The Big Picture is HUGE!

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

The Big Picture

(NavPress Publishing Group April 15, 2008)

by

Jenny B. Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jenny B. Jones is the author of A Katie Parker Production series. The other books in the series are In Between and On The Loose. Though now an adult, she still relates to the trauma and drama of teen life. She is thrilled to see her writing dreams come true, as her previous claim to fame was singing the Star Spangled Banner at a mule-jumping championship. (The mules were greatly inspired.)

Jenny resides in Arkansas, where, as a teacher, she hangs out with teens on a regular basis.








ABOUT THE BOOK
Sometimes there’s a fine line between comedy and tragedy—and Katie Parker is walking it.

School is winding down for the summer but Katie Parker is having a bad day. After leaving the drive-in, where her imploding love life was the main attraction, Katie arrives home to a big surprise on the Scott's front porch.

Her mother, Bobbie Ann Parker, a former convict and recovering addict, wants to take Katie away from her family, friends, and church. Now Katie's life will be changed by a series of dramatic choices as she struggles to understand what family and home really means.

Katie is forced to walk away from In Between, leaving behind a family who loves her, a town drive-in to save, and a boyfriend who suddenly can’t take his eyes off his ex. When the life her mother promised begins to sink faster than one of Maxine’s stuffed bras, Katie knows she needs to rely on God to keep it together.

But where is he in all this? Can Katie survive a chaotic life with her mother—and one without the Scotts? And if God is there, will he come through before it’s too late?

A Katie Parker Production series offers teen girls real-world fiction balanced by hope and humor. The The Big Picture helps us realize that the difficult chapters in our journey are only part of God's big story for our lives.

You can read the first chapter HERE <----Seriously, you'll want to check this link out!!

"A heroine to love. Jones just gets better with every book, and The Big Picture is her best one yet."
~BARBARA WARREN, author of The Gathering Storm

"Such inspiration in a package of fun and faith!"
~EVA MARIE EVERSON, author of the Potluck Club series

OK, I have to put my two cents in about this book. Actually, all of these books.

I. Love. Them.

When I got the first book, I gave it to my 15 year old daughter who was searching for something to read. I said, "Try this out and let me know if it's any good."

The next day, (no kidding) she comes into my office, holding the book close to her chest as she says in her best "Drama Queen" impersonation: "I loved this book. This is what I want. Why can't there be more books like this out there?"

Hey, no kidding. She went on so much about it that I snatched it from her hands and said, "Let me have a look at that." Then I read it and haven't laughed so hard over a book in a long time. And yes, even shed a few tears which just doesn't happen. It doesn't. Not to me.

So now, we are both big fans of this series and fight over who will read the next one first. Of course, she got her hands on it before I did this time. And now all I hear is "Where are you? Oh man, that was so funny. Just wait until you get... uh, never mind. I don't want to spoil it for you. But tell me when you get there."

Yeah, that's how it is around here.

This is a series you'll want to get into if you have any teens around. As a parent, I find them refreshing and simply a fun read.

Jackie

Product Description from Author's site:
Once, in a cottage above the cliffs on the Dark Sea of Darkness, there lived three children and their trusty dog Nugget. Janner Igiby, his brother Tink, their crippled sister Leeli are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice and pursue the Igibys who hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.

Check out more about this author by clicking these links.

Andrew Peterson Web site - http://andrew-peterson.com/
Author moderated blog - http://www.rabbitroom.com/


Check out this book at Amazon.com
Featured book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073847

See what other's are saying-
Participants:
Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Green
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

CFBA Book Introduction... Sisters, Inc

Rebeca Seitz is Founder and President of Glass Road Public Relations. An author for several years, PRINTS CHARMING was her first novel. Rebeca cut her publicity teeth as the first dedicated publicist for the fiction division of Thomas Nelson Publishers. In 2005, Rebeca resigned from WestBow and opened the doors of GRPR, the only publicity firm of its kind in the country dedicated solely to representing novelists writing from a Christian worldview.

Rebeca makes her home in Kentucky with her husband, Charles, and their son, Anderson.




Sisters, Ink marks the first in a series of novels written by, for, and about scrapbookers. At the center of the creativity and humor are four unlikely young adult sisters, each separately adopted during early childhood into the loving home of Marilyn and Jack Sinclair.

Ten years after their mother Marilyn has died, the multi-racial Sinclair sisters (Meg, Kendra, Tandy, and Joy) still return to her converted attic scrapping studio in the small town of Stars Hill, Tennessee, to encourage each other through life’s highs and lows.

Book one spotlights headstrong Tandy, a successful yet haunted attorney now living back in Orlando where she spent the first eight years of her life on the streets as a junkie’s kid. When a suddenly enforced leave of absence at work leads her to an extended visit with her sisters in Stars Hill, a business oppor­tunity, rekindled romance, and fresh understanding of God’s will soon follow.

Endorsements:
"What more can any woman want? Sisters, Ink weaves the love of sisters, the fun of scrapbooking, and a romance as sugary and tingling as Sweet Home Alabama. A must read for those who love southern fiction."--DiAnn Mills, author of Leather and Lace and When the Nile Runs Red

"Fun . . . funny . . . fantastic! Rebeca Seitz has brought together scrapbooking and sisterhood in a lively romp, with a love for going home again."--Eva Marie Everson, coauthor of The Potluck Club series.

CFBA Blog Tour ... Sally Stuart

Christian Writer's Market Guide 2008

The essential reference tool for the Christian writer, Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide is now in its 23rd annual edition!

I just received my copy around three weeks ago, and already it's dog-eared, highlighted and tagged. This is a book that you will break all the rules you learned in school about proper book care.

You'll want to make notes and mark the best Writers’ Conference listings, Book Publishers, and Magazine Publishers. This market guide also has a Bookstore filled with the resources you need to be successful in this business.

There's information about getting a Book Contract or Manuscript Evaluation, and be sure to check out the Writer’s Resource links.

This book has all you need to connect to all these valuable helps for the beginning, intermediate, or professional writer.

Truly, if you write for the Christian market or want to, this is a must for your reference library. I use it frequently when I'm need to check up on agents and publishers that might be at a conference. There's just so much. Are you looking for a writing group in your area? You might find one in your area.

To keep you up to date with the latest marketing news, visit Sally Stuart’s new marketing blog, Christian Writers’ Marketplace, at http://www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com/.

A new, updated version of the Christian Writers’ Market Guide is available about January 15 each year.

Sally Stuart has been writing for the last 40+ years, and has been putting out the annual "Christian Writers' Market Guide" for the last 23 years.

Her other writing includes several Christian education resources books, a children's picture book, a basic writing text, writing resources, and a western novel--plus hundreds of articles and marketing columns. She writes marketing columns for the "Christian Communicator," "Advanced Christian Writer," and the Oregon Christian Writers' Newsletter. She speaks and teaches at Christian Writers' Conferences nationwide.

Sally is the mother of 3 and grandmother of 8. She and her husband, Norm, spend their free time vacationing on the Oregon coast.
Check out her blog!

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400074614

CFBA Book Introduction: Bluegrass Peril

Virginia Smith left her job as a corporate director to become a full time writer and speaker in the summer of 2005. Since then she has contracted eight novels and numerous articles and short stories.

She writes contemporary humorous novels for the Christian market, including her debut, Just As I Am (Kregel Publications, March 2006) and her new release, Murder by Mushroom (Steeple Hill, August 2007). Her short fiction has been anthologized, and her articles have been published in a variety of Christian magazines.

An energetic speaker, Virginia loves to exemplify God’s truth by comparing real-life situations to well-known works of fiction, such as her popular talk, “Biblical Truths in Star Trek.”

I am thrilled to introduce her new book, Bluegrass Peril and have her on my blog as a guest today.

Virgina, when did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I didn’t start writing until I was in my mid-20’s. I read a short story in a magazine that wasn’t very good, and I thought, “I could do better than that!” So I tried – I wrote a short story and sent it to the same magazine. Of course it was rejected. I pulled it out and read it last year, and it was really awful. But I knew immediately that I wanted to be a writer. I fell in love with the process of writing, of dreaming up a whole different world and different people and searching for exactly the right words to convey the vivid picture I had in my mind.

But for a long time—almost 20 years, in fact—I wrote for myself. And I collected almost 150 rejection letters in the process. Then I finally gave my dream of being a writer to God. I remember the exact moment. I told Him I would write what He wanted me to write, and I truly surrendered the desire to Him. Just a few days later, He gave me the idea for the story that would become my first published novel, Just As I Am.


There's something about giving up your gifting to God, and I mean, really giving them up to Him, that seems to open up a person's creative flow. I think, as Christian writers it's one of the most important things we can do in order to release our stories.

So what have you struggled with most during your writing career?

Rejection, of course, like most people. I hate hearing those stories about writers who sell the first book they ever wrote. I mean, I’m happy for them, but that’s not the way it happens to most writers, and it certainly isn’t the way it happened to me. I spent years learning the craft and suffering through a bunch of rejection before I managed to produce a piece of publishable fiction. But when I look back at those years now, I can honestly say that I could not have written the story God gave me to tell, the one that He intended to be my first published book. I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t have the skill or the maturity.

You're right, Virgina. There's more than just writing the story. There's so much more we have to be ready to face when it happens. Now tell me, what's been your greatest joy in writing?

I love the first draft, because I love those magical moments when I’m aware that the story is being crafted by One whose imagination is far greater than mine. Sometimes I sit down and stare at a blank screen and say, “God, I have no idea how I’m going to get Becky out of this situation!” And then He shows up, and He works it out. I’m constantly reminded that God gave me the stories He wants me to write, and then He gives me the ability to write them well. It’s like He’s whispering the story in my ear. I just love that!

Where did the inspiration come from for Bluegrass Peril?

I went on a tour of a thoroughbred retirement farm in central Kentucky called Old Friends. (http://www.oldfriendsequine.org/) It’s the only farm in the country that takes retired champion stallions, because they’re so difficult to deal with. They fight and act ugly toward each other, so they each need their own private paddock, which takes a lot of space. Because of that, the fate of these horses is sometimes pretty grim. The founder of Old Friends took me on this tour and introduced me to some of the horses in residence there, and I just fell in love with them. And then he showed me a stallion named Ogygian, whose stud fee was around $30,000 when he retired. He said, “I still get requests to breed Ogygian, but I signed a commitment to the stud farm when I got him that he would retire, so I don’t.” I started wondering, “What if someone wanted to breed a winner really badly…”

I've heard that Life is simply fodder for a writer. What was the best advice you received when you were beginning to write?

The best advice I received was this: “If you want to write, join a critique group.” I did not learn how to write publishable fiction from any college class or book. I learned from my critique partners over the years. They also taught me how to approach an editor professionally, and when all those rejection letters were piling up they encouraged me to keep trying. That’s why when I’m asked for advice by aspiring writers, I always say, “Find a good critique group. It’s the best thing you can do for your career.”

I have always belonged to a critique group. You are so right, it's important to have the input of others. Not only to improve your stories, but to toughen you up as well and encourage you to keep writing and to do your best at it.

Who is your favorite character in Bluegrass Peril and why?

I can’t possibly choose a favorite! I love the horses (and they are all unique individuals with personalities all their own) because I met the real life models for these characters and fell in love with them. I love Isabelle and my heart twists at her devastating grief. I love Kacy and her arrogant assurance that every man she encounters will fall adoringly at her feet. I love Mr. Courtney because he’s the perfect Kentucky gentleman horse breeder. I love Scott because he’s… ahhhh! He’s dreamy!

I really like Becky’s father, and there’s a story behind him. One of my critique partners said, “Do you realize that you never write characters who have a father? Their fathers are always deceased.” I hadn’t realized it, but of course there’s a reason for that. My parents divorced when I was young, and my father wasn’t around for most of my childhood, so when I create a character it’s hard for me to envision a positive male influence in their lives. So I purposefully set out to write a character with a good father, one who protects her and gives her advice and loves her unconditionally. I really like the way Becky’s father turned out.

But even though I love all my characters, I identify with Becky, the heroine. She’s a single mother struggling to raise her twin boys alone, and I have been there. I’ve searched through the couch cushions for loose change to buy gasoline, as she does. Her ex-husband is an alcoholic, and I’ve been there too. I love the way she wants to instill her Christian faith in her children, and the way she struggles to know God’s will for her life, and how she questions the direction of her heart.

What is your favorite scene in Bluegrass Peril and why?

Of course I love the entire book! I love the scenes that feature the horses, because they really do have unique personalities and I think they’re fascinating. I love the confrontation scene at the end because it’s more suspenseful than anything I’ve written before. And I love the scene where Becky’s friend babysits the twins, because it makes me laugh.

But one scene stands out in my mind because it has an interesting story behind it. During the revision process, my editor told me to add a scene where Becky prays with her kids. I resisted, because I thought it would come across as “preachy,” and I argued with my editor (nicely!) against it. But she insisted. So I reluctantly wrote the scene where the kids are waiting for their father, who is hours late. I remember my own children standing at the living room window watching every car on the road as they waited for their father to show up when promised, and I remember the agony I felt for them as the time lengthened and he didn’t show. So I wrote that scene, and had Becky kneel with them and lead them in prayer for their father. It turned out to be one of the most touching scenes in the book, I think, because it shows a Christian mother’s faith in action as she instructs her children to turn to their heavenly Father with their worries and fears.

If you'd like to find out more about her books, check out Virgina's website at www.virginiasmith.org

Happy Reading

Jc

CFBA Book Introduction: Auralia's Colors

About the Author
Jeffrey Overstreet lives in two worlds. By day, he writes about movies at LookingCloser.org and in notable publications like Christianity Today, Paste, and Image.

His adventures in cinema are chronicled in his book Through a Screen Darkly. By night, he composes new stories found in fictional worlds of his own.

Living in Shoreline, Washington, with his wife, Anne, a poet, he is a senior staff writer for Response Magazine at Seattle Pacific University.

Auralia’s Colors is his first novel. He is now hard at work on many new stories, including three more strands of The Auralia Thread.


About the Book
As a baby, she was found in a footprint.

As a girl, she was raised by thieves in a wilderness where savages lurk.

As a young woman, she will risk her life to save the world with the only secret she knows.

When thieves find an abandoned child lying in a monster’s footprint, they have no idea that their wilderness discovery will change the course of history. Cloaked in mystery, Auralia grows up among criminals outside the walls of House Abascar, where vicious beastmen lurk in shadow. There, she discovers an unsettling–and forbidden–talent for crafting colors that enchant all who behold them, including Abascar’s hard-hearted king, an exiled wizard, and a prince who keeps dangerous secrets.

Auralia’s gift opens doors from the palace to the dungeons, setting the stage for violent and miraculous change in the great houses of the Expanse. Auralia’s Colors weaves literary fantasy together with poetic prose, a suspenseful plot, adrenaline-rush action, and unpredictable characters sure to enthrall ambitious imaginations.Visit the Website especially created for the book, Auralia's Colors. On the site, you can read the first chapter and listen to jeffrey's introduction of the book, plus a lit more!


PRAISE
"Film critic and author Overstreet (Through a Screen Darkly) offers a powerful myth for his first foray into fiction. Overstreet’s writing is precise and beautiful, and the story is masterfully told. Readers will be hungry for the next installment."--Publishers Weekly

“Through word, image, and color Jeffrey Overstreet has crafted a work of art. From first to final page this original fantasy is sure to draw readers in. Auralia's Colors sparkles.”-–Janet Lee Carey, award-winning author of The Beast of Noor and Dragon's Keep

“Jeffrey Overstreet’s first fantasy, Auralia’s Colors, and its heroine’s cloak of wonders take their power from a vision of art that is auroral, looking to the return of beauty, and that intends to restore spirit and and mystery to the world. The book achieves its ends by the creation of a rich, complex universe and a series of dramatic, explosive events.”-–Marly Youmans, author of Ingledove and The Curse of the Raven Mocker

Stephen Lawhead

Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 18, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595540865
ISBN-13: 978-1595540867

From Steven Lawhead's website:

Scarlet continues Stephen R. Lawhead's riveting saga that began with the novel
Hood, which relocated the legend of Robin Hood to the Welsh countryside and its
dark forests. Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medival
Britain, Lawhead's trilogy conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to
contemporary realities. Prepare for an epic tale that dares to shatter
everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.

I read one of Lawhead's earlier works and loved it. He's definitely on my list of want to read more. This trilogy sounds like one I will need to pick up next.

From the reviews on Amazon, Scarlet will leave you wanting more as it ends on a cliff hanger.

Check out his site for more information.

Be sure to go to Amazon to learn more about these books as well and order one for yourself and a friend for Christmas.
Click here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1595540865

See what others are saying by checking out these sites below.
Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Wayne Thomas Batson
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Happy Reading!

J

Jonathan Rogers' Wilderking books

I read the first book of this series shortly after it first came out. I loved it, but as I read, I kept thinking the story so reminded me of King David's story in the Bible.

Well, duh. Indeed it does.

Aidan Errolson begins this journey as a shepherd boy who comes to find out through an old man that he is destined to be the Wilderking of Corenwald. (Yes, that was my first clue.)

I really loved this book and it's been on my list of series to keep reading. I laughed several times and enjoyed the colorful characters Rogers creates in this whimsical fantasy.

Check out what others are saying about this book by clicking on the links below. Also check out Roger's website for information about these books and news of upcoming releases.

Bark of the Bog Owl, book one of The Wilderking Trilogy is published by B&H Publishers

Jonathan Rogers website:
http://www.wilderking.com/

Amazon Link for Book One:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805431314

Other Blog Participants:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Donna Swanson
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

CSFF Blog Tour ... Austin Boyd

The Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour introduces Austin Boyd's newest book, The Return. Boyd is conducting a special prize to those who cruise the blog wave. Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.austinboyd.com/ . Also be sure to click on the links below to see what others are saying about this new release. Enjoy!

From the Back Cover

With nothing left for him on Earth, Rear Admiral John Wells didn't hesitate to lead a third NASA team to Mars, but he never dreamed that one day they'd look out their laboratory module into the lights of a slow-moving vehicle not their own. In the third installment of the Mars Hill Classified series, life on Mars becomes increasingly more unpredictable as the past collides with the future and nothing, not even the dead, is as it seems.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the fate of hundreds, including John Wells' family--presumed dead these last six years--rests precariously in the hands of Malcolm Raines, self-proclaimed Guardian of the Mother Seed and Principal Cleric of Saint Michael's Remnant, and his insidious plans for the Father Race.

Wells will find himself in a race against time and all odds to expose the truth: about Mars, about Malcolm Raines, and, if he's very brave, about himself.

Check out the Amazon link below
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157683946X

Trish Anderson
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
Lisa Cromwell
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
Dawn King
Tina Kulesa
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Chawna Schroeder
Mirtika Schultz
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Happy Reading!

J

When The Nile Runs Dry

Paul Farid was once a member of the royal family who openly persecuted any Sudanese who failed to practice Islam. Now he’s a Christian who puts his life on the line to aid the persecuted Sudanese. His wife, Larson, is a doctor committed to giving her life for peace.

Colonel Ben Alier has fought for twenty-one years against the government’s mandates to control the oil, religion, slavery, and politics of Sudan. He neither trusts nor rests any hope in the newly formed government.

Ben’s health deteriorates while Larson finds out she is going to have a baby. Their worlds collide, and as the relational tensions escalate so does the physical danger.

Award-winning author, DiAnn Mills, launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has over forty books in print and has sold more than a million copies.

Here's an interview about her lastest book:
What inspired you to write this novel?
I had previously written a nonfiction book about the Lost Boys of Sudan – Lost Boy No More. From that research, I wrote the novel When the Lion Roars, but the story would not let me go.

Through numerous interviews and extensive reading, I grew to love and admire the courageous Sudanese people and was burdened by their incredible needs. I had to bring them back in When the Nile Runs Red.

Why Sudan?
This country went through nearly two decades of civil war strife. In 1983, the northern government launched a holy war against the south. This grew out of the views of the Islamic north against the mostly Christian black African south. The war had three aspects: religion, politics, and oil. The atrocities committed against the southern people are too many to list, but the war was fought in the south through genocide.

How did you conduct your research?
I grabbed my backpack and sun screen and traveled to Juba, Sudan, the southern capital. There I stayed at a Christian compound and met with southern Sudanese from all walks of life: refugees, political leaders, and church leaders. I talked to as many people as I could, snapped pictures, and listened to what was being said.

Regarding your trip to Sudan, what touched you the most?
The incredible faith. I could look into a Sudanese’s eyes and see the pain of persecution and the hope of Jesus. Here, we say we love Jesus while we live in our huge homes, drive our fancy cars, are well-fed, are not hunted down for our faith, or are concerned about medical care. The Sudanese understand that all they have and need is Jesus.

Can you give us a brief description of your characters?
Paul Farid was once a Muslim who actively persecuted the southern people, but now he’s a Christian who flies dangerous missions into war-torn areas to deliver food and medical supplies.

Dr. Larson Kerr Farid risks her life to bring healing to the Sudanese. Just like her husband Paul, her life is often in danger. But there is a problem between her and Paul with no easy solution.

Colonel Ben Alier has been fighting and leading the southern army of Sudan for nearly two decades. Often referred to as a warlord, Ben fights his own demons.

The three are friends, an unlikely friendship forged by their love for Sudan.

How do you build your plots?
Always out of character with two simple words: what-if? John Gardner said to create the best possible characters and allow the worst possible things to happen to them. That says it all. It’s easy to coat our darlings with easy trials and struggles, but the hard stuff, the struggles that define the character are what has to happen. I’m a huge fan of Donald Maass and wouldn’t consider writing a paragraph without using techniques found in his books Writing the Breakout Novel and Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook.

What are you goals for this novel?
To increase awareness about the situation in Sudan and to share my passion for the Sudanese people through a compelling story.

The proceeds for this novel go back to aid the Sudanese.

What do you hope the readers will gain?
To lose themselves in the novel. That’s every writer’s goal. But I also want the reader to sense a call to action and support the Sudanese cause.

What is your next project?
I’m currently writing a romantic suspense series with a working series title of “Behind the Sunglasses”.

How can readers learn more about what you are doing?
Check out my website at www.diannmills.com. I have sections about Sudan, and for readers, and writers. Those signing up for my newsletter get to download a chapter of an upcoming release.

You can also see a video clip about this book at: http://www.diannmills.com/sudan/WTNRRPromoClip.html

CFBA - Camy Tang

Announcing another fabulous book and contest!

Sushi for One? - About the Book

Lex Sakai’s family, big, nosy, and marriage-minded, is ruled by a crafty grandmother. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the OLDEST SINGLE COUSIN in the clan, a loathed position by all single female family members.

Lex has not dated for years.

Grandma homes in on this fact and demands, bribes, and threatens Lex to bring a boyfriend (not just a date) to her cousin’s wedding. Lex does not want to date ... not since that terrible incident a few years back ... but, Grandma doesn't give her that choice.

Lex's options are slim because she has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the PERFECT man (and the more she dates, the more she adds to the list).

The one man she keeps running into (and is completely attracted to) doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex loses control and lets God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.

What a great read this book was. I enjoyed Lex and her overbearing family. I found the story fast paced and humorous, causing me to laugh out loud several times. Tang gives us a feel for the Asian culture in a light-hearted, yet realistic way.

I'm not one who usually reads chick-lit, but I highly recommend this book!



About The Author: Camy Tang

Camy Tang is a member of CFBA and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.

Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One is her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) comes out in February 2008!

To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, she's got a huge contest going on. Camy is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today.

For more information about the contest, visit her website.

Contest ends October 31, 2007!

Happy Reading
J

Montana Mistletoe blog tour

MONTANA MISTLETOE is a contemporary romance collection about four girlfriends who make a pact to find true love by their twenty-eighth Christmas. As the deadline looms, each keeps busy with expanding career and experiences faltering Christmas spirit. Lori is a major struggling to bolster the small town's economy, Madison runs a Christmas store and often travels to build up stock, Deanna is the town's director of tourism on a campaign to put her town on the map, and Kathy is a writer living in California who has lost her small town faith. When romance arrives in Mistletoe, Montana, in unexpected Christmas packages, will each woman be able to accept the gift?

Can you give us a brief blurb about a couple of the individual stories?

LENA: In Christmas Confusion, Lori Compton is the youngest mayor ever elected in the year around Christmas town, Mistletoe, Montana. She plans a turnaround in the local sagging economy by finding ways to bring more tourists to Mistletoe. The only possible suitor she can find is the single pastor of Living Word Chapel, but deep in her heart, she wants real love, not just a convenient answer to the Mistletoe Pact.

DEBBY: When Deanna’s high school sweetheart Anthony returns to Mistletoe, in Return to Mistletoe, she’s not prepared for her own reaction. Fighting the urge to fall in love with him again, she works hard at adding sparks to a relationship with someone else. Anthony continues to show up at the most unexpected times—not only to see Deanna but to help the town he’s loved since childhood.

What is the number one thing you’ve learned from your writing journey?

LISA: I think it’s trying to teach me patience! Writing is hard work, but it’s helped me become more disciplined and focused in all areas of my life. It’s also taught me disciple and how hard work really does pay off.

Any future plans for your writing you’d like to share? Any specific dreams you’d like to accomplish in the area of writing?

KIM: I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life at my keyboard, penning stories of God's hope and grace. This has been my dream since my earliest memories, and being a full-time writer is beyond joy for me. But I also loved teaching, and God closed that door, so I know it's a possibility that He could close this one. If He does, I'll go where He leads, because being in His will is the best place to be.

There are many aspiring writers out there. Can you share any tidbits of wisdom on getting published?

DEBBY: Study craft and the business of writing first. Work on your manuscripts to make them the best you can, but don’t get so attached to your own words that you’re not willing to change them at an editor’s request. Attend workshops and conferences to get to know other writers, editors, and publishing professionals. Read other books in the genre you want to write. Then accept that the Lord knows what’s best for you.

Any advice in working together as a team/preparing a novella proposal?

LENA: Together is the operative word. Everyone’s story is equally important. I write the best story I can to help strengthen the finished product, and I encourage the other authors in their stories, too.

****
If you want to learn more about the authors of Montana Mistletoe, check out Ronie Kendig’s blog on September 5th at http://supernaturalcraving.blogspot.com/

Winners! Winners! Winners!
Want a chance to win a FREE copy of the book and a $30 gift certificate to ChristianBooks.com? For more information, visit our official Montana, Mistletoe blog at http://montanamistletoe.blogspot.com/ before October 1st!
http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/ http://www.debbymayne.com/
http://www.kimvogelsawyer.com/ http://www.lisaharriswrites.com/

The Restorer - Sharon Hinck

Introducing The Restorer by Sharon Hinck

Product Details
Paperback: 477 pages
Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group (May 15, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600061311
ISBN-13: 978-1600061318

Susan Mitchell needed a change-- any change. Nearly twenty years of marriage to her college sweetheart, Mark, had given her two teenagers and two grade schoolers, along with miles of unmatched socks, sticky counter tops and the ever growing hum of sheer bedlam. When had she become so...insignificant? Hadn't God once had a plan for her?

When I first picked up this book, honestly, I rolled my eyes. A soccer mom is transported into another dimension. I thought, "Oh brother."


Then I actually sat down and started to read. Whoa. There's not many books that hook me so hard I can't put them down or stop thinking about them when I do, but this one did. It finally got to the point where I said to my family, "laundry can wait and there's a Taco Bueno across the street, here's 10 bucks."


In the story, Susan's husband builds her a quiet spot up in the attic where she ends up finding a portal into a another world with buildings that sound like they are made of children's play dough and frightening creatures and trees that send your shoulders jittering with that creepy feeling strange places can give you. As I kept reading, I'd think Hinck was going in one direction and then, WHAM, like a slap up against the head, she'd head off in another direction with me running after trying to keep up.


Then, when I found out how she'd gotten there and who was behind it, well... ::sigh:: as much as I'd like to discuss this part, I can't. You'll have to read for yourself.


It goes to show you that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Oh... uh... wait. The cover is really kind of cool. I guess don't judge by first impressions. A subject you think sounds kind of funky can in turn end up being an exciting adventure. Sharon Hinck has done this in The Restorer and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series which I believe will be released October of this year.



Here's a little bit of information on book two:

The Restorer's Son tells an adventurous story through two interwoven narrations: Susan, a housewife who courageously defended a world far
from home, and Kieran, a native of that world who is fighting his destiny.

After her strange and adventurous trip, Susan is readjusting to life in
suburbia. But she and her husband, Mark, must now journey back to an alternate
universe to save their trapped son. While Kieran is the next Restorer, he is
openly rebellious to his chosen role. Yet after a close encounter with the One,
Kieran yields his strong will and makes a sacrificial choice to save his people.

Sharon Hinck presents the second release in the Sword of Lyric series,
a unique blend of Christian, fantasy, and science fiction written with a woman's
sensibility. Female readers will uncover a story of empowerment that encourages
a personal pursuit of destiny.

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Navpress Publishing Group (October 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 160006132X
ISBN-13: 978-1600061325


I look forward to it.
Happy reading,
Jc

Sharon Hinck has a website you can check out for more information on what she's doing and how her books are coming along.
http://www.sharonhinck.com/

CFBA Book Introduction: The Void

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
THE VOID
(Multnomah Fiction August 21, 2007)
by
Mark Mynheir

The Truth Chasers Book Three

Someone’s trying to play God…and he’s turning Palm Bay into hell.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agent Robbie Sanchez devotes her life to crime prevention, and it shows: She has no personal life and doesn’t know the meaning of a day off. After all, someone has to be around to clean up the mess crime leaves behind.

So when Officer Brad Worthington is brutally murdered, Agent Sanchez is called to the scene along with Brad’s best friend, Detective Eric Casey. The two turn to Lifetex, the genetics lab near the scene, hoping their elaborate security system might have captured the crime outside.

But what’s going on inside the lab is far worse: a renegade scientist is cloning humans! As Robbie and Eric pursue clues–and a growing attraction–they are caught in a deadly battle as the clones begin to act on their own volition…but this battle threatens to claim more than human life; the clones are vying for human souls.

The Void is nothing short of a page-turner. Mynheir is truly hitting his stride as one of our industry's most notable Christian novelists. This latest book has it all: suspense, humor, intrigue, realistic police action, and one thought-provoking story line.

Creston Mapes, Author of Nobody

Mark Mynheir is a cop writer.

He has authored Rolling Thunder (The Truth Chasers Book One) and From the Belly of the Dragon (The Truth Chasers Book Two). During his career as a police officer, Mark has worked as a narcotics agent, a S.W.A.T. team member, and a homicide detective.

Mark and his wife, Lori, live with their three children in central Florida.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1590524004