Showing posts with label Howard Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Howard Books. Show all posts

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Wish You Were Here by Beth K Vogt & US Giveaway

Synopsis:~

Kissing the wrong guy days before her scheduled wedding leads Allison to become a runaway bride. But can it also lead to happily ever after?
 
Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom. 

Still, kissing the groom’s brother, Daniel, 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. 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? 

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. 

My take:~

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.

With thanks to Howard for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras
Interview with Beth
Visit Beth's website 
Buy Beth's books at Amazon or CBD
Learn about the Debutantes' Story Soiree Book Launch

Friday, 20 April 2012

Getting to know Beth Vogt

It is my delight and privilege to introduce you to Beth K Vogt, one of four 
delightful debutantes whose books are officially releasing this May.  


Look for a series of upcoming interviews, character spotlights, giveaways and 

reviews on my blog highlighting Beth, Dani Pettrey, Olivia Newport and Katie Ganshert 

along with some spectacular news regarding the....

Debutantes' Story Soiree - coming May 15th. 

Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event! Stay tuned for more info!!



What appeals to you most about writing fiction? 

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.

Why Christian fiction? 

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.

Rel: I wish there was a better descriptor, too!

Name five things you can’t live without

1. Laughter
2. Falling asleep in my husband’s arms
3. Watching a good football game with no one telling me to “Tone it down!”
4. God’s lavish grace
5. Dinner reservations

Favourite book ~ 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.)

Favourite movie ~ The Magic of Ordinary Days, a Hallmark movie I watch over and over again.

Favourite TV show ~ Lie to Me, which I only started watching on NetFlix after it went off the air!

Where is the most interesting place you have been?

“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.

Rel: Yep, Turkey even without kids would be challenging, I imagine!!

What did you want to be when you grew up? 

A writer. Isn’t wonderful? I’m living my dream.

What are two things people might be surprised to know about you?

• 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.

• I met my husband in a karate studio when he knocked me down—I mean, when he swept me off my feet. Really.

Rel:  Now, there's a book waiting to happen, right there, Beth!



Wish You Were Here

Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.

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.

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.


What was your favourite scene to write in Wish You Were Here or share your favourite paragraph

Allison is talking to her Aunt Nita as she struggles to figure out what’s the right thing to do:

“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.”

Which character did you connect to the most?

Allison – I loved watching her change, discovering who God created her to be. I admired her courage.

Which character was the most difficult to write? 

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.

What’s next in your writing pipeline? 

I’m working on a stand-alone story with the working title Catch a Falling Star. 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?

Rel: Sounding good, Beth!
 
Connect with Beth


Author Website: www.bethvogt.com
 
Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Beth's website
Buy Beth's books at Amazon or CBD

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

Author Alert ~ Beth Vogt



I'm delighted to introduce a non-fiction author and editor who vowed she’d never write fiction! 

Beth Vogt is set to release her debut contemporary romance Wish You Were Here from Howard Books, in May, 2012.  Here's how she first pitched her story to editors: 

"What happens when a woman kisses her fiance's brother five days before the wedding? Which is the mistake? The wedding? Or the kiss?"


Synopsis:~

Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.

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.

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.


  


Be sure to check out Beth's informative website to learn more and enjoy a favourite passage of Beth's from the opening of Wish You Were Here:

She never should have said yes.

Allison smoothed the bodice of the wedding gown, the fitted lace sleeves clinging to her arms. 

Waves of material billowed out from her waist, threatening to overwhelm her like a silken tsunami. 

The style was all wrong.

She'd known it months ago -- the moment the saleswoman released the dress from its protective plastic covering. Allison doubted all those layers of ivory lace and silk, bows and beads would ever fit back into such a small bag. 

Securing the myriad of tiny pearl buttons marching down the back took precedence over her request for something simpler. She'd been instructed to stand on a round carpeted platform in front of a wall of angled mirrors. Encouraged to turn this way and that for the assembled critics -- her best friend, Meghan; her mom; her younger sister, Hadleigh; and Seth's mom. Her future mother-in-law's breathless "Perfect" sealed Allison's fate.

While her mother paid a price as outlandish as the dress, the bridal shop attendant stressed the "no returns/no refunds" policy. And now . . . well, Allison couldn't do anything about her decision five days before the wedding. 

Connect with Beth

Author Website: www.bethvogt.com

Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Beth's website
Buy Beth's books as Amazon or CBD

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Sharon Ewell Foster ~ FamilyFiction Plus


I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the lovely Sharon Ewell Foster for my article in the January issue of FamilyFiction's digital magazine.  I'm thrilled to share my complete interview with Sharon her on my blog ~ enjoy!


What was it about Nat Turner’s story that inspired you to write about him?

Nat Turner was a literate slave preacher who led a revolt in Virginia in 1831 that left more than 50 white people dead. Even 180 years later, groups see him differently. The arguments still rage today: Was Nat Turner a hero or a villain? Did he prophesy the coming Civil War or was he a religious fanatic? There’s a lot here for a writer.

But I remember hearing Nat Turner’s name when I was a child. I saw William Styron’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Confessions of Nat Turner, on my mother’s nightstand. Fast forward to my college years, I had a professor who told me that I should be writing the untold stories; she planted that seed in me.

As I researched, I became convinced that most of what we’ve been taught about Nat Turner isn’t true. Nat Turner, by most accounts was a faithful Christian. Prior to the revolt, he was known as a Christian who didn’t drink, who didn’t steal, who went all over the Tidewater area of Virginia preaching the Word. He could read and write at a time when most of the population of Virginia was illiterate. He was a family man.

His detractors labelled him a monster. But political spin wasn’t invented in 2011, it was happening back then. I needed to know what happened. I spent five years writing and researching this book.
So, here I am. As the nation begins to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Nat Turner is part of that discussion. As the two events intersect—Turner’s 180th and the Civil War’s 150th, I think it’s important to have a frank conversation about what really happened and how it happened.

The book is Roots meets The Da Vinci Code! LOL!

The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part I: The Witnesses is Nat’s story through others’ eyes, The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony is the same story through Nat’s eyes. What caused you to choose these two methods to tell his life and mission?

After realizing that the primary historical document, The Confessions of Nat Turner by the attorney Thomas Gray, was a fabrication, I began to search for the real Nat Turner in other places. I learned from local historians that his mother was a slave brought from Ethiopia, that he was supposed to have been friends with his owner, Sallie Francis Moore Travis. In the first book, we learn who Nat Turner was through the eyes of those who knew him—friend and foe, slave and free.

I never intended to writer from Nat Turner’s point of view, but he whispered to me—like melodies talk to composers—insisting that he be heard. There is so much that he knew that no one else knows. One of the first things he spoke to me was, “They were all heroes.” He taught me to see the slaves, all of them, as heroes. Like prisoners of war, their status, what they endured makes them heroes. After that, I was hooked. I told his story, gave his testimony, in Part 2. I suppose, Part 2 is Nat Turner’s day in court.

What do you hope readers take away from The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 2: The Testimony?

Publishers Weekly called the book “fast-paced” and “riveting”. That’s gratifying; I do want people to be entertained. But I have been praying for something more. Recently, I have been having conversations online with people from the town where the uprising took place. As you can imagine, even 180 years later, they remain racially polarized. 

But the most amazing thing is happening. They are reading The Resurrection of Nat Turner and having the most powerful, insightful, healing conversations with each other. You can feel the honesty and the love, even as they wrestle with this topic. They have welcomed me into the discussions as they are embracing one another. It’s astounding. 

That’s what I hope will happen amongst other people and in other communities, across the land, around the world.

How challenging was it to bring Nat’s story, a real historical figure as opposed to a fictional character, to life?

It was very challenging! But, I love what I do. I’m grateful.

My challenge was to make Nat Turner’s story relevant to everyone, to tell the story so that all of us could see ourselves in him and in the people around him. It’s not just an African American story—it’s a story about the price of freedom, about a man struggling against overwhelming odds to protect his family and his community.

It was challenging because the history, as we know it, is a lie. I had to search for the truth—it was hard, but that’s also the fun of it. Once I had so much information, my challenge was to give myself permission to tell a different story than the one that’s been told. I felt such a burden to be true to the facts and to be respectful of the people I wrote about and of the town, it was a challenge to give myself permission to be creative in recreating the story.

But I think the challenges made me a better writer. I think struggle led to the creation of a better book. I love what I do! 

How has writing these books impacted your own life?

Researching and writing The Resurrection of Nat Turner has made me even more aware of how precious and important the truth is. It has made me want to search history for other lies that have been told. It has made me realize how easily good, well-meaning people can be led astray by lies. But, most importantly, I am reassured by the enduring strength and power of faith, hope, and love. 

Relz Reviewz Extras
Visit Sharon's website 
Buy Sharon's books at Amazon or Koorong

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

Coming in 2012 from Howard Books

I'm excited about a number of these 2012 books from Howard Books!  I adore Nicole Baart and Deb Raney's writing and you can't go past a Peretti book for innovation and creativity.

What do you think, my friends?



How long do you hold on to hope?

Danica Greene has always hated flying, so it was almost laughable that the boy of her dreams was a pilot. She married him anyway and together, she and Etsell settled into a life where love really did seem to conquer all.

Danica is firmly rooted on the ground in Blackhawk, the small town in northern Iowa where they grew up, and the wide slashes of sky that stretch endlessly across the prairie seem more than enough for Etsell. But when the opportunity to spend three weeks in Alaska helping a pilot friend presents itself, Etsell accepts and their idyllic world is turned upside down. It’s his dream, he reveals, and Danica knows that she can’t stand in the way. Ell is on his last flight before heading home when his plane mysteriously vanishes shortly after takeoff, leaving Danica in a free fall. Etsell is gone, but what exactly does gone mean? Is she a widow? An abandoned wife? Or will Etsell find his way home to her?

Danica is forced to search for the truth in her marriage and treks to Alaska to grapple with the unanswerable questions about her husband’s mysterious disappearance. But when she learns that Ell wasn’t flying alone and that a woman is missing, too, the bits and pieces of the careful life that she had constructed for them in Iowa take to the wind.

A story of love and loss, and ultimately starting over, Far From Here explores the dynamics of intimacy and the potentially devastating consequences of the little white lies we tell the ones we love.

February, 2012





In a new novel from award-winning author Walt Larimore, a loving rural family struggles to survive tragedy and cope with the invasion of modern ways in the 1920s.

In the Great Smoky Mountains wilderness in 1925, Nathan and Callie Randolph, with their five unique daughters, struggle to maintain their farm, forests, family, and faith against a menacing business and an evil company manager trying to pilfer their land and clear cut their forest.

As loggers invade the mountains, death touches the family, and hardship and loss confront them again and again; fifteen-year-old Abbie Randolph becomes mother to her sisters and leans on her faith to guide her through the emotional wilderness of changing times. With the march of the industrial age, the roaring twenties, Prohibition, the increasing momentum for national parks, and the onslaught of a modern world, the traditional life and ways of the mountaineers were about to change forever.

Featuring a cast of colorful characters, including independent and earnest mountain families, a murderous lumber company manager, Cherokee Indians, a band of gypsies, desperados, lumbermen, moonshiners, a world-famous writer, and Civil War heroes, Hazel Creek reveals a gripping struggle of good and evil during an eruption of violence.

A beloved family physician, Walt Larimore is the perfect author for this novel of love, loss, and injury that illuminates the enduring power of faith.

March, 2012 





A stunning new thriller from the father of Christian fiction—a grieving husband encounters a teen identical to his dead wife…in face, name, and magical skills. 

Dane and Mandy Collins have been a popular magic act for close to 30 years. In their late fifties, they plan to retire but their plans are devastated by a fiery car wreck. Dane awakens in a hospital and learns that Mandy is dead. As he reflects on their life together and how they first met at a magic show, we see nineteen-year-old Mandy in a flashback:

Mandy and two friends are visiting a county fair in Idaho when they happen upon a theater where a magician will be doing a show in an hour. While waiting to see the show, young Mandy appears to falls asleep, then awakes abruptly. She fell asleep in 1970; it is now 2010. Distraught, she is picked up by security personnel. She winds up in a mental hospital, where no one is sure who she is or where she came from.

Mandy escapes from the hospital. Alone, penniless, and mystified by her circumstances, she takes shelter with a charitable family and begins eking out a dime by performing magic for anyone who will stop, watch, and leave a tip. She winds up doing a weekly magic act at a local coffeehouse.
A friend tells Dane there’s an act he ought to see. Dane has retired but agrees to watch the girl perform. He is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot readily explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this nineteen-year-old who is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met some forty years earlier. 

When Mandy and Dane reunite, they must decide what their future is…and uncover the conspiracy behind their meeting; the strange, supernatural bent to Mandy's magic; and who is following them.

March, 2012




A thrilling suspense novel about a man’s dark past, his daughter’s mysterious visions, and a psychopath who wants to kill them both.After scattering her mother’s ashes in Vietnam, photojournalist Xandra Carrick moves home to New York to rebuild her life and career. When she experiences supernatural visions that reveal atrocities perpetrated by American soldiers during the Vietnam War, she finds herself entangled in a forty-year-old conspiracy that could bring the nation into political turmoil.

Launching headlong into a quest to learn the truth from her father, a Pulitzer Prize winner who served as an embedded photographer during the war, Xandra confronts him about a dark secret he has kept—one that has devastated their family.

Pursued across the continent, Xandra comes face-to-face with powerful forces that will stop at nothing to prevent her from revealing the truth. But not before government agencies arrest her for murder, domestic terrorism, and an assassination attempt on the newly elected president of the United States.

Darkroom is a riveting tale of suspense that tears the covers off the human struggle for truth in a world imprisoned by lies.

May, 2012





Featuring her trademark warm, friendly style, the final novel in bestselling and award-winning Deborah Raney’s Hanover Falls series offers plenty of romance and mystery as three people find hope, forgiveness, and love in unexpected places.

Eighteen months after the tragic Grove Street Fire took the life of her husband and four other heroic firefighters, Susan Marlowe thinks she’s finally beginning to heal. But then she discovers that David carried a secret to his grave—a secret that changes everything she thought about their marriage. For the sake of their sons, can Susan forgive the unforgivable?

Andrea Morley lost her closest friend in the fire. But she has no right to mourn him. Instead, she must forever grieve in silence—for someone else’s husband. Peter Brennan carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. As Hanover Falls fire chief, he was responsible for the brave firefighters who lost their lives that awful November night. Can he ever shake the feeling that he could have somehow prevented the tragedy? And now it seems he might find comfort in the arms of the woman he least expected.

May, 2012

Wednesday, 30 November 2011

News & Notes

I just adore Nicole Baart's writing and am looking forward to her February release, Far From Here, from Howard Books.  I love this video which shares some of Nicole's love of writing and some gorgeous glimpses of her beautiful family :)


~~~~~~~~~

I'm thrilled with the news that Elizabeth (Beth) White has signed a three book contract with Revell!  Here's Beth's announcement:

"I've accepted a three-book contract offer from Revell Publishing for my Gulf Coast Chronicles, a historical series beginning with *The Pelican Brides* set in French Colonial Mobile."

I own and have read all Beth's books and can highly recommend them - lovely contemporary romances for the most part with a few suspense and historicals thrown in for good measure!  She has also written one of my all time favourite male characters in her novella, The Trouble with Tommy in a collection called Sweet Delights.

~~~~~~~~~~


To celebrate the release of Tracie Peterson's House of Secrets, Bethany House and the amazing PulsePoint Design team are offering a fantastic contest with an amazing prize:

One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a $400 Pike Place Market prize package, featuring:

• Market Spice Tea Sampler Trio – 3 Flavor Variety
• Sleepless in Seattle 5-Pack Coffee Gift Set
• Seattle Space Needle Relax Du Mocha Cocoa 6 oz
• Washington Artisan Handwarmer Mug – Mossy Creek design
• Pacific Northwest Lemon Honey Creme – 11.8 oz
• Pacific Northwest Artisan Crackers – Parmesan Cayenne 5 oz
• Seattle-Made Garlic Obsession Dip 1 oz
• Washington Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon – 2 oz
• ‘Celebrate the Market’ Pike Place Kitchen Towel & Mitt Set
• Emerald City DVD (visual tour of everything from the Space Needle to the Pike Place Market)
• A personalized (you select the name) marble plaque, featuring Isaiah 43:18-19, Bailee’s favorite verse in House of Secrets
• A copy of Gems of Wisdom, written and signed by author Angie Breidenbach, a close friend of Tracie’s and the woman to whom House of Secrets is dedicated
• A signed copy of Eyes of the Heart, a devotional stories book by Tracie Peterson
• A hardbound copy of House of Secrets, signed by Tracie Peterson

To enter, click here!

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

To Die For by Sandra Byrd

Synopsis:~

To Die For, is the story of Meg Wyatt, pledged forever as the best friend to Anne Boleyn since their childhoods on neighboring manors in Kent. When Anne’s star begins to ascend, of course she takes her best friend Meg along for the ride. Life in the court of Henry VIII is thrilling at first, but as Anne’s favor rises and falls, so does Meg’s. And though she’s pledged her loyalty to Anne no matter what the test, Meg just might lose her greatest love—and her own life—because of it.

Meg's childhood flirtation with a boy on a neighboring estate turns to true love early on. When he is called to follow the Lord and be a priest she turns her back on both the man and his God. Slowly, though, both woo her back through the heady times of the English reformation. In the midst of it, Meg finds her place in history, her own calling to the Lord that she must follow, too, with consequences of her own. Each character in the book is tested to figure out what love really means, and what, in this life, is worth dying for.

My take:~

From a contemporary rom com series to an indepth historical Tudor novel seems like quite a stretch for many a writer but Sandra Byrd manages it with delightful ease. To Die For is the retelling of the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn, wife to the volatile Henry VIII, as narrated by her closest friend, Meg Wyatt. Beautifully told, with attention to historical detail and cultural dialogue, this is a story that is intriguing and compelling. Meg's perspective of her friend's rise to power and her own developing story, as she struggles with the restrictions on women of the time and a heartbreaking love, are equally enjoyable. Sandra immerses the reader in Henry's court with all its seething suspicion and back room politics and the unimaginable lengths the he would go to in order to follow his passions and desperate desire for a legitimate male heir. To Die For heralds Sandra Byrd's triumphant entry into historical fiction and will appeal to aficiondos of Tudor novels and anyone who loves a great story.

With thanks to Howard for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Let Them Eat Cake and Bon Appetit
Character spotlight on Lexi Stuart
Interview with Sandra
Visit Sandra's website (well worth checking out for your daughters too!) and blog
Buy Sandra's books at Amazon and Koorong

Monday, 11 July 2011

Character Spotlight ~ Robin Jones Gunn's Bryan Spencer & Carolyn

 Bryan & Carolyn


Prolific author, Robin Jones Gunn is back with a contemporary tale set in the Canary Islands.  Enjoy meeting her latest charaacters.  Over to you, Robin:~

Brief physical description

Bryan is a youthful, midlife single dad from southern California. His only son, Todd Spencer, will be familiar to Christy Miller readers, since Todd is THE Todd in the Christy Miller series and the College Years series.

Carolyn is a young widow who feels like she fades into the background with her medium height and light brown hair.

Actor/famous person

Bryan resembles Dennis Quaid

Carolyn resembles Natasha Richardson but with darker hair

Strengths and weaknesses

Bryan: adventuresome, tender heart  - weakness: avoids conflict

Carolyn: cares deeply for others, is creative  -  weakness: doesn't take care of herself

Your inspiration for the character

I’ve often heard writers talk about how they “hear” their characters’ voices as they’re writing. I know that’s true because that often happens when I’m working on a story.  Katie seems to have one of the loudest voices in my head, but then, that’s no surprise considering her larger than life personality.

With “Canary Island Song” something different happened. I “saw” a character suddenly show up at the end of a chapter. It was Bryan Spencer. There he was, at Abuela’s birthday party, sitting across from Carolyn as if he belonged there.  That’s when I realized he did.

Here’s the interesting part. I had already written the first draft of this book and the hero was a man named Gabriel who was from the Canary Islands. He was nice and interesting but didn’t bring a lot of WOW to the book. I received all the reviews from my editors and first-draft readers and went back to work.  When I got to the birthday party scene, I was rewriting the part where Carolyn looks up to see who was seated across the table from her and in my imagination I “saw” Bryan Spencer’s face and his steady, closed lip grin.  That’s when I knew Carolyn had been pursued by the wrong man in the first version of the book!  Gabriel needed to go find himself another woman. Carolyn and Bryan were perfect for each other.

I then went through and changed the whole book with Bryan as the hero. The story came alive. I couldn’t write fast enough. It was so fun to turn in the revision and hear the chorus of “YES!” from my editors and reader.  Ahhh, love between the right two people is always such a beautiful thing to watch.

Background to the story

When I visited the Canary Islands off the coast of West Africa a few years ago with my writer friend Anne deGraaf we had several extraordinary experiences. We took Flamenco Dance Lessons from a lovely instructor, Lydia, who invited us into her home and spoke affirming, life-giving words as she taught us to "dance from the stomach up".  We visited the church where Christopher Columbus prayed before setting sail for the New World and we went for a camel ride!

The most precarious part of the camel ride is getting on and feeling the beast tip way forward and then way back as he stands under the burden of two women placed on his back.  Once we were in motion I loved the rolling feel of the ride. It was soothing and hypnotic.

After having all these amazing experiences in the Canary Islands I knew that one day I had to try to fit some of the details into a story. "Canary Island Song" is that story and I offer it to readers with a prayer that many of them, just like Carolyn, will "get your heart back".

Thanks for sharing, Robin :)

Relz Reviewz Extras
Review of Under A Maui Moon
Visit Robin's website
Buy Robin's books at Amazon or Koorong

Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Forever After by Deborah Raney

Synopsis:~

A fire killed his best friend and his lifelong dream of being a firefighter. The same fire killed her husband and hopes for a family. Can new dreams replace old?

Lucas Vermontez was a proud firefighter like his father. Now, not only has he lost his father and his best friend, Zach, in the fire at the Grove Street homeless shelter, but the devoted rookie can no longer do the work he loves after being crippled in the tragic event. When friendship with his buddy’s beautiful widow turns into more, he wonders, what could he possibly offer Jenna? Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband’s death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.

Can the two forget the painful past and discover new reasons to live and love?

My take:~

I have always enjoyed Deborah Raney's books for their depth, authenticity and heartfelt message and her latest Hanover Falls novel, Forever After, has all those things in spades! Lucas and Jenna's love story is one of the most genuine and realistic I have read in a long time. Attraction, wariness, fear, excitement and conflict mark their interactions as they experience the ups and downs of love, discovering each others' strengths and weaknesses and making choices to stay the course. Jenna's meaningful but increasingly difficult relationship with her former in-laws and Luc's widowed mother's interest in another man provide great insight into families who have lost loved ones. Forever After is a rich and captivating story about overcoming grief and rediscovering love ~ don't miss it on what it has to offer.

With thanks to GlassRoad PR for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Bryn & Garrett

Reviews of Almost Forever, Beneath of Southern Sky, Remember to Forget and Leaving November

Visit Deb's website

Buy Deb's books at Amazon or Koorong

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

The Fine Art of Insincerity by Angela Hunt

Synopsis:~

Three grown Southern sisters have nine marriages between them-and more loom on the horizon-when Ginger, the eldest, wonders if she's the only one who hasn't inherited what their family calls "the Grandma Gene": the tendency to like the casualness of courtship better than the intimacy of marriage. Could it be that her two sisters are fated to serially marry, just like their seven-times wed grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Irene Harper Winslow Goldstein Carey James Bobrinski Gordon George? It takes a "girls only" weekend, closing up Grandma's treasured beach house for the last time, for the sisters to really unpack their family baggage, examine their relationship DNA, and discover the true legacy their much-marrying grandmother left behind . .


My take:~

Women's fiction is rarely my first choice in reading material but if I'm going to pick one up it there is a good chance it will have Angela Hunt's name on the cover. The Fine Art of Insincerity is a serious and introspective look at the lives of sisters Ginger, Pennyroyal and Rosemary as they come to terms with their past and ponder the future before them. Angela skillfully creates unique characters with strengths and glaring weaknesses that impact their relationships with each other in positive and damaging ways. Realism infuses each of the characters and the circumstances they experience, reflecting issues many face every day, including fidelity, divorce, tragedy and grief. That said, I wished I had connected more with Ginger, Penny and Rosemary and their personal struggles which would have made me more satisfied with the story. Angela's prose is always top notch and fans of women's fiction will find much to enjoy and grapple with in this tale.

With thanks to GlassRoad PR for my review copy


Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Doesn't She Look Natural, She Always Wore Red and She's In A Better Place

Visit Angela's website and blog

Buy Angela's books at Amazon or Koorong

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

Angela Hunt & her "Share It With a Sister" contest

Check out Angela Hunt's latest contest, celebrating sisters and the release of her book, The Fine Art of Insincerity, releasing May, 2011.

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

Synopsis:~

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?

Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.

Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer..

My take:~

In this thought provoking and evocative novel, Deborah Raney displays her innate talent for authentic storytelling and in depth characterisation. Exploring themes of loss, grief, rage and guilt, Almost Forever is a gripping read that takes you on an emotional journey as the characters react to a community tragedy. Deborah does not shy away from the harsh realities of people altered by grief or unforgiveness and the impact it has on how they view God or the person they feel is responsible for their suffering. As in her previous books, Deborah allows her characters to explore life when it is untenable and when a small choice can lead to a devastating result. Yet it is Almost Forever's underlying message of hope and healing that culminates in a satisfying and refreshing ending. I am eagerly awaiting Lucas' story in the the next Hanover Falls novel, Forever After.

With thanks to Howard Books for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Bryn & Garrett

Reviews of Beneath of Southern Sky, Remember to Forget and Leaving November

Visit Deb's website

Buy Deb's books at Amazon or Koorong

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

Under A Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn ~ Tracy's Take

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Carissa doesn't know who she is anymore. She and her husband, Richard, are recent empty nesters; Richard is spending more and more time at work counseling his volatile clients and less time at home with his wife; his clients are starting to show up at the house at night causing Carissa to feel scared in her own home; and to top it all off, Carissa's boss informs her that she's been "let go." She wonders where God is in all of this since He doesn't seem to be around to protect herand she's already stopped trusting her husband.

In the midst of her world tilting off center, sh
e's offered time at a hideaway on Maui. Hiding seems like the best way to respond to life's overload, and the thought of being alone sounds like just the right balm to soothe her wounded heart.

The languid Hawaiian sun, white beaches, and warm-hearted people bring respite, but meeting handsome Kai causes Carissa to toy with the idea of being romantically involved with him. Then, under a Maui m
oon, she looks to God for guidance and hope for the future. That's when she discovers His hand still is on her life, and that love is closer than she ever realized.

What I thought:

‘Under a Maui Moon’ is a splendid example of Robin Jones Gunn’s talent and skill, as she takes you on a journey to paradise, with trouble brewing just under the surface.

With a strong character-driven story, I was immediately invested in the outcome of the challenges Carissa faces. She is such an authentic and realistic character, making this novel difficult to put down. I admired Carissa’s brave choice to spend some time on her own all the way across the Pacific in order to find some perspective for all that was swirling around her. Whilst I’m not sure I would have made such an adventurous decision, Robin demonstrates that God is in the unusual moments of life and uses what is around us to point us in the right direction.

Robin Jones Gunn uses Carissa’s experiences to illuminate God’s gentleness and love for us, with a softly delivered rebuke and healing of an injured heart. When we truly seek Him in all circumstances of life, He will guide us.

With thanks to Wynn~Wynn Media for Tracy's review copy

Guest reviewer:~ My friend Tracy from Beyond My Picket Fence


Relz Reviewz Extras

Character spotlight on Carissa

Visit Robin's website

Buy Robin's books at Amazon or Koorong

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