Relz Reviewz is moving!

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

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 RelzReviewz.com 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!


I have also converted my Facebook profile to a page so I'd love you to drop in and LIKE it if you are so inclined :)

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.  


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!

The Debutantes’ Story Soiree

Four books. Four authors. One EPIC event!

May 15, 2012 7:30-9:00 PM CST

Beth Vogt – Wish You Were Here- Simon & Schuster
Dani Pettrey – Submerged – Bethany House
Katie Ganshert – Wildflowers from Winter – Waterbrook Press
Olivia Newport – The Pursuit of Lucy Banning – Revell

 

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 RelzReviewz.com

The DEBS and I would love your support, so grab the widget in my sidebar and spread the news, pretty please!

News & Notes

My dear friend and website guru extraordinaire, Kelli Standish, has completed her final two websites as she closes down her amazing company PulsePoint Design, and her life takes a different turn, opening up new opportunities for her to bless people as only she can.

The PulsePoint Design team, with the guidance and leadership of Kelli, have devoted their considerable talent and caring hearts to investing in the lives and websites of many of your favourite authors for the past ten years.  They will be missed but never forgotten!

Be sure to check out these websites and authors.

 

Cathy Gohlke ~ Christy Award winner and author of the just released Titanic story, Promise Me This

Carole Towriss ~ fascinated by Biblical fiction from a young age, Carole now writes it herself.  You can check out her upcoming stories here.

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Last month I had the pleasure of being featured (obviously slow news days - LOL!) on the fabulous blogs of insightful reviewer and blogger, Kate Scott aka Parchment Girl and debut author Keli Gwyn.

The Parchment Girl

On Kate's blog, you can learn about how I began my blog, my favourite books of the last 12 months, my favourite TV show and comfort!  Kate asks some great questions :)

Keli Gwyn

Keli asked me about what I do with books I don't enjoy, where I'd love to take some great photos and what I wear to the beach - LOL! 

 It was a pleasure to spend time with Keli via her blog!

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One of my favourite authors, Linda Windsor, has the first book in her Brides of Alba series free to download to Kindle or PC.  Read it free and then check out Thief and the soon to be released, Rebel!

Check out the link here

Dee Henderson News

Just heard some interesting news many of you will be interested in!  I often receive questions about romantic suspense author Dee Henderson and whether she will be writing another book ~ the answer is yes!

Bethany House will be releasing Dee's first new novel in six years in October, 2012!  

That's all I know at this stage but I'm sure, given the tight time frame, we will all know more soon :)  Here's hoping it is a fabulous story ~ I'm looking forward to it!

For those who adored her books, do you think she can top her O'Malley series?

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 :)

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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.

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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!

New & Notes

Prolific writer Tricia Goyer has added the Amish fiction genre to her repertoire and is celebrating the release of her second Amish novel, Along Wooded Paths, with a fabulous contest (US residents only) put together by the altogether amazing folk at PulsePoint Design.  The winner receives a prize valued over $300 which includes:

• A gorgeous, handmade Amish quilt, featuring embroidered scenes from Amish life. This carefully detailed quilt measures 4 ft. wide by 5 ft. high, perfect for a daybed or living room throw.

• Four original Amish art drawings, featuring characters from the Big Sky series. Characters featured are: Aaron Zook, Jebadiah Beiler, and Sarah Shelter. Each piece of art is matted and custom-framed, and measures 10.5 in. wide by 12 in. high.

Click here to learn more and enter!

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If you haven't read any of Jenny B Jones' books you are missing out!  The yoga pants and stray animal devotee is a gorgous girl, inside and out, and her writing is of the highest calibre and hilariously funny as well :)  

You can read her latest book now at NetGalley by clicking here and registering for a free Netgalley account. Download There You'll Find Me in your format of choice  (Kindle, Ipad, PC, etc) to read and then post a review on NetGalley and elsewhere. 

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The fabulously talented Lisa Tawn Bergren has just returned from a research trip to the enticing and romantic Italy and comes home bearing gifts!  Be sure to check out her weekly giveaways of some lovely Italian crafts and while you're at it, immerse yourselves in her River of Time series.

To learn more and enter, click here

News & Notes

Tessa Afshar, author of the exceptional Pearl in the Sand, has a marvelous contest running at the moment put together by the fabulous folk at PulsePoint Design.  Here's what is included:

• An ornate, hand-painted, gold-encrusted jewelry box from Israel (pictured above)

• A keepsake bottle of multi-colored sand from the Negev desert

• A freshwater pearl necklace from the Middle East

• A set of three perfume bottles from Israel, containing Spikenard, Frankincense, and Myrrh

• An exquisite red silk hand-embroidered women’s prayer scarf, created by Israeli designer Yair Emanuel

Click here and follow the prompts to enter and tell a friend!

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This month there are some fabulous books free to your Kindle or Kindle for PC and other ereaders.  As I own a Kindle, I'm just posting the Kindle links for you :)  Check these out!

Laura Frantz's The Frontiersman's Daughter

Lisa T Bergren's Waterfall

Yvonne Harris' The Vigilante's Bride

Richard Mabry's Code Blue

Erynn Mangum's Miss Match

Kaye Dacus' Ransome's Honor

& more......

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I'm not always going to highlight free Christian Kindle books but I know a fabulous website that does!  Be sure to add the lovely Keiki Hendrix's Vessel Project to your reader or subscribe to email and you will never miss a thing on Kindle or Nook.

Keiki has a lot of great series on her site so be sure to check them out as well:

Five Things

Kindred Questions

Reviews

& more........

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Thomas Nelson are running an I Love Christian Fiction sweepstakes with a prize of $10,000!

Answer a short survey and you are in the draw :)

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News & Notes

Amazon's BIG DEAL

Amazon has some fabulous deals going on at the moment for Kindle books which you won't want to miss.  Remember you don't have to have a Kindle to take advantage of these offers as you can download Kindle for PC for free.  

You can pick up some amazing books for $0.99, $1.99 and $2.99.  

Here's a few I can recommend for only $1.99:~

Digitalis by Ronie Kendig

The Pawn by Steven James

Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith

Rekindled by Tamera Alexander

Love Remains by Kaye Dacus

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To celebrate the release of her second Alaskan Skies series, Wings of Promise, Bonnie Leon is offering a fabulous Escape to Alaska Adventure-in-a-Box contest with these great prizes, organised by great folk at PulsePoint Design:

The award-winning Over Alaska aerial tour DVD

The Heroes of the Horizon: Flying Adventures of Alaska book

A limited-edition, hand-painted C Allan Johnson Alaskan figurine- a rare collector’s item donated by the author’s mother just for this contest

A gold-plated airplane pendant on an antique brass chain (just like Kate’s!)

An Alaskan Bear Scrimshaw book mark

Two interlocking Lovebirds mugs, featuring handpainted Tinglit art

A selection of Wild Alaskan teas and a jar of Royal Alaskan Fireweed honey

A three-pack of Alaska Smokehouse smoked salmon

Be sure to visit Bonnie's website to get a good look at the prizes and enter for your chance to win

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The gorgeous Camy Tang has just self published her fourth Sushi Series novel, Weddings and Wasabi, available now on Kindle for a bargain price, and also in paperback.  

You can also read about Camy's self publishing journey at Seekerville, here. 

After finally graduating with a culinary degree, Jennifer Lim is pressured by her family to work at her control-freak aunty’s restaurant. But after a family dispute, Jenn is determined to no longer be a doormat and instead starts her own catering company. Her search for a wine merchant brings John into her life—a tall, dark, handsome biker in form-fitting black leather, who’s Hispanic to boot. It would be wonderfully wild to snag a man like that!

Shy engineer Edward tentatively tries out his birthday present from his winery-owner uncle—a Harley-Davidson complete with the trimmings. Jennifer seems attracted to the rough, aggressive image, but it isn’t his real self. Is she latching onto him just to spite her horrified family? And if this spark between them is real, will showing her the true guy underneath put it out?

And what’s with the goat in the backyard? 

News & Notes

Love sharing news with you ~ enjoy these updates about authors and me!

Charles Martin

Watch this video to see what's up with one of my favourite authors, Charles Martin. His novel, When Crickets Cry, remains one of my most beloved stories and I can't recommend it highly enough. Be sure to check out all his books at Amazon and be looking for his 2012 release with Center Street.

My Next Book and other stuff. from Author Charles Martin on Vimeo.

Erynn Mangum

The gorgeous Erynn Mangum has released a novella straight to Kindle, Easter Carats. Remember you don't need a Kindle to access Kindle books as you can download PC for Kindle and use it the same way.

Emilie Stevens does not like change. So when her grandmother suggests changing up Easter tradition by inviting her neighbor's family - including her neighbor's sloppy grandson, Blake - and spending the weekend in a lake house in Texas, Emilie is anything but on board with the idea.

Blake Sullivan is excited for the vacation, even though he'll have to put up with worrywart Emilie the whole time. He's got plans to just sit on the dock and fish the weekend away. But when the catfish aren't biting and the manicured golf course turns out to be a place for Frisbee golf, will

Emilie and Blake find out that the one thing they have in common is the most important thing of all?

Liz Curtis Higgs

I've always bemoaned the fact that all my favourite authors (with the exception of the wonderful Lisa McKay who is back home in Australia anticipating the birth of her first child!) live across the Pacific, which is just a little bit to far to pop over and visit on a whim. I have now discovered the best solution to this dilemma ~ my favourite authors can just come to me ;-)


Last night the effervescent and delightful Liz Curtis Higgs was speaking a church twenty minutes from my place. A last minute invitation from a friend (Thanks Mandy ~ the date had totally slipped my mind!) gave me the privilege of hearing Liz sharing on God's Grace and meeting and having a chat with her. A gracious and warm woman, Liz, was a real blessing to all the women who attended. If you ever get the chance to hear her speak, don't miss it! It was a special treat for me as I own every one of Liz's fiction books and most of her non-fiction, and she gives the best hugs!

If you love humourous stories or Scottish historical fiction, check out Liz's books at Amazon.

News & Notes

I wanted to share with you some bookish happenings, blogs I have been enjoying and more! Let me know your thoughts :)

Anything or anyone you have been connecting with lately?

FamilyFiction Digital Magazine

This wonderful resource for fiction lovers is set to launch this month. With a newsletter straight to your inbox and a bimonthly magazine, you can enjoy author profiles, news columns, release updates and more covering all genres, be sure to sign up as the newsletter launches this Friday. You might even recognise one of the correspondents!

Sign up here


Laura Frantz meets Richard Armitage in North & South

I don't talk much about my viewing habits but had to share the wonderful discussion going on at author Laura Frantz's blog about my beloved North & South, the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, set in newly industrialised England (not to be confused with the Civil War epic of the same name by John Jakes!). Laura has only just discovered the movie and we have had a fun discussion of the movie and our favourite leading man, Richard Armitage.

While you are there be sure to check out Laura's amazing historical novels and chat with her. She is one of those exceptional authors who responds to every comment on your blog and is a lovely lady to get to know.

Click here for more.

Carol Awards, 2010

The Carol Awards (formerly American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Awards) will be announced on Sunday 19th September (US) and you can join the brilliant Tyson Wynn of Wynn~Wynn Media and the gorgeous Ronie Kendig, author of Nightshade and Dead Reckoning, via the live blog. It will be great fun.

Register for the live blog here

Jenny B Jones' Zippity Blog

Looking for a special treat? A belly laugh? A pithy profundity?

Check out Jenny's blog and her books. Thrice (I so wanted to use that word) nominated for a 2010 Carol Award, Jenny's books speak for themselves but I'm so glad Jen doesn't let them have a monopoly on her witticisms. Jen's blog posts and tweets always brighten my day!

Visit Jen's blog and follow her on Twitter