This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A BIGGER LIFE

Navpress Publishing Group (January 15, 2007)

by

Annette Smith

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In 1997, Annette was working as a home health nurse. She traveled the back roads from house to house, caring for ill and injured, homebound people. Because of her unique position in the lives of relative strangers, she often found herself bearing solitary witness to intimate behind-the-scenes situations full of grace and meaning. The desire to honor both a particular patient and a poignant scene involving the woman and her husband prompted Annette to write a fictionalized story, The Anniversary.

That first story appeared as a column in the Houston Chronicle newspaper and as an essay in Today’s Christian Woman magazine. Later it became a chapter in Annette’s first and best-selling book of short stories, The Whispers of Angels, that has sold more than 100,000 copies

Since then, Annette has penned four more books of stories, two volumes on parenting, and the Coming Home to Ruby Prairie trilogy.

Annette and her husband Randy, a High School teacher and coach, make their home on a wooded lot in Quitman, Texas. They are the parents of two young adult children, Russell and Rachel, both out on their own. Wally, a grateful, rescued mutt provides warmth and entertainment and keeps the Smith’s empty nest from feeling too lonely.

In addition to writing, Annette continues to serve part-time as a registered nurse. She finds the people she works with and the patients she cares for provide great inspiration for her fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Joel Carpenter did not plan for his life to turn out like this. He never meant to be a single dad, working at a hair salon in Eden Plain, Texas. But after making a careless choice four years ago, his marriage was permanently shattered. Now at twenty-seven, he finds himself juggling custody of his preschool son with Kari, the ex-wife he still loves, and sharing Sunday dinners with a group of other single dads.

Joel regrets the choices that brought him to this place, but it's not until the worst happens that he learns how much he still has to give. In the midst of deep tragedy, he learns that forgiveness is way more important than freedom. Hopefully it's not too late!

A BIGGER LIFEis a story of love in the midst of heartache, and friendship in the midst of real, everyday life.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

CORAL MOON

Zondervan (April 27, 2007)

by

Brandilyn Collins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brandilyn Collins' is the bestselling author of Violet Dawn, Web Of Lies, Dead of Night, Stain of Guilt, Brink of Death, and Eyes of Elisha just to name a few.

Brandilyn and her family divide their time between the California Bay Area and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

She also maintains an informative blog called Forensics and Faith where she daily dispenses wisdom on writing, life, and the Christian book industry.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn't even detect a breath.

Spider fingers teased the back of her neck.

Leslie's feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking...what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony as last month's trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing...

VIOLET DAWN brought on a new dimension of Brandilyn Collins that I wasn't ready for. In fact, I was personally disappointed with the first book of her new series. It was going in too many places at the same time for me. Yet, CORAL MOON works precisely because she needed to get all that information out to the reader. Collins is not content to approach a story with your basic English style, that is to spend 3 or more chapters laying the groundwork and then actually getting to the story. She likes to dive right in (and take us with her in the process). That being the case, and her new series being more evolved or complex than some of her other series, it was necessary for her to run down all the rabbit tracks in the first book of the series. Now she's able to bear down. (I should say that once things started to come together in VIOLET DAWN it was a good read). CORAL MOON is more than just a good read. It's something that you'd expect from very few authors. Yup, she's got Kanner Lake jumping again with a string of murders that have police scratching their heads. You'll love the characters, the twists and turns, the blind alleys she takes you down...

And as Brandilyn would say...

Presently this Kanner Lake Series of books has its own character blog called Scenes and Beans . Stop by and visit the folks from Kanner Lake!

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 7

Day 7 Satuday

"Understanding" is one of my favorites because I'm a mystery writer and this is a mystery. It takes on a different approach than most mysteries as J. Sherer guides you through misunderstandings to truth and true understanding. One of the things I like about this is the twisted ending, which by some strange twist of the divine, is much like my own work in progress. So, not wishing to spoil both this story nor my own book, I'm opting to say little about this story other than it is truly a wonderful work and you must read it. (Then after my book comes out you must read my book too. (Sorry for the plug Karina, but I couldn't help myself)

Rob and Karina Fabian have put together a wonderful booktrailer which you will find our the CFRB Booktrailer page to this site. There are other booktrailers there as well. We invite you to visit this page and check out these booktrailers, even if you've missed a blogtour for any of the books. You can also see the booktrailer for INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD at that website listed below. I invite you to visit their site, not just to view their trailer, but to contact them and let them know how much the tour has meant to you. We ask that you'd do the same for all authors or compilers of the books we tour here. Letting them know how CFRB has made you aware of some really great fiction is going to help encourage them to continue to put together even more great Christian fiction. And if you want to know about Jesus you can ask any of us and we'll be happy to share with you what He means to us and can mean to you.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 6

Day 6 Friday

"Little Madeline", by Simon Morden, is a story, except for a few references of a more modern technology and that she was some kind of mutant life form, could be about any city in the world, small or large. As Jesus told His disciples, “The poor you have with you always.” It's amazing that this story and Good Friday show up at the same time, for this is about choices. Jesus could have chosen the easy way, but that would have meant there would be no salvation. Little Madeline could have taken the "easy" way, but would have found herself in bondage to the poverty around her. Richness is not, nor ever has properly been defined by what a person owns or possess. It is defined by how much they give away. In this sense Little Madeline was rich beyond those she lived with. She had something the rich themselves could not buy with all their wealth. She followed the example of Christ. On this Good Friday may we all purpose in our hearts to become poor in spirit that we may become rich in grace.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 5

Day 5 Thursday

The “Mask of the Ferret”, by Ken Pick and Alan Loewen, is one delightfully complex and truly energized story. The authors have looked into the future and not only contemplated other lifeforms from planets unknown to us now, but have given them homes, descriptions and breathed life into them. The entire story feels as if it is alive. The whole story takes place on a faster than light transport to another planet. You'll be introduced to new terms, names, planets, humanoid species. More than that you'll be introduced to an interesting look at grace. I have to stop here or I'll ruin it for you. Just get the book and read it.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

In High Places, by Tom Morrisey

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

IN HIGH PLACES

(Bethany House March 1, 2007)

by

Tom Morrisey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tom Morrisey is the author of four previous novels and numerous short stories, a world-renowned adventure-travel writer whose work has appeared in Outside, Sport Diver (where he serves as Executive Editor) and other leading magazines.

He holds an MA in English Language and Literature from the University of Toledo and an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University. He lives in Orlando, Florida.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For Patrick Nolan, every climb tells a story. And now maybe it's his own …. He's right at the rim, staring over the cliff's knife edge and wondering how things went wrong so quickly.

It all started after arriving home from a weekend climbing trip with his father, Kevin. That's when word reached them. In a silent moment, they'd lost the person most important to them—her death raising unanswerable questions and dangerous doubts.

Launching a new life in a new town to escape their pain, son and father find themselves in danger of being torn apart forever. As his father seeks a route to solace on the dangerous high face of the rock, Patrick finds a path to hope with the unlikeliest of allies—a pastor's daughter. Together they must discover the one answer that can bring Patrick and Kevin back from the brink of the precipice.

Endorsements: "It is rare to find a 'man's man' who knows the human heart, much less one who can write with such a well-balanced combination of sensitivity and adrenaline-charged adventure."
—Athol Dickson, Christy-Award-winning author of River Rising

"Beautifully exciting, haunting, and satisfying. Morrisey leaves you hanging by your fingertips."
—Lisa Samson, award-winning author of The Church Ladies and Straight Up

"Tom Morrisey is a master wordsmith and an expert at weaving gripping stories. If I pick up a book with his name on it, I know I'm going for gold."
—Angela Hunt, author of Uncharted




You can find the book at:


Tom can be reached through email at: tom@tommorrisey.com

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 4

Day 4 Wednesday

In "Interstellar Calling", by Karina Fabian, we take an all too familiar situation and let God in to do as He wills. I love this story on several levels. First, it shows how painful a single word can be, especially to a teenager. Second, we find that teenager, Frankie, trying to control a rage born of pain, with limited success. Lastly, however, is what I like best. For it is here, when we let God come into that situation that we find something truly special. It isn't about us, our abilities or inabilities, talents or lack of talents that make us useful to God. It is our availability to Him. When we make ourselves available to Him God works the miraculous through us. We see our own short-comings and He becomes our perfection. He takes away our pain as we surrender ourselves to Him and forgive those we feel have hurt us in the same way He has forgiven us. How appropriate that message is at this time of year when we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus for our sin. For Jesus looked down through the corridors of time, not just at those who stood at the cross 2000 years ago, and prayers, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." With this statement we understand the framework in which we as Christians are also to operate. It is the framework of His unmeasurable love.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 3

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD

Day 3 Tuesday

"Hopkin's Well", by Adrienne Ray is a marvelous work in that we not only get to travel to Mars, consider the impact of "advanced" technology, but we are faced with a question. Are we, as mortals, willing to accept what we have been told to be truth, or will we challenge what we are taught so that we might come to know the truth? This is one of my favorite lines of thinking. Without going into too much of the story let me just expound on this for a moment. For a priest, minister, preacher or what have you to teach the truth is not enough. Far too many people have thought that it was. The fact of the matter is if we do not challenge what we have been taught it remains the teachings of someone else. We can not believe in ourselves, nor in God, but only in the words of man. Yet, should someone teach the truth and be accurate 100% of the time, which would be a neat trick, and we challenged those teachings against Scripture no longer would we follow the teachings of man, but the Words of God. Those who know me know that I hate to be classified as religious. I am a Christian. I challenge what I am taught and belong to one Body, that of the Lord Jesus Christ. I follow His Word by challenging what I have been taught. By that I do not mean I am critical of everything someone says. That is also falsehood. Instead I compare what has been taught by man by what is taught in Scripture. The results are amazing because God's Word is alive. It speaks to each of us where we are, if we will but listen. Then we can follow where He leads, to the neighbor down the street, a people halfway around the world, and yes, even to Mars, to Hopkin's Well, and find that He has gone on before us.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD - Day 2

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD

Day 2 Monday

“The Harvest”, by Lori Z. Scott addresses the issue of cloning and whether or not a human clone has a soul. In "The Harvest" society has determined that clones do not have souls. This puts a doctor-turned-priest in a delicate situation when one of the clones dies. As the situation starts to spin out of control we find the answer to this question coming from the most unlikely source. I hope everyone has the chance to get a copy of INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD so they can read this and other stories, just as well written and just as thought provoking. Unlike some other science fiction which basically forces the reader to accept what they've written, INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD challenges the reader to make up their own minds on certain issues. It does so, however, putting the reader in the uncomfortable position of having to make some uncomfortable choices. Get it. Read it. Love it.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD

Day 1 Sunday

I'm not going to lie to you. I was a bit nervous about this one. I mean I grew up with a Pentecostal background, although I didn't see myself as judgmental. I felt that religion itself was wrong, and to a large degree maintain that opinion. So reviewing something that not only says it is a collection of Catholic works, but boasts about the fact put me on edge. Still, because of the contact I've had with Karina Fabian, who compiled this work with her husband Rob, I found myself timidly entering unchartered waters. While I think the “Catholic” bit was a bit overdone in some cases I have to remind myself that this was written BY Catholics and TO Catholics. No one is out to change anyone's denominational ties here. They are simply doing what writers have been told to do for ages, write about what you know, and they know Catholicism. I found out they knew a lot more as well.

In one very real sense this "Catholic" work stands as a "David" against the "Goliaths" of our day, reminding those of us from other denominational backgrounds that God is God and that taking our own personal experiences into the battle isn't always a bad thing. I would like to say this is a Christian work, and while this is true it is also a work by those refusing to be ashamed at being called Catholic. This is something many of us have forgotten.

One of my chief desires for touring INFINITE SPACE, INFINITE GOD, however, has nothing to do with Catholicism. Instead it has to do with the desire for CFRB to branch out to do short stories. This work, as well as LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS have helped in creating a bridge from here to there. Please check out the other sites and come back tomorrow when I'll tune in on one of the great stories in this work. I hope you will find these posts intriguing enough to go out and purchase this one of a kind book.

Featured at Twilight Times Books

Don't miss out on checking this site at Fabian Space

And don't forget to visit Infinite Space, Infinite God

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

RECLAIMING NICK

( Tyndale Fiction, 2007)

by

Susan May Warren

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award winning author SUSAN MAY WARREN recently returned home to her native Minnesota after serving for eight years with her husband and four children as missionaries with SEND International in Far East Russia. She now writes full time from Minnesota's north woods. Visit her Web site at www.susanmaywarren.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

RECLAIMING NICK is the first of The Noble Legacy series. Book Two, Taming Rafe, will be available January 2008.

A Modern Day Prodigal Comes Home...

NICK NOBLE HADN'T PLANNED ON BEING THE PRODIGAL SON.

But when his father dies and leaves half of Silver Buckle--the Noble family ranch--to Nick’s former best friend, he must return home to face his mistakes, and guarantee that the Silver Buckle stays in the Noble family.

Award-winning journalist Piper Sullivan believes Nick framed her brother for murder, and she’s determined to find justice. But following Nick to the Silver Buckle and posing as a ranch cook proves more challenging than she thinks. So does resisting his charming smile.

As Nick seeks to overturn his father’s will--and Piper digs for answers--family secrets surface that send Nick’s life into a tailspin. But there’s someone who’s out to take the Silver Buckle from the Noble family, and he’ll stop at nothing--even murder--to make it happen.

Endorsement:

“Susan May Warren once again delivers that perfect combination of heart-pumping suspense and heart-warming romance.”--Tracey Bateman, author of the Claire Everett series

If you would like to hear more about Nick, he has his own blog. Also, the first chapter is there...

It Happens Every Spring by Dr. Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING

( Tyndale Fiction, 2007)

by

Gary Chapman

and

Catherine Palmer

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

GARY CHAPMAN is the author of the New York Times best seller The Five Love Languages and numerous othe rbooks. He's the director of Marriage & Family Life Consultants, Inc., and host of A Growing Marriage, a syndicated radio program heard on over 100 stations across North America. He and his wife, Karolyn, live in North Carolina.

CATHERINE PALMER is the Christy Award-winning, CBA best-selling author of more than forty novels--including The Bachelor's Bargain--which have more than 2 million copies in print. She lives in Missouri with her husband, Tim, and two sons.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING is the first of The Four Seasons fiction series, based on the ever-changing cycles of relationships detailed in Gary Chapman's nonfiction book The Four Seasons of Marriage. The novels will focus on four couples, each moving in and out of a different season.

Word travels fast at the Just As I Am beauty shop.

So when a simple homeless man appears on Steve and Brenda Hansen's doorstep, the entire shop is set abuzz, especially when Brenda lets him sleep on their porch.

That's not all the neighbors are talking about. Spring may be blooming outdoors, but an icy chill has settled over the Hansens' marriage. Steve is keeping late hours with clients, and the usually upbeat Brenda is feeling the absence of her husband and her college-age kids.

Add to that the unsavory business moving in next to the beauty shop and the entire community gets turned upside down. Now Brenda's friends must unite to pull her out of her rut and keep the unwanted sotre out of town. But can Steve and Brenda learn to thaw their chilly marriage and enjoy the hope spring offers?

Recognizing a Stroke

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R.

My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the w ord . I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK or SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) ( i.e. . It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

THE RELIANCE

( Barbour, January 1, 2007)

by

Mary Lu Tyndall

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

M. L. (MARYLU) TYNDALL grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul--a longing for something more.

After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart.

Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable.

One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see that He was real, that He still loved her, and that He had a purpose for her life, if she's only give her heart to Him completely.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A YOUNG BRIDE separated from her husband just as a child has been conceived...

A GRIEVING HUSBAND tempted to take his anger out through the vices of his past...

A MARRIAGE AND A SHIP threatenend to be split apart by villainous Caribbean pirates...

In
THE RELIANCE, Edmund Merrick tormented by the apparent demise of his pregnant wife Charlisse, sails away to drown his sorrows. He turns his back on God and reverts to a life of villainy, joining forces with the demented French pirate Collier. When his mind clears from its rum-induced haze, will Edmund find the will to escape?

Seemingly abandoned by her new husband, Charlisse battles her own insecurities as she is thrown into the clutches of the vengeful pirate Kent, who holds her and Lady Isabel captive.

Will she be swept away by the undertow of treachery and despair? Can Edmund and Charlisse battle the tempests that threaten to tear them apart and steer their way to the faith-filled haven they so desperately seek? Or will they ultimately lose their love and lives to the whirlpool of treachery and deceit?

THE CHRONICLES OF SOONE: HEIR TO THE KING

Day 4

What about all that psychic stuff? Yeah, I can hear the nay-sayers now. They'll be putting this great work of Christian fiction down and even possibly teaching people that this is a demonic work. I want you readers to know right up front that Somers has not added anything in this book that is offensive to the Gospel. It's the people who do not know their Bibles and think they do that will be offended the most. Well, good for James.

The Barudii warrior uses kinetic powers to enhance their natural abilities. These psychic powers aren't like those palm reader or anything of the sort. These powers are powers that are, first of all, genetically passed on. Has anyone stopped to think how Adam took care of the entire Garden of Eden on a daily basis? Could it be possible that his spirit and the Spirit of God were, at that time, so in tune that the natural abilities of his mind to move himself from place to place was commonplace? What about Philip, who after baptizing the eunich in the desert was found preaching at the city of Azotus. It says the Spirit caught up Philip and took him away. (Acts 8:26-40) If we, now being sinful, now use only 10% or less of our mind isn't it conceivable that in the sinless state we would be able to do things that would today be considered miracles? For the Barudii warrior he was simply making use of the God-given gifts he had been given. This included powers that we do not have, but prior to sin coming into the world we may well have had.

And let's not forget that we're talking about an allegory which depicts spiritual warfare in a physical sense. To do this Somers uses several different techniques, all of which I found fascinating. There is more to this than I can put down in a short post. Let's just enjoy the vision God has given James Somers and he has shared with us in his writings. After all, fiction is meant to be enjoyed, not picked apart like some frog in a biology class.

Don't miss out on checking his site at Breakneck Books

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing

THE WATCHERS

( Bethany House, March 1, 2007)
by

MARK ANDREW OLSEN

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

MARK ANDREW OLSEN whose novel The Assignment was a Christy Award finalist, also collaborated on bestsellers Hadassah (now the major motion picture: One Night With the King), The Hadassah Covenant, and Rescued. The son of missionaries to France, Mark is a graduate of Baylor University. He and his wife, Connie, live in Colorado Springs with their three children.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Just below the surface among the family of God lives another family tree--one traced in spirit, invisible and ageless, known as the Watchers. For two thousand years they've seen beyond the veil separating this world from the next, passing on their gift through a lineage mostly overlooked. Throughout history they've scouted the borders of the supernatural frontier, but now their survival hangs by a thread. And their fate lies in the hands of a young woman, her would-be killer, and a mystery they must solve....

"Congratulations. You just reached my own little corner of cyberspace.

Who am I?

Abby Sherman, that's who.

Who are you? And why are you checking me out?

Drop me a few pixels, and let's find out!"

With that innocent invitation, Abby Sherman unwittingly steps in the crosshairs of history, and thus begins her harrowing tale--taking her from ocean-front Malibu to the streets of London, the jungles in West Africa, the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and to the very gates of heaven itself!

A sneak preview of eternity becomes her one-way ticket to danger--and discovery….

Two lives collide in a globe-circling adventure involving both peril and discovery: Abby, a young woman whose visions of heaven turn her into a Web-celebrity; and Dylan, a troubled young man sent by an ancient foe to silence her. From California beachfronts to Nigerian rain forests to Jerusalem and back again, THE WATCHERS is high-octane blends of action, mystery, and spiritual battle spanning centuries.

A woman's awe-inspiring vision launches her on a quest through distant lands and ancient history, face-to-face with eternity and into the arms of a family line on the brink of annihilation...

A man who is hired to exterminate her discovers the folly of blind loyalty, then learns how to wage war in a realm he never believed had existed...

An extraordinary saga of the unseen war against evil, the reality of the supernatural, and the transforming power of forgiveness.

ENDORSEMENT:

"A writer who can take your breath away with a single sentence. A welcome, fresh voice that must be read!"--Ted Dekker

I may not be the same caliber of writer as Ted Dekker, but I have to chime in. I set the bar very high when writing my reviews. So high that many good writers only get a 4 star rating. Mark Olsen's THE WATCHERS received my first 5 star rating. It was that unexpected work of greatness that I'd been looking for, something that would stand above all the others. Isn't that what a 5 star rating is supposed to be? Well, Mark sure earned it with THE WATCHERS. There are places where it is dark, but not gory. He breaks the darkness up with just enough humanity, humor and even romance, to keep the reader tuned in. What is it about? Well, suppose you stepped out of your house one morning and could actually SEE the spiritual battleground you were standing one? This is something that he has built into the story with such eloquence that one finds themselves looking over their shoulders. Do we really want to have “the Sight” and be “Watchers”, or do we want to warm a pew in some dead church someplace. The choice is ours, but the ramifications are beyond our comprehension. This Mark Olsen brings home to us in one of the most fascinating stories I've ever read in contemporary Christian fiction. You can tell that he writes from a heart that serves the Lord. To me that's the most important quality. For you see not just the words of a man, but the vision of our God.” - David Brollier; author of THE 3RD COVENANT

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Valley Of Betrayal

(Moody Publishers - February 1, 2007)

by Tricia Goyer (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and homeschooling mom!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia is a members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. She also has a blog, It's Real Life and a parenting blog Generation NeXt.

TRICIA GOYER is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books and one children's book. She also was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference Writer of the Year in 2003. In 2005, her novel Night Song, the second title in Tricia’s World War II series, won ACFW's Book of the Year for Best Long Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of A Thousand Nights also won book of the Year for Long Historical Romance. Tricia and her husband, John, live with their family in northwestern Montana.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

We are pleased to be able to review her exciting Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, A Valley Of Betrayal

For reasons beyond her control, Sophie finds herself alone in the war-torn Spanish countryside, searching for her beloved Michael. His work as a news photographer has taken him deep into the country wracked by civil war. What was once a thriving paradise has become a battleground for Nazi-backed Franco fascist soldiers and Spanish patriots. She is caught up in the escalating events when the route to safety is blocked and fighting surrounds her.

Secrets abound in the ruined Spain. Michael is loving but elusive, especially about beautiful maria. The American who helped Sophie sneak into Spain turns up in odd places. Michael's friend Jose knows more than he tells. When reports of Michael's dissappearance reach her, Sophie is devastaed. What are her feelings for Philip, an American soldier who comes to her rescue?

Sophie must sift truth from lies as she becomes more embroiled in the war that threatens her life and breaks her heart. On her darkest night, Sophie takes refuge with a brigade of international compatriots. Among these volunteers, she pledges to make the plight of the Spanish people known around the world through the power of art.

Acclaimed author Tricia Goyer creates a riviting cast of characters against the backdrop of pre-WWII spain. Love, loss, pain, and beauty abound in A Valley Of Betrayal, the first book in her new series, Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing
Wedgewood Grey
(Faith Words, February 2007) by John Aubrey Anderson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


John Aubrey Anderson

John was born five miles north of the setting for Abiding Darkness, a cotton country town within a rifle shot of two rivers, a bayou, a double handful of lakes, and endless acres of woods.

After graduating from Mississippi State, he flew six years in the Air Force then twenty-nine years for a major airline. And now he gets to write.

He and his wife have been married for forty some-odd years and live in Texas—about twenty miles south of the Red River. He spends the biggest part of his time writing; she’s immersed in leading a comprehensive, women’s Bible study.

They like greasy hamburgers and Dr. Peppers, most species of warm-blooded creatures (the kind that don’t normally bite), and spending July in the mountains.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Wedgewood Grey is the second book in the Black and White Chronicles. The first was Abiding Darkness (August, 2006).

Mississippi cotton country . . . in the spring of 1960.

The War At Cat Lake is fifteen years in the fading past . . . but the demonic beings who launched that first battle, are alive and well at Cat Lake. Waiting.

Late on a Friday night, on a muddy little road a mile east of Cat Lake, a ten-year-old black child is forced to watch while a gang of white men beat his mother to death. Aided by Mose Washington, an old black man, the boy exacts a measure of his own revenge. When the sun comes up on Saturday morning, Mose and the boy are fugitives.

Missy Parker Patterson, who as a child stood at the epicenter of the first war, is married and living in Texas. In the aftermath that follows Mose Washington’s disappearance, she goes back to Cat Lake to discover that the demonic beings have been anticipating her return . . . and so begins the second battle of The War At Cat Lake.

In 1962, an old black man and his grandson move into the country near Pilot Hill, Texas. The people in the local area are told that the old gentleman’s name is Mose Mann—his grandson introduces himself as Bill.

However, the lives of the new arrivals are not as peaceful as they seem. The unassuming old black man and his grandson are being pursued by a triad of formidable and unrelenting adversaries . . . a ruthless political leader, an enduring lie, and an invisible army allied beneath the banner of a hatred for God.

Wedgewood Grey is a story about the impact of choices that real people—people like you and me—are sometimes forced to make.

The Author's Website: http://www.johnaubreyanderson.com/

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446579505

Christian Writer's Market Guide - by Sally Stuart

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Christian Writer's Market Guide
by Sally Stuart.
WaterBrook Press; Pap/Cdr edition (January 16, 2007)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sally E. Stuart is the author of thirty-four books and has sold more than one thousand articles and columns. Her long-term involvement with the Christian Writers' Market Guide as well as her marketing columns for the Christian Communicator, Oregon Christian Writers, and The Advanced Christian Writer, make her a sought-after speaker and a leading authority on Christian markets and the business of writing. Stuart is the mother of three and grandmother of eight.

ABOUT THE BOOK

For more than twenty years, the Christian Writers’ Market Guide has offered indispensable help to Christian writers. This year, for the first time, this valuable resource comes with a CD-ROM of the full text, so you can search with ease for topics, publishers, and other specific names.

The 2007 edition also includes up-to-date listings of more than 1,200 markets for books, articles, stories, poetry, and greeting cards, including information on forty new book publishers, eighty-three new periodicals, and thirty-four new literary agents. Perfect for writers in every phase, this is the resource to get noticed–and get published.

It contains listings for: 695 periodicals, 228 poetry markets, 355 book publishers, 133 online publications, 29 print-on-demand publishers, 1185 markets for the written word, 321 photography markets, 31 e-book publishers, 122 foriegn markets, 112 literary agents,and 59 newspapers.

It also gives you comprehensive lists of contests, writers groups and conferences, search engines, pay rates and submission guidelines, editorial services and websites.

Christian Writers’ Market Guide is a "must have' for any serious Christian writer that is looking to get published!


The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400071259

Sally's website is: http://www.stuartmarket.com/

LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS - Day 3

Light at the Edge of Darkness - Day Three
compiled by Cynthia MacKinnon

So, how are we doing? Everyone enjoying this wonderful book? What? You didn't get it yet? Shame on you. You have to the end of the week before C.E. Lavender sends the Takers out to get you. Only kidding

That is the short story I'd like to talk about today. “Protected”, by C.E. Lavender is an amazing story where the hero learns what it means to be a hero late in the story. In the beginning he's a cross between someone trying to make a quick buck and someone trying to run from another above him. It involves the Takers, who are sent out to, well, take people. Our hero is sent to find a shield for his boss and falls in love with the woman he's suppose to set up to be taken. You can picture this out in the old west, up in the mountains, almost anywhere that seems remote. Make your own scenery, but don't miss out on what's going on. Our reluctant hero has learned something from the woman he's fallen in love with. What can it possibility be and can he really find himself “Protected” by it if he uses it in his own life? Well, you'll have to read it to find out. I'm not telling. Daniel I. Weaver has several stories in this anthology, this is one of the less graphic, yet somehow it is more poignant that the others. Well, at least in my opinion. - David Brollier (I apologize to all for not getting the rest of the CFRB blogtour posts on this book up, but frankly I've been busy trying to get it on the CFRB site. Visit one of the links below and then click back to see the CFRB site

Visit Grace Bridges for some more views and perspectives on LIGHT AT THE EDGE OF DARKNESS Grace Bridges

Don't forget to visit Dan I. Weaver's blog at: http://www.danieliweaver.com/blog/

Also don't miss THE LOST GENRE GUILD blog where these writers came from; Their blog is at http://lostgenre.blogspot.com/

THE LONGING SEASON by Christine Schaub

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducting The Longing Season (Bethany House July, 2006) by Christine Schaub.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Christine Schaub is the author of the MUSIC OF THE HEART series, including Finding Anna, the rest of the story behind the writing of the hymn It Is Well With My Soul (October 2005) and The Longing Season, the story behind Amazing Grace (July 2006) with Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Books.

In 2003, Christine won the On the Page screenwriting contest at Screenwriting Expo 2 in Los Angeles. Her one-page story, written on-site in 24 hours for Jacqueline Bisset, was selected by the actress as the best Oscar Wilde-type comedy for her persona.

While working in freelance corporate communications, Christine completed three feature-length screenplays, including a drama/comedy, romantic comedy, and sci-fi action/drama; developed four biopic teleplays for the stories behind the hymns; and published an online column for the MethodX website (Upper Room Ministries).

Christine honed her writing skills after more than 15 years in corporate communications for healthcare, pharmaceutical, and entertainment companies. She has also been a featured conference speaker on working with at-risk youth and changed lives in the classrooms with her creative presentation style.

Christine's love for the arts and creativity have taken her from church platforms to civic and professional stages, performing classics and dramas from her own pen.

Christine graduated from Anderson University with a bachelors degree in Mass Communications. She has served on numerous boards and committees, usually as Communications Chair, and has received both regional and national awards in writing and design.

ABOUT THE BOOK

All of the books in the MUSIC OF THE HEART series are based on a hymns and their histories. The Longing Season is about one of the greatest redemption stories of all time: John Newton and his song, Amazing Grace.

Nature conspires against him, tossing the ship like a toy. Directionless--just like his life. It seems his odyssey will end here, in the cold Atlantic.Grief and terror grip his heart, but he will not surrender...not yet.She reads the sentence again and again.The first day I saw you I began to love you.He'd written the words, sealed and posted them, then vanished.
She has a choice--turn toward the future, or wait, wating and hoping.
And so begins her season of longing.

Christine's website link is: http://www.christineschaub.typepad.com/

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764200607