Wednesday, June 27, 2007

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

THE DIVINE APPOINTMENT

(Howard Books June 5, 2007)

by



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jerome Teel is a graduate of Union University, where he received his JD, cum laude, from the Ole Miss School of Law. He is actively involved in his church, local charities, and youth sports.

He has always loved legal-suspense novels and is a political junkie. He is also the author of The Election, another political thriller that we reviewed November of '06.

Jerome and his wife, Jennifer, have three children...Brittney, Trey, and Matthew...and they reside in Tennessee where he practices law and is at work on a new novel.

You could visit Jerome at his Website, or at his blog Christian Political Blog.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

"They aren't hiding just one something, but a bunch of somethings..."


Small town southern lawyer, Elijah Faulkner is a dying breed...an attorney that actually takes pleasure in fighting injustice by working hard for the little guy. But when he takes on a case to defend a philandering doctor with a pregnant wife in a seemingly open-and-shut murder trial, Eli is not so sure he is on the 'right' side.

Back in Washington D.C., supreme Court Justice Martha Robinson has died, presenting an unprecedented opportunity for conservative President Richard Wallace to impact the direction of the highest court in the land. He believes God put him in the presidency for just such a time as this...to make a Divine Appointment. Not everyone is thrilled with the president's nominee, however. And some will stop at nothing, including murder, to prevent his confirmation by the Senate.

A lobbyist with a vendetta, a small-time Mafioso, an investigative reporter with a Watergate complex, and a powerful Washington political machine combine to create a fast-paced suspense novel that explores the anatomy of a murder, and the ripple effect that it creates across the country.

"Jerome Teel has crafted an intriguing political thriller...nice twists and turns to keep you reading. he paints vivid mental pictures that bring characters and locales to life."
--Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee's 7th District




Wednesday, June 20, 2007


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing


RELUCTANT RUNAWAY

(Multnomah, March 2007)

by




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson is a member of the CFBA. Her blog, Artistic Blogger, addresses issues about art, art theft, antiquities preservation, and the art of fiction writing. She takes art seriously - when she's not having fun with it, that is. The To Catch a Thief Series combines her love of the written word with her love of other art forms.

The first in the series was Reluctant Burglar , second is Reluctant Runaway. In January 2008, she will reveal the third book, Reluctant Smuggler. Jill is thrilled if the adventures that spill from her imagination can raise awareness about art theft - deemed "a looming criminal enterprise" by the FBI. Jill and her husband, Doug, have four children and live in Minnesota.


ABOUT THE BOOK:




Stolen Indian artifacts...A murdered museum guard



A missing woman…A baby in danger


Only Desiree can unearth the horrifying secret that links them all.

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs doesn’t mean to get in danger’s path. Really she doesn’t. But when a friend is in trouble you don’t just walk away. No matter what your overprotective FBI agent boyfriend says! So when Desi and Tony’s date at a presidential ball is interrupted by a frantic Maxine Webb, Desi doesn’t hesitate to jump in.

Soon Desi is neck-deep in a confusing array of villains. Did Max’s niece run away or was she taken? Is she still alive or the victim of a perverse ritual? And who wants her infant son–and why?

Then Tony’s organized crime case collides with Desi’s investigation, throwing them both into the path of something dark and sinister. Something that craves blood...

From the streets of Desi’s beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must rely on God to thwart unseen forces–and save a young woman and her baby from a villain more evil than any of them can imagine.

"A fresh voice, strong heroine, and unique plot make Reluctant Runaway a can't-put-down read. Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an author to watch in the realm of romantic suspense!"
----SUSAN MAY WARREN award-winning author of In Sheep's Clothing


Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Mystery Writers?

Okay, I admit. Most of what you've been seeing here hasn't been from mystery writers. Indeed the real mystery is why they are here at all. Well, the only explanation I have is that when I started this blog I also joined the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA) and then started the Christian Fiction Review Blog (CFRB). Since I'm into my writings and working on CFRB I've been using this blog for these posts. It's not an excuse, just an explanation. I hope to get more mystery/suspense writers toured through here, but it looks like I've become just another site that posts blogs during blog tours. I apologze if any of you have come here under false pretenses. That was not the intent. - David Brollier; blog ower


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing


As I Have Loved You

(Revell June 1, 2007)

by




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Nikki Arana is an award-winning author of highly-acclaimed inspirational women's fiction who weaves today's social, political, and spiritual issues into her novels. She has received numerous awards, including the Excellence in Media 2007 Silver Angel Award for The Winds of Sonoma.


The book was based on the true love story of how Nikki met her future husband Antonio as he was cleaning the stalls of her parents' Arabian horses. Nikki and Antonio have been married for over thirty years, have two grown sons, and live in Idaho.







ABOUT THE BOOK:


Contemporary Struggles...

...A Single Mom and College-Ages Son.

Leigh Scott is a widowed, single mother who wants the best for her son Jeff. She would like him to graduate from college, land a secure job, and start a family. However, Jeff, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at a young age, has a God-given compassion for people. And his non-judgemental acceptance of all has unintended consequences.


Jeff starts dating Jessica, a girl with a questionable past and seemingly non-existent future. Soon, Jeff's grades drop as quickly as his sober determination to achieve the goals he's worked toward all his life, and Leigh finds herself caught ina relational tornado


To complicate matters further, Leigh is an author with a looming book deadline, a father battling cancer, and her former boyfriend and first love, a strong Christian Native American, coming back in her life.


Arana weaves a multi-layered, emotional family saga that brings the peril of judgement, the need for forgiveness and the gift of love to light




"Nikki Arana wrings the heart and exalts the soul."

---Romantic Times





Tuesday, June 05, 2007


This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


These Boots Weren't Made for Walking

(WATERBROOK Press June 19, 2007)

by

Melody Carlson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Melody Carlson has published over 100 books for adults, children, and teens, including On This Day, Finding Alice, the Notes from a Spinning Planet series, and Homeward, which won the Rita Award from Romance Writers of America. She and her husband, the parents of two grown sons, make their home near the Cascade Mountains in Central Oregon. Melody is a full-time writer as well as an avid gardener, biker, skier, and hiker.








ABOUT THE BOOK:

Willing to make the necessary sacrifices–even skipping the occasional latte–to ensure career success, 31-year-old Cassidy Cantrell "invests" in a chic pair of boots, certain they’ll make a spectacular impression and help seal the deal on a long-anticipated promotion from her Seattle employer.

But reality tromps all over her expectations. Cassie’s job is abruptly eliminated–and her love life obliterated, when her longtime boyfriend dumps her for a "friend." Her self-esteem in tatters, Cassie limps home to the resort town she once so eagerly fled–only to find her recently divorced mother transformed into a gorgeous fifty-something babe with a thriving social life. Cassie wrestles with envy and apathy as she considers the dismal shape of her own physique and romantic prospects. What will it take for her to jump back into life and regain her stride?

This sassy and hilarious novel leads readers on a romp through the wilds of relationships, romance, career, and spirituality, revealing that, while God’s plans may look drastically different than our own, it’ll always be a perfect fit.


THE 3RD COVENANT - "Headlines"

Over the next few days I'll be publishing "Headlines" that might have been used by papers following the events in THE 3RD COVENANT. Below each I'll have a short article, as if a reporter were following the case. I hope you like this creative touch. To keep things from getting messy around here I'll be setting up a separate section on my website for this. You can get there by going to http://freewebs.com/sonburst Enjoy. - David Brollier

LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS




The Lost Genre Guild is celebrating LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS, an amazing anthology of Biblical speculative fiction with a scavenger hunt/blog tour. After reading this fantastic book it doesn't surprise me that such a creative technique would be used to get the word out about their book.

For more information go to The Lost Genre Guild's blog. Be sure to comment and "ping" them with the Technorati link.

What's so special about LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS? First off all the writers that contributed to this anthology are members of The Lost Genre Guild. Secondly, it's all speculative fiction, Biblical speculative fiction. Check Daniel I. Weaver's site for more information about that. Third, each writer is just plain awesome. This is a book you don't want to miss. You can take your pick from light fantasy to science fiction, humor to horror. Want to zoom through time and space? You can do so by reading one of the stories there. How about travel into deadly mountains with some rather weird and humorous interactions? You can do that too. Or perhaps you're a fan of horror or truly gripping thrillers. That's right, it's in there too. LGG is going to get tired of me saying this, but I consider LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS a true gathering of the masters. If you don't want to read works from true masters and, especially if your a writer, don't want to develop relationships with some of these authors, then by all means don't get the book. Yet, if you're serious about your own writing or want to get fantastic perspectives of truths you've heard all your life, this is a book you absolutely must read. Not only should you read it, but you should get one to keep as reference material. One day people are going to look back and say, "I wish I knew Frank Creed, Daniel Weaver, Chad Lavender, Deborah Smith, and the other authors," with the same sorrow some of us feel about not having made contact with C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. You have your chance to read their early works, to form friendships with people who will be tomorrows giants in the fields of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Don't pass it up. If you do, you only have yourself to blame.

David Brollier
author of THE 3RD COVENANT
co-founder of the Christian Fiction Review Blog (http://cfrblog.blogspot.com)

Sunday, June 03, 2007

THE 3RD COVENANT - Day 1




Since others are supposed to be doing this and not me--it's my book--I'm not going to say much about it. Here's the synopsis

A Catholic priest is murdered in Manhattan's Chinatown. Detective Nat Adams is put on the case. Also assigned to the case is CSI May K. Wish. Nat, a Christian, attempts to share his faith, and then struggles with it himself. May wants to concentrate on the case at hand, not talk about religion, which she holds to be more myth than truth. Together they work the two sides of the same case, investigative and forensics. Soon they find themselves facing off against a religious cult headed up by one very notorious ex-con. Bodies start to pile up and The Church of the Third Covenant leaves behind a bayonet as its calling card.

There's a nice book trailer on this site about the book. If it doesn't start properly, just reload the page (Caprice's trailer automatically starts, so you may have to pause that while you look at any of the others, but I recommend you looking at hers when you're done looking at another trailer. It's great).

For more about THE 3RD COVENANT go to http://freewebs.com/sonburst where you'll be able to read some of the reviews it has received.

Tangerine

Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith



This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about Tangerine (Revell, January 2007) by Marilynn Griffith (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and mother of *GULP* seven!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marilynn Griffith is wife to a deacon, mom to a tribe and proof that God gives second chances. Her novels include Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006), Pink (Revell, Feb. 2006), Jade (Revell, June 2006), and If the Shoe Fits (Revell, 2007). Her other credits include Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Cup of Comfort Devotionals and her Shades of Style series (Revell, 2006). She lives in Florida with her husband and children. To book speaking engagements or just say hello, email: marilynngriffith@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Tangerine is the third book in the Shades of Style Novels.

Fans of Pink and Jade will eat up Tangerine, the third book in the cutting-edge Shades of Style series. Jean Guerra, a designer at Garments of Praise design firm, doesn't like surprises. These days though, the unexpected meets her everywhere. Since Jean's return to the church a year ago, her God-encounters occur with increasing frequency, along with thoughts of her husband-the one she vowed to divorce and gave up on long ago. The one nobody at work knows about, not even her best friend, Lily, or her boss, Chenille. But when the designer assigned to work with Jean on a line of men's suits shows up, her heart flips. It's her husband, Nigel Salvador. Jean is finally rendered speechless. Can her bruised heart become whole enough to love again? Or will she remain in the trenches of loneliness forever?



The book link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0800730429


Marilynn's website link: http://marilynngriffith.typepad.com/rhythmsofgrace/

THE 3RD COVENANT - a Comparison

The following table shows where THE 3RD COVENANT stands against 7 top authors and 14 other books.

Title

Author

Times out

times per month

Judge and Jury

Cold Moon

Death Dance

Promise Me

The 3rd Covenant

The Camel Club

Violet Dawn

3rd Degree

The Collectors

Web of Lies

The 12th Card

Words of Silk

Above and Beyond

Entombed

No Second Chance

James Patterson

Jeffery Deaver

Linda Fairstein

Harlan Coben

David Brollier

David Baldacci

Brandilyn Collins

James Patterson

David Baldacci

Brandilyn Collins

Jeffery Deaver

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown

Linda Fairstein

Harlan Coben

CHO 9

CHO 17

CHO 17

CHO 16

CHO 11

CHO 21

CHO 4

CHO 34

CHO 2

CHO 2

CHO 17

CHO 29

CHO 30

CHO 19

CHO 31

2.25

2.43

2.43

2.28

1.83

1.71

1.3

1.08

1.00

1.00

.94

.94

.91

.82

.72