TitleTrakk.com Book News

Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins available for free - limited time only!

2011-03-21T10:08:00.000-07:00

OFFER EXPIRES MARCH 31

March 21, 2011—New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins, best known for the Left Behind Series, refers to his 2008 novel Riven as “my life’s work.” Unlike any of his other 175 books, Riven is the dramatic story of a career criminal and a washed up pastor who cross paths on death row. Tyndale House Publishers is making Riven available as a free ebook download on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com until March 31.

With its title taken from the original lyrics of the old hymn “Rock of Ages,” Riven portrays the lives of Brady Darby, a no-account criminal under a death sentence and Thomas Carey, a weary man of God working as a prison chaplain, and how death, guilt and despair are unfathomably trumped by rebirth, forgiveness and hope.

Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship says about Riven, “Thoroughly moving, Riven leaves an indelible impression on the reader. Its characters and message stay with you long after the final chapter. For me, it is also a deeply personal reminder of why God called me to prison ministry so many years ago.”

“We felt Riven is a special book and we wanted to bring it to readers attention again through this free special offer,” say Cheryl Kerwin, Tyndale senior marketing manager.

Tyndale’s Senior Vice President and Publisher Ron Beers calls Jenkins one of the most entertaining novelists of our day. “This book is special for two reasons,” he says. “Its message of grace is powerful and profound—this is the kind of book that you will want to pass on to others. Also, this is the book Jerry says he waited 20 years to write. His passion for this book clearly shines through in every page.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jerry B. Jenkins is the leading evangelical novelist. He has authored more than 170 books, including more than 20 New York Times bestsellers. His Left Behind Series, co-authored with Tim LaHaye, sold more than 65 million copies with seven titles ranking #1 on the bestseller lists for The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Christian Booksellers Association.

To download a free copy of Riven until March 31, go to amazon.com’s Kindle store or barnesandnoble.com’s Nookbook page. For more information, visit www.tyndale.com.

READ OUR REVIEW OF RIVEN HERE.

Candace Calvert signs new 3 book contract with Tyndale House

2011-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

In a recent blog post, Candace gave more details:

The series is a 3-book medical drama series for her current publisher, Tyndale House.

Candace says, "Though similar to the Mercy Hospital series in elements (medical scenarios, action, romance, faith issues), this new series will not be connected--with the exception of a "spin off" heroine, nurse-chaplain Riley Hale from Code Triage.

"All three books will be set in Texas locations. Beginning with San Antonio.

"I'll be completing the first book (tentative title Trauma Plan) on or before July 1st. And (since it takes about the same time to publish a book as it takes to have a baby) that should mean a spring 2012 release date."

Congratulations, Candace!

Read our interview with Candace.

Vicki Hinze Just Desserts Contest - Win $100 gift certificate!

2011-01-06T09:24:00.001-08:00

Vicki Hinze, under the sponsorship of The Book Club Network, is seeking the best dessert recipe to celebrate her latest release Deadly Ties (Multnomah, Feb. 8). The winner will receive a free copy of the book along with a $100 gift certificate to a high-end cooking supply store.

The “Just Desserts” contest is free and open to anyone. Dessert recipes, sweet or sugar-free, should be sent to Fred@thebookclubnetwork.com by Feb. 11. A reading group in the TBC network will have a cook off of the top three recipes to pick the winner.

Hinze takes on the global issue of human trafficking in Deadly Ties. Main character Lisa Harper is looking for her mother with security expert Mark Taylor, who’s loved her from afar, when Lisa is abducted and becomes one of several young women being trafficked to Mexico. This is the second in a series about the Crossroads Crisis Center, featured in Hinze’s Forget Me Not. Fans of Terri Blackstock, Dee Henderson and Iris Johansen will enjoy this gripping romantic thriller where both characters and readers learn that when everything else fails, faith stands fast.

Marcher Lord Press acquires Oxygen series

2011-01-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

Marcher Lord Press has acquired the print rights to republish Oxygen and The Fifth Man by recognized Christian sci-fi authors Randall Ingermanson and John Olson!

Both are professional science fiction, and are well known for this pair of books about a manned mission to Mars -- especially since Oxygen netted a Christy Award.

"Randy is a brilliant online marketer," says MLP Publisher and founder Jeff Gerke. His "snowflake method" software for creating plots for novels along with his Fiction 101 and Fiction 201 e-courses have been very successful. You can check him out at AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

John's other works include Fossil Hunter, and Shade, the latter of which is a Christian vampire novel. The continuation of Shade, called Powers, was released last year. Jeff says that John is an excellent programmer and, "For the last several years he has run a continuing role-playing game out of his house for the neighborhood kids."

John's website is www.litany.com.

Jill Williamson unveils book cover for From Darkness Won

2010-12-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

Coming in April 2011 from Marcher Lord Press is the third novel in Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings trilogy.

No word yet on the summary, but you can read our reviews of the first two books to find out their style.

By Darkness Hid review
To Darkness Fled review

You can also read an excerpt of the first book here.

Christian Writers Guild Acquires Word Weavers

2010-12-21T08:13:00.001-08:00

Jerry B. Jenkins, owner of the Christian Writers Guild headquartered in Colorado Springs, has announced the acquisition of Word Weavers, a Florida-based organization of local writing critique groups with chapters in three states.

"The leadership of Word Weavers has developed a great model for local chapters, " Jenkins says, "and they've agreed to stay on to help us create a nationwide network of such groups. "

The Christian Writers Guild trains writers through email courses, contests, conferences, and critiques. "Plugging our members and students in to peer groups has been an ingredient we've long dreamed of adding to the mix," Jenkins says. "The acquisition of Word Weavers gives us a ready-made platform to do just that. "

Larry Leech, president of Word Weavers, says, "Vice-presidents Eva Marie Everson and Cheri Cowell and I are excited about joining the Christian Writers Guild team. Like the Guild, Word Weavers is dedicated to developing writers. Becoming part of CWG significantly expands opportunities and benefits for current and future Word Weavers members. We're grateful for the opportunity to help the Guild coach and encourage aspiring writers. "

For more information, visit www.christianwritersguild.com or www.wordweaversonline.com

Marcher Lord Press to re-release Sharon Hinck's Sword of Lyric series

2010-12-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

This just in...

Marcher Lord Press, the premiere publisher of Christian speculative fiction, has just announced plans to re-publish the now out-of-print Sword of Lyric series by Sharon Hinck.

The series did not, in our opinion, receive the attention it deserved, so we're thrilled to hear this news!

Read our interview with Sharon about the series.
Read our review of The Restorer.

Coming in May from Mike Dellosso

2010-12-12T06:53:00.001-08:00

Coming in May 2011 from Realms is another thriller from Mike Dellosso! No word yet on the plot, but if it's anything like Mike's other novels, then it'll be a good one. You can read the first chapter in the back of Mike's last book Darlington Woods.

Read our interview with Mike.

Lorena McCourtney is back!

2010-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

And so is Andi McConnell and her limousine!

This just in from author Lorena McCourtney:

Many of you have written to me asking about another book in the series that started with Your Chariot Awaits, and for a long time I didn’t have a good answer for you.

Now, Book #2, Here Comes the Ride, is available. The occasion is the “wedding of the century” at a local estate, and Andi has a five-day, live-in gig transporting the wedding party and Hollywood guests. There’s the groom with cell phone welded to his ear. The bride who suspects she will be murdered at the ceremony. The over-the-hill, movie star stepmother with an ambitious agenda of her own, plus blackmail, betrayal, along with enough hot hostility and competition to melt that life-sized sculpture of the bride and groom. And murder!

Along with chasing down a killer, Andi is figuring out her relationship with God and testing the limits of her aging anatomy with a skateboard. Plus the complication of her relationship with Keegan “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, the guy who is living proof that some men really do age like fine wine.

Like most killers, this one objects to being brought to justice. Will Andi wind up with more bullet holes in her limo - or in her? Here's a copy of the cover:

The book is available as a Kindle edition from Amazon. You can order it here. Here Comes the Ride will come up, and you can order it right there for your Kindle. For only $2.99!

You all know about Kindle, don’t you, the wireless reading device put out by Amazon? You don’t have one? Well, I don’t either! But what I do have, and you can too, is a free download of Kindle to put on your computer. To get that free download, go to the Amazon site and in the Search area near the top, put in “All Departments.” Then in the next space over, put “Kindle for PC,” (Or “Kindle for Mac” or “Kindle for iPad” if that’s what you have) and it will take you to the proper page to get the free download.

If you haven’t read the first book in this mystery series, Your Chariot Awaits is also available as a Kindle download. The price (as set by the publisher) is a little higher.

Read our interview with Lorena here.

Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker book trailer

2010-08-20T09:08:00.001-07:00

Summary:

This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.

It is a dangerous tale of times past. A love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.

Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.

With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.

Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.

Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.

But remember, not everyone is for this story.

Book trailer for Ted Dekker's Immanuel's Veins:

Introducing Brandilyn Collins video

2010-08-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

Brandilyn has recently signed a three book contract with B&H Fiction.

Kathy Tyers signs to Marcher Lord Press!

2010-08-02T08:25:00.001-07:00

Marcher Lord Press Founder and Publisher Jeff Gerke has officially signed Kathy Tyers, author of the acclaimed Firebird trilogy.

"We are thrilled to be Kathy Tyers's publisher," said Jeff. "Kathy's impact on Christian publishing is nearly unrivaled. We feel extremely blessed that she has agreed to join our award-winning stable of authors."

As publisher and acquisitions editor, Gerke long pursued Tyers, trying to sign her for Marcher Lord Press. But in the end it was the Marcher Lord Press authors and books, not Gerke's efforts, that swayed Tyers's heart.

"I read several excellent novels that were recently released by Marcher Lord Press," she said, "and I decided this was the best place to finish the Firebirdseries. I'm delighted to be part of a great and growing team."

Kathy is also known for her Star Wars novels, most notably The Truce at Bakura. The popularity of her treatment of the Star Wars storyline led to her contributing to several Star Wars short story collections including Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina, Tales from Jabba's Palace, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, and Tales from The Empire.

And she's not done, folks. Jeff is planning to release a deluxe, author's preferred version of the Firebird trilogy in one volume -- plus two additional Firebird novels that have been selected but will be announced at a future date!

New Award for Faith-Driven Literature Announced!

2010-07-06T10:55:00.000-07:00

Announcing the INSPYs: the Bloggers' Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature

July 2, 2010—Organizers announced the creation of a new book award today. The announcement of the INSPY awards coordinated with the launch of the INSPYs website, http://inspys.com.

The innovative award is designed to help readers in their search for the preeminent faith-inspired literature of today. The INSPYs were created to select and showcase books with the highest literary standards that grapple with the Christian faith. To find these works, the INSPYs net is cast wide, accepting nominations of books aimed at the Christian bookstore market as well as those from the general market.

The INSPYs are the brainchild of Amy Riley, of My Friend Amy, creator of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. "We feel nothing compares to excellent faith-driven fiction, but it can be difficult to weed through the multitude of books published each year in both the Christian marketplace and the general market to find the best ones," Riley said.

Another factor that sets the INSPY awards apart is that it's organized and will be judged by bloggers with considerable experience and knowledge of books published in both the general market and the CBA market.

Award organizers are seeking book nominations in the following genres: Historical Fiction; Amish Fiction; Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction; General and Literary Fiction; Romance and Romantic Suspense; Speculative Fiction; Creative nonfiction; and Young Adult Fiction. The deadline to nominate a book is July 31.

In addition to book nominations, judges for each genre are also being sought this month.

Another way to help is to spread the word — blog about the INSPYs, tell your friends.

The winners of the first-ever INSPY awards will be announced December 13.

The advisory committee consists of Amy Riley of My Friend Amy, Carrie Kitzmiller of Books and Movies, Deborah of Books, Movies & Chinese Food, Hannah Nielsen of Word Lily, and Rel Mollet of Relz Reviewz.

To stay informed, subscribe to the site: Inspys.com.

Contact:

Hannah Nielsen, wordlily@gmail.com OR: inspyawards@gmail.com

Jim Rubart's Book of Days coming in January

2010-06-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

On the heels of his successful novel Rooms, James Rubart will release Book of Days in January 2011.

Summary:

What if you were losing your most treasured memories? Of your wife who passed away, of your dad who died far too young? What if you heard of a book whaere all of those memories are recorded and you could get them back? And what if this book also told your future? Would you believe it? Would you go on a desperate search for it, holding onto a strand of hope it would bring healing and answer all your questions?

Young Cameron Vaux's mind is slipping. Memories of his wife, killed two years earlier in a car accident, are vanishing just as his late father predicted they would. Memories he knows are critical to remember. But his only hope for answers, and a cure, seems to lie in search for a book--and a God--he doesn't believe in.

Read our interview with Jim.

ACFW Book of the Year Awards become the Carol Awards

2010-06-28T08:16:00.001-07:00

This just in from ICRS:

We're excited to share with you the announcement our President, Cynthia Ruchti, and CEO, Colleen Coble are making on behalf of ACFW:

The International Christian Retailers Show seemed the ideal venue for American Christian Fiction Writers—now more than 2100 members strong—to make an announcement of significance to Christian publishers, authors, and retailers who keep their eye on Christian fiction.

For ten years, ACFW has considered itself in partnership with those who publish and sell the books our members write. The process of getting great stories into the hands of readers makes each link a necessity.

That's why we've chosen this event, among these industry people, to announce a major advancement in what has to this point been known as ACFW's Book of the Year awards.

Each year, publishers and individual authors enter hundreds of recent Christian fiction releases in the ACFW Book of the Year Awards contest. Past Book of the Year winners have included noted authors Tracie Peterson, DiAnn Mills, Robin Lee Hatcher, Kim Vogel Sawyer, and many other skilled CBA novelists honored by ACFW for excellence in Christian fiction.

In 1979, Bethany Publishing House editor Carol Johnson made a bold move that served as a catalyst for unprecedented growth in Christian fiction. It was a decision that changed the face of the industry and the content of readers' bookshelves. Mrs. Johnson championed Christian fiction by acquiring author Janette Oke, whose Love Comes Softly blazed a trail for future storytellers.

ACFW owes a great debt of gratitude to the pioneers of Christian fiction and to those whose efforts have helped make Christian fiction the storytelling powerhouse it is today. To honor editorial pioneer Carol Johnson and others like her who envisioned how Christian fiction could make a mark in the publishing world, ACFW has renamed our Book of the Year Award. From this point on, the highest achievement in our award program for published authors will be The Carol Award.

Asked to comment on Carol Johnson's impact, Bethany House Publishers' Vice President of Editorial David Horton notes, "Carol's vision for the future of fiction, her belief in the power of story to share God's truth, her respect for the art of writing, her trust in the editorial process, and her abiding concern for her authors set the course that Bethany House continues to follow today. Her acquisitions knocked open doors we now take for granted. The books she edited touched millions of lives."

Carol Johnson will be present for the awards banquet at ACFW's annual conference September 17-20 in Indianapolis to present the inaugural Carol Awards.

Janette Oke will attend as well, to join conferees and industry professionals in celebrating the growth of Christian fiction and to present Carol Johnson with ACFW's first ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

Visit the ACFW website.

2010 Christy Award Winners!

2010-06-26T17:26:00.001-07:00

The 2010 Christy Awards presentation was held Saturday evening, June 26, 2010, at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand in advance of the International Christian Retail Show. The dessert reception featured a keynote address entitled “Be That Well” by best-selling author and
entrepreneur Lisa Samson and was emceed by editor Lonnie Hull DuPont, Baker Publishing Group. To involve Christian fiction fans not able to attend the event in person, a liveblog of the event was provided online, and an archive of the event can be accessed online at www.ChristyAwards.com.

The Christy Awards honor the best in Christian fiction in nine categories. The Christy Awards
Advisory Board is pleased to announce the following winners of the 2010 Christy Awards.

Contemporary Romance
Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House Publishers)

Read our interview with DiAnn Mills

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson (Thomas Nelson)

Read our review.
Read our interview with Neta.

Contemporary Standalone
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)

Read our review

First Novel
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent (Tyndale House Publishers)

Read our review
Read our interview with Jennifer

Historical
Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical Romance
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen (Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson (Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster)

Read our review

Visionary
By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)

Read our review

Young Adult
North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Read our review
Read our interview with Andrew

The Christy Awards are proud to honor both Catherine Marshall and her novel through the annual presentation of the Christy Awards, which recognize novels of excellence. The Christy Awards were established in 1999 to nurture and encourage creativity and quality in the writing and publishing of fiction written from a Christian worldview; to bring a new awareness of the breadth and depth of fiction choices available, helping to broaden the readership; and, to provide an opportunity to recognize novelists whose work may not have reached bestseller status.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChristyAward
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ChristyAward

Click here to read the full list of nominees.

And here's a pdf of all the winners with a summary of each book.

Visit the Christy Awards website.

B&H Thriller Book Tour Starts Friday!

2010-06-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

This week on Friday, the B&H Thriller Tour launches. The four B&H authors taking part in this tour are Brandilyn Collins, Tosca Lee, Robin Caroll, and Jim Rubart. It will start in St. Louis, go to Philadelphia and Baltimore, and end up in New York. Note: additional New York area venues are being booked. Here's the schedule so far:

Friday, June 25: St. Louis area

2:00 – 4:00: Parable Bookstore
1716 Missouri State Road
Arnold, MO 63010
636-287-1231

6:00 – 8:00: Family Christian Store
167 Mid Rivers Mall Dr
St Peters, MO 63376-4309
636-278-2895

Saturday, June 26th

12:00 – 2:00 PM: Mainstreet Books
307 South Main Street
St. Charles, MO 63301
636-949-0105

4:00 – 6:00 PM: Lifeway Christian Store
11977 Saint Charles Rock Road
Bridgeton, MO 63044
314-344-0014

Sunday, June 27th
2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Barnes & Noble
721 Gravois Road
Fenton, MO 63026
636-326-2148

Thursday, July 1: Philadelphia area and Baltimore
11:00 – 1:00--Lifeway Christian Store
2320 Industrial Highway
York, PA 17402
717-757-5311

4:00 – 6:00 PM--Lifeway Christian Store
White Marsh Plaza Shopping Center
7900 Honeygo Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21236
410-931-8038

Friday, July 9th: New Jersey
7:00-9:00 PM: Borders
290 Commons Way
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 231-0111

Saturday, July 10: New York area
1:00 – 3:00: Barnes & Noble
290 Baychester Ave.
Bronx, NY 10475
718-862-3945

NOTE: Brandilyn will be signing posters that look like this too (click to enlarge). Very cool:

Renee Riva's new book on Amazon Kindle for $.99!!

2010-06-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Check out Renee Riva's new book Farley's Five & Dime on Amazon Kindle for $.99! You can't lose with a price like that.

Description:
Farley’s Five-and-Dime plops the reader into a fun, folksy, small town setting, with a touch of romance, humor, and sweet southern charm.

Set in the small town of Hog Eye Holler, Kentucky, in the 1950’s. Kids, and the young at heart alike, will enjoy meeting eleven-year-old Mazie May Farley; a cross between Pippi Longstocking and Caddie Woodlawn. The high spirited, red-headed whirlwind who helps her family run the local Five-and–Dime, has her sights on the popular town hunk-a-hunk, Billy Ray Baxter. In her comical, self-defeating schemes to snag Billy Ray away from Emma Jean Jacobs, Mazie is taken by surprise at the outcome of her high jinx attempts. When Billy fails to fall for Mazie’s numerous attempts to get him to invite her to the long anticipated Sweetheart Waltz, she raises the stakes higher and higher. Chaos and calamity ensue. The story ends on a note of sweet serendipity—but may not be exactly what Mazie was shooting for. Sometimes life has a way of surprising us when we are busy making other plans.

Read our interview with Renee at TitleTrakk.com.

Braveheart screenwriter to pen novel for Tyndale House

2010-06-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oscar-nominated screenwriter and New York Times bestselling author Randall Wallace will publish a new novel with Tyndale House Publishers, currently scheduled for release in the summer of 2011.

Wallace’s book, a contemporary drama about a grieving young doctor’s journey to recover and employ his unique surgical skills, is tentatively titled The Touch.

“Randall Wallace has an innate ability to tell a story that stirs our desire to display the best human qualities—courage, nobility, sacrifice, and faith. That’s why we’re delighted to have the opportunity to partner together to bring his inspiring and compelling writing to a new and broader audience of readers,” said Karen Watson, Associate Publisher of Fiction, Tyndale.

Wallace has written four feature films: We Were Soldiers, Pearl Harbor, The Man in the Iron Mask, and the 1995 Academy Award–winning film Braveheart. For his work on Braveheart, he received the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. He is currently directing the film Secretariat,to be released by Disney Studios in the fall of 2010. A Southern California resident, Wallace is the founder of Hollywood for Habitat for Humanity.

In the publishing agreement with Tyndale House, Mr. Wallace was represented by Mel Berger

of WME.

Tyndale House Publishers was founded in 1962 by Dr. Kenneth N. Taylor as a means of publishing The Living Bible. Tyndale publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), and other resources for home and family. Within the past ten years, more than thirty Tyndale nonfiction or fiction books have become New York Times bestsellers, including the popular Left Behind fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins and novels by Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, and Joel C. Rosenberg. Tyndale is substantially owned by the Tyndale House Foundation. As a result, the company’s profits help underwrite charitable works around the world. Tyndale House is located in Carol Stream, Illinois.

New Online Christian Fiction Magazine Coming This Fall

2010-06-15T16:03:00.001-07:00

NASHVILLE, TN—(June 15, 2010)—This fall, Salem Publishing will launch FamilyFiction, a major resource for helping consumers discover the best in Christian fiction, through a bimonthly digital magazine, email newsletter and website. FamilyFiction’s coverage will span the breadth of Christian fiction—Amish, Historical, Suspense, Speculative, Romance, Contemporary and Young Adult—with timely news updates, up-to-date release lists, reviews, interviews, book trailers and more.

“FamilyFiction addresses a great need,” says Michael Miller, General Manager of Salem Publishing. “We look forward to exposing more and more Christian fiction readers to these great authors.”

“There is a reason Jesus taught in parables,” says Robin Lee Hatcher, best-selling author of the Sisters of Bethlehem Springs series (Zondervan). “The power of story is that it puts us into the lives of the characters, letting us see and experience things through those characters. In the process, we learn and sometimes are changed.”

“Fiction is a powerful tool in the hands of believers,” notes Francine Rivers, New York Times bestselling author of Her Mother’s Hope (Tyndale House). “It is a non-threatening way to share our faith with unsaved friends and relatives who might not be willing to read the Bible or talk about Jesus. I know of many new authors who will gain a wider audience through this new resource. The quality of Christian fiction just keeps getting better. FamilyFiction will be a great place to let it shine!”

Adds Robert Liparulo, author of the YA time-travel thriller Frenzy (Thomas Nelson): “What? A way to find and promote stories by Christian authors who share my values? Where do I sign up? Way to go, guys!”

“I applaud Salem Communications in the launch of FamilyFiction,” says DiAnn Mills, author of The Call of Duty series (Tyndale) and the historical romance A Woman Called Sage (Zondervan). “This new resource will be helpful to me in my various roles—writer, promoter of Christian fiction, trainer and encourager of authors—and avid reader!”

Salem Publishing plans to launch the FamilyFiction digital magazine, newsletter and comprehensive website Fall 2010. In the meantime, Christian fiction readers can sign up for updates at FamilyFiction.com and connect on Facebook.com/FamilyFiction and Twitter.com/FamilyFiction.

About Salem Publishing
Salem Publishing is a top producer of Christian-themed magazines and websites that reach a broad spectrum of the Christian market. Salem Publishing is owned by Salem Communications (NASDAQ: SALM), a leading U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and conservative values. In addition to its radio properties and Salem Publishing, Salem Communications owns Salem Radio Network, which syndicates talk, news and music programming to approximately 2,000 affiliates; Salem Radio Representatives, a national radio advertising sales force; and Salem Web Network, an Internet provider of Christian content and online streaming. Additional information about Salem Publishing may be accessed at the company’s website, SalemPublishing.com.

Ted Dekker teams with Tosca Lee for new trilogy

2010-04-30T07:48:00.001-07:00

This just in from Ted Dekker's Facebook page:

Is it possible to write a story that eclipses the scope and impact of The Circle Series? Ted thinks so and he said as much at the Chicago Gathering on Saturday. In fact, he dropped a bombshell to the collective gasp of the 300 people in the room. Not only does he think it's possible, but it's already being written for a Summer 2011 release from Hachette Book Group.

It's entitled Forbidden and it's unlike any Dekker story you've read to date.

For those who weren't there to see the video trailer on Saturday, here is the synopsis:

Four hundred eighty years have passed since civilization's brush with extinction. Perfect order reigns. Humanity's greatest threats have all been silenced. There is no disease, no malice, no hate, no war. There is only peace.

Until the day when one man discovers the truth: Every single soul walking the earth is actually dead. The human heart has been stripped of all that makes it human. Now only he is alive and only he has the knowledge that can once again awaken humanity.

But the way is treacherous and the cost is staggering. For, indeed, in that day life itself is...Forbidden.

But this is going to be different, Ted explained. To pull this story off right would require a unique blend of Dekker style thrills and grit told with masterful prose like he's never delivered before. It would mean going beyond himself in a completely new way. It would mean collaborating with someone as unique and edgy as he is to create something better than he could on his own.

So the search began to find that one writer to elevate this story and make it larger than life. We thought it was an order too big to fill and we almost gave up. Then we found her.

Those at the Gathering met her already, but now we'd like to introduce you because you're going to hear a lot more about the extremely talented Tosca Lee very soon. Trust us.

For those who are unacquainted with her, Tosca is the acclaimed novelist of the groundbreaking (and controversial) books Demon and Havah. She's also working on a novel about Judas...told in first person. If you met her you might think she is the long lost female side of Ted. And you might be right.

She's grit and beauty in one package and has a way of finessing the English language in a way that's best described as lyrical.

Forbidden is the first in the series that will likely become a trilogy. The collaboration process is unlike anything he's done before. It had to be. Ted said that it had to be seamless and feel 100% Dekker or the world would never see it. As a collaborative title, it will be completely different than House, Kiss, or Burn.

More details will be released soon about this exciting venture and you'll be the first to hear about it right here. We haven't seen Ted this consumed with a story since the Circle. And if that's any indication of what's to come we should all get ready for the ride ahead.

2010 Christy Award nominees announced!

2010-04-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—The Christy Advisory Board is pleased to announce nominees in nine categories for the 2010 Christy Awards honoring Christian fiction. The Christy Awards will be conferred in advance of the International Christian Retailing Show at a ceremony at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel, Sat., June 26, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Author and entrepreneur Lisa Samson, a two-time Christy Award winner and seven-time nominee, will present the keynote address.

Tickets to the event are $30. For more information about the awards reception and to make reservations (beginning Apr. 30), visit the Christy Award website at http://www.christyawards.com.

The 2010 Christy Award nominees are:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills • Tyndale House Publishers

How Sweet It Is by Alice J. Wisler • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus • Barbour Publishing

CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS

Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson • Thomas Nelson

The Hope of Refuge by Cindy Woodsmall • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth • Zondervan

CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE

June Bug by Chris Fabry • Tyndale House Publishers

The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson • Thomas Nelson

Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle • Tyndale House Publishers

FIRST NOVEL

The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry • Moody Publishers

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent • Tyndale House Publishers

Scared by Tom Davis • David C. Cook

HISTORICAL

A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey • Revell Books: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

HISTORICAL ROMANCE†

Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander • Thomas Nelson

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

SUSPENSE

Intervention by Terri Blackstock • Zondervan

Lost Mission by Athol Dickson • Howard Books: a Division of Simon & Schuster

The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

VISIONARY

By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson • Marcher Lord Press

The Enclave by Karen Hancock • Bethany House Publishers: a Division of Baker Publishing Group

Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik • Tyndale House Publishers

YOUNG ADULT

Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma • Thomas Nelson

The Blue Umbrella by Mike Mason • David C. Cook

North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson • WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

†Historical Fiction includes four nominees due to a tie in scoring.

View this press release as a PDF: http://ajast.com/ChristyNomineesPR2010.pdf

Frank Peretti signs with Howard Books

2010-04-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

According to Christian Retailing, Frank Peretti has signed with Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.

Howard has announced they will publish a new novel by Peretti in 2011. The novel is as yet unnamed but according to vice President and editor in chief Becky Nesbitt, "We believe the book will captivate readers in much the same way as his New York Times best-selling titles This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness."

Read the full piece at Christian Retailing here.

ECPA 2010 Christian Book Award Finalists Announced

2010-03-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Christian Book Awards Finalists for 2010

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) announces the finalists for the 2010 Christian Book Awards. Presented annually to the finest in Christian publishing since 1978, the Christian Book Awards honor titles in six categories: Bibles, Bible Reference & Study, Christian Life, Fiction, Children & Youth, and Inspiration & Gift.

More information on the Christian Book Award

Category: Bibles

	*American Patriot's Bible, NKJV* Richard Lee, Editor Thomas Nelson, 9781418541538		*Stewardship Study Bible, NIV* Zondervan, 9780310948483
	*Chronological Study Bible, NKJV* Thomas Nelson, 9780718020682		*The Word of Promise: Complete Audio Bible, NKJV* Thomas Nelson, 9780718024130
	*Glo, Immersion Digital* Zondervan, 9780981990200

Category: Bible Reference & Study

	*A Visual Guide to Bible Events* James Martin, John Beck and David Hansen Baker Books/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801012853		*Peoples of the New Testament World* William A. Simmons Hendrickson Publishers, 9781565632240
	*The New Moody Atlas of the Bible* Barry J. Beitzel Moody Publishers, 9780802404411		*The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible* Merril C. Tenney and Moisés Silva Zondervan, 9780310241362
	*Pastoring Men* Patrick Morley Moody Publishers, 9780802475534

Category: Children & Youth

	*A Young Woman's Guide to Making Right Choices* Elizabeth George Harvest House Publishers, 9780736921077		*Jesus Is Alive: Evidence for the Resurrection Children's Edition* Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell Regal Books, 9780830747863
	*B4UD8- Before You Date* Hayley and Michael DiMarco Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800733087		*Take Your Best Shot* Austin Gutwein with Todd Hillard Thomas Nelson, 9781400315154
	*God's Little Princess Bedtime Bible Stories* Devotions, & Prayers, Sheila Walsh Thomas Nelson, 9781400312979		*Wild Cat* Dandi Daley Mackall Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414312705

Category: Christian Life

	*The Hole in Our Gospel* Richard Stearns Thomas Nelson, 9780785229186		*The Pilgrim's Progress: From this World to That Which Is to Come* John Bunyan Crossway Books & Bibles, 9781433506994
	*If God Is Good* Randy Alcorn WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 9781601421326		*The Principle of the Path* Andy Stanley Thomas Nelson, 9780849920608
	*Inside the Revolution* Joel Rosenberg Tyndale House Publishers, 978141431931

Category: Fiction

	*Blood Bayou* Karen Young Howard Books, 9781416587507		*Michal* Jill Eileen Smith Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800733209
	*The Centurion's Wife* Davis Bunn and Jannette Oke Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780764205149		*Veiled Freedom* Jeanette Windle Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414314754
	*Healing Waters* Stephen Arterburn and Nancy Rue Thomas Nelson, 9781595544315		*Watch Over Me* Christa Parrish Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780764205545
	*June Bug* Chris Fabry Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414319568

Category: Inspiration & Gift

	*Amish Peace* Suzanne Woods Fisher Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800733384		*He Was Crucified* Gerard J. Stanley Concordia Publishing House, 9780758613158
	*Fresh Grounded Faith* Jennifer Rothschild Harvest House Publishers, 9780736925754		*Look Unto Me* Jim Reimann Zondervan, 9780310283874
	*Grace Notes* Philip Yancey Zondervan, 9780310287728

Summerside Press Partners With HopeKids Founders

2010-02-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Summerside Press™ is pleased to announce its partnership with HopeKids founders, Rob and Susan Cottrell, and their new book, HopeMinute. More than just another book in the Summerside Press™ Spring 2010 line, HopeMinute came out of a special relationship between Summerside Press™ creative director, Jason Rovenstine, and the HopeKids organization. When Rovenstine’s young son was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it was Rob and Susan Cottrell and HopeKids who helped make a difficult path somewhat more easily traversed because it was attended by a series of kind acts done for the family over an extended period of time. With things as small as tickets to movies, concerts, or sporting events for the whole family, HopeKids helps families have fun and make memories in the midst of trying times.

“HopeKids helped us be a normal family through some abnormal circumstances. In fact, without them, we would have spent a lot more time focusing on cancer this past year than on sharing special times as a family and getting through this together,” Rovenstine said. “The HopeMinute book is a natural expression of what they already do. We knew from the start that we wanted to share the message of HopeKids with people—facing all kinds of situations—who need a life-giving dose of hope.”

Reaching these families comes out of the heart and life of HopeKids founder Rob Cottrell. As part of his work, Cottrell sends simple email messages to the families of those battling cancer or other life-threatening medical conditions. Those emails touched many lives, and they have been expanded in HopeMinute. In the book, Rob offers his perspectives on faith, fear, dreams, and hope as a powerful medicine, and Susan adds inspiring and heart-warming prayers at the end of each selection. Working with Summerside Press™ to produce HopeMinute, Rob said, “What a thrill it is to partner with Summerside Press™ and see the HopeMinute book come to life! It has been such a blessing to get to know the people at Summerside and see the love and care they put into this book.”

Cottrell continues, “The HopeKids organization comes alongside nearly 1,500 families, each with a child battling a life-threatening illness. We are a unique charity with a powerful program and message. We are a family, a community, and we go through these battles together. We play together, we pray together, we laugh together, we cry together, and we stand together believing in the power of hope and believing that the future is indeed full of wonder and life! Summerside Press™ and the HopeMinute book will enable us to reach so many more people with the same message.”

HopeMinute releases in January 2010 and is available everywhere books are sold. For more information on HopeKids, visit www.hopekids.org or www.summersidepress.com.

New Website for Amish Fiction Lovers & Contest

2010-01-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

Amish fiction readers craving more of the simple life find community and resources on AmishLiving.com

As an answer to fans’ requests for more of “all things Amish” after enjoying the plentitude of Amish fiction titles on the market, a new community has launched at www.AmishLiving.com. Here, fans gather to share opinions and recommend favorite Amish novels, and also to find recipes, products like quilts and furniture, and advice on planning a trip to Amish country. The site regularly offers book giveaways.

With helpful links to many vendors, event listings, information directories, and blogs, the community also includes member-generated forums designed to spark conversations and groups to join based on members’ locations. Members are encouraged to interact with each other, including several prominent novelists who contribute expert knowledge from their research of the Amish people and seek fan feedback for their upcoming titles. The community’s open membership allows all those who love Amish culture, including authors who write for any publishing house, to get involved in the conversations online.

Bonus! Here's how you can win a copy of the book An Amish Gathering, which features 3 novellas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Barbara Cameron (courtesy of our friends at Thomas Nelson).

Anyone who joins the AmishLiving.com community and then comments back here (letting us know that you’ve joined) will be eligible for the giveaway. We will draw the winner from the comment submissions February 6th.

Covers of Summer 2010 Tyndale House Novels

2010-01-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Some exciting releases coming from Tyndale House this summer. Here are the covers of a few. We don't have full plot descriptions yet, but stay tuned...

Marcher Lord Press Select Winner!

2010-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

Marcher Lord Select--The People Have Spoken!

After two months and four rounds of voting, Marcher Lord Select, Jeff Gerke's experiment in fiction acquisitions "by the people," has successfully concluded.

And the winner of the primary Marcher Lord Select contest, the author who will become the newest Marcher Lord and whose book will release in the fourth MLP release cycle, is:

The Sending by Matt Koceich

Congratulations, Matt!

Here's the hook for Matt's book: "The Garden of Eden holds a 4,000-year-old secret. One believer must risk his faith to find it."

Find out more about Marcher Lord Press at their website.

Matt Bronleewe leaves Thomas Nelson and to Give Away His Next Novel The Deadly Hours for FREE

2009-12-11T10:31:00.001-08:00

Matt Bronleewe recently made the decision to leave Thomas Nelson (they published his first novels, Illuminated and House of Wolves). That left his 3rd novel, The Deadly Hours, without a home.

Here's the scoop from Matt in his latest newsletter:

Earlier this year, while putting the finishing touches on August Adams’ latest adventure—THE DEADLY HOURS—I made the difficult decision to leave Thomas Nelson Publishing. I’m extremely grateful for the time I spent with them, but like a restless cowboy in search of the wild wild west, it was simply time for me to move on. The inevitable result was putting THE DEADLY HOURS in limbo, something I didn’t want to do. To all of you who have inquired, I apologize for your inability to get your hands on August Adams’ most dangerous journey—

But all that’s about to change....To read the first chapter of The Deadly Hours now, click here.

Believe it or not, Matt's actually giving away digital copies of The Deadly Hours for FREE, if you buy his first two novels for $19.95, that is. Check out all the details at his website.

Read our interview with Matt.
Read our review of Illuminated.
Read our review of House of Wolves.

New John Aubrey Anderson novel coming this summer!

2009-12-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

Coming in July 2010 from Fidelis Books (B&H).

Summary:

In 1970, Bill Mann, a pilot who sought to make aerial combat his guiding star, is already lost whether he knows it or not. Although he's at the top of his Air Force class and marries a beautiful girl, his life is centered on drinking and partying-perhaps a way to escape the haunting memory of having to kill two white men who beat his black mother to death when he was ten years old.Upon leaving to spend a year in Vietnam flying combat missions aboard his aircraft, The Cool Woman, Bill remains confident and considers himself "the envied of the envied." But soon enough his wife is leaving him, and a downward spiral of Mann's heart, soul, and survival odds has begun.

The much anticipated sequel to By Darkness Hid coming Spring 2010 from Marcher Lord Press

2009-12-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Just in from Jeff Gerke at Marcher Lord Press....

The first book from list 4 (coming Spring 2010) is the eagerly awaited sequel to By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson.

To Darkness Fled, Book 2 of The Blood of Kings, picks up right where the previous book left off. As you may recall, By Darkness Hid ends with characters entering the mysterious darkness that shrouds the land of Er'Rets. To Darkness Fled begins with these words: "What do you mean she's gone?"

By Darkness Hid is Marcher Lord Press's bestselling novel by a wide margin and readers have been clamoring to know what happens after the cliffhanger ending of that book. That Book 2 is releasing soon is cause for rejoicing. And it's a monster too: 664 pages in its unedited form.

Christy Awards Call For Entries

2009-11-16T10:59:00.001-08:00

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Submissions are now being accepted for the 2010
Christy Awards. The awards honor excellence in fiction written from a Christian worldview. Entries are due by December 10, 2009.
Submission guidelines and entry form are available at:

www.christyawards.com

The Christy Awards, named in honor of Catherine Marshall’s novel and her contribution to the popularity of Christian fiction, were established in 1999 to encourage, recognize, and promote excellence in Christian fiction.

Media Inquiries:
Jeane Wynn
Wynn-Wynn Media, LLC
P: 918-283-1834
jeane@wynnwynnmedia.com

Erin Healy's standalone novel Never Let You Go coming April 2010

2009-10-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

Coming in April 2010 from Thomas Nelson is Erin Healy's first stand-alone novel Never Let You Go (she's co-written Burn and Kiss with Ted Dekker). Sounds intriguing!

The Price of Holding on to Her Past Will Cost Her Daughter's Future

Lexi lives in the shadow of choices her husband made. Especially Grant’s choice to leave seven years ago, without a word. Her relationship with their daughter Molly is the most important thing in her world now.

When Grant shows up out of the blue declaring his intent to re-enter their daughter’s life, Lexi hardly knows what to do. And on the same day, a drug dealer named Warden arrives on Lexi’s doorstep, demanding she repay Grant’s longstanding debts.

Staggering and supernatural events coincide with the arrival of these two men, and Lexi begins to feel she’s losing it. A dangerous shift is taking place. Forces greater than she’s ever known vye for control. What’s at stake? Lexi’s life as she knows it—and the life of her innocent little girl.

Read our interview with Erin.

Travis Thrasher's Broken coming May 2010

2009-10-23T12:07:00.001-07:00

Coming May 2010 from Faithwords is Travis Thrasher's next novel Broken.

We've snagged a summary from Mr.Thrasher himself:

Laila had it all--love, family, wealth, and faith. But when her faith crumbles, her world falls apart and Laila finds herself living an empty, dangerous life as a call girl in Chicago.

When she is threatened, Laila shoots and kills a client in self-defense, sending herself into a spiral of guilt and emptiness. Six months later, she is trying to move on, but she's haunted by the past. She hasn't told anyone about the man she killed, and she's still estranged from her family.

When she is approached by a stranger who says he knows what she did, Laila has no choice but to run. But the stranger stays close behind, and Laila begins having visions of the man she killed. Little does she know she's being hounded by something not of this world, something that knows her deepest, darkest secret.

Scared and wandering, will Laila regain her trust in God to protect her from these demons? Or will her plea for salvation come too late?

The author of eleven works of fiction, TRAVIS THRASHER creates flawed characters and takes them on harrowing journeys of redemption. He and his wife, Sharon, live with their daughter in Chicago, IL. For more information about Travis, visit www.travisthrasher.com.

Bethany House Summer 2010 Suspense novels

2009-10-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Some great new stuff coming from Bethany House in the summer of 2010, including these four suspense/intrigue titles (one even looks like a fantasy). Which one intrigues you the most?

Nightmare
by Robin Parrish

According to Robin in a recent interview, Nightmare "deals with an aspect of the supernatural that no Christian novel has ever approached. It may be the most suspenseful and intense thing I've ever written, and it's going to be a really wild ride. Definitely going to raise some eyebrows, methinks."

Heartless
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

Is that a dragon eye? The lettering of the title hints at fantasy, don't you think? One description we found says about the book: When a king informs his daughter that a prince from a mysterious land seeks her hand in marriage, the princess sets her heart against him because of his unromantic name, Aethelbald, but as other suitors, dragons, and a cunning jester seek her love or loyalty, her heart is stolen.

Tomorrow We Die
Shawn Grady

In an interview with Relz Reviewz, Shawn says this book is "About a Reno paramedic who feels like he’s chasing the Angel of Death."

Back on Murder
J. Mark Bertrand

Mark says about this book, "It introduces Roland March, the detective who will star in the three-book series, at a time when his once-promising career hangs in the balance."

Marcher Lord Press and American Idol?

2009-10-20T08:35:00.001-07:00

Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."

The premise contest is open to anyone with a completed Christian speculative fiction manuscript that meets MLP guidelines for length, content, genre, worldview, audience, etc. To enter, authors must complete the acquisitions form found at the Marcher Lord Press site and supply all the components listed below on or before October 29, 2009.

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; www.marcherlordpress.com.

Melanie Wells I Told Two Friends Campaign

2009-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

A special message from author Melanie Wells (When the Day of Evil Comes, Soul Hunter, My Soul to Keep) about her ambitious I Told Two Friends campaign:

Hi. It’s me, Melanie.

Someone asked me recently – why literacy? Why would anyone give away $100,000 (100% of my profits from sales of My Soul to Keep) to teach illiterate adults how to read? (Okay – fair question. I admit it sounds a little crazy. It’s not like I’m dripping with cash).

Two words: compassion fatigue

Here’s the deal. I support several causes vigorously and regularly (and so should you!) In fact, if you’ll notice, each of my books centers around a cause. When the Day of Evil Comes concerns family violence and suicide. The Soul Hunter references violence against women and lost teens. And My Soul to Keep is about child abduction. I don’t write about these things because they’re morbid. I write about them because they’re IMPORTANT.

But the truth is, I sometimes feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the number of problems out there. Don’t you?

Illiteracy, it turns out, is linked to just about every evil under the sun. Child abuse, poverty, disease, hunger, violent crime, violence against women, HIV/AIDS… . You name it. In fact, illiteracy is one of the FEW things in this world you can actually do something about! A little money goes a LOOOOONG way. And the ripple effects are exponential.

Did you know 33 million adults in the United States can’t read at an 8th grade level? Do the math, folks. That’s 10% of our population. Wow.

17 million American adults can’t read well enough to earn a living wage.

62% of prison inmates are illiterate. Imagine getting out of jail and trying to make a new life for yourself when you can’t even fill out a job application. Do you want that guy back on the street with no job and no skills? Or do you want him to have every opportunity to become a productive member of society?

774 million adults worldwide are illiterate. 2/3 of them are women.

If a mother can’t read, chances are her children won’t be readers either.

It all adds up to one simple thing. A literate population is a healthier, safer, and more productive population.

If you’re reading this, I guarantee you that you take the ability to read this sentence for granted. Millions of other Americans can’t read it. They can’t read the aspirin bottle either. Or the street signs. Or a note from their kid’s teacher.

Most of us are completely unaware of this shadow population. How is it possible that millions of adults in the richest country in the world can’t read? (Click on Rosetta’s story. She’ll tell you all about it.)

The I Told Two Friends campaign was designed to give you a simple, painless, fun way to share the gift of literacy with millions of Americans. All you have to do is buy a couple of books, give them to two friends, and ask them to do the same (and so on, and so on, and so on…).

25 bucks and two friends can change the world. YOU can change the world.

Join us and be part of the solution!

Melanie

Visit the I Told Two Friends website to learn more!

Cover for Deceit by Brandilyn Collins revealed

2009-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today, Brandilyn Collins revealed the cover of her next Zondervan suspense novel (summer 2010) over at her blog. Click it to enlarge. What do you think?

Read our previous interview with Brandilyn.
Read our review of Exposure.

Debut novel from Novel Journey founder Gina Holmes coming soon!

2009-10-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Novel Journey founder Gina Holmes will be releasing her debut novel with Tyndale House in May 2010, and she's recently unveiled the cover!

According to Gina, this work of contemporary fiction and tells the story of a dying young mother who must return home to face the ghosts of her past, and transition her daughter into the arms of a father who didn't even know she existed.

Read more about Gina at her website.

New Dragon series coming from Bryan Davis

2009-10-12T09:09:00.001-07:00

A new dragon series is coming from Zondervan in March 2010 from the author who brought us the Dragons In Our Midst and Oracles of Fire series. However, this series is not related to any of the author's other works.

Summary

Jason Masters has heard his older brother Adrian’s tales about dragons kidnapping humans. Supposedly, almost one hundred years ago, a dragon stole away several humans and enslaved them on its own planet. These Lost Ones, as Adrian called them, live terrible lives as cattle. Yet, the Underground Gateway, the portal to the dragon planet, still exists somewhere, and a secret society of the same name has long tried to find it so they can rescue the Lost Ones.

When Adrian leaves to find the portal, Jason takes his place as the Governor’s bodyguard. Although the government has tried to cover up the evidence, he learns that the legends are true, and after being accused of murder and learning that Adrian’s life is in danger, he has to conduct his own search for the portal, a journey filled with danger and intrigue.

Aided by a gifted young lady named Elyssa and an eccentric escapee from the dungeon named Tibalt, Jason ventures into the wilderness to locate Adrian and the Lost Ones. Yet, what he finds on the dragon planet proves to the biggest surprise of all. Koren, a lonely slave girl, is a powerful being called a Starlighter, the slaves' only hope for survival and rescue, though most refuse to believe that their ancestors ever came from another planet.

Francine Rivers' New Novel, Her Mother's Hope, Releasing March 16, 2010

2009-10-09T08:13:00.001-07:00

Anticipation is rising for the release of Francine Rivers’s Her Mother’s Hope, the first full-length novel the internationally best-selling author has written since 2003. Tyndale House Publishers will introduce the book with a national marketing campaign surrounding a March 16, 2010, “street date” launch.

Her Mother’s Hope is the first of two historical novels in the Marta’s Legacy series, a saga inspired by strong women from Francine Rivers’s own family ancestry. The oft-unspoken, sacrificial love of a mother for her daughter is a crucial component to this story of four generations of women. Francine Rivers drew her inspiration from the biblical Parable of the Sower and the Seed for this series, while exploring how feeling loved and actually being loved can be perceived very differently. Breaking hurtful generational cycles is a foundational theme in the series.

Near the turn of the twentieth century, fiery Marta Schneider leaves Switzerland and a difficult childhood behind, determined to find life on her own terms. She’s driven by her father’s belief that she’ll never amount to anything more than a servant and her mother’s encouragement to chase her dreams. But nothing has prepared her for the journey ahead and the sacrifices she must make as she travels through Europe and Canada, and finally to the dusty Central Valley of California to raise her family.

Marta’s hope is to give her children a better life, but experience has taught her that only the strong survive. Her tough love is often mistaken for disdain, especially by her oldest daughter, Hildemara Rose, who craves her mother’s acceptance. As Hildie pursues her calling as a nurse, she falls in love and starts a family of her own amidst the turmoil of World War II. But when tragedy threatens the independence she’s worked so hard to build, both mother and daughter must face their own shortcomings and the ever-widening chasm that threatens to separate them forever.

With her hallmark touches of brilliant prose and gripping characterizations, Francine Rivers pens a rich, moving epic about faith and dreams, heartache and disappointment, and ultimately the resilience and tenacity of love.

“Francine Rivers has meticulously crafted a compelling story with an important message for every generation of women,” said Babette Rea, Marketing Manager, Tyndale House. “Tyndale House is privileged to publish Her Mother’s Hope, the first book in an inspiring and significant series about reconciliation and the restoration of life’s most important relationships.”

Francine Rivers has published several best-selling novellas and novels, including the Lineage of Grace series, The Mark of the Lion trilogy, and Redeeming Love. She has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. Her books have been translated into more than 20 different languages. Her novels have been awarded or nominated for numerous honors, including the RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Gold Medallion, and the Holt Medallion in Honor of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 1997, after winning her third RITA Award for inspirational fiction, Francine was inducted into the Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. She and her husband, Rick, live in northern California.

Cool Contest

2009-09-28T11:23:00.001-07:00

Authors Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper have a great contest going on to promote their new book, Curse of the Spider King. Follow this link and check it out!

More info:

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?

Valley of Bones by Eric Wilson

2009-09-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Coming in April 2010 is Eric Wilson's final book in the Jerusalem's Undead series.

Summary:

In the final installment of the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy, readers will witness an epic showdown of a battle between good and evil that started when Judas was hung.

The suicide of Judas Iscariot in 30 A.D. left his blood seeping into the soil of the Field of Blood, in Aramaic: the Akeldama. When this same field is disturbed by work crews outside Jerusalem in 1989, a clan of supernatural Collectors is released from the ancient burial chambers. Infused with Judas's enmity, they seek to corrupt and destroy by using blood to infect and exploit a host's weaknesses.

Gina Lazarescu's life has been on a collision course with the Akeldama Collectors. Everyone she knows and loves is threatened by their ever-increasing efforts. Gina knows she can't defeat them on her own, though, and that it will take the combined efforts of all Those Who Resist for this living evil to be stopped.

Wayne Thomas Batson update

2009-09-08T10:54:00.001-07:00

This just in from Wayne Thomas Batson:

I've been busy working on not one, not two, but three new books. In this newsletter, I'm going to tell you about the first of these three: Curse of the Spider King (CotSK).

CotSK is the first book of a new fantasy series I'm coauthoring with Christopher Hopper (White Lion Chronicles, Tsaba House 2006). The series is called The Berinfell Prophecies.

CotSK: Fantasy. Mystery. Action. Humor. Parents, teachers, and librarians will no longer have to push kids to read-The Berinfell Prophecies will engage 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 ifthe 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?

If you'd like to order Curse of the Spider King, click HERE!

Marcher Lord Press 3rd Release List Going Sci-fi!

2009-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

This just in from Jeff Gerke, publisher at Marcher Lord Press:

Marcher Lord Press has been kidnapped. Alas, it's true. Strange beings from outer space have apprehended MLP leadership while the authorities slept.

The fiends knew exactly how to hurt us. First, they disabled our defenses. Knocked the silly cat right out. Then they overhwelmed our proximity alarms with vastly advanced weaponry that MLP scientists are only now beginning to study. Finally, they attacked MLP leadership in the first wave. Without command instructions from the top, the loyal MLP defenders were paralyzed. It was classic shock and awe.

The morning after the attack dawned on a Marcher Lord Press materially different from what had been. Witnesses emerged from the rubble of their homes to behold three otherworldly vehicles cooling on the landscape.

The first was a futuristic-looking craft that appeared to be constructed half of terrestrial composites and half of strange metallic alloys. From this vehicle popped a superhuman warrior who told a tale of cyborgs, massacres, and autonomous battle tanks. In his world, a miracle anti-aging elixer has been developed--but something terrible has gone wrong, and the powers that be will do anything to keep the populace from finding out.

This cybernetically augmented human told us that his name was Kirk Outerbridge and that his ship was called The Miracle Cure. Though apparently ship names in his galaxy are subject to change.

No sooner had Outerbridge concluded his tale than a bald cyberpunk exited the second vehicle and began to speak. This vessel was even more advanced than the first. It was seemingly capable of deep-space--perhaps even interstellar--flight. The bald man spun a yarn of a future Earth in which Islam has conquered all, and privately owned debuggers, like him, must do the work that keeps this Imam-ordered civilization running smoothly.

Unfortunately, one of the bots has malfunctioned. On this ship's maiden voyage to a star curiously singing (which is, he said, also the name of his vessel), something happened to the main servbot on the crew. It seemed to go crazy and tear itself apart limb from limb. Our man has been called in to find out what happend. The debugger, who calls himself Kerry Nietz, says his tale is something akin to I, Robot meets Muhammed--in space.

The third vessel is the most advanced of the three. It sits confidentaly atop monstrous landing struts, towering over the battlefield. A young man leaps from an open portal and lands on the ruined street. He carries an odd white box at his hip. His ship is capable of many leaps between stars and has seen galaxies the other two could not begin to guess at.

In his world, the Act of Religious Tolerance has outlawed all but the state religion, and the holy books from all belief systems are banned. The galaxy is held in uneasy alliance and all the colonized worlds are at peace--or so goes the official story. The truth is that the secret military is about to stage a coup, a powerful warrior family is about to be shredded, and the forbidden item in the young man's white box can tear the empire apart. Or save it.

Our youth offers his name, Steve Rzasa, and utters an enigmatic whisper: The Word Reclaimed.

Whether or not these three vessels of war and their mysterious captains mean us further harm is yet to be determined. Possibly they pose no further danger and the destruction they wrought was merely the result of their interdimensional rifting into our dimension. Perhaps their stories are something we must and shall hear.

All we can say with any assurance is that the future--that future beginning October 2009--has been claimed by men from the future and their tales of wonder, woe, and awe.

Read our interview with Jeff.

Win Set of Adirondack Chairs from B&H Fiction

2009-08-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Enter here for the chance to win a set of two Adirondack chairs similar to those on the cover of Sweet Waters, the new novel by award-winning author Julie Carobini. Simply snap a picture of where you'd put these chairs (in your office, at the beach, by a tree, etc.), then e-mail the image along with your name to SweetWaters@BHPublishingGroup.com.

Deadline to submit entries is August 30. Winner will be notified by e-mail. Chairs will be shipped directly to winner. Entry into this contest grants B&H Publishing Group permission to add you to its Book & Bible Update and Fiction News e-newsletters (unsubscribing is easy). B&H respects your privacy and will never share your e-mail address with other companies. Retail value of this prize is $250.

Official Rules...

"The perfect combination of playfulness, charm and enrichment. Julie Carobini has a winner on her hands." -- RelzReviewz

"Reading Sweet Waters is like taking a beach vacation from the comfort of your own living room . . . a beautiful story of fresh starts, painful secrets, and the depth of a family's love."
-- Kathryn Cushman, author of A Promise to Remember

"A truly engaging story . . . fascinating." --DancingWord.net

"The romantic tension is both powerful and convincing" --TCM Reviews

One entry per customer. Your entry grants B&H permission to subscribe you to its "Book & Bible Update" and "Fiction Club" e-newsletters. Prize winner will be notified by e-mail. B&H respects your privacy and will never share your e-mail address with other companies. Official Rules...

T.L. Hines Free Book Download for Uploading Photo

2009-07-30T10:43:00.001-07:00

New social media photomosaic from author TL Hines lets readers win free digital downloads of his latest book Faces in the Fire for one week only: July 27-August 2. The most interesting tattoo photos—as well as the most interesting photos overall—will win unique action figures (Crazy Cat Lady, Bigfoot, Librarian, and more).

(Billings, Mont.) [PRWEB] Novelist TL Hines and publisher Thomas Nelson announces a new social media project to support the release of Hines's latest novel, FACES IN THE FIRE. The project, dubbed "Be a Face in the Fire," invites fans to submit images to become part of an online mosaic at http://www.tlhines.com. Every person who submits an image during the first week— July 27-August 2—will receive a free digital download of the novel which can be read on the user’s personal computer or digital reader device. Images submitted after the first week will still be eligible to win unique action figures given away at the end of the summer.

“Part of the fun of a new book for me," Hines says, "is finding interesting new ways to interact with readers. I've been a big fan of social media since launching my fiction career. So with a book named FACES IN THE FIRE, I thought, why not create a giant mosaic and invite people to submit their own faces?" Hines thinks the game prizes will convince social media fanatics to put their faces in the fire. "The free download, courtesy of my publisher, Thomas Nelson, is a great giveaway for social media users; these are the people who are reading books on Kindles and iPhones. Plus, 20 people will win the unique action figures."

The action figures, from quirky retailer Archie Mcphee, include a choice of an Obsessive Compulsive Action Figure, a Bigfoot Action Figure, a Jane Austen Action Figure, a Librarian Action Figure, a Moses Action Figure, or a Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure. Which begs the question: Why? "It's just fun" Hines says. "I don't want to do the same old giveaways everyone else does. And because I write strange stories, the Mcphee action figures are an ideal fit."

Five photos judged most interesting or unique will win, and in a special category, the five most interesting tattoo photos. "One of the main stories in the book is about a tattoo artist, so I'm especially interested in photos of tattoos," Hines says. Five winners will also be drawn at random from all photos submitted, as well as five winners from people who share the project through Facebook, Twitter, Delicious or other social media services.

Hines's new novel is a collection of four interconnected novellas, with the lives of the main characters crossing paths as they face strange circumstances. Ghosts trapped in the clothing of the dead. Miraculous cancer cures appearing in spam emails. Tattoos that come to life, revealing scenes of the future. And a mafia hit man whose touch can literally kill. Such quirky stories and characters have earned Hines comparisons to authors such as Dean Koontz—and readers who are surprised to find out Hines is published by Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. "Are my books Christian books?" Hines asks. "Sure; I think my worldview comes across. But Christian books aren’t all alike, and that's okay. There's room on the shelves for traditional genres such as Christian romance, Christian thrillers, Christian historical novels—and strange stuff like mine. It shows the Christian book market is growing and expanding, and that's good for all of us."

"Be a Face in the Fire" isn't Hines's first out-of-the-box effort to connect with fiction readers. Last year, he disassembled one complete copy of his novel THE UNSEEN and more than a hundred volunteers hid pages to be discovered in locations across the U.S. and Canada. To launch his first book in 2005, he invited people to sign up as Volunteer Book Publicists, and shared 10% of his first royalty statement with the 100 most active participants. For his second book, readers completing an online puzzle received a song written and recorded for the book by the band Pivitplex. Hines also names a character in each book after readers who sign up on his web site or Facebook fan page.

Such unique marketing tactics have earned coverage in trade publications such as Publishers Weekly and several online media outlets. "I do it because I'm trying to sell a few books, of course," he says. "But more than that, I do it because it's fun—I get to meet new people, discover new things. And that's what social media is all about."

ABOUT TL HINES
TL Hines writes "Noir Bizarre" stories, mixing mysteries with oddities in books such as WAKING LAZURUS, THE DEAD WHISPER ON, THE UNSEEN, and FACES IN THE FIRE. His work has won recognitions ranging from the Maryland Writers Association novel contest to Library Journal's "25 Best Genre Fiction Books of the Year" award.
Facebook: tlhines.com/facebook
Twitter: twitter.com/TLHines
Photomosaic: www.tlhines.com/fitf
Press materials for "Be a Face in the Fire": tlhines.com/faces

Read our review of Faces in the Fire.

Brandilyn Collins sells movie option for Dark Pursuit

2009-07-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

This just in from Brandilyn Collins' blog:

I'm pleased to announce that a contract has been signed for the movie option of Dark Pursuit, my stand-alone novel released in the fall of 2008.

Maggie Field of Maggie Field Literary Consulting discovered Dark Pursuit while searching for new novels with film potential. She alerted producer Harry Gittes, who liked the book very much. Gittes has teamed up with screenwriter Chuck Pogue to purchase the option.

Before the contract was negotiated, Gittes and Pogue spent about an hour on the phone with me and my agent, Lee Hough of Alive Communications, talking about their vision for the film. It was a good conversation, and I appreciated the time they took to fill me in on their thoughts. After that conversation, all parties decided to proceed with negotiations.

If you're unfamiliar with the term "movie option," think of it as a rental of film rights for a book. For the specified time of the option, the purchasers tie up the film rights while they create a screenplay and see if they can gain interest in funding the film. If they do, the film rights are then bought outright. If not, when the option runs out the rights revert to the author, who can then option or sell the film rights to someone else.

Read our 1st review of Dark Pursuit
Read our 2nd review of Dark Pursuit
Read our interview with Brandilyn

Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy coming Jan. 2010

2009-07-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Coming in January 2010 from Thomas Nelson is the second novel in the Dekker/Healy collaboration! They started with Kiss, and now they're bringing us Burn.

Here's a summary:

The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.

Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend--at serious risk to her own life--or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered...

But the past is quickly come back to haunt her. Both her best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There's a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there's an even greated debt she must face--and if the chaff isn't burned from her own heart, it will consume her.

Read our interview with Erin Healy.
Read our interview with Ted Dekker.
Read our review of Kiss.

2009 Christy Award Winners!

2009-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the wonderful work of Jeanne and Tyson Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media, the Christy Awards were announced live last night in Denver during a special Live Blog event. You can read the full transcript with lots of photos here.

Click here to read a list of the nominees.

The following are the proud recipients of the 2009 Christ Awards!

Contemporary Romance

Beyond The Night
by Marlo Schalesky
Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing

Read our interview with Marlo.

Contemporary Series

You Had Me At Goodbye
by Tracey Bateman
FaithWords

Read our review.
Read our 1st interview with Tracey.
Read our 2nd interview with Tracey.

Contemporary Standalone

Dogwood
by Chris Fabry
Tyndale House

First Novel

Blue Hole Back Home
by Joy Jordan-Lake
David C. Cook

Historical

Until We Reach Home
by Lynn Austin
Bethany House

Read our review.

Historical Romance

From A Distance
by Tamera Alexander
Bethany House

Read our review.

Suspense

The Rook
by Steven James
Revell

Read our review.

Visionary

Vanish
by Tom Pawlik
Tyndale House

Young Adult

I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires
by Cathy Gohlke
Moody Publishers

Christy Award winners announced tonight!

2009-07-11T10:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Christy Award winners will be announced! Our friends at Wynn-Wynn Media are covering it live via blogging. To catch all the fun tonight at 7:00 MDT, click here.

To read the list of nominees, check out our blog post here. Who are you rooting for?

The Christy Awards are all about honoring Christian novels and the novelists who write them. To learn more about the history of the awards, visit their website.

Coming in 2010 from B&H Fiction

2009-07-10T10:37:00.001-07:00

Some great stuff coming from B&H next spring!

Rooms
by James L. Rubart

On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.

Enemies Among Us
by Bob Hamer

Matt Hogan loves being an undercover FBI agent almost as much as he loves his wife, Caitlin. But when the daring—some would say reckless—G-Man totals two vehicles in his Beverly Hills pursuit of a fleeing Arab drug runner, he incurs the wrath of the Bureau’s hierarchy. To avoid almost-certain suspension, he accepts a new assignment to track terrorist cell groups while posing as a volunteer at World Angel Clinic, a Christian ministry reaching out to injured Third World children. What Matt doesn’t know is that the ripples of danger from this case will threaten not only his and Caitlin’s life and happiness, but also the safety and security of the entire nation.

Angel's Den
by Jamie Carie

In 1808, when Emma meets and marries Eric Montclaire (the famed “most handsome man west of the Appalachians”), this young daughter of prominent St. Louis citizens believes a fairy tale has just begun. Instead, her husband’s angelic looks quickly prove only to mask a monstrous soul all too capable of possessive emotions and physical abuse. Praying for mercy, she is devastated when Eric insists on her joining his yearlong group expedition to the Pacific Ocean, following the trail Lewis and Clark blazed just a few years earlier. By the time cartographer Luke Bowen realizes Emma’s plight, it’s too late to easily untangle what has become an epic web of lies, theft, murder, courtroom drama, and a deep longing for love. Only God can show them the way out.

Deliver us From Evil
by Robin Carroll

A beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen. After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

B&H Publishing Signs Tosca Lee

2009-07-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

Nashville, Tenn., July 8, 2009 - Award-winning author Tosca Lee will release her highly-anticipated third novel in 2011 under the B&H Fiction Pure Enjoyment line. Written from the point of view of the most reviled man in Christendom--Judas--Tosca will again give readers a powerful and enlightening glimpse into the spiritual realm.

"We are thrilled to have Tosca writing for us," said Karen Ball, executive editor for fiction at B&H Publishing Group. "She's a true craftsman. Combine that with her remarkable ability to see inside those we most despise--a demon, Eve, and now Judas--and you get powerful stories of truth and grace that intrigue and challenge readers."

Her two previous books, Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve, created quite a stir in Christian fiction. Demon: A Memoir was a 2008 Christy Award Finalist, 2008 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Silver Award Winner and 2008 ACFW Book of the Year, Speculative, Second Place. It earned rave reviews across the faith spectrum, including the distinction of, "The most creative, mind-twisting novel of this summer," from Infuzemag.com.

Havah, her sophomore novel, let readers inside the heart and mind of the world's first woman from her creation to Adam's death. Havah is a 2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Bronze Award Winner and ChristianFictionReviews.com Top Pick for 2008. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it, "Passionate and riveting... Lee's superior storytelling will have readers weeping for all that Havah forfeited by a single damning choice." Historical Novels Review called it, "...a fascinating novel about human relationships at the dawn of time."
Lee-- Mrs. Nebraska-America 1996, Mrs. Nebraska-United States 1998 and first runner-up to Mrs. United States--has a deep passion for story. "I was a serious pianist from a young age, and used to practice an hour and a half every day. But when I was in the midst of a great book, I'd sneak it into the piano room and read a page between playing each piece-or as much as I could until my mom said, 'I'm not hearing any music!'"

Lee started writing after obtaining her degree in English and Literature from Smith College in Massachusetts. For more information regarding Tosca Lee, please visit www.toscalee.com. For more on upcoming titles in the B&H Fiction Pure Enjoyment line, log-on to www.pureenjoyment.com. Tosca's current titles are available at booksellers everywhere and on-line.

Read our interview with Tosca Lee.

The Love Dare continues to receive awards

2009-06-05T07:31:00.001-07:00

The Love Dare—the book that began as a plot device in the number-one 2008 indie theatrical film Fireproof, sold more than 2 million copies and, after 32 weeks remains atop the New York Times bestseller list—received the Platinum Award (more than 1 million sold) from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (EPCA) at its Executive Leadership Summit in late April 2009.

Printed and distributed by B&H Publishing, The Love Dare sells in both paperback and leather-like (much as it appears in the movie Fireproof) “Legacy” editions—and in English and Spanish versions. Churches, groups, and individuals nationwide buy the books in bulk and now order accompanying workbooks.

Since Rick Warren’s release of The Purpose Driven Life, no Christian “advice” book has captured wide public interest like this small series of 40 daily challenges to learn and practice unconditional love for one’s spouse.

“We knew Fireproof would spur book sales but no one could have anticipated all this,” said B&H Marketing Vice President John Thompson. “The EPCA award underscores that the book and movie have long graduated from ‘products’ to a marriage movement. Lives are changing—and that’s why we’re all here.”

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization of nearly 250 member companies worldwide involved in publishing and distributing Christian literature.

The Love Dare was written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, the brother team that also co-wrote (and produced and directed) Fireproof. A Provident Films production, Fireproof was 2008’s number one independent film at the box office—produced for $500,000 and grossing $33 million. In the movie, after he and his wife have agreed to divorce, firefighter Caleb Holt’s father gives him a handwritten book, a 40-day challenge to love his wife. Audiences left the popular movie asking, “How can I get that book?”

B&H Publishing Group, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources, produces some of today’s most sought-after books, Bibles, church supplies, and multimedia products.

Read our review of the Love Dare.
Read our interview with Stephen Kendrick.

Sneak Peak of upcoming Marcher Lord Press novel!

2009-06-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to receive the awesome sneak peek at the sequel to Hero, Second Class by Mitchell Bonds?

It's available Monday, June 8.

This 10,500-word excerpt,
"The Istaka Passage,"
was originally part of Hero, Second Class but had to be cut because the book was running too long. So it's a deleted scene--a deleted subplot, actually.

Sir Reginald encounters a tribe of wolf-humanoids and a wimpy male Istaka who longs to win the heart and hand of his beloved. It's a great side story for our hero's mentor.

But now Mitchell Bonds has reworked it to fit in his yet-to-be-announced sequel, the second book in The Hero Complex. So it's also a first look at an upcoming Marcher Lord Press release.

And all you have to do to get your free copy of "The Istaka Passage" is purchase any Marcher Lord Press product on Monday, June 8, 2009.

You can buy a book or a T-shirt, a Kindle version of MLP novels or a craft book on how to write your own novel, an e-book or a virtual art gallery or a short history of marcher lords.

Purchase any Marcher Lord Press product--from the MLP store or from Amazon--and you'll get a link to download "The Istaka Passage" for free. (It's a Word file.)

[Note that if you purchase from the Marcher Lord Press store you don't have to do anything else to receive your free download. MLP staff will see your order and send your link. However, if you purchase from Amazon, you'll need to forward your Amazon receipt e-mail (having removed any credit card information) to Marcher Lord Press so we can see that you bought the item(s) on June 8.]

Mark your calendar!
The fun happens Monday.

Get in Trouble with Susan May Warren!

2009-05-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

The fun kicks off today with a SUGAR BOMB. Susan is encouraging everyone to purchase a copy (and maybe a few for friends) of Nothing But Trouble anytime during the day on May 15th. Every one who purchases a copy of the book will be entered into the contest to win a Sugar Spa Basket. All you need to do is purchase a book at Amazon or CBD (or anywhere else) and then come back here (contest page at www.susanmaywarren.com) and leave Susan a message letting her know where you bought your book. Easy. And for every additional copies you buy, you'll gain an additional ten entries into the contest. So just let her know how many copies you bought. Join the fun by putting this button on your own site! (Email Amy at amy@litfusegroup.com and let me know you added the button to your site and be entered to win $25 to Amazon.com, twitter and facebook it and get additional 5 entries! Include your twitter/facebook id in the email too!)

Paste this code into your blog sidebar:

The party will continue all month with a blog tour and chances to win copies of Nothing But Trouble from the blog tourists! View the Schedule here.

The Sugar party will conclude in a day of celebration on Friday June 19th with a day long ONLINE Sugar Bookclub Party. Susan will be giving away prizes, answering questions, hosting a live chat, and generally getting herself into some "Trouble".

Exciting new fantasy coming from Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper!

2009-05-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

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.

Learn more about The Berinfell Prophecies at www.heedtheprophecies.wordpress.com (coming soon). 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!

Coming in November from Thomas Nelson!

Powers by John B. Olson, sequel to Shade

2009-05-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

The sequel to John B. Olson's Shade is coming this December from B&H Publishing.

Powers, continues the story...

Summary:

“Bury me standing. I must be buried standing.”

Powers, the follow-up to John Olson’s Shade (“a must-read for those who enjoy Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti” —Publishers Weekly), introduces a sheltered Gypsy girl named Mariutza. Her grandfather utters a mysterious last request before dying in her arms after being shot by ten cloaked men.

Those same men die before her eyes, but strange powers continue to pursue Mari through the swamps of southern Louisiana where she has always hidden from “the Badness.”

The whole world seems to join in the chase—helicopters, soldiers, government agents, and the police are all trying to kill her. Mari’s only hope of survival is to find Jaazaniah the Prophet, the mythical hero of her grandfather’s bedtime stories. But she has never been outside the swamp or known other humans besides her grandfather and one teacher. How can this lone girl survive the bewildering world of men long enough to find a prophet who might not even exist?

Find out more and watch the trailer at the B&H Fiction website.

What's Next for Ted Dekker

2009-05-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

With over 3.6 million novels sold to date, Thomas Nelson’s New York Times Best-selling Author, Ted Dekker is grabbing the attention of middle and high school aged students, with the Lost Book Series’ graphic and young adult novels. In completion of the series, Dekker is releasing the final two tales of what is called the CIRCLE trilogy: Lunatic and Elyon on June 2 with the graphic novels Chaos and Renegade following on June 9.

The first four volumes in the Lost Book Series, Chosen, Infidel, Renegade and Chaos have all made the CBA Best-Seller list since their release in 2008, selling more than half a million copies nationwide. Co-written by Kaci Hill, Lunatic and Elyon conclude the epic saga tales. The story line plays into the love of alternate realities with continuing suspense appealing to the same audience as those of 24, Heroes and Lost.

Wanting to reach a younger audience with the same message, Dekker created the same series illustrated through graphic novels and have sold over 50,000 copies. Combining the action from The Matrix and Indiana Jones for teens, the comics illustrate various aspects of growing up and responsibility in the context of a daring adventure.

With a completely redesigned site launched on March 20, Dekker’s official www.teddekker.com is making it easier for fans to connect with each other and the best-selling author. The site welcomes over 70,000 unique visitors everyday. An exclusive social network is available to all, which combines the features of myspace, facebook and youtube and paves the way for fans to know everything in the world of Ted Dekker.

Read our latest interview with Ted.

Brandilyn & Amberly Collins Live Like A Rock Star Contest!

2009-04-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

Know any teens age 13-18? Tell them about the “Live Like a Rock Star” sweepstakes, sponsored by Zondervan to promote Always Watching, my young adult suspense novel co-written with my daughter, Amberly. Entry into the sweepstakes is easy. And each entrant can enter up to ten times, resulting in a greater chance to win.

Grand Prize: $850 night out on the town, including dinner for six at a restaurant of winner’s choice, and limo service for the evening. The first 200 entrants will receive a free copy of Always Watching.

*TO ENTER SWEEPSTAKES, go here.

Join The Rayne Tour Series Fan Club at Facebook.

Watch the book trailer.

Always Watching—Rayne Tour Series book #1
Seatbelt Suspense® for young adults.
This daughter of a rock star has it all—until murder crashes her world.

During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley O’Connor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens' death connected to her?

Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at times like this?

As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Tom's killer—before he strikes again.

“Mother and daughter team Brandilyn and Amberly Collins have stormed onto the YA scene in exhilarating style with this great new series. Always Watching is a fast paced whodunit set against the intriguing backdrop of rock star celebrity .... Shaley’s struggle to balance her public status with her true identity is one of the most interesting aspects of this story. [Brandilyn Collins’] adult fans will find much to rave about here, while new teen readers will love the youthful voice and perspective that Amberly Collins brings to the table. Underlying the tension and dread is a strong spiritual message about trusting in the God who is always watching over us.”

—Jake Chism, The Christian Manifesto

Howard Books Moving and Letting Go of Staff

2009-04-16T14:12:00.001-07:00

According to Christian Retailing, Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, is moving from Louisiana to Nashville, TN.

Unfortunately, this means much of the current staff will be let go. Vice President and founder John Howard and his wife Chrys Howard are stepping down, effective May 1st.

Read the full piece here.

Book Trailer for Always Watching by Brandilyn & Amberly Collins

2009-04-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

Book Trailer for The Moment Between by Nicole Baart

2009-04-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Read our interview with Nicole.
Read our review of Summer Snow.

New Hafer Brothers novel coming in 2010

2009-04-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

To release in February 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Todd & Jedd Hafer have penned another humorous YA title. Here's a summary:

A poignant story of life on the road for a young stand-up comic with equal parts humor and heart.

Eighteen-year-old Drew Cody slides into his Chevy Cavalier and hits the road to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comic. He leaves behind stunned teachers, a worried church, and a heart-sick girlfriend named Virginia Jackson. Drew's decision hits his parents hard too-so much so that they are forced to actually speak to each other for the first time in years.

Encounters with unruly, alcohol-soaked audiences, dishonest club owners, quirky fellow comics, and amorous waitresses ensue. When Drew's agent pressures him to dirty-up his set to increase his popularity, he must decide if he will stay true to his core or succumb to the pressures of comedy's dark side.

Read our review of From Bad to Worse.
Read our review of Bad Idea.

Coming Soon from Kathryn Cushman

2009-04-14T09:58:00.001-07:00

Coming in October 2009 from Bethany House is Leaving Tomorrow by Kathryn Cushman.

Publisher's summary:

A Powerful Drama of a Mother's Unfailing Love

Alisa Stewart feels like she's lost two sons: her eldest to a terrible tragedy and her youngest, Kurt, to a life ruined by addiction. But now Kurt has checked himself into rehab and found a healing faith that seems real. It's like he's been raised from the dead. But then a detective arrives at Alisa's door asking questions about a murder--the death of a drug dealer before Kurt entered rehab. Alisa fears losing her son again, and when she finds evidence linking him to the killing, she destroys it. Her boy is different now. He's changed and deserves a second chance. But when another man is charged with the crime, Alisa finds herself facing an impossible choice: be silent and keep her son or give up everything for the truth.

Read our interview with Kathryn.
Read our review of A Promise to Remember.

Robin Shope novel to be a movie!

2009-04-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Author Robin Shope and Salty Earth Pictures have recently announced Shope's novel The Christmas Edition is to be a feature film.

Wisconsin newspaper The Daily Union online has run a piece which says in part:

Salty Earth Pictures has announced that it will begin filming a new feature movie later this year, with Fort Atkinson serving as the on-screen setting.

The non-profit film company based in Fort Atkinson specializes in producing Biblically-based entertainment, including such shows as the family-friendly comedy series "Fifth Pew From the Front" and the puppet-populated "Movie Critters" and its follow-up 30-minute series.

Company founder Steve Zambo announced the feature film will be based on the novel, "The Christmas Edition," which was written by Robin Shope. Shope, an author now living in Dallas, Texas, has written a series of novels that are set in Wisconsin, known as The Turtle Creek Edition series.

...Without revealing too much of the story, "The Christmas Edition" movie will be based on a struggling family-owned business in a small Wisconsin town. It focuses on relationships, secrets, trust, faith and the hope that Christmas and its message provide.

"The Christmas Edition is one of her series of books, like The Valentine Edition and The Easter Edition," Zambo explained. "They all take place in Wisconsin."

Zambo recalled how one day, he received an invitation via Facebook to do the movie adaptation.

"I had known she was an author because a mutual friend had written some other books with her," Zambo said. "So I joined, and she said 'take a look at my books.' I did, and right about then we had made the decision to make some more features, like our project 'Scrooge's Next Christmas.' But that is a bigger budget movie, and we needed a bridge picture, like the movie 'Facing the Giants,' which was filmed by a small group in Georgia."

So Shope sent Zambo the books, read by his daughter.

"She knew we needed to do a picture that we could do within a reasonable budget, and my daughter said, 'Here Dad, read this.'

And Zambo decided to adapt The Christmas Edition for the screen.

Read the full article here.

Read our interview with Robin.
Read our review of The Christmas Edition.

Jerry B. Jenkins & Stephen King on cover of Writer's Digest

2009-04-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Says Jerry at his blog:

Several years ago my assistant buzzed me and said, “Stephen King on the line for you.”

I have any number of friends who would pull such a prank, but I fought the urge to say, “John Grisham here.”

It turned out that it was really him. We happened to have the same audio reader (a brilliant voice actor named Frank Muller) who performed our books on tape and disc. Frank was about my age but had married late and had kids the age of my grandkids. In the fall of 2001 he’d had a horrible motorcycle accident and was left severely brain damaged. I showed up on Stephen King’s radar because we were both trying to help out.

...During the conversation I said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.” I told Stephen that while I wasn’t into horror fiction, I had read many of his short stories and that The Green Mile was one of my favorite novels.

He said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.”

Surprised doesn’t begin to describe it. Frank had given him copies of some of the Left Behind series.

=====
The May/June issue of Writer's Digest magazine features Jerry and Stephen in a candid interview/conversation where they talk about their writing (including each of them commenting on the other's work), their processes, and much more. Be sure to pick up a copy!

Read our interview with Jerry B. Jenkins.
Read our review of Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins.

First look at Whirlwind by Robert Liparulo

2009-04-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

Book #5 in the Dreamhouse Kings series won't release for a bit yet, but we thought you'd like a peek at the cover!

Read our 2nd interview with Robert.
Read our 1st interview with Robert.

Read our review of House of Dark Shadows, Book #1 in the Dreamhouse Kings series.

Read excerpt of House of Dark Shadows.

Navy Justice series released in audio!

2009-04-02T11:16:00.001-07:00

The first three novels of the Navy Justice Series, Treason, Hostage and Defiance, have new been released on audio! The books are read by the British narrator James Evans.

If you'd like to listen to portions of the prologue for each novel, you can online, without having to make a purchase! Simply click the link associated with the novel, and then click "Sample" under the cover picture for the book.

Links:

Treason
Hostage
Defiance

Read our review of Defiance.

2009 Christy Award Nominees Announced!

2009-03-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Just announced live at Christian Book Expo!

The nominees for the 2009 Christy Awards:

Contemporary Romance category:

* Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
* Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren (Tyndale House Publishers)
* Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney (David C. Cook)

Contemporary Series, Sequels & Novellas category:

* Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
* Summer Snow by Nicole Baart (Tyndale House Publishers)
* You Had Me at Good-bye by Tracey Bateman (FaithWords)

Contemporary Standalone category:

* Dogwood by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House Publishers)
* Embrace Me by Lisa Samson (Thomas Nelson)
* Tuesday Night at the Blue Moon by Debbie Fuller Thomas (Moody Publishers)

First Novel category:

* Blue Hole Back Home by Joy Jordan-Lake (David C. Cook)
* Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler (Bethany House Publishers)
* Safe at Home by Richard Doster (David C. Cook)

Historical category:

* Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley (B&H Publishing Group)
* Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin (Bethany House Publishers)
* Washington’s Lady by Nancy Moser (Bethany House Publishers)

Historical Romance category:

* Calico Canyon by Mary Connealy (Barbour Publishers)
* From a Distance by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House Publishers)
* The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen (B&H Publishing Group)

Suspense category:

* By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer (Tyndale House Publishers)
* The Rook by Steven James (Revell)
* Winter Haven by Athol Dickson (Bethany House Publishers)

Visionary category:

* The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka (Harvest House Publishers)
* Shade by John B. Olson (B&H Publishing Group)
* Vanish by Tom Pawlik (Tyndale House Publishers)

Young Adult category are:

* The Fruit of My Lipstick by Shelley Adina (FaithWords)
* I Have Seen Him in the Watchfires by Cathy Gohlke (Moody Publishers)
* On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

New Ted Dekker website coming March 20th!

2009-03-18T12:03:00.001-07:00

Coming March 20th, the Teddekker.com website will get a face lift! Or more accurately, a complete overhaul...

Here's an update from the old site:

At 12 noon CENTRAL TIME this Friday, the website you're on right now will be transformed. We've been working for over a year re-thinking and re-designing the online community. And it's now time to flip the switch.

Here's what we have in store for you:

- An all new look that we think you're going to love.

- A Circle social network complete with instant chat, message boards, and customizable pages.

- A little something Ted likes to call "The Underground," a section where we'll deliver never before seen Ted stories.

- All new ways to interact directly with Ted through his blog, video posts, and photos.

ALSO...SAVE THE DATE:

Be sure to join us on Teddekker.com, in "THE CIRCLE" section of the new website this Friday night from 8p-10p CENTRAL TIME for our launch party. Door prizes, including signed copies of Ted's novels, will be given away EVERY TEN MINUTES during the party, but you have to be online to win. It'll be a fun time for you to try out the new site, meet up with some current friends and make some new ones, and enjoy the new social network. You never know who might drop by.

So, come join us. A ton of work has gone into this new site and we're excited to share it with you!

Summerside Press to publish Melody Carlson novel

2009-03-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

Summerside Press’s latest fiction acquisition is best-selling author Melody Carlson’s installment of Summerside’s new LOVE FINDS YOU series. Set in Carlson’s home town, Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon, will be released in September 2009.

"I'm excited to be writing for Summerside Press, and I think a story set in my own town is just plain fun!” says Carlson.

“Melody is a greatly respected voice in the industry, and her hometown makes a stunning setting for a story that is packed with humor, adventure, and romance. We are absolutely delighted that she has joined our lineup of talented authors,” says Rachel Meisel, Summerside Press fiction editor.

LOVE FINDS YOU is an inspirational romance fiction series set in actual American towns with interesting, romantic, or quirky sounding names. The authors draw on each town’s local flavor and history to beautifully weave stories that will transport readers via the printed page and leave them anticipating the next exceptionally satisfying addition to the series. Just released in February are the two latest titles in the series, Love Finds You in Humble, Texas, by Anita Higman and Love Finds You in Last Chance, California, by Miralee Ferrell.

Two more novels, Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania from Loree Lough and Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina from Tamela Hancock Murray, are slated for an April release. Exciting new installments will follow approximately every other month.

“The LOVE FINDS YOU series is a great way for readers to explore America and be swept away to charming little towns like Sisters,” says Carlton Garborg, company president. “But you can’t publish great books without amazing authors. We’re fortunate to be working with great writers, and having Melody come on board just helps expand our readership that much more.”

###

ABOUT SUMMERSIDE PRESS
At Summerside Press, our passion is to publish the best in inspirational reading. We hope that our Christian Romance, Devotional, Gift Book, and Christian Living titles will inspire you to see the beauty of life’s journey wherever it takes you. Come along with us.

Coming Soon from Camy Tang!

2009-03-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

This summer, Camy Tang, who brought us novels like Sushi for One? and Only Uni, will wow us with her first suspense novel!

Summary:

The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake...and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn...and whom can she trust?

Read our interview with Camy.
Read our review of Single Sashimi.

Marcher Lord Press Readying for 2nd Release List

2009-03-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Marcher Lord Press, the premier Christian publisher of speculative fiction is readying for the release of its second set of novels this April.

Says Jeff Gerke about the novels:

"Like the first novels, these three books represent the very best in Christian speculative fiction. Each has been hand-picked, lovingly edited, and beautifully presented by a team of artists, editors, and technical specialists. The first time around we had two previously published novelists in the lineup and one newbie. This time it's all newbies! At Marcher Lord Press we love finding new and incredible voices like these to bring to readers as appreciative as you. You're going to love these novels by these fresh voices."

The next batch of novels will be:

Starfire by Stuart Vaughn Stockton

Starfire is a non-Earth, non-human science fiction about Rathe, a member of a race of talking, machine-using dinosaur people. (No, really.)

Rathe is trying to make his mark in his military unit while concealing the secret of his quick advancement through the ranks.

The empire he serves is at war with an enemy that is on the brink of discovering the secret of a lost civilization—a civilization whose Starfire weapons system will assure victory to whichever side seizes it first.

A mysterious follower of an all but forgotten God warns Rathe not to use the weapon as he has planned to.

Starfire is one of those books we created Marcher Lord Press to publish. Because of Stuart’s genre and subject matter, the book is all but unpublishable at traditional Christian houses. There's not a humanoid in the bunch, after all.

But it’s terrific and needs to be published. If the regular houses can’t publish books like this, we thought, let’s create a house that can. Oh, wait, that’s what we’ve done! :D

Read excerpt of Starfire here.
Read interview with Stuart here.

By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson

Achan is a stray, mere property ranked lower even than a slave. His entire life he has lived as the abused ward of Poril, who is cook to Lord Narthak. Every morning Poril forces Achan to drink a foul elixer. It is supposedly for his health, but it's never prevented any illness that Achan can see.

Sometimes Achan has feelings about things before they happen. Sometimes he senses when someone will ill intent are on their way to abuse him.

One day, Achan has a new feeling. Someone is approaching who wishes him only well. It turns out to be Sir Gavin, famed hero of the Old Kingsguard. For some reason, Gavin takes an interest in Achan and even offers to train him in the ways of knighthood.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, a teenage girl dons mens' clothing to conceal her identity. Her mother is under pressure to marry her daughter, Averella (now going as Vrell), to an evil lord. Vrell uses the mental communication ability she and her mother share to vanish into the world of men.

Forces of darkness have become aware of both Vrell and Achan and are seeking to seize their powers. Because while one knows her gift and hides it, the other's true gift, and identiy, is known only to a few who seek to use it to overthrow the world.

Read excerpt of By Darkness Hid here.
Read interview with Jill here.

The Dark Man by Marc Schooley

The Dark Man was the first novel acquired for the second release list of Marcher Lord Press. The story was so bizarre, so beautiful, and so well written that we said, "We have to publish this."

Charles Graves is a master of disguise working with the secret police to bring down the last remnants of 21st century Christianity.

Possessed of remarkable powers of disguise--and haunted by a mysterious talking wooden puzzle--Charles is the government's most potent weapon against these undesireables.

Charles effortlessly becomes other people, slipping into character like others step through a doorway. But what remains of Charles's own character is being pulled under by his accursed past. When he is not working a job, he is lost to alcohol and despair.

And then comes one more assignment. Take down the ringleader of the Christian cult holding forth from some secret quarter of militarized Houston.

He doesn't know it, but God has plans for Charles. Along the way he'll discover the truth about his past, the extent of his depravity, and the strength to look inside.

Perhaps through love and firepower and a change of leadership, Charles can cease to be a man of darkness.

Read excerpt of The Dark Man here.
Read interview with Marc here.

First Look at Green by Ted Dekker!

2009-02-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

Finally, we have a glimpse into the final volume of the Circle novels! Here's a description we found:

At Last... The Circle Reborn

The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

But even more, Green brings full meaning to the Circle series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers... the perfect climax for the countless fans who've experienced Black, Red and White.

Read the first chapter of Green here (.pdf).

Read our first interview with Ted Dekker.
Read our second interview with Ted Dekker.

TitleTrakk co-founder's novel to be published by Tyndale!

2009-02-24T16:20:00.001-08:00

TitleTrakk.com's very own C.J. Darlington will have her first novel, Thicker Than Blood, published by Tyndale House in late 2009 or early 2010 (official release date not yet confirmed).

The novel is the winner of the 2008 Operation First Novel contest sponsored by the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and Tyndale House publishers.

This is a novel C.J. started when she was fifteen-years-old. She was about to give up on it but decided to try submitting the novel to this contest.

Find out more of her story to publication by visiting C.J.'s blog.

(l-r: Karen Watson from Tyndale, C.J. Darlington & Jerry B. Jenkins. Photo by Cindi of Selah Studios.)

Working Summary of Thicker Than Blood:

Two sisters, estranged for 15 years. Their blood ties weren't enough. Only something stronger could bring them together again.

Christy Williams finally has her life on track. Her career as an antiquarian book buyer at the renowned used bookstore Dawson's Barn of Books is taking off. Hunter Dawson is teaching her the fine points of purchasing collectible books, and so far she's been able to keep her drinking problem from interfering. But when she discovers her ex-boyfriend, who also works at Dawsons, is stealing valuable books right off the store's shelves, she's unable to stop him for fear he'll expose the skeleton's in her closet.

Things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn't commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged family, especially her younger sister May, who she abandoned in their childhood after their parents' untimely deaths. Now the owner of a failing cattle ranch, May couldn't possibly want a relationship with her, the big sister who didn't even say goodbye all those years ago. Could she?

Soon Christy's fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could the Triple Cross ranch be the safe haven she's searching for, or will May's new-found faith give her sister even more reason to reject Christy? Will they realize before it's too late that each possesses what the other desperately needs?

Writing for the Soul photos by Cindi of Selah Studios

Take One by Karen Kingsbury book trailer

2009-02-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

Read our interview with Karen.

Free download of Snow Angel by Jamie Carie!

2009-02-12T06:35:00.001-08:00

This just in from our friend Rel at Relz Reviewz . . . now through February 25th you can download Jamie Carie's novel Snow Angel for free at B&H. Find out more from Relz Reviewz.

From Jamie's website about Snow Angel:

“Please . . . God . . . “

She whispered before collapsing.

When Noah Wesley hears the faint sound outside the door of his remote Alaskan cabin during a violent nighttime blizzard, it is no less than the voice of God that urges him to take a closer look, to discover there his snow angel.

Unconscious and more than half frozen to death, her name is Elizabeth, a beautiful young woman, fragile yet fierce, intent on discovering gold like so many others rushing headlong toward the Yukon.

But why Elizabeth is so drawn to the gold, and why she would chase it even through a pounding storm that no man would dare face, is a secret to be shared with no one, not even at the invitation of Noah’s deep-blue, trusting eyes.

Jamie Carie has penned a can’t-up-down debut novel in Snow Angel, a masterfully romantic story wherein cold and lonely hearts risk everything to be forever warmed.

Swope's Ridge by Ace Collins - coming in August!

2009-02-12T06:29:00.001-08:00

Coming in August from Zondervan is Ace Collins' second novel, Swope's Ridge. According to his website, the novel is a sequel to his first, Farraday Road.

Says Ace:

This is the second in the Lige Evans' Mystery Series. If you are wanting to know more about Lije, Janie and the rest of the people who survived Farraday Road, this book has the answers. As it solves the first novel's mystery, this book takes readers far beyound Swope's Ridge to Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Berlin and Washington D.C. The mystery unravels to reveal not only who killed Kaitlyn Evans, but to also uncover a terrorist plot meant to crippled the U.S. government. Filled with dramatic plot twists, the book has more adventure and thrills than Farraday Road and provides deep development of the men and women who are such a vital part of this book series.

Read our review of Farraday Road.
Read our interview with Ace.

The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher Wins Christianity Today Award of Merit

2009-01-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

Christianity Today has announced The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennet has been given an "Award of Merit" in its 2009 Book Awards. Read more about the winners here.

Read our review of the novel here.

Summary:

Meet Ryan Fisher. He’s young, energetic, and needs an edge in the real estate market. He’s found the perfect niche: Christians. His business doubles when he advertises in the Christian business directory, and he begins to think he could really cash in by planting a church. But when the church takes off, Ryan is in over his head. Also features Z+ bonus materials; including, author interview, added content, fun facts, and more.

2009 Christian Book Award (Gold Medallion) Finalists Announced

2009-01-27T14:23:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Finalists for the ECPA Christian Book Award (aka The Gold Medallion) have been announced. They are:

Category: Bibles

ESV Study Bible
Crossway Books & Bibles, 9781433502415

NKJV Study Bible Second Edition
Thomas Nelson, Inc., 9780718020811

NLT Study Bible
Tyndale House Publishers, 9780842355704

The Grandmother’s Bible
Doris Rikkers, Jeannette Taylor, Editors
Zondervan, 9780310938019

Zondervan NIV Study Bible Updated
Kenneth Barker, John Stek, Ronald Youngblood, Editors
Zondervan, 9780310938965

Category: Bible Reference & Study

A Visual History of the English Bible
Donald L. Brake
Baker Books/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801013164

Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings,
Tremper Longman III, Peter Enns, Editors
InterVarsity Press, 9780830817832

New Testament Theology
Thomas R. Schreiner
Baker Academic/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801026805

New International Biblical Commentary: Jeremiah, Lamentations
Tremper Longman II
Hendrickson Publishers, 9781565632240

Rose Guide to the Tabernacle
Rose Publishing, Inc., 9781596362765

Category: Children & Youth

For Young Men Only
Jeff Feldhahn and Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 9781601420206

Guys Like Girls Who…
Chad Eastham
Thomas Nelson, 9781400313006

Lies Young Women Believe
Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh
Moody Publishers, 9780802472946

Mean
Hayley DiMarco
Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800732219

Secrets Young Women Keep
Dr. Jill Hubbard
Thomas Nelson, 9780785228172

Starlight Animal Rescue #1: Runaway
Dandi Mackall
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414312682

Category: Christian Life

Following God with All Your Heart
Elizabeth George
Harvest House Publishers, 9780736905046

Just Courage
Gary A. Haugen
InterVarsity Press, 9780830834945

Living Water
Brother Yun
Zondervan, 9780310285540

Multiple Blessings
Jon and Kate Gosselin
Zondervan, 9780310289029

Love as a Way of Life
Gary Chapman
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 9781400072583

Spectacular Sins
John Piper
Crossway Books & Bibles, 9781433502750

Category: Fiction

Home Another Way
Christa Parrish
Bethany House/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780764205231

Less Than Dead
Tim Downs
Thomas Nelson, 9781595543073

Riven
Jerry B. Jenkins
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414309040

The Outsider
Ann H. Gabhart
Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800732394

The Shape of Mercy
Susan Meissner
WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 9781400074563

Category: Inspiration & Gift

Holiness Day by Day
Jerry Bridges
NavPress, 9781600063961

Hope...the Best of Things
Joni Eareckson Tada
Crossway Books & Bibles, 9781433502194

My All in All
Robert J. Morgan
B&H Publishing, 9780805446630

Reflections of God's Holy Land
Eva Everson and Miriam Vamosh
Thomas Nelson, 9780849919565

The Daily Bible ® Devotional
F. LaGard Smith
Harvest House Publishers, 9780736922111

The Quotable Oswald Chambers
David McCasland, Editor
Discovery House Publishers, 9781572931947

Bug the Dead by Tim Downs coming this fall!

2009-01-26T11:07:00.000-08:00

Coming in September from Thomas Nelson is Tim Downs' next "Bug Man" novel. We've snagged a summary to wet your appetite!

Summary:

Smuggled insects are at the root of the Bug Man's troubles in this latest suspense novel from award-winning author Tim Downs.

Dr. Nick Polchak is called to a farm community in eastern North Carolina to investigate a murder. The victim is the owner of a failing organic farm who had developed a drug problem, and the police suspect his murder was drug-related.

Nick finds the remains of a bale of marijuana scattered in the tomato fields--but the marijuana seems to be strangely infested with a common North Carolina insect: the tobacco hornworm. To further confound the mystery, the South American marijuana was infected with bugs from North Carolina that were infected with a fungus from Asia. The man wasn't killed because of the marijuana, but because of the insects it contained.

Nick discovers that a vicious agricultural scheme is underway to cripple the U.S.'s corn and ethanol production. But just how far will these terrorists go in their quest?

Read our interview with Tim Downs
Read our review of First The Dead
Read our review of Less Than Dead

Faces in the Fire by T.L. Hines

2009-01-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Coming in July from Thomas Nelson is T.L. Hines' next release.

Summary:

The stories of four individuals collide in trademark T.L. Hines style where supernatural thriller meets mystery.

Kurt Marlowe is a long-haul truck driver who is hearing strange things over his CB radio. When he goes to a truck stop to try to find a phone, he ends up having breakfast with a young woman with a stunning catfish tattoo on her arm. Inside the tattoo is a series of numbers that she didn't even realize were there . . . but that have great significance.

This collision with her life sets off an unstoppable series of interactions . . . each of which leaves the participants with the bizarre feeling that something fundamental has changed, and yet they have also, somehow, been freed.

Read our review of T.L.'s The Unseen.

Barbour to Cancel Heartsong Mysteries Book Club

2009-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

According to the website The Edit Cafe which is led by several Barbour editors, they will be canceling their newly launched mystery book club. Says Becky:

"2008 was the season for the cozy mystery romance at Barbour. We spent 2 years planning for our new book club. We built a strong team of managing editor and authors who worked hard on both content and marketing of the books. Then we launched the club early 2008 based on strong initial membership drives.

All was going well until our early fall membership drive (traditionally a strong time for adding new members) hit at the same time as the news from Wall Street about the financial crisis. The membership drive had the worst response that we have ever experienced or even heard of in the industry. At that point, to save the club would have required major investment dollars. By the end of 2008, we knew that the national financial climate would not allow for a marketing gamble on something that was still new and unproven.

2008 was a pretty good year overall for Barbour, but with 2009 looking to be a hard one for retailers, we know we have to tighten our belt and keep our money where we are confident it can give us the most return. So, for that reason, we will be closing the Heartsong Presents Mystery Romance Club. We have a couple more shipments that will go out, then books we have contracted will be used in other ways. Most likely they will go into 3-in-1 collections like Cozy in Kansas and Alibis in Arkansas. These 2 books released in late fall 2008 and had very good sales showings over Christmas. We hope you cozy mystery lovers out there will look for these books and support your author friends by buying them."

Read the full piece here. Thanks to Chris Well for alerting us to this news item.

Read the 1st Chapter of Scream by Mike Dellosso

2009-01-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

Coming March 3, 2009 is Mike Dellosso's next thriller, Scream. But you don't have to wait until then to read a sneak peak! Mike has the first chapter up at his website, and we encourage you to check it out here.

Summary:

Otherworldly Screams…
A Madman on the Loose…
This Time the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend’s life. When this happens several more times—screams followed by an untimely death—he is compelled to act.

Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.

Vote for the Ending of The Justice Game by Randy Singer

2009-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Coming in July 2009 from Tyndale House is Randy Singer's next legal thriller. "This one's personal," he says at his website. In fact, there's a whole factual story around this one. Says Randy in full at his website:

This one is personal.

On December 15, 1988, a sixteen-year-old student named Nicholas Elliot took a Mac-11 assault weapon to Atlantic Shores Christian School and opened fire. He shot and killed a teacher named Karen Farley, wounded an assistant principal, and burst into a trailer where a Bible class was meeting. When he opened fire on the students who had scrambled to the back corner of the trailer, frantically praying, the gun jammed. The Bible teacher, Hutch Matteson, tackled Elliot and prevented the kind of tragedy that hit Columbine High School in Colorado several years later.

Atlantic Shores was the school where my wife taught. The school my kids attended (though they were not there that day). When I learned that Elliot had purchased the gun illegally from a gun store in Isle of Wight County (through a transaction referred to as a "straw purchase transaction"), I ended up representing the family of Karen Farley in an unprecedented lawsuit against that gun store. The verdict shocked everyone.

That was fifteen years ago -- my baptism by fire into the national gun debate.

With this book, I wade back in ...wiser (I hope), more cautious, and with a better understanding of both sides. My goal here is not to make converts (at least, not in the Second Amendment sense), but to fairly present both perspectives and let the reader decide. I've tried to create compelling characters who are gun enthusiasts and others who advocate gun control. In fact, I was so determined to be balanced that I did something I've never done before and, as far as I know, no other novelist has done before or since.

My readers determined the verdict for this book.

I put together an on-line video, showing a news report about the fictional case at the heart of this book and portions of the closing arguments of both lawyers. I asked readers to watch the video and render a verdict. The verdict in this story reflects the verdict of a majority of my readers.

The result might surprise you. If I.ve done my job right, the ending of the book might surprise you as well.

Whether it does or not, thanks for taking this journey with me. In a very real sense, you are always the jury. And, just like in my real trials, I've got a few butterflies as I submit my case to you.

For The Justice Game, the jury is out.

Update: the video to watch and then cast your vote is live at Randy's website! Click here to watch. Or, watch the video below and then visit the website to cast your vote.

Read our interview with Randy Singer.
Read our review of By Reason of Insanity.

Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins to be a movie

2009-01-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

According to Dallas Jenkins, Jerry's son and the co-founder with him of Jenkins Entertainment, Jerry's novel Riven is to be a movie.

Says Dallas at his blog:

"We've also decided that Riven, the book my Dad wrote that came out last year (and for my money, is his best book), is going to be the second film in the Jenkins/Pureflix partnership. We will be talking to screenwriters in the next couple of weeks and hope to be in production by the end of the year. I'm actually going to send a letter to Joe Eszterhas, the famous screenwriter of Basic Instinct, Flashdance, Music Box, and Jagged Edge, among others, who recently became a Christian. I know it's a long shot, but I think he'd be interested in some of the films we're doing. His books are incredible (any aspiring filmmaker should read The Devil's Guide to Hollywood), including his recent one, Crossbearer, which is about his conversion. Maybe Riven will strike a chord, or perhaps Youngest Hero, which is about baseball, one of his great loves. We'll see."

Read the rest of the blog here.

Read our review of Riven.
Read our interview with Jerry B. Jenkins.
Read our interview with Dallas Jenkins.

Valley of the Shadow by Tom Pawlik

2009-01-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Tom Pawlik's debut novel Vanish has received great kudos (it won the 2006 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest). But he's not a one hit wonder. His sophomore novel, Valley of the Shadow, is coming in July 2009 from Tyndale House.

Summary:

Conner Hayden is certain he survived his near-death experience for a reason.

He thinks it’s to save the life—and soul—of Mitch Kent. Mitch’s body remains on life support while his spirit is trapped with the old farmer Howard Bristol in the Interworld—a strange and dangerous dimension that Conner narrowly escaped during his brush with death in Pawlik’s award-winning debut novel, Vanish.

Meanwhile, in the Interworld, Mitch receives a warning from a mysterious stranger: Howard is not who he appears to be, and Mitch must flee immediately. Pursued by Howard and a terrifying, deadly creature, Mitch soon learns the truth about what happened to him and that his only hope of survival lies at the very edge of the Interworld.

Tom also said this at his blog:

The sequel follows the stories of Conner, Mitch and Devon--oh and Howard too, while introducing a couple of new characters as well. I also developed more details around the basic scenario presented in VANISH and added in some new elements of the unknown to keep readers guessing.

Dating Tips from Sydney Alexander!

2009-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

It is a New Year and everyone is buzzing about their 2009 resolutions. Charming chick-lit author Christa Ann Banister lends a hand to those wishing to spice up their dating life or for those who enjoy a good giggle from Sydney Alexander, a.k.a the heroine from Banister's hit books "Around the World in 80 Dates" and "Blessed Are The Meddlers."

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From the Desk of Sydney Alexander: New Year, New Dating Tips
January 7, 2009

As the syndicated columnist of "Lucy for the Lovelorn" travel journalist and relationship expert (apparently, tons of bad dates are useful for something, right?) Sydney Alexander has doled out her fair share of advice for the dating-challenged. And now that the New Year has finally arrived, Sydney's got some sage guidance for all the singletons brave enough to venture out into the wild, wacky world of dating.

Relinquish the Remote Control
Sure, snuggling up on the couch with a cozy blanket, a pint of Chunky Monkey and the entire seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls" on DVD is most girls' idea of a great night in. But even Loralei Gilmore knew she wasn't going to shamelessly flirt with Luke unless she stepped away from the T.V. and left the house.

So basically, if you're not landing as many dates as you'd like, go out from time to time! Whether it's the chic neighborhood coffee shop or the nearby Barnes & Noble, you never know who you might strike up a conversation with.

No, Your Life Isn't a Romantic Comedy!
Sometimes the thing that's getting between you and a successful love life is a grandiose set of unrealistic expectations. Yes, it's important not to settle when it comes to relationships, but having a mile-long checklist of qualities for your perfect guy/gal will lead to nothing but disappointment. After all, it's important to remember that McDreamy is actually the product of a crack team of writers.

Take a Chance
Yep, ABBA was definitely on to something with their catchy pop song by the same name. But it's equally good advice when it comes to relationships. Take it from me, saying yes to a dinner invitation--even if you're not exactly sure how it's going to pan out--is a good thing. And if it's a bad night out? Well, at least you're flexing the dating muscle, and you might have a funny story to boot.

Don't Obsess!
If you've gone out with a great new guy and wonder exactly when he'll call next, don't take the first step and get in touch. While it sounds a bit old-school, trust me, guys still like the chase. Plus, a girl playing it cool is definitely much more desirable, not to mention has a far more balanced perspective.

Pray Up
And the single most important piece of dating advice is: Pray, pray, pray! In the same way you'd seek God about your career, your finances and everything else, it's important to pray about your love life. And while God's timing doesn't always seem to align with what you're hoping for, those valuable lessons you'll learn in the meantime (sigh!) will make you all the more prepared for that future relationship.

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About Christa Ann Banister:
After years of working as a respected music critic, movie critic, and freelance writer for various publications: CCM Magazine, Crosswalk.com, Christian Single, ChristianityToday.com, not to mention kickstarting the inaugural Christian music blog for MTV's Urge.com, Banister has inked two novels in the past year and hopes her stories will inspire countless twenty and thirty-somethings in their quest for snagging Mr. Right.

Since the release of her critically acclaimed debut in 2007, she's already sold more than 5,000 copies while continuing her day job as a full-time freelance writer. The debut novel also garnered the No.1 spot on Amazon.com's Single Women's lit category as well as being dubbed by reviewers as a "talented new voice in chick-lit." She's also taught writing classes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, spoke at Bethel University and was the keynote speaker for Evangel University's "Artist Series" in Springfield, Missouri. For more information on Christa Ann Banister, visit her official website at christabanister.com.

Read our interview with Christa!
Review of Blessed Are the Meddlers.

Jerry Jenkins to appear on History Channel

2009-01-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Author Jerry Jenkins will be interviewed on a History Channel 2-hour special, “Seven Signs of the Apocalypse,” to air Monday, January 5. The program is part of the History Channel’s “Armageddon Week.” Air times are 9PM both Eastern and Pacific, 8 PM Central, and 7PM Mountain time.

Read our interview with Jerry.
Read our review of Riven.

Help a homeless Brandilyn Collins reader

2008-12-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today over at Brandilyn Collins' blog Forensics and Faith she told us about the plight of a teen girl and her Mom (a reader of Brandilyn's novels) who've recently become homeless and are currently sleeping in their car. The teen, Katy, an aspiring artist and writer has started a blog called Anywhere But Here chronicling their predicament. At left is the picture she has of herself on the blog. We presume she drew it herself!

We'd like to call on all of you to first of all read Brandilyn's post. She explains how she knows the ladies and their current status. Says Brandilyn in part (brackets are mine):

For a number of years now I have sent Liz [the Mom] a free book every time one of mine releases. She has always graciously written back with thanks and much praise for the story. She's been a real encouragement to me. I'm hoping to now help her through my online network of blogging, Facebook and Twitter. I'd appreciate any way you can help spread the word through your own networking.

But she also shares how we can help:

As people are getting involved to help Liz and Katy, it's becoming clear they need an easier way to send money. Liz doesn't have a Paypal account. If you'd like to send funds to Liz and Katy, please send them to my account, and I'll make sure every cent goes to them. Please put in the subject line: For Liz and Katy. My account is under my email address: brandilyn@brandilyncollins.com

In this time of economic hardship, chances are most of you have a warm bed and a house/apartment to come home to. This Mom and daughter don't. Let's not sit back and watch this unfold and become an even more desperate situation. Let's do what we can to help. If you can spare a couple dollars, please do.

We trust Brandilyn on this and know she wouldn't send out a call for the family if they didn't really need it. How about it? Want to join us in helping Liz & Katy?

Veiled Freedom by J.M. Windle

2008-12-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

Coming in June 2009 (Tyndale) from Jeanette (J.M.) Windle is Veiled Freedom.

Summary:

When a disillusioned Special Forces veteran, a relief worker with stars still stubbornly in her eyes, and an Afghan medical school dropout intersect on the streets of Kabul in Veiled Freedom, they can’t predict an explosion of events that will test the hypocrisy of Western leadership and Afghanistan’s new democracy and face each of them with the true meaning and only Source of freedom.
Read our interview with Jeanette.

New cover for Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker

2008-12-27T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is the second cover we've seen of Ted Dekker's upcoming mainstream release Boneman's Daughters. What do you think?

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.

Angel of Wrath by Bill Myers

2008-12-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

Coming in April from Faithwords is the sequel to Myers' popular novel The Voice.

Summary:

Thirteen-year-old Jazmin, her ex-Special Ops uncle Charlie, and former FBI agent Lisa are reunited in the second of the Voice of God series to stop a an assassin driven to murder members of a megachurch led by Lisa's brother. This assassin has drawn in a coven of teens toying with satanic practices to support his efforts. The naive youth engage in ceremonies that appear to usher in the death of each of his victims. When their rituals open a portal into the spiritual realm, a terrifying and mysterious entity crosses over to our world.

The battle culminates with the capture of Lisa's father as the next target and a Black Mass requiring both their deaths as a sacrifice. The team will, once again, have to rely on all their wits, strength, and faith to survive in this action-packed, unearthly warfare.

Read our interview with Bill.
Read our review of The Voice.