June– July 2008
A newsletter featuring the latest on fiction by
Brandilyn Collins and many other Christian novelists.
Buy these titles at your local Christian bookstore
– and thereby support its ministry.
~ Brandilyn's Bits: News on her books and appearances
~ A Novel Gift: This month’s chance to win a free autographed book (3 chances to win)
~ Behind the Scenes: Answers to your questions about other Christian novelists
~ Facts on Fiction: Latest available releases from some of your favorite authors
~ Brandilyn's Bits ~
1. As a result of Amber Morn’s blog tour in April through the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the novel reached #1 on Technorati’s list of "Most Talked About Books" in the blogging world. All three other Kanner Lake books, Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, and Crimson Eve, also claimed top spots—until the series claimed spots one through four on the list. Amazing! Click on thumbnail to enlarge.
2. Check out the chicken! Have you seen the new BHCC (Big Honkin’ Chickens Club) page on my website? Send your friends who are too frightened to read my novels there for products designed just for them. Proud BHCC members now have their own logo to display on their blogs/websites. Call it inverse marketing on my part. 3. Want to dig deeper into the Kanner Lake series stories? Discussion questions are available for all four books here. These questions will lead you to think about some of the underlying issues, spiritual truths and themes of the books. 4. Kanner Lake readers are loving Amber Morn! Here are just a few excerpts from the many reviews:
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~ A Novel Gift ~
Choose one of the following:
(1) Check out the fiction section in your local Christian bookstore. What is the oldest book of mine you can find on the shelf? (2) Send an email to my assistant telling what spiritual lessons struck you in Amber Morn. To qualify you must include “A Novel Gift” in the subject line and include your name and address. Should you choose #1, also include the name and address of the Christian bookstore you visit. (This contest is open to those who reside in the United States and Canada and who have not won in the past 3 months.)
~ April-May winners and the stores they visited ~ |
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| Lori Archer (Holly Springs, NC) | ~ |
Family Christian Stores (Durham, NC) |
| Linda Hanberry (Sumrall, MS) | ~ |
Lifeway Christian Bookstores (Hattiesburg, MS) |
| Mindi Kohake (Topeka, KS) | ~ |
Lifeway (Topeka, KS) |
~ Behind the Scenes ~
Answers to your questions about other Christian novelists.
Do you have a question about a Christian novelist? E-mail it to my assistant, and I'll try to find out the answer for the next issue of Sneak Pique. This issue's question:
"I’ve really enjoyed John Olson’s suspense novels. I see he has a new one coming out soon (Fossil Hunter). Where does he get his ideas for his stories? And is he going to continue writing novels that mix suspense with some type of science?"
Here's the answer from John:
"Fossil Hunter has already been released and is looking for a good home! [Note—see the Suspense category in Behind the Scenes for more info.] Just be careful. It’s frisky and fun, but it’s not house-broken yet. You might need to spread some newspaper on the floor for a few days.
"But onto your question…Where do I get my ideas? As a long-time Sunday school teacher, I’m pretty sure the answer has to be Jesus, but I don’t think that’s what you are asking. Usually ideas come to me in a flash of inspiration while I’m standing under a spray of hot water in the morning before my brain has had a chance to wake up, but Fossil Hunter was an exception. I got the idea for Fossil Hunter when the president of Premise Media (the movie company that brought you Ben Stein’s Expelled documentary) called me and asked me to do a novelization of a screenplay they were planning to produce. My initial response was “ABSOLUTELY!!!!!” but then I read the screenplay and realized I wasn’t the author for the job. While I was on the phone with him trying to explain why I couldn’t do it, he asked me what I would have done differently. In the heat of the moment, right off the top of my head, I told him I would have written a completely different story. A scientific thriller instead of a drama—perhaps something set in Iraq. Something about a fossil hunter maybe…A beautiful paleontologist who finds something that doesn’t square with evolutionary theory…And thus Fossil Hunter was born.
"Now for the tricky part of your question: Am I going to continue writing novels that mix suspense with some type of science? The answer is absolutely definitely maybe, but the science is becoming less and less central to the stories—at least for a while. My next novel, Shade, is coming out on October 1. One of the main characters in Shade is a biochemistry grad student at UCSF, but the book isn’t a scientific thriller. It’s hard to say exactly what the book is, but it’s definitely not a scientific thriller. The words 'weird' and 'bizarre' and 'frightening' get used a lot, but I prefer the literary classification romantic fantastic supernatural Gothic thriller on adrenaline. The next two novels after Shade will be even more fantastic and supernatural, but then the third will probably go back to being more scientific. What fun would writing be if I didn’t get to keep rocking my readers’ worlds? Thanks for asking."
~ Facts on Fiction ~
Read more information about the books below at the authors' Web sites. Buy them at your local Christian bookstore.
Contemporary
Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner (Waterbrook Press)
www.tinaannforkner.com
Set in the lush vineyards of present and past Sonoma Valley, Ruby Among Us weaves a story of three generations of women and the memory that binds their hearts together. Journey with Lucy as she searches for a heritage long buried with her mother, Ruby, in this stirring tale of remembrance and redemption.
Searching for Spice by Megan DiMaria (Tyndale House Publishers)
www.megandimaria.com
Linda Revere longs to have a sizzling affair…with her husband--a practical, no-nonsense community college science teacher. Unfortunately, life isn’t scripted, and nothing goes according to plan. From having a demanding boss and at times a frustrating job to helping her family and friends with their troubles, life seems to be preventing Linda from achieving her goal of an exciting and passionate marriage. Linda hopes God will answer her prayers to jazz up her marriage, but is she ready for what happens next?
Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunnn (Waterbrook/Multnomah)
www.robingunn.com
Sisterchicks! Book #7. Hop on the bus and take a tour of jolly ol' England with a couple of midlife mama Sisterchicks! Kelly and Liz take tea at the Ritz, sail over the Cotswalds in a hot air balloon, and tour the haunts of Lewis and Tolkien in Oxford. What does God have in mind for each of them for the next season of their lives? It takes a jaunt out of their comfort zones to find out.
She Always Wore Red by Angela Hunt (Tyndale House)
www.angelahuntbooks.com
Jennifer Graham—mother, student, and embalmer’s apprentice—could use a friend. She finds one in McLane Larson, a newcomer to Mt. Dora. While McLane’s soldier-husband serves overseas, Jen promises to support McLane, then learns that her tie to this woman goes far deeper than friendship. When a difference of opinion threatens their relationship, Jennifer discovers weaknesses in her own character…and a faith far stronger than she had imagined.
Summer Snow by Nicole Baart (Tyndale)
www.nicolebaart.com
Julia DeSmit is finally learning to accept her new life. Optimistic and anxious to begin again after dropping out of college, she is taking fumbling steps down a challenging yet hope-filled road. But the careful existence Julia has begun to build falls to pieces when her estranged mother, Janice, appears on the front porch one icy March night. Mother and daughter have not seen or talked in ten years, and a decade of anger, resentment, and bitterness follows in Janice's wake, along with a surprise Julia could never have anticipated. Julia is convinced that which is broken cannot be mended. Yet when she faces the very decision her mother did years before, she begins to realize what it means to truly accept grace. Will it be her undoing, or the impetus for a change she'd never dared hope for?
Historical
An Uncertain Dream by Judith Miller (Bethany House Publishers)
www.judithmccoymiller.com
When Pullman Car Works employees walk out in protest of their wages and high rent, Olivia Mott is torn between her loyalty to the company and her love for Fred DeVault. Amidst the turmoil in Pullman, Fred is asked to act as a local delegate to the national convention of the American Railway Union, but when the delegates vote in favor of a nationwide boycott of the famous Pullman sleeping cars, Olivia wonders if Fred will ever be able to return to the company town. What will become of their growing affection for each other? Who will prevail in the company strike?
Historical Romance
From A Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)
www.tameraalexander.com
Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life. Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt could bring secrets from his past to light. Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met…from a distance.
Wagered Heart by Robin Lee Hatcher (Zondervan)
www.robinleehatcher.com
When Bethany Silverton left the genteel life of Miss Henderson’s School for Young Ladies back in Philadelphia for the raw frontier town of Sweetwater, Montana, she had no idea how much she would enjoy the freedom and danger of this wild country. A conservative preacher’s daughter, Bethany can’t resist the challenge of charming the most attractive cowboy in town into attending her father’s new church. She never dreamed that the cowboy would charm the lady.
Historical Romantic Suspense
A Bride So Fair by Carol Cox (Barbour Publishing)
www.CarolCoxBooks.com
A Fair to Remember Series #3. Emily Ralston is thrilled when she lands a job in the Children's Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. And the White City seems to be living up to its promise of excitement when she meets Stephen Bridger, a handsome Columbian Guard. When Stephen finds a lost child, he delivers the boy to the Children's Building to be cared for until the child's mother is located. But when a dead body believed to be the boy's mother is found, a mystery begins to unfold. Tracking down the rest of little Adam's family proves to be more challenging than they expected when their efforts make them the targets of a cold-hearted criminal, and their lives—as well as their blossoming romance—are put at risk.
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Anathema by Colleen Coble (Thomas Nelson Publishers)
www.colleencoble.com
After years of running, Hannah Schwartz has finally built a life for herself. Far from the insecure husband who bullied and abused her. Far from the close-knit Amish community who raised her, then shunned her. Still haunted by nightmare memories of her parents’ murder…and the guilty secret that made her an anathema—a true outcast—from her friends and family. Only love can bring her home again. Love for a child she had feared was lost forever. And love for the peaceful people who shaped her life. But can love heal old wounds…or keep the community safe from a deadly danger?
Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)
www.terriblackstock.com
Restoration Series #4. As the pulses that caused the outage are finally coming to an end, thirteen-year-old Beth Branning witnesses a murder. Threatened by the killer, she keeps the matter to herself. But her silence could cost her life. Meanwhile, as Deni’s ex-fiancé returns to Crockett with a newfound faith and the influence to get things done, Deni is torn between the man who can fulfill all her dreams and Mark Green, the man who inhabits them. As the world slowly emerges from the crisis, the Brannings face their toughest crisis yet. Will God require more of them than they’ve already given? How will they keep their faith if he doesn’t answer their prayers?
Fossil Hunter by John B. Olson (Tyndale House)
www.fossilhunternovel.com
Fossil Hunter is a romantic Indiana-Jones-style scientific thriller about a beautiful Christian paleontologist who finds a fossil that doesn’t seem to jive with current evolutionary theory.
Healing Promises by Amy Wallace (Multnomah)
www.amywallace.com
When FBI Agent Clint Rollins takes a bullet during a standoff, it might just save his life. But not even the ugly things he’s seen during his years working in the Crimes Against Children Unit could prepare him for the beast of cancer. As he continues to track down a serial kidnapper despite his illness, former investigations haunt his nightmares, pushing him beyond solving the case into risking his life and career. Clint struggles to believe God is still the God of miracles. Especially when he needs not one, but two. Everything in his life is reduced to one all-important question: Can God be trusted?
The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson (Kregel)
www.melaniedobson.com
After her mother commits suicide, Elise Friedman travels to Germany to search for answers and discovers her mother’s dark secret inside the walls of a medieval abbey. When the man who destroyed her mother threatens to destroy her as well, Elise fights for a way out of the darkness before she is consumed.
Wiser Than Serpents by Susan May Warren (Steeple Hill)
www.susanmaywarren.com
Mission: Russia Series #3. When her sister vanishes into a human slave ring, FSB agent Yanna Andrevka is determined to rescue her. Unfortunately, she's in over her head, with no way out, especially after destroying the undercover operation of Delta Force Operative David Curtiss, who is deep undercover in the Twin Serpents crime syndicate. David has his hands full trying to save Yanna, and his operation—one that could rescue hundreds of women from the Serpent, or cost him and Yanna their lives.
Romance
Controlling Interest by Elizabeth White (Zondervan)
www.elizabethwhite.net
When Natalie’s father buys controlling interest in Matt’s detective agency, the two become reluctant partners and professional rivals, with control of the company the prize. Annoyance becomes attraction—just as their seemingly simple case breaks wide open in this rollicking romantic comedy. Can they suspend competition long enough to prevent an international incident?
Family Ever After by Margaret Daley (Love Inspired)
www.margaretdaley.com
Three foster kids fell into Noah Maxwell's lap and turned his life upside down. The successful businessman knew nothing about children, so he hired single mom Cara Winters to help care for his new brood. Cara sensed that in spite of Noah's confident facade, old wounds troubled him. But he refused to discuss his past pain, despite her desire to help him heal. Perhaps her love could inspire Noah to relinquish his independence and give Cara and the children the fairy-tale ending they all deserve.
John's Quest by Cecelia Dowdy (Barbour Heartsong Presents)
www.ceceliadowdy.com
Overnight, Monica Crawford finds her neatly organized world turned upside down. Her sister abandons her blind son, Scotty, leaving him on Monica's doorstep. Caring for a handicapped child brings unexpected conflict—but unexpected joy as well. When John French volunteers to tutor Scotty, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Monica. But John and Monica are very different. She is a strong believer, determined to live her life for Christ. John is an agnostic who wants nothing to do with God. Will John see the light? Will Monica realize that sometimes letting go of a dream is the way to achieve it? Only in full surrender will either of them be happy—whether they end up together or alone.
Leave it to Chance by Sherri Sand (David C. Cook)
www.sherrisand.com
Single mom of three, Sierra Montgomery is desperate to find a new job to keep from having to move back home and be smothered to death by her mother’s good intentions and overbearing love. Then Sierra inherits Chance, a quirky old gelding that brings Ross Morgan, a handsome landscaper who happens to have an empty barn and fenced pasture, into her life. But Sierra has a secret. She’s terrified of horses and wary of attractive men. Yet seeing the way her angry son idolizes Ross and adores that old horse forces Sierra to confront her fears and decide if she’s going to remain distrustful and self-reliant, or seek help from God and those who love her.
The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson)
www.DeniseHunterBooks.com
Five hours before her Nantucket beach wedding—and on the eve of her big book launch—celebrity marriage counselor Kate Lawrence has everything in place. Everything, that is, but the groom. She might not have a career, either, when her nationwide audience finds out their marriage guru has been left at the altar. Enter Lucas Wright, who offers to stand in for the missing husband-to-be and marry her. Kate's desperate enough to agree--although she's sure this Mr. Wright is completely wrong for her. Could it be that "Dr. Kate" doesn't know the first thing about love?
Virginia Brides by Cathy Marie Hake, Vickie McDonough, and Susan Page Davis
www.cathymariehake.com; www.vickiemcdonough.com; www.susanpagedavis.com
Homespun love is woven through the generations. Three yarns are spun around a family's spinning wheel in the Shenandoah Valley. When threads of love begin to form, will life's complications break them? As lives spin out of control, God intervenes to weave a beautiful legacy in this family saga.
Romantic Suspense
A Face In the Shadows by Lenora Worth (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense)
www.lenoraworth.com
Reunion Revelations Book 5. Continuity, college classmates Parker Buchanan and Kate Brooks set out to prove that Parker didn't commit a ten-year old murder. But who did? As Kate and Parker's long time friendship turns to something more, they work to find the real killer before the killer can get to them.
Bayou Judgment by Robin Caroll (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense)
www.robincaroll.com
Bayou Series #3. For once, it was phone counselor Felicia Trahan who desperately needed to dial in. She'd come home to her apartment to find Jolie, her roommate and coworker, dead, with few clues to the killer's identity: There was a shady boyfriend. A rival at the crisis center. And disturbing phone calls from a distraught young woman who was becoming increasingly unhinged. So much so that the center's tough-guy pastor feared for Felicia's safety. Spencer Bertrand promised to protect her, even if he lost his heart in the process. Yet drawing out a killer hiding in the Louisiana bayou could be the only way to save them all.
Fatal Deduction by Gayle Roper (Multnomah)
www.gayleroper.com
Libby Keating finds herself living in a Philadelphia Colonial-era home with her oh-so-difficult twin Tori. If either leaves, both forfeit this inheritance from their late aunt. But a dead man on the front stoop with a crossword puzzle addressed to Tori resting on his chest is more than Libby expected. Ben Franklin scholar Drew Canfield comes to her aid, and even Libby's thirteen year old Chloe likes him. More puzzles, loan sharks, and elderly patricians complicate Libby's already complex life. Readers are invited to help Libby solve the puzzles.
Suspicious Minds by Christy Barritt (Kregel Publications)
www.christybarritt.com
In this sequel to Hazardous Duty, crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire finds herself stuck doing mold remediation to pay the bills. But her first day on the job, she uncovers a surprise in the crawlspace of a dilapidated home: Elvis, dead as a doornail and still wearing his blue suede shoes. How could she possibly keep her nose out of a case like this? Elvis turns out to be Darnell Evans, a down-on-his-luck impersonator whose luck just got a lot worse, and there is no shortage of suspects. When his widow begs her to help, Gabby takes on the case of who-killed-the-King. In the meantime her would-be rival, Chad Davis, is turning into one hunka hunka burnin’ love and starting to dish out some serious TLC, which is the last thing Gabby needs right now.
Young Adult
Trion Rising by Robert Elmer (Zondervan)
www.RobertElmerBooks.com
Shadowside sci-fi/fantasy Series #1. Fifteen-year-old Oriannon is living the good life on the bright side of Corista, a small planet circling three suns. But things get crazy when a new music mentor arrives at her school with strange songs and even stranger ideas. Soon Oriannon is pressured to spy on her mentor, Jesmet, by using her powers to record everything she sees and hears. Could Jesmet really be a faithbreaker, the way Oriannon's friend Margus says? She's not so sure, but her life is turned upside-down when she loses her way on the dark side of the planet and is taken in by an odd, cliff-dwelling people. And when her new friends face a deadly threat, can the once self-centered Oriannon follow her heart...and save half the planet?
Here are two opportunities for you to read excerpts from recent releases of Christian novels.
- A weekly e-mail that includes a 1500-word excerpt from a recent
release (all genres), published by major houses in the Christian
market. Many of these authors are best-selling and/or award-winning.
To join, send an e-mail to:
chapteraweek-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
- A monthly email that includes the first chapter of one paper-published
book and one e-published book. All genres are included; however,
romance is the main focus. To join, send an e-mail to:
ChristianRmWritersBookAMonthPreview-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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To send all comments/suggestions, free-book contest entries, questions about Christian novelists please write my assistant.
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~ BRANDILYN
Seatbelt Suspense™
www.brandilyncollins.com
www.forensicsandfaith.blogspot.com
