Coming soon from Beverly Lewis: The Secret

Be looking for a new release from best-selling author Beverly Lewis in 2009 (Bethany House). It's called The Secret and looks like it'll please fans!

Summary:

In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep in the night? Why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, everything Grace assumed she knew is shattered. Her mother's disappearance leaves Grace reeling and unable to keep her betrothal promise to her long-time beau. Left to pick up the pieces of her life, Grace questions all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.

Heather Nelson is an English grad student, stunned by a doctor's diagnosis. Surely fate would not allow her father to lose his only daughter after the death of his wife a few years before. In denial and telling no one she is terminally ill, Heather travels to Lancaster County--the last place she and her mother had visited together. Will Heather find healing for body and spirit?

As the lives of four wounded souls begin to weave together like an Amish patchwork quilt, they each discover missing pieces of their life puzzles--and glimpse the merciful and loving hand of God.

Read our interview with Beverly here.

FREE audio book download: Sin Boldy - Limited time

For a limited time, Zondervan is offering a free audio download of the book Sin Boldly : A Field Guide to Grace by Cathleen Falsani.

Summary of the book:

Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve.

Award-winning author and columnist Cathleen Falsani says, “People regularly ask me why I believe in God. The simple answer … is grace.” In Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace, Falsani explores the meaning and experience of grace through story and song, quotes and photos.

Falsani says, “Grace makes no sense to our human minds. We're hardwired to seek justice, or our limited idea of what that means, and occasionally dole out mercy. Grace is another story.” Sin Boldly is an uplifting, multifaceted, and thought-provoking look at what makes grace so amazing.

Click here to access file.

News from Rene Gutteridge

In her latest newsletter, Rene lets readers in on her upcoming book schedule:

"I know some of you are wondering what will happen with the Occupational Hazards Series. Unfortunately, I can’t really answer that question yet. I have put the series on hold for the moment to work on a couple of different projects. Some of you are dying to get to know Cassie, aren’t you?? Well, hopefully I’ll have some news about it in the future. Although there is a possibility of seven books in this series, my short term intentions were to write three. So, now that those are completed, I need to determine if the series should continue...

"While working on the novelization [of The Ultimate Gift], I got to know the screenwriter, Cheryl McKay, and we became instant friends. So, we decided to work on another novelization together. Our upcoming project, NEVER THE BRIDE (Waterbrook Press), will be out in June of 2009. You’ll be hearing a lot more about this project in the coming months, and I’ll be excited to introduce you to Cheryl...

"I am in the editing phase of that book and moving on to write my new suspense, LISTEN (Tyndale Publishers). For those of you who are fans of my suspense books (GHOST WRITER and THE STORM SERIES), I am pleased to bring you another one! Although I have focused on comedy lately, I am very excited to get back to my suspense roots and bring you a story I am sure you won’t soon forget...

Read our interview with Rene here.
Read our review of Skid here.

SO Not Happening by Jenny B. Jones

First she brought us the Katie Parker Production series, now author Jenny B. Jones is set to release The Charmed Life series in early 2009 (Thomas Nelson) featuring Bella Kirkwood!

Summary:

New York's social darling Isabella Kirkwood just woke up in a nightmare: Oklahoma.

Isabella Kirkwood had it all: popularity at a prestigious private school in Manhattan, the latest fashions, and a life of privilege and luxury. Then her father, a plastic surgeon to the stars, decided to trade her mother in for a newer model.

When her mother starts over with her new husband, Bella is forced to pack up and leave all she knows to live with her new family in Oklahoma. Before her mother can even say "I do," Bella's life becomes a major "don't."

Can Bella survive her crazy new family? Will the school survive Bella? How can a girl go on when her charmed life is gone and God gives her the total smackdown?

Read our interview with Jenny here.

Isle of Fire wins Moonbeam Award

Thomas Nelson is pleased to announce that Isle of Fire, a familiar face on the CBA bestseller list, is the proud recipient of the 2008 Moonbeam Award Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction. For an award that recognizes not only the creators of exemplary children’s books but also authors who support literacy and life-long reading, there could not be a better choice.

Having witnessed firsthand the lack of quality reading material for young minds, Batson set out to develop his own teaching tools through the creation of his first published series, The Door Within; and now with his second series, Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire. Batson involved his students in the writing process, welcoming critique of his work.

In this new series, Batson weaves a spell-binding adventure filled with high-seas drama where battles rage, storms brew, a long-dormant volcano awakens, and a sea creature slithers in the deep as pirates race for a cliff-top fortress. It is a story of amazing courage that will take young readers on the ride of their lives as well as encourage and challenge them to be heroes themselves.

The bestselling Isle of Swords adventure continues in Isle of Fire as ancient mariners rise from legend and cut an all-too-real swath of destruction across the Atlantic. The newly formed Wolf Fleet scours the Caribbean, hunting the pirates they once called comrades. And in the pitiless winds of a monstrous hurricane, whole fleets will be blasted apart and devoured.

Wayne Thomas Batson is the author of the bestselling The Door Within Trilogy. A middle school reading teacher in Maryland for 17 years, Batson tailors his stories to meet the needs of the young people he cares so deeply about. Batson writes adventures set in imaginative locales because he believes that on a deep level, we all dream of doing something that matters and that we all long for another world. When last seen, Batson was tromping around Westfarthing with his beautiful wife and four adventurous children.

About the Moonbeam Awards
Presented by Jenkins Group and Independent Publisher Online, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Awards are given in 30 categories covering the full range of subjects, styles and age groups that children’s books are written and published in today. For more information, visit www.moonbeamawards.com.

Read our review of Isle of Fire here.

Travis Thrasher's "Sky Blue on 66" video

A fun compilation of Travis Thrasher's travels to promote his novel Sky Blue across the country.

The Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker

Dekker's mainstream debut is coming this April from Center Street.

Summary:

Military intelligence officer Ryan Evans is hot on the trail of Boneman, a Texas serial killer who murders his victims by breaking their bones. Evans witnessed this torture technique when he was serving in Fallujah. Now he's a suspect and his daughter is Boneman's latest target! Can he clear himself and save his daughter?

Read our latest interview with Ted here.

Salty Like Blood by Harry Kraus

Coming in March from Harry Kraus and Howard/Simon & Schuster.

Summary:

Dr. David Conner's idyllic life is unraveling. First his 7-year-old daughter is abducted, then his already-troubled marriage gets worse and his medical career disintegrates, forcing him to take a job at a correctional facility. When he meets a particular prisoner, David is faced with a decision---can he forgive his daughter's kidnapper?

Read our review of Perfect here.
Read our review of All I'll Ever Need here.

Chat with Travis Thrasher November 12th!

WHO: Travis Thrasher, suspense, adventure and drama novelist, shares thoughts about his new supernatural thriller, “Isolation.” With the dream of being a writer since the third grade, his first novel, “The Promise Remains,” was published in 1998 and received accolades from Publisher’s Weekly, which said it was “one of the nicest surprises in CBA fiction.” Now, with nine additional published books, Thrasher is known as a writer who remains ever-changing, tackling and succeeding in various genres. His newest novel, “Isolation,” is masterfully written and will keep readers on edge until the chilling end.

WHAT: “Authors at Abunga” Weekly Online Chat with Travis Thrasher at Abunga.com, an online bookstore offering family-friendly materials.

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008
11 a.m. – Noon PST / 1 – 2 p.m. CST / 2 – 3 p.m. EST (LIVE)
At www.Abunga.com/AuthorsAtAbunga

DETAILS: “Isolation” is a thrilling mystery about a missionary family that moves into a secluded mansion in the mountains of North Carolina, thinking they are escaping their nightmares. But when a snowstorm hits and they are trapped inside their new home, their worst fears become reality. As they fight to stay alive, they will be tested in ways they never imagined – spiritually and physically. Thrasher weaves suspense and drama into this gripping story centered around fear and faith.

For information, visit http://Abunga.com/FeaturedAuthorThrasher or www.TravisThrasher.com.

Abunga.com is an online bookstore founded to provide families a protected shopping environment. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., Abunga.com offers safety with more than 2 million family-friendly titles; savings through distributor-direct prices and support to nonprofit organizations by donating 5 percent of each transaction to a customer-selected charity. For more information, visit www.Abunga.com.

Trailer for The Face by Angela Hunt

Read out interview with Angela here.

FREE book download: 13 Ways to Ruin Your Life - A Practical Guide for Guys

13 Ways To Ruin Your Life – A Practical Guide For Guys, by author/speaker Jarrod Jones, is available for free download beginning today at www.13waystoruinyourlife.com. From Gresham Hill Publishing, the book uses biblical exposition, real-life examples, and Jones’ personal testimony to describe the devastating effects of sexual immorality, and how men can better equip themselves—and those they care about—in the battle. The free download is specifically designed to reach men via the Internet, the very place where pornography rules.

13 Ways To Ruin Your Life is already generating significant media attention, as pornography has become a catastrophic problem both within the Church and mainstream culture. Jones is slated to appear tomorrow on FamilyNet TV’s “EveryDay with Marcus & Lisa,” and he is currently featured at CBN.com as well as Relevant’s Neueministry.com. In addition, JesusFreakHideout.com debuted a guest blog entry from Jones today.

Author and speaker Jarrod Jones is a graduate of Samford University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has spoken around the world at churches, conferences, retreats, camps and public school assemblies. His other titles include The Backward Life: In Pursuit of an Uncommon Faith (Revell/Baker), as well as Worship, which he co-authored with Joel Engle.