Monday, October 26, 2009



White Picket Fences


by Susan Meissner




Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will enjoy White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn't acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?


The story in a nutshell:

When her black sheep brother disappears, Amanda Janvier eagerly takes in her sixteen year-old niece. Tally is practically an orphan: motherless, and living with a father who raises Tally wherever he lands- in a Buick, a pizza joint, a horse farm-and regularly takes off on wild schemes. Amanda envisions that she and her family can offer the girl stability and a shot at a "normal" life, even though their own storybook lives are about to crumble.


What led you to write White Picket Fences?

Several years ago I was a court-appointed advocate for children involved in protective services. There were times when I saw that despite the outward appearance of a less-than-perfect home, a child could be loved there. Just because a parent is unconventional or unsuccessful career-wise or makes choices that buck societal norms, it doesn't mean that he or she is by default a "bad" parent. Likewise, parents who we would traditionally call "good" -meaning they provide, they protect, they don't hit, they don't ridicule - can nevertheless make decisions regarding their children that have hugely negative effects and yet their outward appearance would never lead anyone to suspect it. Even if you live behind a white picket fence, you still have to deal with the fallout of a living in a broken world. You can't hide from it. The perfect, idyllic life is an illusion. Life is a weave of both delight and disappointment and it's precisely these things that give it definition and depth. To ignore what is ugly is to cheapen what is beautiful.


You dovetailed a current day family drama with the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto. Why the connection?

I think it's fair to say that the depth of the atrocities inflicted during the Holocaust wasn't fully appreciated until after the war. There was ugliness happening, if you will, and much of the West failed to see it - for whatever reason. Within the horror, though, people made brave choices, selfless choices. And there were survivors who had to choose what they would take with them from the ashes of their suffering. I wanted to explore how a person makes that decision. Even the decision to pretend it never happened is a decision regarding those ashes.



What do you think interests you about the intersection of personal relationships and perceptions - a theme you wove into both The Shape of Mercy and White Picket Fences?

I see every great work of fiction being about human relationships. Gone With the Wind is so much more than just an epic story with the Civil War as a backdrop. It's a story of human relationships. Scarlett and Ashley, Scarlett and Rhett, Scarlett and Melanie, Scarlett and her father. It's within our closest relationships that our brightest virtues and worst flaws are exposed. That's why there is such tremendous story value within intimate human relationships. We are at our best and our worst when we are responding and reacting to the people who shape who we are. Human history is the story of relationships and what they teach us about what we value. And what we don't.



White Picket Fences is a different kind of novel than your acclaimed book, The Shape of Mercy, but there are some similarities too. Can you explain those?

As with The Shape of Mercy, there is a historical thread in White Picket Fences, though it is not as dominant. The invasion of Poland by the Nazis is woven into the story, and provides the backdrop for Chase's and Tally's discoveries about hope, dreams, and redemption. This thread is enhanced by visits to a nursing home where Chase and Tally meet a man blind from birth who survived the occupation of Poland. It is also a story that draws its pathos from family dynamics and the near-universal desire we have to make straight what is crooked. There are two young protagonists in White Picket Fences, like there was in The Shape of Mercy, as well as a third character, who, along with the two men in the nursing home, provide a similar multi-generational story thread.



What do you hope readers come away with after reading White Picket Fences?

The pivotal moment in the story for me is when Josef says to Chase: "[This] is what all survivors must decide. We have to decide how much we will choose to remember, how much courage we are willing to expend to do so." It takes courage to acknowledge and remember what drove you to your knees or nearly killed you. If you choose to forget - and that's assuming you actually can - then it seems to me you suffered for nothing. You are different but you don't spend any time contemplating - or celebrating - how. I'd be happy if there was a takeaway for someone out there who needs to consider that.

My bio:

Susan Meissner is the multi-published author of The Shape of Mercy, named one of the Best Books in 2008 by Publishers Weekly the ECPA's Fiction Book of the Year. She is also a speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. A devotee of purposeful pre-writing, Susan encourages workshop audiences to maximize writing time by mapping the writing journey and beginning from a place of intimate knowledge. She is the leader/moderator of a local writer's group, a pastor's wife and the mother of four young adults. A native San Diegan, Susan attended Point Loma Nazarene University. When she's not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at The Church at Rancho Bernardo.

You can purchase White Picket Fences here:
http://www.amazon.com/White-Picket-Fences-Susan-Meissner/dp/1400074576/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

And read an excerpt here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074570&view=excerpt

Friday, October 23, 2009






LOST MISSION

By Athol Dickson

An epic suspense story spanning two centuries and brimming with magical realism.

Lupe de la Garza, a simple shopkeeper in a mountain village in Mexico, believes God wants her to go to America to preach the gospel. She is guided on her quest by her people's greatest treasure: an altarpiece painted by the eighteenth century Franciscan friar who founded her village after fleeing the mysterious destruction of his California mission outpost. When Lupe is distracted by desire for a young minister and her preaching in a southern California beach town inspires only apathy and laughter, she begins to lose faith in her quest. Then the slumbering evil that destroyed the friar's Franciscan mission rises up again after two hundred years, and Lupe once more looks to the altarpiece for guidance, only to find the true purpose of her quest in the midst of her single greatest fear.

As with Dickson's previous works, Lost Mission caused me to slow down and enjoy every savory bite of this gripping journey. When I arrived at the end I was left feeling like I'd taken part in an epic voyage that had completely consumed my imagination. . . . Lost Mission is redemptive storytelling at its highest level and once again Dickson proves that he is a true master of the craft - Jake Chism, FictionAddict.com

To purchase Lost Mission, click on:
http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, or http://www.christianbook.com/

Visit Athol Dickson's blog to read the entire first chapter of Lost Mission.
Visit Athol Dickson's official website for more information.






Curse of the Spider King

by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper

Fantasy. Mystery. Action. Humor. Parents, teachers, and librarians will no longer have to push kids to read-The Berinfell Prophesies will engage intermediate readers and leave them clamoring for more.

The Seven succeeding Elven Lords of Allyra were dead, lost in the Siege of Berinfell as babes. At least that's what everyone thought until tremors from a distant world known as Earth, revealed strange signs that Elven blood lived among its peoples. With a glimmer of hope in their hearts, sentinels are sent to see if the signs are true. But theirs is not a lone errand. The ruling warlord of Allyra, the Spider King, has sent his own scouts to hunt down the Seven and finish the job they failed to complete many ages ago.

Now 13-year-olds on the brink of the Age of Reckoning when their Elven gifts will be manifest, discover the unthinkable truth that their adoptive families are not their only kin. With mysterious Sentinels revealing breathtaking secrets of the past, and dark strangers haunting their every move, will the young Elf Lords find the way back to the home of their birth? Worlds and races collide as the forces of good and evil battle. Will anyone escape the Curse of the Spider King?

Learn more about The Berinfell Prophecies at http://www.heedtheprophecies.com/. Create your own tribe. Connect with fans through the forum. Win pre-release chapters and the opportunity to have Wayne and Christopher at your very own book party!

Wayne Thomas Batson
http://www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/
http://www.heedtheprophecies.com/

Purchase Curse of the Spider King at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1400315050?tag=wwwenterthedo-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1400315050&adid=0A5WM995P6F0VJHX2GQ3&

Friday, October 09, 2009


The Carousel Painter
Judith Miller

"Set in the late 1800s, this delightful tale introduces Carrington Brouwer, left penniless by her father's death. She takes a coveted position as an artist in a carousel factory, where many of the male workers resent her presence. When the factory owner is robbed, Carrington falls under suspicion. VERDICT: Miller's attention to historical detail and her convincing heroine make this an enjoyable novel for lovers of historical romances and inspirational women's fiction." -Library Journal.

When her coveted job leads to false accusations, who can she trust to believe the truth?

To purchase The Carousel Painter, go to http://www.christianbook.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/ or visit your local Christian bookstore
To discover more about Judith Miller, please visit her website at http://www.judithmccoymiller.com/


Thirsty

By Tracey Bateman
Release date October 6, 2009

"Thirsty is more than a run-of-the-mill vampire story. I loved the way Tracey Bateman incorporated the struggle against alcoholism into the theme. Great writing and a compelling read!"

-Colleen Coble, author of Lonestar Secrets and the Rock Harbor series


There's no place like home, they say.

"Hello, I'm Nina Parker.and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier-and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone-or something-igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Cheryl Wyatt


"My fifth book, Soldier Daddy, is in stores now. It can also be
ordered online. Please pass the word!

About the book
U.S. Air Force commander Aaron Petrowski leads pararescue teams, yet
can't find one nanny for his three-year-old twins?
The widowed father is returning to duty, but not without the best care
for his beloved boys. So when Sarah Graham applies,
the young woman surprises everyone by passing inspection. Until Aaron
discovers Sarah has a secret tied to a tragedy in his past.
He can't keep her in his employ—or in his heart. Until his brave
little soldier boys teach him a thing or two about love.

About the Author
Born Valentines Day on a naval base, Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance.
Her Steeple Hill debuts earned RT Top Picks plus #1 and #4 on eHarlequin's
Top 10 Most-Blogged-About-Books, lists including NYT Bestsellers.
www.cherylwyatt.com

I'm also hosting a new contest and providing recipes from my Wings of
Refuge series to my newsletter subscribers. My newsletter goes out
next week. So be sure to visit my Web site and sign up for it if you
want news and goodies exclusive to my quarterly newsletter
subscribers.
http://www.scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 02, 2009


Guardian of the Flame
A Seven Wonders Novel by T.L. Higley

In a city ravaged by the clash of cultures
One woman fights for solitude
Will a Roman solider destroy her peace?

Alexandria, 48 BC. Sophia has spent nearly twenty years as the keeper of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, alone in her task and in her heart. But when the wealthy capital of Egypt is invaded by Julius Caesar and his Roman legion, Sophia’s peace is shattered and her lighthouse invaded. The Roman general would steal both her county and its queen, the Greek Cleopatra, and when his military strategy endangers the city’s best scholars and their secret invention, Sophia must discover a way to protect the men. But as the historic war erupts, tangling Sophia in its chaos, she finds that the Roman centurion instructed to invade her lighthouse is also invading her heart.

Now Sophia must do whatever it takes to keep him out – even if it costs her everything.


Read the first three chapters, enter to win Lighthouse Wall Art, and watch video trailers at http://www.tlhigley.com/
Guardian of the Flame can be purchased at Amazon, Christianbook.com, and wherever books are sold.



Who Do I Talk To?
Neta Jackson

In the last place she ever imagined she'd be, Gabby will discover what she's made of--and for.

At the end of "Where Do I Go?" (the first book in the Yada Yada House of Hope series), Gabby Fairbanks found herself thrown out of their luxury penthouse by her husband, who's disappeared with their boys, and the only place she had to go was the homeless shelter where she worked--but where she also discovered that God IS where she can go when her world fell apart.

Now in Book 2 of the series ("Who Do I Talk To?"), Gabby tries to put together the broken pieces of her life and get her sons back. But as her fragile plans fall apart and she experiences even more loss, Gabby heads cross-country with a casket, a Hero Dog, a homeless bag lady, and her new friend Jodi Baxter . . . and together they hit on a possibility so wild and wonderful it has to be one of those "God things." If only she can quit getting in the way . . .



Available wherever books are sold.