Delia Latham's Blog, page 21

Christmas Romance Decks the Halls (Part II)

Continuing on with my showcase of Pelican Book Group Christmas titles. I love these Christmas covers, don't you? PBG's editor-in-chief, Nicola Martinez, is an amazing cover artist.


From JoAnn Durgin...


SLEIGH RIDE TOGETHER WITH YOU
Releases Dec. 1
with Pelican Book Group's
2014 Christmas Extravaganza
As the popular television co-host of Wake Up, Des Moines! Nicole Reardon has achieved her dream. So why has the network sent “image maker” Alex Kingsfield to the station? The irritatingly handsome man is also the first man she’s been attracted to since Jake Marston dumped her three years ago in Starlight, Iowa. When an unexpected assignment sends Nicole and Alex to Starlight, can she rise above the past and make this interview the defining moment of her career?

Alex Kingsfield knows Nicole is poised on the cusp of network stardom. But beneath the professional exterior is a small-town girl at heart, genuine and God-honoring. Alex holds the power to boost Nicole’s career to unknown heights. Or crush her dreams. From any angle, he’s caught in a “no win” situation when he finds himself falling for the beautiful Nicole. What’s a man to do when love comes calling at Christmas?



Christmas Extravaganza 2013 STARLIGHT, STAR BRIGHT

Dante Moretti, Texas-born goalie of an Italian World Cup champion team, expects Starlight, Iowa will be only a blip on the radar of his life. Grabbing a quick meal at Barney’s Diner during the holidays, Dante meets two women who capture his heart in very different ways. Then his rental car won’t start and leaves him stranded. Does the Lord have a plan for bringing him—and keeping him—in Starlight?

Amanda Marston is excited to be home for her brother’s wedding. When she drops in for a cup of coffee at Barney’s, she’s charmed by the mysterious, Italian-spouting cowboy. Before she can blink, the handsome stranger is helping with projects all over town and working his way into her heart. Does God have a plan for Dante in her beloved little Starlight or will he take her heart with him when he returns to Italy?


About JoAnn Durgin:



JoAnn Durgin is the author of five novels in the popular Lewis Legacy Series as well as the Amazon bestselling Catching Serenity. Her novellas include Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, Starlight, Star Bright, Sleigh Ride Together with You (coming for the 2014 Christmas season), and Echoes of Edinburgh. A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Louisville Christian Writers, JoAnn lives her husband and three children in southern Indiana. She’s recently *retired* from her paralegal position to write full-time. She loves to hear from her readers at www.joanndurgin.com or www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin.







From Tanya Stowe...

WHITE CHRISTMAS
 From the 2011Christmas Extravaganza
After his very public break-up from his fiancé, Chad Fletcher is convinced that a healthy marriage and his rising political career won’t mix, and Christmas at his Aunt Nell’s home in White, Arizona is a great way to start fresh.

Political watch dog, Tessa Conway, plans to spend her vacation enjoying her grandparents’ ranch before they must sell it, so she is not pleased with Grandma Sophie and Aunt Nell’s efforts to throw her and Chad together.

Chad begins to believe Tessa may be the perfect antidote to his unhealthy relationships of the past, but when he decides to take support from a company with questionable ethics, his perfect bubble is burst.

Fearing Chad is not the Godly man she believed him to be, Tessa ends their budding romance. Will Chad find the strength and courage to do what’s right even if it costs him his career? 
  Co-written withDelia Latham (2013) A COWBOY CHRISTMAS
(co-authored with Delia Latham)
Layne Mabrey is on the run.

Determined to hide their Down Syndrome daughter from the world, her ex-husband wants to have six-year-old Chloe institutionalized, but Layne will go to any lengths to keep her child.

Dex Beckett immediately falls in love with both Layne and Chloe, but Layne can't afford to get close to anyone--not even the shy, gentle cowboy next door. She and Chloe have to be ready to run at any moment.

Concerned that Chloe's sudden creation of an imaginary friend could be used to substantiate her father's claims, Layne is shocked when Dex offers an unbelievable opinion about the child's invisible visitor.

But there's more to Heart's Haven than meets the eye. Is it possible a Christmas miracle awaits Layne and Chloe on the Heart's Haven Angel Tree?


About Tanya Stowe:
Tanya Stowe is a Christian Fiction writer with an unexpected edge. This Pelican Book Group author fills her romances with the unusual…gifts of the spirit in Tender Touch and spiritual warfare in Haunted Hearts.  In Never Ending Night she explores the horrors of a Civil War battle and unravels a mystery. Tender Trust treks to the Old West. Leap of Faith brushes wings with an angel and White Christmas wraps romance in the traditions of a small town holiday. No matter where Tanya goes…on a journey through the past or contemporary adventures in new lands…be prepared for the extraordinary. Find Tanya on her website, blog, Facebook, and her Amazon Author Page.






FROM CARLA ROSSI


How Nick and Holly Wrecked... Saved Christmas 2014 Christmas Extravaganza

Holly Moreau and Nick Zernigan aren’t friends at school – or anywhere else. Especially since Holly blames Nick for her broken nose after a freak accident. But when they find themselves unexpectedly dropped with older relatives at a retirement complex over Christmas break, they must make peace. They have to. It’s the only way to survive karaoke night and a senior citizen Christmas dance. 


Holly thinks Nick is a careless loser. Nick thinks Holly is a too-serious choir nerd. Can one party and a crime spree change their minds about each other? And can Nick and Holly remember the miracle of Christmas and find the answers to some of their hidden questions?




Dr. Noah and The Sugar Plum Fairy


College senior and not-so-ex-ballerina Jane Trumbull is home for Christmas break. She welcomes the joyful chaos of a happy family holiday – then the rollercoaster of emotions begins.

Veterinarian Dr. Noah Barron hopes his return to Texas and his new clinic will help him forget about his dark days in California. But he can’t outrun unresolved issues and doesn’t know how lonely he really is – until he meets slightly clumsy Un-Plain Jane.

Can Jane and Noah learn to share who they really are and what they really want? And can they allow God to send joy after sorrow, hope for hidden dreams, and healing for past wounds?


About Carla Rossi:


CARLA ROSSI is a multi-published, award-winning author as well as a cancer survivor, life-long music minister, and speaker. She has been writing inspirational romance for White Rose Publishing/Pelican Book Group since 2007. Carla lives north of Houston with her husband. She has three grown children and two grandchildren. Website

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New Release: Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Jeanie Smith Cash

Book 4: A Smoky Mountain
Christmas series. Releases
TODAY on Amazon!
Gabrielle is uneasy when she’s called back to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for Granddaddy Buchanan’s 80th birthday. Facing the nightmares that plagued her there isn’t her idea of the best way to spend a Christmas holiday. And sure enough, things don’t get off to a great start, when she has to be rescued from a violent storm by handsome respiratory therapist Joseph Garrison. Joseph and his baby girl quickly steal a piece of Gabbi's heart, but is it enough to make her realize Gatlinburg is where the Lord wants her to be? Or will she move back to the city she claims to love?

 
About the author:

Jeanie Smith Cash lives in the country in Southwest Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks, with her husband, Andy. They were high school sweethearts and have been blessed with two children, and four grandchildren. She feels very fortunate to have her family living close by. Jeanie and her family are members of New Site Baptist Church, where they attend regularly. When she's not writing, Jeanie loves to spend time with her family, spoil her grandchildren, read, collect dolls, crochet, and travel. Jeanie is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and Monett Christian Writers Guild. She has stories in five Barbour novella collections, Three single novels, as well as four short stories in a magazine. She loves to read Christian romance, and believes a salvation message inside of a good story, could possibly touch someone who wouldn't be reached in any other way. You can find her books at www.Amazon.com.

Jeanie loves to hear from her readers. You may contact her on Facebook or via email. You may also join her newsletter if you wish.

COTT: 2015 Laurel Award Feature

On October 22, 2014, A Miracle of Hope won Clash of the Titles' Laurel Award. During a six-week period, the novel's first 3,500 words were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined it to be the worthiest to receive the 2014 Laurel Award.
Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Ruth Reid for her commendable work. We wish God's abundant blessings on her future projects.

“A Miracle of Hope quickens a reader’s heart in hope that one child’s faith will be miracle enough.” –Alan Daugherty, News-Banner columnist

About A Miracle of HopeLindie Wyse thinks an arranged marriage is the only way to preserve a future for herself and her unborn child. Josiah Plank is certain he’ll never love again, but he needs someone to care for his deaf eight-year-old daughter, Hannah. The two take on their arrangement tentatively at first but soon realize they are each in for more than they imagined. After a short time, Lindie experiences a breakthrough with Hannah when she recognizes the child’s special gifts, but a risky pregnancy and serious health issues threaten to demolish the foundation Josiah and Lindie are building—and the love that is growing between them.

Will their marriage survive their struggles, or will their hearts become as cold as the northern winter?

PURCHASE YOUR COPY

“A beautifully written love story, A Miracle of Hope is both heartwarming and heartbreaking and features believable, charming characters who are willing to do whatever it takes for love.” 4 stars, RT Book Reviews  

Listen to Cynthia L. Simmon's" Heart of the Matter" radio interview of Laurel Award Winner, Ruth Reid!

About Ruth:
Ruth is a CBA and ECPA best-selling author of the Heaven on Earth and Amish Wonders series. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life. Ruth resides in Florida with her husband and three children. She can be reached HERE.

“…Ruth’s descriptions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula during the winter are vivid and almost hauntingly beautiful—yet the hardship and “cabin fever” element are very real. But it’s character depth that is this story’s strength…” –Carole Jarvis, Amazon Review

Ruth's Upcoming Projects:Her Christmas Pen Pal, a novella in An Amish Second Christmas collection released October 2014. A Woodland Miracle will be released in January 2015She is currently working on book three of the Amish Wonders Series (untitled at this time; release is planned for 2016). 
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OLYMPIA OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS!
Authors, take note! 
Clash of the Titles has opened its doors for submissions to the 2015 Olympia.


The Olympia is COTT's yearly contest for unpublished writers. The submissions are judged by their audience—readers well versed in Christian fiction yet not associated with the CBA industry.

Authors write for readers, so why not have readers be the judges?

Finalists in the contest will also have their work read and judged by three industry professionals!
With a submission fee of only $15, easy electronic submission, a bevy of prizes, and judges devoted to Christian fiction and author encouragement, the Olympia is a contest like no other.
But once our doors are open, you'll need to act quick! Slots are limited. To avoid overburdening our volunteer judges, we are limited in the number of submissions we can accept.
Submissions:Oct. 31, 2014-Dec 12, 2014 
For more details, please visit our site.
Stay tuned for updates by  subscribing to COTT's blog  and  “liking” our Facebook page .

New Release: Christmas Grace by Rose Allen McCauley

Book 3 in the "A Smoky Mountain
Christmas" series. Releases TODAY
on Amazon! 
Grace Buchanan and Chris Fisher were best friends for sixteen years...until he fell in love with her other best friend, Terrie. Chris and Terrie married after high school, then she died three years ago.

A renewed friendship soon awakens stronger feelings in Grace and Chris. Can they both let go of the past long enough to claim the future God has for them?


About the author:
Rose Allen McCauley is a child of God, a wife, mother to three, and Mimi to five grandchildren. She has been writing for over 10 years. She loves to read and write about Christmas, so is happy to be included in this Smoky Mountain Christmas collection.
Website and blog TwitterFacebook author page

New Release: Hometown Melodies by Amber Stockton

A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Book 2 releases TODAY!
Book 2: A Smoky Mountain
Christmas series. Releases
TODAY on Amazon!
Melody May Buchanan left Gatlinburg to pursue a life in the symphony. When a letter arrives asking her to return home for her granddaddy’s 80th birthday, she knows she must go. Leaving her fiancé in Denver while the symphony is on break, she pushes behind her the reasons she left and heads home. But the homecoming isn’t quite what she expected, and she’s immediately faced with everything she loved about growing up there…even her childhood best friend, Drew. Old feelings surface, and she starts to wonder if she made a mistake. Then, her two worlds collide when her fiancé arrives, and she discovers Drew has become quite a success in the music industry. Faced with the dilemma of which path to choose, Melody turns to God and her grandfather for advice. Either way, one man will get hurt. Which option is the best? 
About the author:


Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning author andspeaker who has partnered with Nerium International in the anti-aging skin care industry, helping others look younger and live better. She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie and and Australian cattle dog/Corgi mix named Timber. She has sold fourteen books so far and is represented by agent Sandra Bishop of the TransAtlantic Agency. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Christmas Romance Decks the Halls!

Christmas is coming up really fast! And so are the great Christmas romance novellas we all look forward to every year. I do, anyway...right along with the annual line-up of sweet Christmas movies!

Starting today, and each Wednesday until Christmas (as long as I have interested authors sending books), I'll be highlighting Christmas stories you won't want to miss. Some are brand, spankin' new, and others have been around for awhile...but ALL are sweet Christian romances with a Christmas setting.

What better way to help a reader get into the Christmas spirit?

Today, I'm honored, pleased, and excited to bring you books by Clare Revell - and Yours Truly!

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From Clare Revell...


CHRISTMAS EVA

Coming December 1st, as part of
Pelican Book Group's Christmas Extravaganza.
When an accident leaves Eva Anderson in a coma, she is woken by voice of actor Harry 'Matthew' Lyell, whom she has a long-standing crush on. Left in a wheelchair, she withdraws into herself.
Harry Lyell takes a job in pantomine in Headley Cross. He often wonders about the brunette he met at the theatre door and then woke from her coma. Meeting her again must be a God thing because he certainly hadn't planned it.
As Christmas approaches, Eva and Harry's lives are drawn together in a way neither imagined. Can Harry help Eva find the Christmas miracle she needs or will a simple article destroy any future they might have?

Kindle     Nook     ePub/Mobi/Adobe
(Links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble will be provided as they become available.)

FAIRYTALE OF HEADLEY CROSS
 
(Christmas Extravaganza 2013)

Christmas is a busy time in the church calendar, and Pastor Carson Armitage still trying to find his feet in his first job as an ordained minister. When he decides to organize a nativity for Christmas Eve, he employs the help of Maggie Turner, Sunday school teacher extraordinaire. She’s dedicated, smart and beautifu; and Carson finds himself falling for her. But when his past comes back to haunt him in a big way, Christmas may not be so merry.

Can the past be laid to rest? Or is happily ever after only a fairytale?

Kindle     Nook     ePub/Mobi/Adobe



AN AUSSIE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

(Christmas Extravaganza 2012)
On an extended holiday from the UK, John Connington finds himself in Sydney, Australia with no lodging, and only a telephone number from a friend-of-a-friend offering him a place to stay. Trusting that God knows what He’s doing, John makes the call.
Jo Heywood can’t believe the audacity of John Connington, yet when her flat mate knows of this obscure offer, there's nothing Jo can do. She’s not prepared for the avalanche of feelings this stranger elicits. Not impressed by God’s sense of humour, Jo fights how she feels.
Can a long distance relationship really work or is God just testing them both?
Kindle     Nook     ePub/Mobi/Adobe
About Clare Revell:
Clare lives in a small town in England with her husband, whom she married in 1992, and her three children. Writing from an early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fanfiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children's stories. When she's not writing, reading, or sewing, she's keeping house or doing the many piles of laundry her children manage to make. She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of three registrars.

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From Delia Latham...

JINGLE BELLE

A Pure Amore Book Club release,
Dec. 1, 2014.
Jingle Belle Knowles is excited about the opportunity to write a Christmas jingle for a new restaurant in Pohono, Oklahoma—until she meets the company’s cocky PR man. Despite an immediate personality clash with much-too-handsome Italian Nick Santini, Belle finds herself irresistibly and unacceptably drawn to her insufferable client.

Nick isn’t pleased about working with the dangerously lovely jingle writer. But with a grand opening date just two weeks before Christmas, he and his brother need something to draw shoppers off the streets and into their Tuscan-themed restaurant. Given Belle's sterling reputation, Nick makes up his mind to grit his teeth and get through the project.

They’re both adults. They’re both Christians. They’re both determined to make the project a success. But when a passionate, self-assured, hard-headed Italian butts heads with a stubborn, auburn-haired, confident Irish spit-fire…the results could make for a highly chaotic Christmas season.

(JINGLE BELLE is available exclusively through Pelican Book Group's Pure Amore Book Club. A year of once-a-month sweet romance that promotes purity before marriage, plus the following extra goodies entirely FREE!

The entire Sisters in Spirit series in digital format (by Marianne Evans Either DEVOTION (by Marianne Evans) or WISDOM TREE (by Mary Manners) in print An MP3 download of Nowhere to Hide, the rockin' Christian hit single by Sisters in Spirit And...if you're one of the first 500 subscribers, you'll get 25% off the price of your subscription!)

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?



Laramie Buchanan’s fiancé betrayed her on what should have been their wedding day.
Evan Lassiter is still trying to recover from being jilted at the altar three years ago.
Now, with Laramie’s beloved Granddaddy celebrating his eightieth birthday (on Christmas Eve) she’s forced to return home to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. But even the memory of that awful day rips her heart to shreds. How can she survive a face-to-face meeting with the man she still loves?
Kindle

LEA'S GIFT (co-authored with Tanya Stowe)
At twenty-one, Lea Dale is well-adjusted and happy, despite the facial scars she's carried since infancy. She has friends in high places (with a connection to angels); possesses colorful vision (since for some reason she can see auras around folks); and her family and friends adore her. Corrective surgery is a possibility, but not one Lea has felt the need to consider…until wealthy investor Laren Meadows walks into her life and turns it upside down. Suddenly, Lea is painfully conscious of her lack of perfection, given Laren's flawless looks and ultra-charming personality. What a blessing that he's attracted to her despite her scars—and even her special angel seems to approve of the match.

Then a secret from Laren's past threatens to destroy any hope of a future for the two of them. Now there's only one way for Lea to know if Laren's love is true, but taking that action could mark the end of their relationship.

Can love survive such a tangled mess of physical and emotional scars?
Kindle     Nook     ePub/Mobi/Adobe



About Delia Latham:

DELIA LATHAM is a born-and-bred California gal, raised in a place called Weedpatch and currently living in the lovely mountain town of Tehachapi with her husband, Johnny. She enjoys multiple roles as Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings. She has a "thing" for Dr. Pepper, and loves to hear from her readers. Contact her through her website or send an e-mail to delia@delialatham.net. Find her also at the following online locations:

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon Author Page

COTT: Ane Mulligan's Fresh Taste of Small Town Life

Bestselling author Ane Mulligan is here tell us about her debut novel about best friends in small-town life. Heartwarming and humorous, Chapel Springs Revival is the perfect excuse to curl up by the fireplace and read.

Let's chat with main character Claire.
I’ve heard you are the one who spearheaded the reviving of Chapel Springs. Is that true?
Are you from the mayor’s office? If you are, it wasn’t my fault. Whatever it was. Felix Riley takes credit for everything that works and blames me if anything goes wrong.

Really? Did anything go wrong?
Of course not—unless you count the incident at Georgia Tech with the monkey.

Moving right along, I’ve heard of your Great Aunt Lola’s theatrical career. What was it like growing up with her?
I adored her. Patsy and I both did. The old gal would give us her cast-off gowns to play dress-up. But she retired from the screen when she was seventy-five, I think. She wanted to leave her fans wanting more. She was quite the flamboyant character. She tried to teach Patsy and me to flirt, but it didn’t take when we were eight years old. She died a couple of years later.

She had a bit of a racy past didn’t she?
You bet your booty patooty. Aunt Lola never took second place to anyone or anything. She lived the high life, all right. Presidents and princes wined and dined her, while all I got was a TV tray in front of a ball game. I miss her and her stories, not to mention her advice.

Great Aunt Lola knew men, that’s for sure. What with having seven husbands, she might have been able to tell me how to get my Joel to pay me more attention. Right. Like that would happen. I’d have to turn into a high definition television set or a fishing reel to get some attention paid to me.

I’ve heard that you…well aren’t the best cook in Chapel Springs. Any truth to that rumor?
Okay, I admit I failed home economics—twice. My culinary expertise maxed out at Jell-O jigglers. And coffee. I make a mean pot of coffee. Unfortunately, that lack got me into trouble with my firstborn’s future mother-in-law. But the woman coerced me.

How so? You’re no shy violet from what I’ve heard?
Who’ve you been talking to?

Let’s see, first there was Faye, oh and Gloria, then Bev and—

Uh-uh, that dog won’t hunt. They gossip. Besides, if you’d heard my son’s future mother-in-law talk, why she’s wound tighter than an eight-day clock. The woman never takes a breath. She could talk the hind legs off a donkey. It wasn’t until after she’d hung up that I heard the end of that particular conversation.

So, what did you do?
Oh, no you don’t. You’ll have to read the book like everyone else to find out.


Chapel Springs Revival
With a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Everybody in the small town of Chapel Springs, Georgia, knows best friends Claire and Patsy. It's impossible not to, what with Claire's zany antics and Patsy's self-appointed mission to keep her friend out of trouble. And trouble abounds. Chapel Springs has grown dilapidated and the tourist trade has slackened. With their livelihoods threatened, they join forces to revitalize the town. No one could have guessed the real issue needing restoration is their marriages.

With their personal lives in as much disarray as the town, Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. That is if they can convince their husbands and the town council, led by two curmudgeons who would prefer to see Chapel Springs left in the fifties and closed to traffic.



About Ane: 
While a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, bestselling novelist Ane Mulligan has worn many: hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist), drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction. She firmly believes coffee and chocolate are two of the four major food groups. President of the award-winning literary site, Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Suwanee, GA, with her artist husband, her chef son, and two dogs of Biblical proportion. You can find Ane on her Southern-fried Fiction website, Google+, Facebook, Goodreads,Twitter, and Pinterest.

New Release: Do You See What I See?

I'm excited! Brand new Christmas short story, DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?, releases Nov. 15th on Amazon Kindle. It is available for pre-order NOW!

This is Book 1 in a series of FOUR Christmas books. The "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" series will be released within days of each other on Amazon...no waiting months and months for the next part of the series! Oh, joy! :)





Watch for:

Book 2:  CLASSIC YULETIDE MELODIES by Amber Stockton
Book 3:  CHRISTMAS GRACE by Rose Allen McCauley
Book 4:  SLEIGH BELLS IN THE SNOW by Jeanie Smith Cash

About DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?:


Laramie Buchanan’s fiancé betrayed her on what should have been their wedding day.
Evan Lassiter is still trying to recover from being jilted at the altar three years ago.
Now, with Laramie’s beloved Granddaddy celebrating his eightieth birthday (on Christmas Eve) she’s forced to return home to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. But even the memory of that awful day rips her heart to shreds. How can she survive a face-to-face meeting with the man she still loves?
Hop on over and pre-order now.

COTT's September Clash Champion

And we have a champion! 

Congratulations to clash winner Sharyn Kopf and her book Spinstered: The Novel. A touching debut, Spinstered began as a nonfiction book idea and, through God's design, became a novel that will speak to many women. For those in the Cleveland area, Sharyn will be selling and signing her novel at the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Craft Fair in Cuyahoga Falls on Saturday, November 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and she'd love to meet you there!

Early reviewer Anne Lemon says this about Spinstered:"Spinstered is a poignant and realistic portrait of extended singleness. It offers comfort and hope to readers who have never married and are brokenhearted about it. It's also just a plain good read that single women will see themselves in, laugh, and maybe cry, too. ... In Kopf's novel, just like in real life, the gut-punches of our alone-ness don't always get resolved in a marital happy ending. But she offers the promise that we all can have the prize that Catie ultimately finds. For this message of hope, single readers will be grateful."


Spinstered, The Novel: 
Three friends. Three stories. Three women trying to figure out how they ended up over 40 and still single.
Committed to her job and pushing fifty, Catie Delaney has almost given up on her dream of love and marriage. Maybe, she tells herself, she’d be happier just embracing her singleness. Maybe that's been God’s will all along.
Catie's friends, Jolene and Uli, have their own struggles with men, careers, and family.
Then into this mix of feminine angst walks Brian Kemper—the latest GWP (Guy With Potential) to join their church’s singles group. But just as something seems about to happen between him and Catie, her world falls apart.
With their hearts on the line, these three friends search for hope ... and find it in unexpected places.
Purchase Spinstered, The Novel:
Click here to purchase the kindle version
Click here to purchase the paperback version


Pull up a chair now and join us for a look inside the creation of this book, and a glimpse of its author's heart.
Let’s start at the beginning—how long have you wanted to be a writer and what did you envision for your writing life?

I knew I wanted to be a writer when I wrote my first poem at the age of 5. And, for the longest time, that dream meant being a romance novelist. In my 20s, I saw myself becoming the clean, Christian version of Kathleen Turner’s character in Romancing the Stone—enjoying a life of adventure and romance and lots of bestsellers.

So, what happened?
Well, things didn’t turn out the way I imagined. (Do they ever?) On October 15, I turned 51 and, though I suppose I’ve had a few mild adventures, I still dream of true love and being such a popular novelist that even people in the jungles of Columbia have heard of me.

Then, in my 40s, I realized I needed to write about my single heart and broken dreams. When I started working on Spinstered, it was a nonfiction book about grieving singleness. I took the seven stages of grief—denial, disbelief, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression and hope—and applied them to what I was dealing with as a 40-something single woman.

A few years later, while at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, a friend encouraged me to focus on my fiction writing. As a result, Spinstered the Novel was born.

What are some of your strengths as a writer?
Years ago, I had the privilege to work for the in-house radio marketing department at Focus on the Family. I learned I not only love writing scripts and dialog but I’m pretty good at it. I even won a few awards while I was there.

I’m also passionately committed to making my manuscript as good as I can. Though that can also be a detriment because I’m a bit OCD about it, which means I have a hard time letting something I wrote go until it’s perfect. And it’s never perfect.

Continuing that thought, what are your weaknesses as a writer?
Well, to be honest, I don’t write as much as I should. I think it’s a mixture of fear and laziness. Fear that what I write won’t be any good. And the laziness that comes from letting other things distract me from what I know needs to be done. Like spending too much time on Facebook.

Why did you decide to self-publish Spinstered?
That’s a long, sad story but suffice it to say I went through a disappointing contract experience that did not end with a published book. In the meantime, numerous interactions with singles fed the urgency I felt to get this book to the audience I know is out there.

My choice was to start over with submitting to agents or editors—a process that can take years—or self-publish. Since the novel had already gone through several rounds of edits, I knew I could have it ready within a week or two. In fact, I was able to make my goal of taking copies to the Labor Day Singles Retreat at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, NC. I sold several copies there and made some great connections. It also led to my first 5-star review!

What’s next?
First, I plan to finish and self-publish the nonfiction version—Spinstered: Surviving Singleness After 40—in the next few months. In addition, I wrote an unrelated novella titled Cold Read that I hope to have available soon. Finally, I have two sequels to Spinstered the Novel in the works. Book two will be titled Inconceived and I’ll probably name book 3 Altared. Of course, all of that could change. I’m open to whatever God wants to do!


About Sharyn:
Spinstered is Sharyn Kopf’s first novel. Over the years, her work has included co-authoring a book about traumatic brain injury, penning scripts for stage, and writing for newspaper as well as Focus on the Family radio.

Every Friday, Sharyn ponders the over-40 single life at www.girlsnightin40.com, the blog she shares with two other authors. For her day job(s), she works as a literary publicist for Route 1 Manuscripts and teaches high school English at a small Christian school.

She lives in Bellefontaine, Ohio, just five minutes from her favorite people in the world—her family. You can connect with Sharyn through her blog or on Facebook.

COTT'S September Releases Clash

Welcome to the September clash!!

Five new books for your bookshelf this month! From suspense to humor, these books are the newest addition to CBA. Which one lands at the top of your to-be-read pile? Based on what you see below, please choose the book that grabs you--the one you'd read first. Cast your vote below and help bring one book to the top of the pile!


Winner announced right here on Thursday, November 6!



A TIME TO DIE by Nadine Brandes

In a world where everyone has a Clock showing their day of death, Parvin Blackwater tries to find meaning in her last year alive by rescuing Radicals from the government’s crooked justice system. When the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence.

Purchase A Time to Die




CHAPEL SPRINGS REVIVAL by Ane Mulligan

Best friends Claire and Patsy embark on a mission of mishaps and miscommunication, determined to restore warmth to Chapel Springs —and their lives. But with a friend like Claire, you need a gurney, a mop, and a guardian angel.

Purchase Chapel Springs Revival




A PROMISE TO PROTECT by Patricia Bradley

Acting Sheriff Ben Logan hasn’t heard from Leigh Somerall in a very long time, but it doesn’t mean he can get her—or their whirlwind romance of ten years ago—out of his head. In a steamy small town riddled with broken promises, one woman’s secret could change everything.

Purchase A Promise to Protect




KEPT by Sally Bradley

Thirty years into life, Miska Tomlinson is left with nothing but pain, loss, and a boyfriend who won’t leave his wife. But when Dillan Foster moves in next door, Miska realizes that she’s on a path of self-destruction and that there are honorable men—like Dillan who, now that he knows her past, wants nothing to do with her.

Purchase Kept




SPINSTERED THE NOVEL by Sharyn Kopf

Catie, Jolene and Uli aren't sure how they ended up over 40 and still single, but when a new GWP (Guy With Potential) enters her life, Catie begins to think there might be hope ... until her life falls apart. With their hearts on the line, these three friends search for love and find it in unexpected places.

Purchase Spinstered the Novel
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