Carolyn Astfalk's Blog, page 32

Deadly Proof Blog Tour

Deadly Proof
by Rachel Dylan

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About the book:

Riveting New Series Offers Legal Suspense with a Romantic Twist



In the biggest case of her career, attorney Kate Sullivan is tapped as lead counsel to take on Mason Pharmaceutical because of a corporate cover-up related to its newest drug. After a whistleblower dies, Kate knows the stakes are much higher than her other lawsuits.

Former Army Ranger turned private investigator Landon James is still haunted by mistakes made while serving overseas. Trying to forget the past, he is hired by Kate to look into the whistleblower’s allegation and soon suspects that the company may be engaging in a dangerous game for profit. He also soon finds himself falling for this passionate and earnest young lawyer.

Determined not to make the same mistakes, he’s intent on keeping Kate safe, but as the case deepens, it appears someone is willing to risk everything–even murder–to keep the case from going to trial.

My Review:

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve read a legal thriller, and Deadly Proof was a good re-introduction to the genre. The pacing seemed just right, as the jeopardy to the characters increased in tandem with how entrenched they became in their position either for the plaintiff or defendant.

The romance between Kate and Noah was simple and sweet. I think a little more initial conflict between them would have enhanced it, but the characters were well developed and their progression from guarding their hearts to vulnerability was nicely done.

I had a good idea who the inside person and mastermind were with the pharmaceutical company, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the resolution. There were many shades of deception among the cast, and I liked that they weren’t all strictly good or evil. They had varying motivations with varying degrees of complicity.

While I would’ve like to have seen a little less dialogue and a little more of the internal workings of the characters’ minds, particularly early on, the things I really missed were setting details. Rooms and locations were nondescript. No peek at the furniture, decorating – nothing that would enhance the reader’s vision and develop characters. Similarly, the characters didn’t – physically – do much. It lacked the personal details that, again, help develop character and bring the scene to life. Just simple things like twirling pens, massaging a neck, biting a lip that humanize characters.

That said, I enjoyed the story. It was a quick, easy read that kept me interested from start to finish.

A quick, easy read that kept me interested start to finish. Deadly Proof @dylan_rachel #legalthrillerTweet This
About the author:

Rachel Dylan was a litigator in one of the nation’s most elite law firms for over eight years and now works as an attorney at one of the Big Three automobile manufacturers. She is the author of four Love Inspired Suspense novels and lives in Michigan with her husband. She is active on social media, and you can visit her website

at www.racheldylan.com.

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Julia’s Gifts Blog Tour

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Learn more about the book, read my review, read an excerpt, follow the blog tour, enter the giveaway, and connect with the author.

About the Book:

As a young girl, Julia began buying gifts for her future spouse, a man whose likeness and personality she has conjured up in her mind, a man she calls her “beloved.” Soon after the United States enters the Great War, Julia impulsively volunteers as a medical aid worker, with no experience or training. Disheartened by the realities of war, will Julia abandon the pursuit of her beloved? Will her naïve ‘gift scheme’ distract her from recognizing her true “Great Love?” From Philadelphia to war-torn France, follow Julia as she transitions from unworldly young woman to compassionate volunteer.

Julia’s Gifts by @EllenGable *NEW* #Catholicfiction #historicalfiction Tweet This [image error]

BUY NOW

My Review:

As someone who is fairly ignorant of World War I history, I soaked up the details of Julia’s Gifts as Philadelphia-native Julia and Canadian-born Peter become immersed in the horrors of wartime France.

One of the things I enjoy about Ellen Gable’s writing is her treatment of the whole character – body and soul. I’ve come to expect stories illumined by the Catholic faith that never shy from the physical realities that ground us as human beings. Julia’s Gifts delivers on both counts, honestly conveying the brutality of war illness and injury yet keeping hope alive through a faith that overcomes even the most hopeless of circumstances.

I loved the premise of a young woman storing up gifts for her future “beloved.” Even today, many have created such specific and elaborate expectations for their future spouse, courtship, wedding, etc. that they risk missing what God is setting before them.

Fans of historical romance will enjoy this sweet story with its timely miracles, great and small.

Excerpt:

December 17, 1917

The bustling streets of Center City Philadelphia shimmered with electric lights, heralding that Christmas was near. Julia Marie Murphy lifted her head and gazed upward. The night sky was filled with snow clouds, the air brisk. She pulled on her gloves and buttoned the top of her coat. Her thoughts turned to her future husband. Dear God in heaven, please protect my beloved.

Tens of thousands of American men had already enlisted to fight in this “Great War.” The gentlemen that Julia knew seemed anxious to join, and Julia thanked God that her three brothers were too young to fight.

In a few short weeks, it would be 1918.  All of her father’s friends and acquaintances expected the war to end soon, hopefully before the middle of the year.  But 1918 held far more significance for Julia.  This would be the year that she would turn 21.

She approached Lit Brothers department store, admiring the display windows that were outlined with colored electric lights. Julia was thankful that it was Monday. If it were Thursday, the ban on electric lights (in support of the war effort) would mean the windows would be dark.

Julia stared, transfixed, through the window at the tall display. Shimmery red fabric hung from a back wall, a beautiful sterling silver pocket watch lay on top of a cylindrical pedestal.  Her eyes widened when she saw the price tag: $12.25, almost 20 percent of her annual salary. But it was beautiful and every man needed one. The price notwithstanding, this would be a perfect gift for her beloved. Yes, it was extravagant, especially during wartime. Yes, there were less expensive items she could purchase. It didn’t matter. This was the ideal gift.

After purchasing it, she took it to the engraving department on the second floor. Behind the counter, the tall, lanky middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache smiled. “What would you like engraved on this?”

“To my beloved, next line, all my love, Julia.”

His eyebrows lifted.  “I’m certain the gentleman would prefer to have his Christian name engraved on this lovely timepiece.  Don’t you agree?”

“Well, yes, I imagine he would.  But I don’t really know his name or who he is yet.”

The man’s mouth fell open and he stuttered.  “I’m..I’m…s…sorry, Miss. I…I don’t understand.  You’ve bought an expensive pocket watch for someone you don’t know?”

Julia sighed.  She shouldn’t have said anything.

“Please just use the words I gave you.”

The man nodded and regarded Julia with an expression of suspicious curiosity, a look one might give a person in an asylum.

“How long will it take?”

“For the engraving?  Ten days.  Sorry, Miss, but you won’t have it in time for Christmas.”

“That’s all right.” Julia turned and walked a few steps and heard the salesman mumble, “Now there’s an odd girl.  Buying a gift for someone she doesn’t know. Tsk tsk.”

Sighing, she checked her own wristwatch and hurried out of the store to begin the three-block walk to her trolley stop.  If she didn’t get there in time for the five p.m. streetcar, she would be waiting half an hour.

This year Julia was determined that she would meet her beloved, the man for whom she had been praying these past four years. Why hadn’t she met him yet?  Some of her friends were already married. Her beloved was out there and she would find him.  Yes, 1918 would also be the year that she would meet her beloved.

Each December, Julia wondered what she would buy her beloved for Christmas. Last year, she searched different stores but found nothing special. She finally discovered — and bought — a brown leather pocket journal at a specialty store at Broad and Bigler Streets. She didn’t know whether her beloved would be the sort to write in one, but it seemed like an appropriate gift, especially since it had a delicate leaf embossed on the cover. The year before, she had bought a sterling silver Miraculous Medal because her beloved would be Catholic.

That first year, her mother suggested that she begin praying for her future husband.  After a few weeks of doing so, Julia felt inspired to do more. It had been the week before Christmas, so she decided that she would buy or make him a Christmas gift each year until they met.  With no job and no money that year, Julia knit him two pairs of socks, one blue-green and one green-brown, with finely-made yarn that her mother had given her.

The fact that she had made or bought gifts, and had spent hard-earned money for her future husband, had not pleased her father as he thought it too impractical and sentimental. Her mother, however, had declared that it was a beautiful gesture. Of course, if Mother knew how much she had spent on the most recent gift, she was pretty certain her mother wouldn’t be happy.

The Blog Tour:

November 1:  (#OpenBook)   Plot Line and Sinker

November 2 :  Mary Lou Rosien, Dynamic Women of Faith

November 3:   Therese Heckenkamp and Catholic-Fiction.com

November 4:  Karen Kelly Boyce

November 5:  Karen Kelly Boyce and  Christopher Blunt

November 6: Carolyn Astfalk, My Scribbler’s Heart Blog

November 7:  Jean Heimann, Catholic Fire

November 8:  A.K. Frailey and Sarah Reinhard

November 9:  Allison Gingras, Reconciled to You

November 10:  Barb Szyszkiewicz, Franciscan Mom

November 11:  (Remembrance Day/ Veterans Day post) Plot Line and Sinker

November 12:  Patrice Fagnant MacArthur, Spiritual Woman

November 13:  Mike Seagriff, Harvesting the Fruits of Comtemplation and RAnn This That and the Other Thing 

November 14: Lisa Mladinich, Amazing Catechists

November 15: Theresa Linden

November 16:  Barbara Hosbach   and Alexandrina Brant

November 17:  Barb Szyszkiewicz, Catholic Mom

November 18: Cathy Gilmore, Virtue Works Media

November 19: Erin McCole Cupp

November 20:  Virginia Lieto

November 21: Elena Maria Vidal,  Tea at Trianon

November 22:  Elizabeth Kathryn Gerold Miller, The Divine Gift of Motherhood

November 23:  Leslie Lynch, author

Others: Alyssia Watson, Catholic Reads and Trisha Niermeyer Potter, Prints of Grace

Giveaway:

(U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

[image error]Ellen Gable is an award-winning author, Marketing Director for Live the Fast, self-publishing book coach, speaker, publisher, NFP teacher, book reviewer and instructor in the Theology of the Body for Teens. However, the roles she loves the most are being wife to her husband and mother to their five sons, ages 18-30. Originally from New Jersey, Ellen lives with her husband of 35 years, James Hrkach, in Pakenham, Ontario Canada.

Links:

Blog: www.ellengable.wordpress.com

Website: http://www.fullquiverpublishing.com/about-authors/author-ellen-gable/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ellengable

Twitter: http://twitter.com/EllenGable

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ellengable

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ellengable

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/ellengablehrkach

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EllenGableHrkach

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1595635.Ellen_Gable

 Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Ellen-Gable/e/B002LFMXOI

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An Open Book

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Welcome to the November 2017 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

[image error]My husband recently finished listening to Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It’s a short read/listen at 224 pages and under four hours. Although he described it as “a little political,” my husband said it’s a good presentation of astrophysics in layman’s terms.

[image error]Since I turned him on to Hoopla Digital, he’s also listening to Tasting Beer, 2nd Edition: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink by Randy Mosher. (First thought: Someone wrote a whole book about it?) It’s a highly rated guide and contains a bit of history as well, which I’ve heard as the Bluetooth speaker moves about the house. A good read for beer snobs aficionados.

[image error]I’ve introduced 45-minute morning walks to my routine, so I’m officially aboard the audiobook train too. I listened to a book I’ve been reading about for months: The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher. (I loved his Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its  Return to Roots, which I read about a decade ago.) I’m a teensy bit more optimistic about the state of the world than Dreher, who I haven’t kept up with on social media. It’s tough to condense my full review, but I’d say the book is a good synthesis of a brief history of the West, monasticism, and authentic Christian living in the post-modern, technological age.

[image error]My other current “adventure in audiobooks” is with Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me, the first in The Juliette Chronicles Series. This dystopian book came highly recommended and well-reviewed. I knew going in that the writing was unconventional, but I think there needs to be a note bene stating that at the beginning of the audiobook production so that unsuspecting listeners like me don’t think there’s a glitch in the app when the sentence, “I am not insane,” is repeated about fifty times or to explain that the intermittent scratchy sound is an overstrike in the text. I’m not sure what I think of the book yet. The author uses a lot of imagery, and I’m getting weary of the metaphors, but she builds empathy very well. The stakes are getting higher and the romance is building as it goes along.

[image error]Lastly, I’m enjoying Courtney Walsh’s Hometown Girl. (Look at that pretty, bright cover!) The heroine, Beth Whitaker, is a well-written, very human character. I love that her flaws are not glossed over. In fact, they’re known to just about everyone. And still the silent, secretive hero, Drew Barlow, is drawn to  her.

[image error]Together with his Humanities English class, my ninth grader is reading Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Drama of the Greatest Courtroom Clash of the Century by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. I’ve heard the title so many times, but didn’t realize that (1) it is a play, and (2) it is about the Scopes Monkey Trial.

[image error]My fourth-grade daughter selected another book by Jean Fritz from her school library: The Cabin Faced West. She especially enjoyed that the book is set in places she’s visited, including Gettysburg and what’s presently the Monongahela area outside of Pittsburgh.

[image error]She still can’t get enough of the colonial era, and has also read Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? also by Jean Fritz, The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Ann McGovern , and, her favorite of the three, Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (again) by Jean Fritz. Let’s just say my little girl is addicted to historical fiction from the Revolutionary War Era.

[image error]My youngest daughter pulled an old board book from the shelf, Autumn Walk by Ann Burg. This is one of my all-time favorites for reading to the kids since they were little babies. The illustrations are bright and cheery and meld perfectly with this fall poem.

[image error]Both of my youngest enjoyed Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri, also the authors of Dragons Love Tacos. I enjoyed this funny story of a thieving, pizza-craving raccoon as much as the kids. Their big sister was unimpressed. Can’t please ’em all.

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbookTweet This

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Want more details on An Open Book? You can also sign up for An Open Book reminder email, which goes out one week before the link-up. No blog? That’s okay. Just tell us what you’re reading in the comment box.

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Seven Quick Takes

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Monarch Butterfly Edition

My oldest daughter has been a butterfly lover since she was a toddler, capturing and identifying butterflies long before she could read. With the addition of native plants to our yard, we’re attracting more creepy crawly creatures than ever, including the Monarch butterfly.

A large part of our summer was spent rearing butterflies from egg to butterfly. Admittedly, we got in a bit over our heads. We learned so much together – the whole family – as we marveled at these amazing little creatures and their journey.

Here, in seven pictures, is an overview of their life cycle. They’ve been gone from our yard for weeks, but almost daily I still see a Monarch flying across a road or field, headed south.

–1–
Milkweed
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Where it all begins: the Swamp Milkweed.

 –2–
Egg
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A single tiny Monarch egg.

–3–

Small Caterpillar
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Newly emerged caterpillar.

–4–

Large Caterpillar
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Large Monarch caterpillar.

–5–

J Hook
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Caterpillar hanging in a J, getting ready to go into its chrysalis.

–6–

Chrysalis
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Monarch chrysalis. And now we wait.

–7–

Butterfly
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Beautiful butterfly, tagged and ready to fly.

###

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain’t the Lyceum.

 Thanks for stopping by! Stay a while and look around. Leave a comment. Share with a friend. If you like what you see, please sign up from my author newsletter to keep up-to-date on new releases, extras, and hot deals![image error]

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Interview with YA Author A.J. Cattapan

Seven Riddles to Nowhere includes one of the most original, intriguing minor characters I’ve come across in a children’s book. Old Man Englebert uses an electronic voice box, something I remember quite vividly from my own childhood. Several men that inhabited the smoky fraternal clubs my dad frequented used them, and they left a lasting impression on me. What inspired the character, whose voice provides an interesting contrast to the protagonist Kam’s selective mutism?

[image error]I have to admit I never thought about what an interesting contrast Old Man Engelbert’s voice box is to Kam’s selective mutism! The truth is that I just wanted to make the man seem as scary as possible, and somehow the idea of an electronic voice box popped into my head. Maybe it was all those years of watching Star Wars movies with my brothers and listening to Darth Vader’s scary voice.

You’ve made many classroom visits with Seven Riddles to Nowhere. Who do you think is more inspired by your visits – you or the children?

The kids have written me a lot (via Instagram and snail mail) that they were inspired by my talk to believe that hard work and trusting in God really does pay off. At the same time, they inspire me to keep writing. When I enter a classroom where the kids have already read Seven Riddles to Nowhere, their faces light up and they nudge each other, whispering things like, “There she is!” I get such a kick out of it because that is definitely not the reaction of my regular students when I walk into the classroom! The questions they ask about the book are amazing, too. Like your first question, they have insights about the story and the characters that I had never thought of! One eighth grade class got really deep into some symbolism in the book and took it much further than I had ever expected. (I’d say what the symbolism is, but I’d spoil some of the ending.)

Angelhood begins with a very dark scenario, which is prevalent in a lot of contemporary YA fiction, but it doesn’t end there. How can Catholic fiction bring hope and light to teen readers?

[image error]Because Catholic fiction is written from a Christian perspective, it can offer Christian hope. Our faith, our hope, our trust are all in Jesus. Just because someone follows Jesus doesn’t mean his or her life is going to be easy, so of course, our books need to reflect the challenges that everyone faces. The difference is that we can face these challenges knowing that we have an advocate by our side.

How do you think your profession as a middle school teacher gives you an edge in writing for the tween and teen audience?

First, it means I get to read a lot of young adult and middle grade literature, which I think is so key in learning to write for this age group. You need to know what else is out there. Not just in terms of inspirational fiction, but the general market as well. Second, it means I get to hear students talk about the books they read: what they like and what they don’t like.

I’ve enjoyed traveling with you vicariously via Instagram. Does travel deplete your creative energy or restore it?

That depends on the type of traveling I’m doing. In recent years, a good amount of my travel has included some “solo time,” time I get to spend being alone and reflecting. It becomes almost a sort of retreat experience for me, especially because I tend to visit places with many churches where I can sit in silence and prayer and reflect on where my life is going. It can become a time for me to really reconnect from God, away from my usual work.

What is your next project?

Right now I’m brainstorming ideas for a sequel to Seven Riddles to Nowhere. My hope is that I’ll have enough of a plan to write it during NaNo next month. However, back in 2011, I had planned to write Seven Riddles to Nowhere, but I didn’t have enough of the plot worked out and had to put it off until the summer of 2012. Three days before NaNo 2011, I came up with the idea for Angelhood and wrote that instead, so who knows what will happen this year. Maybe I’ll write a sequel to Seven Riddles, or maybe God will send me a completely different story to write! At this point, with all my teaching and grad school work, I just hope I’m able to write something.

[image error]A.J. Cattapan is an award-winning, bestselling author of fiction for teens and preteens. Her young adult novel Angelhood, a guardian angel story in the tradition of It’s a Wonderful Life, has won two books awards (a gold medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and an honorable mention in the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards). It was named a Carol Award finalist in the young adult category. Cattapan’s second book, a middle grade mystery named Seven Riddles to Nowhere about a boy trying to save his school from closing, released in August 2016.  Cattapan has also been a Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor and had numerous short stories and articles published in magazines for teens and children, including Highlights, Pockets, and Hopscotch for Girls. Her goal in writing is to empower young people so that they may live extraordinary lives filled with heart and hope.

Website: www.ajcattapan.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/acattapan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJCattapan

Instagram: https://instagram.com/a.j.cattapan/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ajcattapan/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12852697.A_J_Cattapan

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+AJCattapan

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/ajcattapan

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Playing by Heart Blog Tour

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About the Book:

Emilia Salvini dreams of marrying a man who loves music as she does. But in 18th-century Milan, being the ‘second sister’ means she’ll likely be sent to a convent instead. Emilia’s only hope is to prove her musical talents crucial to her father’s quest for nobility. First, though, she must win over her music tutor, who disdains her simply for being a girl. Too late, Emilia realizes that her success could threaten not only her dreams but her sister’s very life.

Playing by Heart is inspired by two amazing sisters who were far ahead of their time–one a mathematician, the other a composer. At its core, the novel is the story of two teens struggling to follow their true calling, even when it conflicts with their father’s goals. It’s a clean historical romance appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Playing by Heart by @CarmelaMartino *NEW* #YA #historicalfictionTweet This
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 My Review:

Playing by Heart is as lyrical as the gifted musicians that inhabit its pages. Carmela Martino, in an impeccably-written story, captures both the grace and refinement of 18th century Italy and the timeless dilemmas to which the modern reader can relate – the pressure of familial expectations and obligations, living in the shadow of a sibling, the desire to direct one’s own destiny, and love tested by time, distance, parental resistance, and class.

Gifted at both performance and composing, young Emilia must not only prove her skill at the harpsichord to her father and teacher but in order to secure her family’s future and her own.

With a gentle romance, a peek at European history in the age of dukes and ladies, and the push and pull of family life, Playing by Heart will warm your heart and leave you marveling at the accomplishments of the Italian sisters who inspired the story.

Blog Tour/Giveaway:

10/6 : H. Schussman, author of adult suspense novels, hosts an interview
10/9: A. J. Cattapan, author of middle-grade and young-adult novels shares her review of Playing by Heart
10/10: Leslea Wahl, young-adult author, hosts an interview
10/11: Theresa Linden, young-adult author, hosts an interview
10/12: Carolyn Astfalk, author of novels for young adults and adults, shares her review of Playing by Heart
10/13: Courtney McKinney-Whitaker, young-adult author, hosts an interview
10/16: Cynthia T. Toney, young-adult author, shares an excerpt from Playing by Heart

Enter a giveaway for a paperback copy of Playing by Heart.

Facebook Launch Party on Oct. 17, at 7-9 p.m. (Central Time):

Attendees will be able to win not only copies of Playing by Heart but other great books and prizes! Contests will run 15 minutes each so you needn’t attend the full two hours to participate.

About the  Author, Carmela Martino:
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Carmela Martino is an author, speaker, and writing teacher. She wrote the middle-grade novel, Rosa, Sola (Candlewick Press), while working on her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College. The novel was a Booklist “Top Ten First Novel for Youth” and received a Catholic Press Association Book Award in the “Children’s Books” category. Her second novel, the young-adult historical romance Playing by Heart (Vinspire Publishing), took first place in the Young Adult category of the 2013 Windy City RWA Four Seasons Romance Writing Contest. Carmela’s credits for teens and tweens also include short stories and poems in magazines and anthologies. Her articles for adults have appeared in such publications as the Chicago Tribune, Catholic Parent, and multiple editions of the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market. Carmela has taught writing workshops for children and adults since 1998, and she blogs about teaching and writing at TeachingAuthors.com.

Links:

Website: http://www.carmelamartino.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/carmelamartinoauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/carmelamartino

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/carmelamartino

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/cmartinoauthor

Subscribe to Carmela’s Creativity Newsletter.

Read Carmela’s blog posts at TeachingAuthors.com.

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Ta’Mara Hanscom’s ‘The Pretender’ Blog Tour and Giveaway

Despite just meeting each other, Tillie and Noah’s lives have been mysteriously intertwined for many years in Ta’Mara Hanscom’s The Pretender. From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart – and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride’s deception.

About the book:

Set in South Dakota in 1975, where eighteen-year-olds could order beer in a bar, and loaded guns were kept under the counter.

Frankie Valli sang “My Eyes Adored You,” and American soldiers returning from Vietnam struggled with their new reality.

It’s within this tumultuous season of American history that Tillie Caselli meets Noah Hansen, and they are never the same again. Their lives were mysteriously intertwined – and had been for many years – yet they had no idea.

From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart—and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride’s deception.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My review:

Due to an email problem on my end, I got a late start on The Pretender and am presently 1/4 through the book. I’ll have to update my review here later in the week, but I can say what I’m enjoying so far:

The 1970s setting. I am a child of the ’70s, so I enjoy reading about the familiar days before cell phones and Internet. I’ve read so few books set in this time period, and it’s a shame. I hope the book will continue to explore Noah’s experience as a Vietnam veteran.
Noah and Tillie. Their sweet and innocent romance is charming.

About the author:

Born and raised in South Dakota, Ta’Mara loves to write about the Great Plains and the beauty and people of Italia. While her husband and children manage their two pizza ristoranti, Ta’Mara works full time on The Caselli Family Series and ministers to women. It is Ta’Mara’s prayer that as the readers explore the truths in these volumes, they will come away with a new perspective on love, forgiveness, obedience, and God’s plan for marriage.

Find out more about Ta’Mara at https://www.tamarahanscombooks.com.

Join Ta’Mara in celebrating the release of the second printing and new covers by entering to win her $75 prize basket giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

A copy of The Pretender
A $75 Amazon gift card
A decorative box containing measuring cups, ten recipes from the book, a potholder, a kitchen towel, pepper and salt grinders, kitchen utensils, and an olive oil dispenser

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on October 11. The winner will be announced October 12 on the Litfuse blog.

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The Other Side of Freedom, Cynthia Toney’s New Historical Novel

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About the Book:

When the reward is the most costly sacrifice of all . . .

In a southern U.S. farming community in 1925, thirteen-year-old Salvatore and his Italian immigrant father become involved against their will in a crime that results in the murder of an innocent man and family friend. Will Sal keep the secrets about that night as his father asks, or risk everything he and his family cherish in their new homeland, including their lives?

Amidst bigotry, bootlegging, police corruption, and gangland threats, Sal must discover whom he can trust in order to protect himself and his family and win back his father’s freedom. Sal’s family, their African-American farmhand, and the girl who is Sal’s best friend find their lives forever changed as dreams are shattered and attitudes challenged in a small community called Freedom.

The Other Side of Freedom by @CynthiaTToney Available now! #newrelease #CatholicTeenBooksTweet This
The Inspiration:

From Author Cynthia Toney: “Possibly orphaned but definitely impoverished, one of my great-grandfathers journeyed from Sicily to America as a young boy with a family not his own, and he grew up with their children. He established the strawberry farm that inspired the setting for this novel.”

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 My Review:

I loved The Other Side of the Freedom – the writing, the story, the close-knit Italian family, and the early 20th century Louisiana strawberry farm setting. Cynthia Toney makes writing look easy with a story that flows smoothly.

Young teen Sal, from whose point of view the story is told, is at the center of an Italian mob’s high stakes scheme of running liquor through small Southern towns after Sal’s dad and uncle are coerced into abetting them.

The secondary characters – Sal’s parents and uncle, his African-American friend Hiram and his best friend Antonina – are interesting but remain rather static while Sal is the one who comes of age, deciding what cost he is willing to pay to serve the truth.

This is Young Adult book, but there’s nothing here to keep younger children or older teens and adults from enjoying the story as well.

About the  Author, Cynthia T. Toney:
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Cynthia Toney

Links:

Website: http://www.cynthiattoney.com

Blog: http://birdfacewendy.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birdfacewendy

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CynthiaTToney

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ctoney1376/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7872181.Cynthia_T_Toney

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Standing Strong: Going All In with the West Brothers

AVAILABLE TODAY!

[image error]Couched in ordinary circumstances and ordinary characters (except that, well, they live in sort of a castle), Standing Strong deals with the most important things. We start asking ourselves the relevant questions sometime in the elementary school years: What do I want to do? What kind of person do I want to be?

And we answer them every day with our actions or inaction, our habits, our determination, and our willingness to accept who, ultimately, will rule our lives.  To whose will do we bend? Our own? Or God’s will?

Because teens are at a pivotal stage in setting the course for their lives, Standing Strong will resonate with them. Of course, we can always change direction, break sinful habits, and become who we are meant to be, but rarely is the choice front and center the way it is as we cross the bridge from childhood to adulthood.

In the case of the older West brothers, twins Jarret and Keefe, they’ve simultaneously reached the point where the rubber meets the road, as they say. While their personal and moral struggles are vastly different, both must discern what God has called them to.  And then muster the courage to do it.

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About the Book:

Next in the West Brothers Contemporary Christian teen fiction series by award-winning author Theresa Linden.

Having just confessed his sins to his priest–more sins than a kid his age should have–Jarret jumps in his Chrysler 300 and races to the outskirts of town. Emotion overwhelming him, he pulls off the road and flings himself face down behind an outcropping of rocks. Ever since that life-changing night in the canyon, Jarret has felt the presence of the Lord in his soul. Now that presence is fading. Is it his fault? How will he remain faithful without it when he still struggles against the same temptations?

​​Meanwhile his twin brother, Keefe, questions whether he has a calling to religious life. He’s gone along with Jarret’s bad schemes for years. Is he worthy of such a calling? What would he have to give up to pursue a vocation? Keefe reads everything he can about St. Francis and the Franciscans, but he’s afraid to talk to his father about the Franciscans’ upcoming discernment retreat because his father seems closed to faith. Is he ready to go all in?

​Follow the West brothers in this contemporary teen fiction as they struggle through temptations and trials down paths they can barely see, toward goals they desire in the depths of their hearts.

Standing Strong: Christian teen fiction by award-winning author @LindenTheresa #CatholicTeenBooksTweet This
My Review:

Readers will enjoy following the West brother twins, Jarret and Keefe, as they try to discern God’s will for their lives.

Though their once intertwined lives diverge, each will have to show fortitude and perseverance in following the paths laid out before them. For Jarret, his past sins, anger and flirtatious ways with girls, cultivated over the years, will be his biggest temptations. For Keefe, uncertainty, insecurity, and fear could keep him from hearing God’s call. Both will doubt and struggle to do the right thing.

Another chapter in Theresa Linden’s masterfully-developed series for teens that will resonate with everyone who has struggled to find his place in the world, been tempted to take the easy way out, or doubted the work of God’s hand in his life. A realistic portrait of the slow and subtle work of grace in our lives.

About the  Author, Theresa Linden:
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Theresa Linden

Theresa Linden is the author of award-winning Catholic teen fiction. Raised in a military family, she developed a strong patriotism and a sense of adventure. Her Catholic faith inspires the belief that there is no greater adventure than the reality we can’t see, the spiritual side of life. She has six published novels, and two short stories in Image and Likeness: Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body (Full Quiver Publishing). She holds a Catechetical Diploma from Catholic Distance University and is a member of the Catholic Writers Guild and the International Writers Society. A wife, homeschooling mom, and Secular Franciscan, she resides in northeast Ohio with her husband and three teenage boys.

Links:

Website: https://theresalinden.com

Blog: https://catholicbooksblog.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theresalindenauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindenTheresa

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Theresa-Linden/e/B00QKS7LW6/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7537721.Theresa_Linden

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An Open Book

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Welcome to the October 2017 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!

[image error]When I saw a book recommendation by our friend and author Mike Aqulilina, well-known for his expertise in patristics, I knew it was something my husband would enjoy. We were able to borrow a copy of Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms by Adam Blai from the Kindle  Owners’ Lending Library with our Amazon Prime subscription. (It’s a little confusing in that there are two editions of the book with the words of the title transposed. I’m guessing (hoping) that the content is roughly the same though.

[image error]I’ve been listening to the audiobook of Distortion (Moonlighter Series Book 2) by Terri Blackstock. I borrowed this one from Hoopla Digital (which is about a million times easier to use than Overdrive). Like the first book in the series, this is a fast-paced, multi-layer mystery involving a family with more than its share of murders. The victim in Distortion turns out not to be so much a victim, but rather an ostensibly respectable surgeon and father who led a double life. This series is categorized as  Christian fiction, but that aspect of the story is fairly insignificant.

[image error]After finishing and loving Begin Again, I’m eager to begin reading an advance copy of Just Maybe (Home in You Book 3) by Crystal Walton. She writes clean, contemporary romances that I believe get better with each book. The series traces an interconnected group of friends tied to New York City, but set in various American locales including the Adirondacks and Ocracoke Island, North Carolina.

[image error]My son waited weeks for a copy of Battlefront II: Inferno Squad (Star Wars) by Christie Golden to become available from the local library. While watching The Star Wars Show, he noted the Janina Avankar, the voice actress who plays Iden Versio, recommended reading Inferno Squad before the Battlefront II video game launches this fall. Reviews look good, and he’s enjoying the book.

[image error]My daughter’s fourth grade class will be reading books from the I Survived Series this year. They started with I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916 (I Survived #2) by Lauren Tarshis and Scott Dawson. Did you know the shark attacks took place in a creek, not the ocean? These attacks were said to have been the inspiration for Jaws, but Peter Benchley has denied that claim. The class has since begun reading I Survived the Attacks of September 11th, 2001 (I Survived #6), also by Lauren Tarshis.

[image error]While still zipping through the Childhood of Famous Americans Series (Amelia Earhart: Young Aviator is  her latest selection), my daughter also checked out Early Thunder by Jean Fritz from the school library. I’m sure the early colonial setting appealed to her. She’s only read a couple of chapters, and seems to enjoy it, but I noticed the Amazon reviews are, uh, not so great. So, we’ll see what she thinks as she gets farther into the story.

[image error]I brought out some picture books that I’d enjoyed with my older kids but which had been packed in boxes for lack of space. I remember not really “getting” The Stray Dog by Marc Simont, a Caldecott Award Medalist, when I first read it. Too many illustrations without text for my taste. But, it’s since grown on me, and the kids enjoy it as well. I could just see the wheels turning in their heads as we read it, wishing that we would come across a lovable, adoptable stray.

[image error]How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon is the perfect choice for Talk Like a Pirate Day. I can’t read this one in a  normal voice. Just can’t. It’s a fun story with bright, colorful illustrations of a boy’s pirate adventure – the good, the bad, and the ugly. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.

What are you reading? Share it at An Open Book and find new book recommendations too! #openbookTweet This

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Want more details on An Open Book? You can also sign up for An Open Book reminder email, which goes out one week before the link-up. No blog? That’s okay. Just tell us what you’re reading in the comment box.

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