.com/" target="_blank">Beth Vogt</a> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>along with some spectacular news regarding the....</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Debutantes' Story Soiree - coming May 15th. </span></span></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"><span class="text_exposed_show">Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event! Stay tuned for more info!!</span></span></b></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUQtYd8z4EjjpZtz1F7Tstlk6MecFiWWCBaFLhuKB84lXcnGXb8xJI7vjgWJKduJNdz3BxcYulWEIv4fQDE0nfvgLG4ntv9KAdYta1w6tUKA4_KhP7m6UwUicT3-WIip-rKQzmw/s1600/KatieGanshert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFUQtYd8z4EjjpZtz1F7Tstlk6MecFiWWCBaFLhuKB84lXcnGXb8xJI7vjgWJKduJNdz3BxcYulWEIv4fQDE0nfvgLG4ntv9KAdYta1w6tUKA4_KhP7m6UwUicT3-WIip-rKQzmw/s320/KatieGanshert.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.katieganshert.com/" target="_blank">Katie Ganshert</a></b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Please share a little about yourself</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I’ve been a Christian for eleven years, a wife for almost eight, and a mommy for three and a half. I fell in love with writing in third grade when my teacher read my story about Mr. and Mrs. Leaf out loud to the class. But I didn’t write my first novel until I travelled to Nairobi, Kenya seven year ago. I was born and raised in the Midwest, met my hubby in Madison, Wisconsin, taught 5th grade for four years, and am very passionate about chocolate and adoption. In fact, at this very moment, my husband and I are in the process of adopting a son or daughter from the Congo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
What appeals to you most about writing fiction?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">There is something so powerful about story. Jesus got that. He used parables all the time. Stories are able transport readers to different worlds and as we watch the characters transform into better versions of themselves, as we see redemption at work in their lives, it gives us hope. That maybe redemption can do a work in ours too. This is what appeals to me most about writing fiction—the absolute power of story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
How did you celebrate when news of your contract broke?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuVQRsLNtweypL6Cg-S19ryej1E6NwHDm3EK2BMskyDyuutPtMpFHJUT2G2ny4DOtkqn775g3IJ-vxM8kYAOuCx7xvQJZXYblJv32Spy1UTCTb9fFEYoxO4tfaLtH1NVGYoPtXQ/s1600/fried+pickles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpuVQRsLNtweypL6Cg-S19ryej1E6NwHDm3EK2BMskyDyuutPtMpFHJUT2G2ny4DOtkqn775g3IJ-vxM8kYAOuCx7xvQJZXYblJv32Spy1UTCTb9fFEYoxO4tfaLtH1NVGYoPtXQ/s200/fried+pickles.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.goodgrits.com/cracker-meal-fried-pickles" target="_blank">GSRG</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I found out in the middle of the work day, while I was surrounded by a room full of 5th graders. I can’t tell you how badly I wanted to pull a Tom Cruise and jump around like a maniac on the bean bags. Somehow I held it together. At the time, I worked with two of my best friends. So as soon as the kids left, I hurried over to tell them the news. We jumped and screamed and hugged and cried together. It was a moment I will never forget. That night, my husband took me out to eat and treated me to my favourite – fried pickles! Isn’t he sweet?</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rel: I admit the fried pickles scare me! Aussies aren't big pickle eaters as a rule but deep fried?! Shudder! We do have the Chiko roll, though ;-D</b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Name five things you can’t live without </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Fried pickles. Ha! Okay, seriously. God, my family, my laptop, dark chocolate, and Tweetdeck. Okay, maybe not Tweetdeck. But I’m completely serious about the dark chocolate.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Favourite book ~ Favourite movie ~ Favourite TV show</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Is it cheating if I pick a book trilogy? Because my favourite is Mark of the Lion by Francine Rivers, which is actually a trilogy. The way Marcus loved Hadassah made me swoon. My favorite movie would probably be Pride and Prejudice. I can’t decide between the Colin Firth or the Keira Knightly version. Favorite TV show is hands down, Vampire Diaries. I know. That makes me sound all weird. But the writing is phenomenal! Talk about hook after hook after hook.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rel: One word for you, Katie...COLIN! </b></span></i></div>
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Where is the most interesting place you have been?</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-yh5n9Z3lD5FZ-qPTsCMPXKjRh0IvL8VPQnsc4izMHX6V9XasyJFSjTCoqvk9OvruExhHlJ_WLmTIe-E4Z_95gpTUENI-FTmePmoHq5SGsMtShhIuivHW4MFfPhE3EqX-a-wfw/s1600/Baby+zebra+NM.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-yh5n9Z3lD5FZ-qPTsCMPXKjRh0IvL8VPQnsc4izMHX6V9XasyJFSjTCoqvk9OvruExhHlJ_WLmTIe-E4Z_95gpTUENI-FTmePmoHq5SGsMtShhIuivHW4MFfPhE3EqX-a-wfw/s200/Baby+zebra+NM.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Relz</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Nairobi, Kenya. I went for two and a half weeks to do HIV/AIDS outreach, then stayed a few extra days for an actual African safari. Seeing God so active in the lives of my Kenyan brothers and sisters, and then seeing God’s creation in such an amazing way made for an unforgettable experience. Plus, it’s what led me to write. Hopefully within the next year, we’ll be travelling to Africa yet again. This time to the Congo. And this time, to pick up our son or daughter.</span></div>
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What did you want to be when you grew up?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Lots of things. A zoologist. A cartoonist. A marine biologist (thanks to Shark Week on the Discovery Channel). A lawyer. A psychologist. A photographer. An architect. But by far, the most consistent was a writer. Oddly enough, I never wanted to be a teacher, which is what I went to college for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I don’t think of myself as a creative person. Isn’t that weird? You’d think as a writer, I’d see myself as creative. But once, I was hanging out with a friend and her husband and when he found out I was left-handed, he said, “Seems like all the creative people I know are left handed.” And I remember thinking, “I’m not creative.” I think it’s because in my head, I think of creative people as those quirky, tortured souls and I’m just your average Joe who likes to tell stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Another thing that might surprise people? I looked like a total boy until I grew my hair out in fifth grade. It was so bad that I’d go into the girl’s restroom and people would say, “Little boy, you’re not supposed to be in here.” For reasons I still don’t quite understand, my mother gave me a bowl cut.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rel: Yep, I had the bowl cut too. The difference? In those days, I WANTED people to think I was a boy - LOL!!! </b></span></i></div>
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Wildflowers from Winter</span> <br />
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What/whom inspired you to write Wildflowers from Winter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVrg1iKAxTzKcGQ0yBqY7EDhKvx1LAEZOeX2YaipS_x834uzQRiWT6o2ByfmIIRKo2-WrQ3oqXrVTIy1kx0q_IjfFH_sAcZP1G4ILDtaAPVAHb3iajOhI1RoPYosN2o8uzUjTiQ/s1600/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVrg1iKAxTzKcGQ0yBqY7EDhKvx1LAEZOeX2YaipS_x834uzQRiWT6o2ByfmIIRKo2-WrQ3oqXrVTIy1kx0q_IjfFH_sAcZP1G4ILDtaAPVAHb3iajOhI1RoPYosN2o8uzUjTiQ/s400/Wildflowers+from+Winter.jpg" width="266" /></a>I don’t know what inspired me, exactly. But I do know the voice of this 12-year old girl came into my head while nursing my son in the wee hours of the night and I could not get her out. So I wrote the prologue and had no idea what to do with it. I just knew I had to do something. It took awhile before the prologue turned into a full-out novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Share a little about your main characters</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Bethany is an intelligent, ambitious architect who’s worked hard to make a life much different than the one she knew as a kid. She’s also a prodigal character. She left her hometown when she was eighteen with no intention of looking back. But ten years later, tragedy brings her home and she has to face a pretty nasty demon that’s been chasing her since she was twelve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Evan is ruggedly handsome (of course, right?), strong-willed, and a man of strong faith. For the past five years, he’s been managing the farm Bethany lived on for the first nine years of her life. He also has his own prodigal story, which helps him understand Bethany’s attitude toward God. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Describe Wildflowers from Winter in five adjectives.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh, that’s hard! Is it cheating if I steal words from my endorsers? So far, endorsers have called my novel: powerful, poignant, refreshingly authentic, and thought-provoking. I’m very humbled by these words. I would absolutely love it if readers felt the same way!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rel: This reader does! </b></span></i></div>
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Your favourite sentence from Wildflowers from Winter</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The summer I turned twelve, I tried to kill myself.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">That’s the first sentence of the book. It literally wrote itself. While I was up in the wee hours of the morning nursing my son three years ago. I wrote that sentence having absolutely no clue what the rest of the novel would be.</span></div>
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What kind of readers do you think will enjoy your story?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">People who’ve read it so far (including my editor and agent) seem to think there’s a lot of depth to my stories. So I think women who enjoy the depth that comes with most women’s fiction and the giddiness that comes with most romance would like this novel.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Rel: I have to agree with that thought, Katie :) </b></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My full review will be posted closer to release day but for now here's a sneak peek into my thoughts on Katie's story:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>"Katie has penned a beautiful romance, one to rival Denise Hunter at her best, with an authentic spiritual journey that will bring tears of both compassion and joy to readers."</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Connect with Katie</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Website: <a href="http://katieganshert.com/">www.katieganshert.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Blog: <a href="http://katieganshert.com/blog/">www.katieganshert.com/blog/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieGanshert">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieGanshert</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Author Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/KatieGanshert">http://twitter.com/katieganshert </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5197636.Katie_Ganshert">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5197636.Katie_Ganshert</a></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras<br />
Visit Katie's <a href="http://www.katieganshert.com/">website</a> and <a href="http://katieganshert.com/blog/">blog</a></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Buy Katie's book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=katie+ganshert&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Akatie+ganshert&ajr=0">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://www.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9780307730381" target="_blank">Koorong</a></span> </blockquote>
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<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="764" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dDBkTHNIelJKcHA0dVJVNXhsYzBoaFE6MQ" width="660">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-16264160436989774572012-04-12T18:39:00.000+10:002012-04-13T18:40:20.394+10:00The winners are....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ER8tHvJlLx1vzAnjt1hTjd1GAq1dGQ07p9xXsxjKFzXBwtNih-I-oXGhCXRN4itWR_CLQIZdWQz-165xluxvWhlUyOAmAu5CDiI4OAkjSywq3HvfbMMwllZNrVtAPwqs4dc7Rw/s1600/The+Irish+Healer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ER8tHvJlLx1vzAnjt1hTjd1GAq1dGQ07p9xXsxjKFzXBwtNih-I-oXGhCXRN4itWR_CLQIZdWQz-165xluxvWhlUyOAmAu5CDiI4OAkjSywq3HvfbMMwllZNrVtAPwqs4dc7Rw/s200/The+Irish+Healer.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">As selected by Random.org:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Irish Healer ~ <b>Laura F</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Cuts Like a Knife ~ <b>Sally B</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Congratulations!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XglzXMa-B2F1h789v2TEvDvJZuDBRZwmZcuH46AaZ7A-8eCgK9TJ1RcrpwvWEZcGPDSGQ_eoSuj6CdwmurbOsKdbu6onL7u2u077sLwlVHU98KjZ8UcK-n-y8hLE5VCEdilvpQ/s1600/Cuts+Like+a+Knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XglzXMa-B2F1h789v2TEvDvJZuDBRZwmZcuH46AaZ7A-8eCgK9TJ1RcrpwvWEZcGPDSGQ_eoSuj6CdwmurbOsKdbu6onL7u2u077sLwlVHU98KjZ8UcK-n-y8hLE5VCEdilvpQ/s200/Cuts+Like+a+Knife.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-52988663534426679932012-04-11T22:34:00.000+10:002012-04-11T22:34:00.656+10:00The Chair by James L Rubart with giveaways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KUT1ELcs0rKS_FmNsoWyOAM6mpyHVUb0FGe6V6mlhjS3zefPmztNZydjnhpX80TDxCrGXvDR9-Y4qAY_vlOE5qKV_jzMixwGcSjm_TDOj1ox814t6tfBSZXt9hs-ufP6e__GSA/s1600/TheChair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1KUT1ELcs0rKS_FmNsoWyOAM6mpyHVUb0FGe6V6mlhjS3zefPmztNZydjnhpX80TDxCrGXvDR9-Y4qAY_vlOE5qKV_jzMixwGcSjm_TDOj1ox814t6tfBSZXt9hs-ufP6e__GSA/s400/TheChair.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Synopsis:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>If someone gave you a chair and said it was made by Jesus Christ, would you believe them? </i></span></div>
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When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe's antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was crafted by Jesus, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed two days after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts wondering . . . could this chair heal the person whose life Corin destroyed twelve years ago? </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>As word spreads of the boy's healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece flits in and out of his life like a shadow, insinuating it's Corin's destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>My take:~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I really enjoy Jim Rubart's novels and have no excuse for the lengthy delay in reading his 2011 release, <i>The Chair</i>! It is another character driven novel with supernatural elements that will stimulate and challenge your thinking. Corin is an intriguing character, driven by blinding fears yet unafraid to push his body and mind to the edge of all things sane. Corin's struggle with his past and present reflects what most of us battle, underlying fears, regret and guilt warring with our desire to hope for healing and wholeness. Jim uses the chair itself to underscore his spiritual message and thankfully resists the pull to tie up all the loose ends. While <i>ROOMS</i> remains my favourite of Jim's books <i>The Chair</i> is a worthy addition to any book collection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>With thanks to B&H Publishing for my review copy</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras<br />
<a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/book-trailer-for-jim-rubarts-chair.html" target="_blank">View</a> the trailer<br />
<a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/02/rooms-by-james-l-rubart-with-giveaways.html">Review</a> of ROOMS<br />
<a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2010/04/character-spotlight-james-l-rubarts.html">Character spotlight</a> on Micah Taylor<br />
<a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2010/05/getting-to-know-james-l-rubart.html" target="_blank">Interview</a> with Jim<br />
Visit Jim's <a href="http://www.jimrubart.com/">website</a> and <a href="http://jimrubart.wordpress.com/">blog</a><br />
Buy Rooms at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rooms-Novel-James-L-Rubart/dp/0805448888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269511111&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> or <a href="http://orders.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=9780805448887">Koorong</a></span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="764" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dHQxb2VHU1VzbElzNkJ0UXpPWnpmaGc6MQ" width="660">&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;</iframe>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-73421724648192988752012-04-10T23:37:00.002+10:002012-04-10T23:41:05.125+10:00Coming soon from Lisa McKay<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>I can't tell you how excited I am about fellow Aussie <a href="http://www.lisamckaywriting.com/" target="_blank">Lisa McKay's</a> second book, and hang on to your hats, it's not even fiction!! Lisa has written a memoir of her long distance romance that I know will be funny, moving, thought provoking and refreshingly honest :) <i>Love at the Speed of Email</i> will be available in digital format and paperback this June but I had to share it with you now!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>While you are waiting, get your hands on her debut novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/My-Hands-Came-Away-Red/dp/B002PJ4P2S/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334064832&sr=1-3" target="_blank"><i>My Hands Came Away Red</i></a>, an exceptional novel that I have reviewed <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2007/09/my-hands-came-away-red-by-lisa-mckay.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Bear in mind it is an excellent book club selection, too.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Love at the Speed of Email by Lisa McKay</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Lisa looks as if she has it made. She has turned her nomadic childhood and forensic psychology training into a successful career as a stress management trainer for humanitarian aid workers. She lives in Los Angeles, travels the world, and her first novel has just been published to some acclaim. But as she turns 31, Lisa realizes that she is still single, constantly on airplanes, and increasingly wondering where home is and what it really means to commit to a person, place, or career. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>When an intriguing stranger living on the other side of the world emails her out of the blue, she must decide whether she will risk trying to answer those questions. Her decision will change her life.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">June, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Don't just take my word for it ~ check out these stellar endorsements:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>Love at the Speed of Email</i> is part grand romance, part travel memoir and part essay on life’s most precious gifts. Lisa McKay is a phenomenal writer; clever and comedic, poignant and pitch-perfect. You will love this love story.”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- <a href="http://www.susanmeissner.com/" target="_blank">Susan Meissner</a>, award-winning author of <i>The Shape of Mercy</i> and <i>A Sound Among the Trees</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> “<i>Love at the Speed of Email</i>, Lisa McKay’s engrossing memoir about life and love and home, is a wild ride that spans the globe. At turns funny, contemplative, and romantic, Lisa’s story resonated on many different levels and kept me eagerly turning pages, hoping for a happily-ever-after ending to this modern day fairy tale. I can’t recommend this extraordinary book highly enough!”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- <a href="http://www.nicolebaart.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Baart</a>, best-selling author of <i>Far From Here </i>and <i>After the Leaves Fall<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">“A travel memoir with a deep soul, <i>Love at the Speed of Email</i> takes us around the world but always brings us back to the heart of the matter: humanity’s longing for place, purpose, faith. Lisa McKay’s seamless storyteling helps us find ourselves in every corner of her globetrotting and even learn a little about love along the way. A true pleasure for the journeyer in all of us!”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- <a href="http://www.gypsyink.com/" target="_blank">Leeana Tankersley</a>, author of <i>Found Art: Discovering Beauty in Foreign Places</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>Love at the Speed of Email</i> is a riveting memoir by a talented author and globe-trotter. I loved journeying with Lisa McKay as she sought the love of her life and a place to call home. I can’t recommend this beautiful and triumphant story enough!”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">- <a href="http://www.ginaholmes.com/" target="_blank">Gina Holmes</a>, award-winning author of <i>Crossing Oceans</i> and <i>Dry as Rain</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Connect with Lisa</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Website: <a href="http://www.lisamckaywriting.com/">http://www.lisamckaywriting.com</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Blog: <a href="http://www.lisamckaywriting.com/blog/">http://www.lisamckaywriting.com/blog/</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/lmwriting">https://twitter.com/#!/lmwriting</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/lisamckaywriting">http://www.facebook.com/lisamckaywriting</a></i></span></div>Relhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14857426893482706263noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973391.post-79218205224387575562012-04-09T13:26:00.000+10:002012-04-09T13:33:27.901+10:00Character Spotlight ~ Amy Wallace's Ashley Walters & Patrick James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_uaMVW2sM2ZgwI-E4Jp5NHaeMGczX8tK1OXaZqjHZDo222GC-IUUleOYPG9se5SeaxQ27OZ3Vyr06LPLQuJ4gfo87MvJeKFUo-dFbECoJZDzyqUo5PTTEmar5Auyx_W0cRl6GA/s1600/Hiding+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_uaMVW2sM2ZgwI-E4Jp5NHaeMGczX8tK1OXaZqjHZDo222GC-IUUleOYPG9se5SeaxQ27OZ3Vyr06LPLQuJ4gfo87MvJeKFUo-dFbECoJZDzyqUo5PTTEmar5Auyx_W0cRl6GA/s400/Hiding+in+Plain+Sight.jpg" width="257" /></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Romantic suspense author Amy Wallace returns with <i>Hiding in Plain Sight</i>, the first in her new Place of Refuge series. Look for it now from Harvest House.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Synopsis</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>In a quiet town with a thriving Mennonite community, police officer Ashley Walters finds her threadbare faith and way of life challenged by the Plain people whose simple dress and welcoming manner open her eyes to a God she left behind. Peace eludes Ashley until she realizes the answers she seeks aren’t found in starting over but in returning to the simple truth that it’s God who overcomes the world, not her.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Written for women who desire action-packed suspense, romance, and an escape into the peaceful world of the Mennonites, <i>Hiding in Plain Sight</i> delves into the painful struggle to fit in and the search for peace that so often eludes our fast-paced lives.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy meeting Ashley & Patrick</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oP1Ll7KUl2f8k2-YF8uVeqJ1SWFGlTIBTUOthmjoj3Q9E5CEzV5Agubi6UqWp3ap8-PZAnoK_iiP5k_Uh1A7Nlxk7IE4A6Nx0LLeknAx5B04_6ex17a84nf7kbyBS0_ke5C33A/s1600/angie-harmon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5oP1Ll7KUl2f8k2-YF8uVeqJ1SWFGlTIBTUOthmjoj3Q9E5CEzV5Agubi6UqWp3ap8-PZAnoK_iiP5k_Uh1A7Nlxk7IE4A6Nx0LLeknAx5B04_6ex17a84nf7kbyBS0_ke5C33A/s200/angie-harmon.jpg" width="132" /></a><b>Brief physical description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Police Officer Ashley Walters stole the show for me. She walked on scene with her long black hair pulled into a no-nonsense ponytail and a timid, tender place inside that intrigued me. I loved the juxtaposition of a tough cop who prefers being home with Jane Austen movies and caramel corn. She’s almost thirty, five feet eight inches, athletic, and wears a gun all the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Marriage and Family Counselor Patrick James is a good Irish son born into a loving, small town family. He’s tall with brown hair and thoughtful blue eyes that break through some of Ashley’s iron walls right away—a reality she doesn’t appreciate at all. Patrick is a few years older than Ashley, a distance runner, and an All-American kind of guy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After meeting my first fiction character one Sunday at church and stammering like a schoolgirl, I decided having a picture of my story people wasn’t such a great idea. But I was asked early on by my publisher to provide pictures, so I scrambled and found actors that came close to Ashley and Patrick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ashley favors actress Angie Harmon but with fiery green eyes. And straight hair. Too many bad guys to catch, not enough time for curling irons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgZDnHZUc9imlEF721UBLByk4GT5ZKVMidTcoLDJqzL4P8Z1n4hyandIvwavAGaWmXF6l5pO-mCqKw18AIIwNW-WCeVEbECantBpOGSexJI4c2_DIYHJPRWSizyrOmANIoasWzA/s1600/david-boreanaz-picture-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgZDnHZUc9imlEF721UBLByk4GT5ZKVMidTcoLDJqzL4P8Z1n4hyandIvwavAGaWmXF6l5pO-mCqKw18AIIwNW-WCeVEbECantBpOGSexJI4c2_DIYHJPRWSizyrOmANIoasWzA/s200/david-boreanaz-picture-1.jpg" width="153" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Patrick resembles David Boreanaz from Bones but with blue eyes. And a tad less ego and marksmanship skills.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Strengths and weaknesses</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ashley is an amazing artist. Through painting she tries to make sense of the evil she sees on a daily basis at work. She’s a tough cop, a good friend, and someone you’d definitely want on your side or watching your back. But her hero armor has kinks. She can’t escape the cold case that her big brother’s life was reduced to, and her need for justice often eclipses all else in her life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">What I love about Patrick is his quiet strength and tenacity. He loves deeply, and because of his counseling background tends to express himself with honesty and openness. He’s also a sports nut and full contact basketball player~ like Kentuckians play b-ball. As for weaknesses, Patrick spends all day helping others face the lies they believe about themselves while he can’t shake the sense he’s always on the outside and unwanted. He’s also a huge analyzer—which can get annoying quick when he’s digging into a problem to fix it and the recipient would rather leave the past in the past.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9jZcy6bNxN9W9jcrmbK0vORSMQRmYkoWSUNNNUcCIvLV8XbzJEadfOx3QLVyot3HQ_6aY8_ZB__LLmhgPZ0VCF7NUX-cu4b5x3SpPAj9lLdRclnNU5ilyT1suDUmx66czpTQGg/s1600/eating_chocolate_8+free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo9jZcy6bNxN9W9jcrmbK0vORSMQRmYkoWSUNNNUcCIvLV8XbzJEadfOx3QLVyot3HQ_6aY8_ZB__LLmhgPZ0VCF7NUX-cu4b5x3SpPAj9lLdRclnNU5ilyT1suDUmx66czpTQGg/s200/eating_chocolate_8+free.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.sxc.hu/photo/465423" target="_blank">stock.xchang</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Quirk (if any)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Ashley is a chocoholic like her creator. The only difference is that Ashley can’t eat the sweet stuff without a smudge of chocolate always winding up on her face. Her creator doesn’t have that happen. Ever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Your inspiration for the character</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The depth of Ashley’s inner struggles versus her outer persona grew out of an imagery item I picked for her early on in the development of the story. The item is a painting by Ron DiCianni entitled The Weight of the World. In it angels hold the weight of the globe, but the woman looks as if she’s still burdened by it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">All the good things that make up who Patrick is came from two counselor friends who taught me about lies and truth and about how what you believe yourself—true or not—drives every one of your actions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2VydT06RFXlI-kGMss-kv6E5wxwni1_yQhMkajBjKks3uiLzR-NCWTLnD2sb3lCDpxtOCi10lE5IH176RdxkzKfkVojmCCf6zq6lumUpcd31f_wDDN8Dj7YxUCoytFbfZHr8Dg/s1600/montezuma,+georgia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2VydT06RFXlI-kGMss-kv6E5wxwni1_yQhMkajBjKks3uiLzR-NCWTLnD2sb3lCDpxtOCi10lE5IH176RdxkzKfkVojmCCf6zq6lumUpcd31f_wDDN8Dj7YxUCoytFbfZHr8Dg/s200/montezuma,+georgia.png" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Background to the story</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This story was birthed as a challenge from my agent to try something new. Then it grew and grew from two questions: Who is in control? Can I trust Him?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">But what brought the idea to life was visiting the small town of Montezuma, Georgia and how God led me to the exact people, places, and impressions that mixed together to become Hiding in Plain Sight. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Relz Reviewz Extras<br />
Reviews of <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/enduring-justice-by-amy-wallace.html" target="_blank">Enduring Justice</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2007/02/ransomed-dreams-by-amy-wallace.html">Ransomed Dreams</a> and <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/04/healing-promises-by-amy-wallace.html">Healing Promises</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Character spotlights on <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/04/character-spotlight-amy-wallaces.html">Michael & Hanna</a>, <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/10/character-spotlight-amy-wallaces-gracie.html">Steven & Gracie</a> and <a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/10/character-spotlight-amy-wallaces-clint.html">Clint & Sara</a> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2008/04/getting-to-know-amy-wallace-and-healing.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Interview</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with Amy</span><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Visit Amy's </span><a href="http://www.amywallace.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">website</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><a href="http://peek-a-booicu.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">blog</a><br style="font-family: inherit;" /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Amy's books at </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Amy%20N.%20Wallace" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> or </span><a href="http://orders.koorong.com/search/search.jhtml?key=amy+wallace&context=&action=go" style="font-family: inherit;">Koorong</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></blockquote>
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