Michelle L. Levigne's Blog, page 87

New Series: SARAI'S JOURNEY

Heretic's DaughterSarai's Journey, Book 1
Sarai knew her life's path from childhood.
Daughter of a wealthy, respected rabbi, she prepared herself for marriage to a man of equal wealth and status. Her father indulged her curiosity, and provided her an education rare among women of those times. She used the healing talents Adonai had given her, to serve others.
However, her father's teachings about the Messiah were in conflict with the high priest, and many in the Sanhedrin. He believed the Messiah would first come as the Suffering Servant, not as a triumphant warrior to rescue Judea from the tyranny of Rome. He was labeled a heretic, ostracized from the Temple. When he died, Sarai's world disintegrated. Her suitor vanished, along with all his sweet promises.
Reduced to nothing, Sarai devoted herself to the man who kept his promises when everyone else abandoned her.
Then she encountered a rabbi named Jesus, from Nazareth, who fulfilled everything her father had taught about the Messiah. As Jerusalem was split by the question of who Jesus was, Sarai faced the most painful decision of her life.
The man who risked everything to rescue her, or the duty she owed to Adonai?
Break her promises and lose everything she had regained, or destroy her soul?

Off the Bookshelf: HIDDEN CURRENT, by Sharon Hinck

The Dancing Realms, Book 1

A new series by the author of the Sword of Lyric series.

I'm just in awe over the amount of worldbuilding that went into creating this world where dancers and dance have the power to move the world and heal, change the weather and cause plants to grow.

The Order is in the center of what turns out to be a massive floating island, moved by the currents of a world of sweet water. The problem is that the Order uses its dancers and the power of dance to essentially keep the world anchored in one place.

This is against the Maker's plans and intentions ... but the Order says the Maker is just a fable.

Enter our heroine, a novitiate of the Order, who is on the verge of graduating to become a dancer and serve in the never-ending task of guiding and protecting the world. If she doesn't become a dancer, she will be hobbled forever, forbidden to dance -- and for her, dance is everything.

The first time she sets foot on the dancing grounds and begins the task she has prepared for her whole life, she hears a voice ... and soon everything she believes in disintegrates. She must flee for her life and her sanity, and her only ally is the last person in the world she wants to trust.

Lovely and heart-racing and aching. And there were times I just wanted to throttle ... *sigh*

Hey, Sharon, write faster? I need to find out what happens next!
From Enclave Publishing.

Off the Bookshelf: SKYWARD, by Brandon Sanderson

Audiobook
From Audible
Narrated by Suzy Jackson

I'm learning why some of my writing friends are so enthusiastic about Brandon Sanderon's books. The only ones I've "read" so far are the audio versions, but I have to admit sometimes I search for excuses to get in the car and run errands, so I can hear more! Yeah, I should be walking more, but it's winter, y'know?

SKYWARD is the story of Spensa, call-sign Spin, who lives to fly. But she can't because of the aliens determined to keep Humans bound to their planet, Detritus. And the debris shield surrounding their planet. And the fact Humans are forced to live underground to shield from alien attack. And, oh yeah, because her father's act of cowardice during a decisive battle years ago has everyone convinced Spin will be a coward someday too, so why take the risk of letting her get in a ship and cause even more trouble?

Spin fights with herself, her own doubts and fears, just as fiercely as she fights the unjust prejudice against her, the obstacles thrown at her at every turn, and finally against an AI with a programmed superiority complex. She's positive that her father was not a coward, that the military is lying, that if she could just find out the truth she can fix everything.

But learning the truth is even more devastating than she ever could have imagined. Yet it leads to a breakthrough that might just save the Human race on Detritus. If she can just survive long enough to get someone to listen to her.

Kudos to the narrator, who brings the characters to life with subtle change in her voice. Thoroughly enjoyable listen. Can't wait for more.

New book in THREE days! A MATCH (NOT) MADE IN HEAVEN

Coming February 1 from Mt. Zion Ridge Press:

Excerpt #2:

When we were loading our haul into Reggie’s SUV, my phone rang. I turned it around to show her the display, which read Match. She gave me a thumbs up.
“Dinah, honey, it’s Gertie,” she crooned when I answered. “Sweetheart, I have a match for you. Isn’t that great?”
“It sure is. Umm, how come Zach is having you call me?”
This was the first time Gertie had called me. For some reason, little prickles of warning raced up and down my spine.
“Oh, honey, this has nothing to do with the job matching. I’m talking about the matchmaking service. I found a nice young man who really wants to meet you.”
“Gertie --”
“And the timing is just perfect, what with it being New Year’s tomorrow.”
“Gertie, I don’t --”
“He wants to take you out for New Year’s Eve. So can I give him your phone number?”
“Gertie!”
This time, I got through, stopping the flood of words. My volume made some icicles break off the awning of the store.
“Is that a yes?” she said, after a couple seconds of silence.
“Gertie, I did not sign up for matchmaking. Just the job matching.”
Reggie’s eyes got wide and she mouthed, “matchmaking?” She grinned and continued loading the back of the SUV.
“But honey, don’t you want to go out with a nice young man for New Year’s? Start the year off right. Falling in loooove!” she crooned, and ended on a giggle. 
I had the feeling this nice little old lady with her eye-watering taste in clothes had already started in on the New Year’s champagne. Then again, I suspected she could get a buzz from non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice.

Off the Bookshelf: FORTUNATELY THE MILK, by Neil Gaiman

I learned about this book while taking Neil Gaiman's writing course in Masterclass.

Fun!

Basic premise: A father goes to get milk for his children's breakfast, comes back late, and spins a fantastical, ridiculous tale to explain why.

And quite often, he is saved from disaster and certain death because, "fortunately, the milk" was in the way, or was conveniently there in his hand to use in some odd way.

Major silliness abounds, with pirates and a balloon and a dinosaur and other oddities. And all the while, the father says no thank you to adventure, because his children are waiting for milk so they can eat their cereal. The "voice" in which the story is told is so matter-of-fact even when time travel and a talking dinosaur are involved. Great fun.

I know I'm not quoting accurately, but C.S. Lewis once said something about good books being the ones you can enjoy equally as a child and later when you're an adult. This certainly belongs on that list. Get it, Gaiman fans.

Coming in 10 Days! A MATCH (NOT) MADE IN HEAVEN

Coming February 1 from Mt. Zion Ridge Press:

Excerpt:

“Welcome!” A little silvery, wrinkly lady dressed all in neon orange popped up from behind the tall counter when I stepped inside the old Dog House building.
I had to stop calling it that, because it no longer looked like the hot dog stand. The counter in the middle of the room cut it in half, with a half-dozen chairs and a low coffee table on one side and two desks on the other. I saw two doors behind where the grill used to be. One was marked “restroom” and the other hung open enough to see a table and several folding chairs -- I assumed it was a conference room.
“Welcome to A Match Made in Heaven!” She clapped her hands and beamed at me. “Oh, sweetie, I know it’s hard finding the love of your life, but with our help --”
“Aunt Gertie,” a man said, stepping out of the restroom. He dried his hands on a paper towel. From the restrained frustration in his voice, I had the feeling he had hurried out to stop her. “We’re not a dating service.”
Whew! I was on the verge of panic, considering the thoughts I had when Mr. Phillips gave me that card.
“Yes we are. You let me set up my program and you said I could give all the romance help I wanted,” Aunt Gertie retorted, sticking her bottom lip out. On her it looked cute.

Off the Bookshelf: THE CORONER, by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Audiobook

I was lucky enough to meet Jennifer Dornbush on the Seymour Agency writers cruise last February. The lady knows her stuff when it comes to forensics and writing it accurately in fiction. When I saw her novel offered on the Daily Deal at Audible, I had to grab it.

Just wish I had listened to this book SOONER!

Dr. Emily Hartford is on her way up in her career and personal life, surgery resident, engaged to an incredible guy on her birthday -- but part of her "birthday present" includes a call from the small town where she grew up. Where her estranged father has just had a heart attack. And where the boy she left behind, Sheriff Nick Larson, is dealing with the death of a high school girl.

After 12 years away, Emily has to go home, where some things haven't changed, and other things have in a big way. She picks up with old friends as if she never went away, and the pain and silence surrounding her mother's death are still standing between her and her father. Budget and time considerations and small town politics push Emily into agreeing to fill in for her father, the coroner, to handle the girl's autopsy. This starts an avalanche of discoveries and changes in her life, and the lives of those around her. The simple autopsy turns into a murder investigation. Emily is forced to face things about herself and the town and people she left behind -- and her life is set on a rapid course of changes.

I know TV is filled with crime scene and forensics shows, with a coroner as a vital part of the cast, but ... dang, this would make a great TV show.

February 1 title: A MATCH (NOT) MADE IN HEAVEN

So. what's MATCH about?


Dinah doesn't want a new man in her life, after her current boyfriend seriously blew their first Christmas together -- and became her ex-boyfriend. She has to find a new church and job, after being fired from her position as church secretary (and dealing with the church politics fallout). Then there's the suitor who insists they are perfect for each other, despite the fact she never filled out a profile at "A Match Made in Heaven." 
The worst part in all this is that the man running the job matching service seems to be interested in her, not her profile -- but he doesn't do anything about it.
What's a good church-going girl to do when everything seems to go from wrong to weird, and the crazy old lady who insists on helping her find true love doesn't know the meaning of "No!" or "Not ever!"?

Off the Bookshelf: HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S BOOK, Institute of Children's Literature

This handy little book of guidance comes from my Alma Mater -- I took the 2-year correspondence course from the Institute of Children's Literature back in the "old days" -- when correspondence courses were handled through snail mail. I started at the end of my senior year of high school and got my first rejection letter while still taking the course.

Everybody needs a refresher course in the basics, in what they know -- or think they know. Reading books by people who have been doing it longer than you is always helpful, and when it comes to writing, there's always something to learn, a new perspective through someone else's eyes.

Chapters include:
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
How Old is Your Reader?
Writing Basics
Plotting a Great Story
What Editors Wish Writers Knew
Jan Fields' List of Five Good Tools that Can Get You Into Bad Trouble
Checklists. (especially helpful: Organization; Character and Settings; Sentence Structure; Mechanics)

Some of this information is presented as Q&A, so you get an idea of the questions other writers are asking too.

Very useful. No matter what you know or how much you think you know, it's always good to KEEP LEARNING.

Coming Title: A MATCH (NOT) MADE IN HEAVEN

Just in time for Valentine's Day ...

Or maybe not ....

My February 1 release from Mt. Zion Ridge Press launches a new, humorous romance series:
THE MATCH GIRLS


The Match Girls: Six church girls who become friends as they deal with a wacky old lady, armed with a computer program, who insists on helping them find the love of their lives -- whether they want one or not!

Want to learn about this particular title?

Stay tuned!!!!