September Featured Book #2 ... and a GIVEAWAY!

Bonnie has graciously offered to give away a copy of the book to one lucky person (US only). To enter, see the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this post.  (Contest ends September 30, 2015.) If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and then pass your information on to Bonnie. Good luck!

A Word from Bonnie...

Leslie, thank you for including me on your blog. I’m excited to share the story behind the story of my new book, To Dance With Dolphins. It’s been a long journey getting here.

When my van was hit by a log truck in 1991, leaving me with a permanently injured spine and disability, I had no idea what God was going to do with my life. And the story To Dance With Dolphins wasn’t even a glimmer in my eye.

The accident left me unable to return to work, and I didn’t know what I was going to do with the rest of my “miserable” life. As always, the Lord came through. He lifted me up out of my pit of despair and offered me purpose and a new direction. He gave me writing, and I created my first novel The Journey of Eleven Moons in 1993. I’ve been writing ever since.

I love to write and I’m grateful for God’s gift, but living with chronic pain and disability is a rough road, and one I would not have chosen. Having experienced the challenges that come with such a life I’ve longed to create a story that would uplift and give hope to others like me and to encourage those who stand with loved ones who suffer. I also hope the book will help the healthy among us to have a better understanding of what life with a chronic illness, emotional or physical, looks like.

The story of Claire, Sean, Willow, Tom, and Taylor has been simmering in my mind and heart for many years. There always seemed to be a more pressing project that required my attention and the development of the book remained on the proverbial shelf ... until last year. I decided nothing would keep me from creating the story, and I went to work.

When I presented the idea to Ashberry Lane Publishing, they caught the vision right away. They helped me bring my unique cast of characters and their story to the world.

Some readers may fear that a book about chronic illness will be depressing ... and it could be, but To Dance With Dolphins is not. Its lively characters bring to life the reality of what it means to live with chronic illness and the questions that come with it—such as, How can a God of mercy allow suffering?—and what should our response be to His sovereignty? But readers also get to ride along with the travelers as they live out a life-changing adventure of fun and challenges that open up the possibilities of joy and discarded dreams.

No matter what our circumstance in life may be, we all have hopes and dreams. We need to believe they are obtainable or, at the very least, find contentment and perhaps joy in a new direction.

You can find my review on the RT Bookreviews website at the following link:

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/dance-dolphins

(4.5 - TOP PICK/4.5 stars)

About Bonnie...

Bonnie Leon is the author of twenty-one novels, including the newly released To Dance With Dolphins.  She and her husband, Greg, live in Southern Oregon.  They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

http://www.bonnieleon.com

https://www.facebook.com/BonnieLeonAuthor

https://twitter.com/Bonnie_Leon

https://www.pinterest.com/bonnieleon/

Buy Links...

http://amzn.to/1OSje2d

http://bit.ly/1PW6dG0

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August Featured Book #2 … and a GIVEAWAY

Diana has graciously offered to give away two (2) hard copies of "A Remarkable Kindness." In order to be entered, see the Rafflecopter giveaway link at the end of this post. The last day to enter is August 31, 2015. If you are chosen, I will be in touch to get your information to pass along to Diana. (US residents ONLY)

A Word from Diana...

One of the reasons I’m so excited about the publication of A Remarkable Kindness is that it fits into the genre of books that people read and then learn something new—and unexpected. Readers love Orphan Train not only because it’s a combination of two wonderful stories but also because they can say, “Wow, I just found out something fascinating about a hidden part of American history.” That was how I felt when I read The Kite Runner—I had a deeper understanding of the culture of Afghanistan.

I hope that my novel will be received in the same way. It gives readers a look behind news headlines about Israel. It also tells the intertwined stories of four American women who are members of a burial circle in a small beach village in northern Israel. I hope that as readers learn about this sacred ritual, they will also be inspired to incorporate spirituality and faith into their daily lives.

My Review...

I reviewed this book for RT Bookreviews magazine. You can read my review at the following link:

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/remarkable-kindness
(I gave it 4/4.5 stars.)

Diana Bletter is the first-prize winner of Family Circle Magazine’s 2011 Fiction Contest. She never, ever thought she’d win but she entered and won, which only proves that it’s important to take chances. She has been writing ever since she first learned penmanship in third grade. While raising six children in a blended family, she did freelance writing for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. After many years of hard work, she is finally publishing A Remarkable Kindness, her first novel. She lives in a small beach village in northern Israel near the ancient ruins of a Byzantine Church and believes that writing means practice, practice, practice. It is like exercise. You don’t want to get started … but once you do, you feel great.

You can find Diana online at...

www.dianabletter.com

www.facebook/DianaBletter

Twitter: @dianabletter

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July Featured Book #1 ... and a GIVEAWAY!

Sandra has graciously offered to give away a hard copy of "Emergency Reunion" to one lucky person (MUST live in the US or Canada). In order to be entered, go to the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this post. You must enter by July 14, 2015 to take part in the drawing. If you are chosen, I will contact you to get your mailing address to pass along to Sandra.

A Word from Sandra...

Emergency Reunion is the final story in a series, featuring members of the Steele family—an FBI agent, a firefighter, and in this one, Sherri, a paramedic. Sherri was introduced in Perilous Waters as the paramedic cousin of Sam Steele, and her character was developed further in Identity Withheld when she treated the heroine.

However, at the time of writing those stories, I hadn’t yet decided what Sherri’s story would look like, although I’d established three things about her:

-           She has a close-knit extended family

-          she saved a baby last year

-          she is competent and emotionally-cool on the job

So when it came time to write her story, I decided to make what should’ve been a wondrous accomplishment—saving a baby—a heartrending pressure point in her backstory. That is, the point when she had to choose between saving a baby and saving her partner from a fatal gunshot wound.

The rest of the suspense plot evolved from there, as I picked the brain of a female EMT about all the potential scary situations paramedics might, and do, face on a daily basis.

As for the romance, I decided to make the story a reunion romance, because of everything Sherri would face, and the unaffected front I wanted her to put on, I needed a hero who already knew her well and who had lots of good reasons to want to help her.

You can read my review on the RT Book Reviews website. Please follow the link:

http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/emergency-reunion

(I rated it 4.5/4.5 stars!)

About Sandra…

Sandra Orchard is an award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line and Revell Publishing. A member of ACFW, RWA, and The Word Guild (Canada), Sandra loves to encourage other writers in their journey. Although she'd always dreamed of being a writer, she majored in math at the university and didn't think she had enough imagination to write fiction.While homeschooling her children, she wrote curriculum and reviews and read … a lot. When her husband, frustrated by the growing book piles, suggested she write her own, little did he know what he'd started! She lives in Niagara, Canada with her real-life-hero husband of more than 25 years, and now writes full-time … when not doting on her grandchildren.

Readers can find her online at:

http://www.SandraOrchard.com and check out fun bonus features, such as location pics, deleted scenes etc. at: http://sandraorchard.com/extras/bonus-book-features/

They can also connect with her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/SandraOrchard

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May Featured Book #2...And A Giveaway!!

Sally has graciously offered to give away TWO hard copies of "The Happy Hour Choir"to TWO lucky people!  In order to be entered,go to the Rafflecopter box at the bottom of this post. You must enter by May 31 to take part in the drawing. If you are chosen, I will contact you to get your mailing address to pass along to Sally.

Before sharing my review, here's a bit of information from Sally

A Word from Sally...

Hi, I’m Sally. (Hi, Sally) And I sometimes like to have a glass of wine while I peruse the next Sunday School lesson I’m going to teach. That sort of duality is part of what inspired my novel, The Happy Hour Choir.

Beulah Land came to me first. I imagined her as the daughter of a preacher, a girl who’d been saddled with an impossible name. I mean, who can ever live up to being heavenly? Then I thought about taking an old hymn I knew well, “Dwelling in Beulah Land,” and flipping it on its ear by having her make it her signature song . . . in a bar. She would do this, of course, because she couldn’t escape her name, but she could rebel. Ginger, Beulah’s old piano teacher and rescuer, came to me next, one of those no-nonsense older ladies who has some secrets of her own. Finally, Luke entered the scene, my preacher man who knew parental pressure and had the humility and compassion of someone who also knew what it was like to make mistakes.

From there all sorts of characters walked into The Fountain, the bar where Beulah plays. I wanted to show them all as real people. Too often I think books with religious themes don’t allow their characters to mess up. To me, that goes against everything I believe because life is messy and so are we. Maybe The Happy Hour Choir was my way of saying we’re all good and bad, but if we try hard enough, the good will always win out in the end.

Writing Beulah’s story was such a leap of faith. I can’t tell you how many times contest feedback or agents or even editors said things like, “I like your writing, but this has too much religion for a mainstream/too much sinning for an inspirational/too much humor for such angst/too much angst for such humor.” I struggled because *I* was a good little girl who grew up in a little town and went to an equally little church. Maybe writing this book taught me how to bend a few rules. I should probably send Beulah a thank you note.

And thank you so much for having me here on your blog today, Leslie. Your kind words definitely helped make getting this book published well worth the wait.

My Review…

Beulah Land plays piano at the local bar, The Fountain. She unwillingly agrees to take over as pianist at County Line Methodist Church to fulfill the dying wish of her closest friend Ginger Belmont. Unfortunately, some of the current choir members do not believe Beulah is an appropriate choice, which causes Beulah to create her own Happy Hour Choir comprised of patrons from The Fountain. As Beulah and Ginger take in a pregnant teen, Beulah is forced to deal with her own secrets. And then there’s Luke Daniels, the new reverend in town. Can they come together to build up the church, and remind Beulah that she is loveable and not defined by her past? 

It is hard to believe that this is Kilpatrick’s debut novel! The characters are real, honest, lively, and heartfelt. Beulah may be a snarky character, but she deals with a number of challenges that will be identifiable for many. Even though Beulah is the main character, Ginger is truly the heart of the book. No character is wasted, and they remind the reader that anything worth having is not easy. This novel is written in the first-person point of view, which may be a bit unusual for some readers. A good takeaway reminder is that family is what we create, not restricted to bloodlines. It is an inspiring tale of faith, hope, forgiveness, and second chances. Kilpatrick mixes loss and devastation with hope, and a little bit of southern charm. She will leave the reader laughing through tears. This is an incredible start from a promising storyteller. Some yummy recipes are included, too.

About Sally…

Sally Kilpatrick lives in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, Ryan, and her two children. We shall call these precious and precocious children The Hobbit and Her Majesty.

Her debut novel, The Happy Hour Choir, won the Duel on the Delta, finaled in the Maggie Awards for Excellence, and was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist. Silly has two other novels coming down the pike— think Shakespeare with cows (Bittersweet Creek) and "It's a Wonderful Life" in a funeral home (Better Get to Livin', a 2013 Maggie finalist).

A former Spanish teacher — because that's what you do with an English major — Sally took an extended sabbatical when her husband gave her an application to Kennesaw State University's Master of Arts in Professional Writing Program for Christmas 2007. (Best Christmas Present Ever!)

Sally is also the current president of Georgia Romance Writers.

For fun, Sally likes to read, write, run, and — you guessed it — sing in her church choir.

You can find Sally online at:

http://www.sallykilpatrick.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SuperWriterMom

https://twitter.com/SuperWriterMom

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6906076.Sally_Kilpatrick

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May Featured Book #1

Before sharing my review, here is a bit of information from Rachelle.

Q & A with Rachelle…

Q: How did you come up with the story for "The Choosing"?

A: This is a hard question because it has many answers. I wanted to write a theme-based novel about identity. I wanted to write a dystopian novel. I wanted to write in a world that was familiar, but in a setting where I could change the way the world worked. It actually is several ideas I'd been toying with pulled into one story. Once I landed on Carrington's core revelation and story arc, I simply fell in love with her as a character and drew the rest of the story around her.That's usually how it works for me. I come up with a character, good or bad, and create the story from there.

Q: You based your main character off of your younger sister. In what ways is Carrington like her?

A: It's more the beliefs that Carrington struggles with that remind me of my sister. The idea of worth, of not feeling like you're enough, or questioning whether anyone would choose you. Carrington came about as I spent time with my sister and her college-age friends and saw that a large majority of them were searching for significance, searching for worth — none more than my sister at the time.

Q: Carrington struggles with understanding her identity and worth and what is true. Why did you decide to write about the theme of identity?

A: Someone once asked me, "If you could leave one message for your younger sisters, what would it be?" The answer was always the same: I would pray they knew what they were worth. Identity is everything. There isn't a theme that doesn't start with identity or circle back to identity. Knowing who you truly are is the greatest journey we face. Am I enough? Am I worth it? I believe everyone faces these questions, and I sought out to explore them through the story.

Q: One of the most significant lines in the story is, "Life is a journey of remembering and forgetting." What do you mean by this?

A: We have these flashes of clarity where we see so clearly who we are — and our connection to the Father — but then, in a single moment, something pulls our attention away and we forget who we are. This is the journey of life, remembering and forgetting. But I believe the more we remember, the more we set our gaze on the Father, the less often we forget. 

My Review…

Carrington Hale has been preparing her entire life for “The Choosing” ceremony. However, it did not go the way anyone expected. Instead of planning for a husband and family of her own, she finds herself being taken away from the only home she has ever known. She is now a “Lint,” the lowest level of society.  She realizes she must learn to accept her fate as an “Unchosen,” as this is God’s plan. Carrington believes that she is worthless and her fate is of her own making. However, she starts to hear whispers that lead her to question whether or not everything she has been told is a lie.  In an unusual change of events, Carrington is given a second chance to be “Chosen”. Will it be a blessing in disguise, or something more sinister than she ever could have imagined?

This is a strong debut from Dekker, who appears to be following in her famous father’s footsteps. (She is the daughter of bestselling author Ted Dekker.)  This is a dystopian coming-of-age novel which draws the reader in quickly Fans of ”Divergent” and “The Hunger Games” will enjoy this story.

Carrington is a character that will be easily relatable for many. She is an over-thinker and struggles with her own self-worth. This struggle is a much larger part of the story than the romance angle. She is not the strong, self-assured character typically found in a dystopian novel. This allows the reader to have a better understanding of her growth.  There are some intense, dark scenes to the novel. They may be difficult for some readers, but they are relevant to the suspense side of the story. While there is some predictability, this is an engaging read. Secondary characters are well developed, and the ending, which ties up a bit too quickly, will leave the reader hoping that a sequel is planned. Some core features of faith run through this novel, reminding the reader that God is who determines our value and His love does not have any strings attached. On a final note, the cover is stunning.

About Rachelle…

The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full-time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat, Blair. Visit her online at rachelledekker.com