Naomi Dawn Musch's Blog: NEW Discussion Guide, page 13

Joyride - A Story of Growing Up

Image by Clipart Panda
I was fourteen years old the summer of '76, the year I'd really started feeling my growing independence and the fact that there wasn't much time left before adulthood arrived. In many ways, I felt adult enough already, and in the ways that I didn't, I pushed the envelope a little.   One of those times was on a balmy afternoon when my folks had friends from Chicago visiting our country home in central Wisconsin. Their daughter Kathy was only a year younger than I, and world wise in a different way than we Up North teens were, but just a girl all the same. Our parents had gone off somewhere for the day, taking the small kids along, and wouldn't be home until late. Kathy and I were left to fend for ourselves. 
We sat at our round kitchen table, pivoting lazily in swivel chairs discussing what we could do with our afternoon and evening of freedom. All the while, Dad's orange Ford pickup seemed to wink at me in the sun through the kitchen window. 


Now, to back up just a little with a brief aside -- I knew how to drive a car. Back then, a lot of fourteen year old kids did, and many even younger. Most of my experience came from my maternal grandma. She was a real softy, a five-foot-three lady who always got so nervous taking the driver's test she didn't manage to get her license until she was over fifty. I spent a lot of time with her growing up, and she let me talk her into just about anything. (Just one of the ways the oldest grandchild paves the way for the rest to come.) So it stood to reason that I could occasionally beg her to let me drive her car out to the back field, or just up the road a little ways.
Back to my dad's truck; with such experience as mine, I figured a little drive would be a great way to show my Chicago friend a good time. I glanced at the truck and back to Kathy. "Hey," I said, sensing that she might think country life was boring. "Want to go for a ride in my dad's truck?"
She sat up straighter in her chair. A year or so later, during a trip to Chicago to visit these same friends, I learned that Kathy was a bit of a rebel who barely kept some of her activities under the wire, so it turned out my idea was a pretty good one -- as far as teenage wiles go.
"You know how to drive?"
"Sure!"
Slight disclaimer: I'd never learned how to drive a stick. I did explain that to Kathy, but I also just shrugged and figured a truck was a truck, and as long as there was a gas pedal and a brake, we'd do okay.
One more disclaimer: not only did I not know how to drive a stick, but I really had no idea whatsoever what a clutch was used for nor how to find any gears. Basically, I just jammed the shifter around until I got the thing to chug backwards out the drive. Of course, that took a generous amount of pressure on the gas pedal to accomplish without the clutch. But, we were off. A few more cranks on the shifter, and eventually we were moving -- or sort of jumping -- forward. Everything smoothed out once we picked up some speed.
My family lived on nearly the end of a country road. Only my cousins' house was farther down, where dirt fire lanes sprung beyond. Between our house and the first intersection half a mile north there were just three houses. The first we had to pass was my other grandma's. She was a sharp lady who always noticed comings and goings up the street, so I was anxious to get past her place. The second home belonged to a young family whose kids I babysat. I think the lady of the house occasionally suspected when I was up to shenanigans, but she never mentioned any misdeeds to my folks. The third place was the home of one of my best friends. I kind of wished she'd been outside so I could wave as we cruised by, but we were better off that no one saw us on our lark. 
We drove up to the corner. After a few minor issues, some grinding gears, some chugging and jumping, and a lot of giggling, we turned around and headed back. But that first mile gave us courage, and the adrenaline rush was over much too soon. So I suggested we go around the block. The block was a mile square, so that would give us a good ten minute ride. That four mile square had hardly any houses on it, and no impediments to driving to speak of. Once again, we arrived back home feeling like we'd just had a great adventure, but that it could be made greater still. 
I don't recall how the discussion progressed, only that Kathy agreed to whatever I suggested -- I had "leadership skills" that way -- and before we knew it, we were on the road again, this time really, really on the road.
I'd learned by now that if I rolled the stop signs just a little, the truck wouldn't kill. That meant we'd need to avoid heavy traffic and especially stop lights. So we decided to head to the small town of Nekoosa, about ten miles away, which didn't boast of any lights back then. We'd be on the highway most of the way, and I figured I could handle that smoothly. It was only the stops that concerned me. From Nekoosa, we took the river road through Port Edwards and on toward Wisconsin Rapids. We wouldn't have driven that far, except I knew that we'd have to try to put gas in at some point, and the station on the west side was now the closest I could think of. My dad is a very meticulous guy, and he would certainly notice a drop on the gas gauge. We'd already put about twenty-five miles on the truck today, and with another twenty going home, he'd surely realize something had happened.
Up until now, we'd not experienced a single problem, but pulling into the gas station which sat on a pie piece in a fairly busy intersection directly across from the DMV was a bit of a trick. I came in a little too fast (didn't want to kill the engine you know) and in trying to avoid literally clipping off one of the pumps, I nearly took off another driver's open car door instead. He scowled and pulled the door into him. I smiled and avoided prolonging the gaze. Whew! That had been a close one.
We pumped what seemed like a reasonable amount of fuel into the tank, not having the slightest idea of gas mileage or anything like that, and only having a small amount of cash to our names. Then, with a roar of the gas pedal, we were off again. About half way home, we both had to go to the bathroom so badly, we didn't think we'd make it the rest of the way if we didn't stop. But where to go? We were on the highway, with nothing much around. Ah... It would have to be Bob's Bar.

"Bob's Bar" Photo courtesy of Rhonda Whetstone
I'd been to Bob's Bar on a number of occasions in my young life. It was my grandpa's favorite place to socialize. He'd take me there to buy me an orange crush and a candy bar and let me put a dime in the juke box. Grandpa also introduced me to the oldest living man in the area there. Smokey Joe lived to be a hundred. The area where Bob's Bar stood was known as Smokey Joe's Corner. Smokey Joe told me about having to use horses and wagons instead of cars, and about the way things were when electricity came to town. Bob had been a nice guy too. If you stopped by his bar to trick-or-treat, he'd give you a full-sized candy bar right off the shelf. By the time of my and Kathy's joy ride, Bob no longer owned the bar. Not that Bob anyway. He had recently passed on, and a different Bob had bought the place. I eventually got to know the new Bob's kid a couple years later when we rode the high school bus together. It was nice they didn't have to change the name of the bar though.
"Come on," I said to Kathy. "I've been here lots of times. We'll just head straight into the bathroom and out again."
We did just as planned, and before we knew it, we were back in the truck.
That's when we encountered our second problem. This time the truck wouldn't start. It would only whine and whine. Sweat drops of dread gathered on the back of my neck. Kathy's huge blue eyes brightened with alarm too. We must have sat there for ten minutes. What could be wrong -- other than the fact a fourteen and thirteen year old were sitting outside a local drinking establishment after joyriding the day away in daddy's pickup all across the county? 
It all sounds worthy of a country song to me.
Image by Clipart Panda
Suddenly the bar door opened, and out came the new Bob. Kathy and I cast each other a quick glance and tried to play it cool. He approached the truck. 
"Are you having some trouble?"
"Yeah, I can't seem to get it started."
"Are you pushing in the clutch?"
Oh.... so that's what that was for. "Oh, no, I forgot. Thanks!" I said with a gush and a smile that I hoped conveyed a duh, kind of face-palm relief.
"She just got her license," Kathy piped in for good measure.
Somehow, I don't think Bob was fooled, but I revved up the engine, thanked him again, and he backed away from the door. Good move on his part. I don't recall that I used the clutch to shift yet, but we managed to herky-jerky our way out of the lot and out of Bob's sight. We pulled into our yard about ten minutes later, our shoulders dropping with relief over our stupendous success. It had been such a day to remember. I understood even then why such things were called joy rides.
So that should have been the end of it, a grand adventure to wind up a summer afternoon. But as evening closed around us, the excitement of it all sloughed off, and we believed we had time for one more short excursion. After all, now that we knew a little something about the clutch, it would be a waste not to exercise that knowledge. So we headed out into the dark.
By this time, I'd grown concerned that my grandma up the road would be noting the number of comings and goings from our house and getting suspicious. The last thing I'd need would be a call of curiosity to my dad. So I got the bright idea that we'd just shut the headlights off while we went by her place so she wouldn't see us. I thought we should do the same by the next house too. 
Boy was it dark! It was hard to tell when we'd gone completely past, and then... whomp! 
"What the heck was that?" I'm not sure if Kathy said that, or if I only thought it, but my heart sent out a panicked thumping. I hit the lights, and Kathy and I sent each other glances of near terror. I drove up to the corner, did a quick U-ey (because a slow u-turn would kill the engine) and headed back for home. As we approached the house in question, our headlights cast beams at the damage. One dead mailbox lay sprawled on the shoulder of the road. Not a breath of life left in it, clipped off right at the post.
Image by Clipart Panda 
I gunned the engine and drove on by, hoping the neighbors wouldn't recognize the sound of my dad's truck.
We'd had enough. No more adventure for us, which is quite a thing to say, coming from a teenage girl. I took great care to park the truck exactly where it'd been parked earlier and to make sure no evidence of our excursion was left behind in the interior. I checked for external damage, but thankfully, the mailbox had been the only casualty. Safely back inside the house, we finally let out our breaths.
There were some things I didn't tell my parents about until I was an adult, and they could no longer ground me for them. This was one of those things. I'm pretty sure the neighbor knew who knocked over their mailbox. She had a certain light in her eye when she mentioned the mailbox to my folks a few days later, but as they were oblivious, she didn't air her suspicions. My dad, however, did ask me if I'd planned to drive the truck straight through the garage. 
"Whaaaat???" I asked, in that teenage, playing dumb tone. He'd noticed that the truck was parked about two feet closer to the cement slab than usual. I told you he was meticulous.
It was all fun, all part of growing up as far as I'm concerned. And it's not like I got by with it completely. Twenty years later, I had a twelve year old daughter who took her small siblings on a joy ride of their own. Like most lessons in life, all things come 'round eventually.

Pulling Your Readers' Emotional Strings - 5 Keys to Writing from The Gilmore Girls

I've been watching the Gilmore Girls series on Netflix and pondering the way writers manipulate our emotions in books and film. Seeing as how I am a writer, I want to know how to perform this puppetry in a way that keeps the audience on my side and doesn't turn them against me. That's always a dangerous possibility -- to have a reader put our work down, or worse yet, have them throw it against the wall, because we tried to pull a fast one on them. Pulling on their emotional strings without breaking them is a precarious trick. On the upside of that heavy responsibility, it's the most fun a writer can have.

Using the Gilmore Girls as our example (because it seems most everyone watched it when it was still running except me, and now I've been on a winter long, Gilmore Girls marathon) let's pay attention to the emotional manipulation in detail.

Core to the story are the relationship statuses of mother and daughter to their respective boyfriends or boyfriend hopefuls. Will Luke and Lorelei ever get together? What new conflict will keep them apart? Will she settle for someone else entirely? How should we feel about Chris? Will Rory finally fall in love for keeps with Dean? With Jess? With Logan? Which boyfriend character most closely reflects her heart's desire? How will they win her? Why do they lose her? What magic of writing keeps us glued to the screen to frolic along with the ever-changing direction of these wandering hearts?

All of these questions and their perspective answers give us the first key to what manipulates us -- and that is because the first key is Character. Each of the Stars Hollow characters is so unique, so fully fleshed, so developed, that even from the very first episode we are sold on them as "real". That means the writers knew the back stories of these characters well before they ever introduced them to the stage.

Note how quickly we come to care for (or become annoyed by) the many and varied folk who populate the small town of Stars Hollow. Either emotion engages us; we are manipulated by irritating habits as well as heart-tugging desire. Face it, one of the biggest pitfalls authors tumble into is when we neglect to fully form secondary characters. But we invest ourselves in the Gilmore Girls more fully because Suki, Kirk, Zach, Michel, and the rest of the zany townsfolk are fully formed personages. Because we are invested in their lives just as we are the main love interests, we quickly come to care about what happens to them. We are emotionally entangled in their joys, sorrows, and array of mishaps that add richness to the main story line.

So, Key #1: To first get hold of a reader's emotional strings, introduce fully formed characters that have had lives before they stepped onto the page. ~~~
As seasons of the show progress, we first root for Rory's perfect, pure love for Dean. We think, "Wow, they're so cute together. I hope they make it through all the trials of adolescence. I hope they stay together." Yet, we know better. They're young. It's a TV show. That their young love will last is unlikely. Our hearts break with Rory's -- with Dean's. And yet... and yet we are just as attracted to the character of bad boy Jess as Rory is. We are compelled to follow our heart right along with her into the magnetism that is Jess. Why is that? How have our emotional strings been so pulled when Dean is such a sweet kid, such a perfect boyfriend?

First because of key one, Jess is fully developed. He has a troubled spirit and conflicted soul, and he's been through a hellish childhood. He pops onto the scene of Stars Hollow carrying a backlog of angst. We find him intriguing. But the deep reason we are convinced that Rory should give him a shot is because, in small snippets, even while hearing warning bells that this relationship will be a bumpy ride, we sense that he might be her soul mate. (Okay, I said it. No matter that they go their ways later and she gets all serious over spoiled frat boy Logan, Jess is her soul mate. Just check out the fan-fiction on this, and you'll agree.) After all the outer layers are pulled away, we see Rory and Jess are two of a kind. Maybe Rory isn't rebellious, but she has the same deep yearning for ideas that Jess does. I mean, come on, they love books and they both become writers! Oh my heart! Rory was never part of the rich girl scene until getting acquainted with her grandparents as a teenager. Until then, she'd been a down-to-earth-raised girl. She understands struggle. She's watched her mom work from the bottom up to give them a good life. Rory is something of an experienced soul, like Jess, if a bit more protected. Besides this, the writer gives them a commonality that resonates. They both love literature and use it to analyze life, to understand each other. This one thing alone leads viewers on a path of cheering for them when they finally get together. We know that Rory needs someone who appreciates language, literature, and ideas as richly as she does.


The other thing that helps us move swiftly from Dean to Jess in following Rory's love interest is that they challenge one another. Scores of romance novels are built around the idea of seemingly opposites attracting, or two people first having conflict, but later falling head over heels for each other. This works when the characters challenge one another in healthy ways. Rory challenges Jess to let go and be the girl she's meant to be without following a course set for her by others, and likewise, Rory challenges Jess to make something of his life because she believes he has the intelligence to do so. She definitely becomes the woman who makes the man, just as he becomes the man who sets her on her true path. The same is true of Luke and Lorelei. They belong together (or the writers convince us that they do) because they always tell each other the things the other needs to hear, even if it's not what they want to hear. Luke is the only one who isn't run over by Lorelei's fast talk. He just smiles and nods and pours her another cup of coffee and loves her -- and tells her what she's doing wrong while he pours himself out for her in tactile ways like fixing her house, loaning her money to get her business off the ground, hauling furniture to school for Rory. There's a lot of emotional metaphor in there.

So, Key #2: Characters have to challenge each other to grow. Watching a character grow, sometimes painfully, only makes us more willing to follow them from one foray into another, and to even abide their changes of allegiance. 
~~~
So, if all that's true about Luke and Lorelei being meant for each other, why do we start to feel "okay" when Lorelei and Rory's father Chris get together in Season 6? Now, in all honesty, at first we're like, "No! Wait! What?!" We know she's making a huge blunder. But then we see that somewhere along the way, in his own life, Chris has changed too. He's grown up -- finally -- or at least he seems to have. He knows Lorelei really, really well, because they've been close since forever. After all, he's Rory's dad... We give him grace because, suddenly, we see them as a family, or at least the tug on our emotional strings makes us think we might be able to see them together that way. Besides, Luke has been acting like a total ignoramous. We're mad at him. The writers have made him flawed, and right then, they're letting all his worse flaws show! While we're wagging our heads moaning, "Luke, Luke, Luke..." the writers are simultaneously painting a picture of familial completeness when we see Chris, Lorelei, and Rory all driving home together from a Friday night dinner at Richard and Emily's. It's so... Norman Mailer. Rory, the kid, is in the back seat, smiling serenely while her corny acting parents play 80s radio in the front. It's a glimpse at the life they missed raising Rory together. We still know that Luke and Lorelei were meant to be together, but we also accept that sometimes in real life people continue to miss each other, and maybe that's what is about to happen for Luke and Lorelei. By painting a picture of Chris, Lorelei, and Rory as a happy family, our hearts are led to believe that maybe it'll be okay after all. The writers do a fairly decent job of leading us down this winding path with a bit of acceptance if not a whole-hearted throwing in with the idea.
So, Key #3: A scene that paints a picture of "what if" can help a writer tug on the emotional strings of "maybe" in a story. This goes back to the adage "show, don't tell". Scenes able to visually depict this "maybe" moment are the stuff romantic cliff-hangers are made of.
~~~
That type of staged scene is all about what's happening. There's no end to great dialogue in The Gilmore Girls, but what really backs up everything being said is action. Concrete actions lend deeper feeling to what their words are or aren't saying. What they do, what they give, where they go -- all leads our emotions on a merry, winding path. All really good stories have this in common. They cause us to glide along because of this same attentiveness to action in the emotional moment, heightened or subtle.

I love how action is portrayed in this scene between Jess and his uncle Luke. Luke is angry, frustrated, perturbed, at wits end. He isn't really yelling, but watch his body language, and pay attention to Jess's as well as he attempts to blow Luke off. As the confrontation heats up, watch the body movement and expression in the action. Finally check out Luke's final reaction. It's a topper. (By the way, the video says best scene ever, but how does one choose?!?)



Then there are those heart-aching episodes that chronicle Luke and Lorelei's breakup. After Lorelei breaks it off with Luke in a big way, we don't hear her say much. The movie or television screen has an advantage here. It shows Lorelei mooning silently on Suki and Jackson's couch, but we get what's going on in her head. In books, we can show that, and we should, but the temptation is strong to let a lot of internal dialogue take over. While internal dialogue is acceptable to a point, it should be action that speaks loudest most of the time. If the Gilmore Girls scene of her depression following the breakup were in a book, the action shows her doing what anyone might do at a time of deep rejection. She turns inward, feels sad, and heads to her best friend for comfort. All the dialogue in this scene goes on over her head by Suki and Jackson as they try to understand, console, but mostly dispel the discomfort hanging over the room in the face of Lorelei's heartbreak. It's their actions that complete Lorelei's emotional free-fall. When going to them isn't enough, Lorelei then makes an active decision that really bottoms out her pain. She turns to Chris for comfort, making us all want to weep.

It isn't what she says, what Luke says, what her friends say, or what Chris says in these moments that tug us into her despair. It's where she goes. Her quiet actions alone fill us with sadness and despair -- and even anger. This is probably the closest I came in watching the show to throwing the proverbial book against the wall, but I didn't. Why? The writers imbue Lorelei's stupid decisions and the actions of surrounding characters with enough hope to keep me dangling in my hold. I can't help it. I'm that invested in these characters.

Aside from characters coming onstage fully fleshed out, the actions of the characters showing their internal conflict are the biggest reason our hearts can be pulled one way or another. Remember the scene during the dance marathon, where Rory is dancing with Dean but being drawn to Jess? She's clinging to the fact that she loves Dean, but can no longer deny her attraction to someone else. Not a lot is said about it during the scene's buildup. Yet there's an entire, unspoken dialogue going on in glances and actions prior to the confrontational moment. Then there's a verbal blow up, and Dean breaks up with her. But prior to that, so much is displayed in her body language and what she leaves unspoken, it becomes one of the most tragically romantic episodes of the show.

Someone said, "Character is built during confrontation with your weakness." This couldn't be truer than when a writer is forming a character. In the dance scene, Rory's weakness is her attraction to Jess. Throughout the dance, we've felt every part of her struggle up until the moment of confrontation is presented to us. If you haven't seen the show, check out the clip of that moment when all the silent angst finally comes bubbling up:


So, Key #4: Actions speak louder than words. If something BIG is about to transpire on an emotional level in your story, make the characters act it out accordingly. Whether they say much or say little, set the scene in actions, blatantly or subtly as the atmosphere affords.
~~~
All this said, it seems the stronger the conflict, the more the emotional investment. We, as readers or viewers, go along in whichever direction a writer wishes to manipulate us as long as we find the characters to be real and the conflict to be stimulating. Even when the characters finally get what they they want, the conflict stakes rise, because now there's the chance of losing what they've won. The element of risk is something we have to make very clear in our writing. Tension should mount in stages until, at some final black moment, it can't stretch any further. The final risk is upon them. In some cases, it means causing yet another problem for our character to overcome, keeping them from a potential happily ever after for a little bit longer, but to do so in a way that we're boiling the frog -- er -- not making our readers feel manipulated.
Unfortunately, conflict is often pasted into a story. Too many authors make this mistake. An author may feel like they've imposed integral conflict, but actually it's pasted, fake, fabricated. How can we tell? We don't care about those characters or their plight. We haven't been made to see or feel things through their skin. To accomplish integration and thus to feel the emotional pull of conflict, we need to sink deep in their point of view. It's easy to fall into the point of view of the Gilmore women or their men and to live vicariously through them. Accomplishing that on the page is tougher. We have to express our characters' emotions in ways that are sensory to our readers so they can feel the same emotion. Does the conflict have our hero feeling angry? Let the reader experience their temples pounding, the blood roaring in their ears, their clammy palms clenching into fists. Does our heroine feel rejected, crushed in spirit? Let her feel outside herself, hollow, empty in such a way that the reader also feels hollow, empty, outside themself. Show what a character sees or doesn't see as they're staring into space, looking through their eyes, going through the motions of living but not feeling from the inside out -- that will put the reader there too. Or maybe the heroine has an overwhelming urge to run away, to melt, to cry, to get in the car and drive without a destination. How do you show them experiencing those desires and conflict from the inside out? 
Does the conflict resolve itself heroically? Can the reader feel the character's heart pounding, the anxious grinding of his jaw, the beads of sweat breaking out and cooling on her neck? Get personal in the conflict -- deep-below-the-skin personal.
So, for the final Key, #5: Conflict must continue to mount, but it cannot be only external. Characters must feel the physical angst or heightened mood internally and through body language, and those feelings must be conveyed to the reader at the gut level.~~~
To summarize:Here's what you need in order to pull your readers' emotional strings so that they'll allow you to wring their heart first one way and then another.

You need completely developed characters who challenge one another. Important emotional moments need to be set in appropriate atmospheric scenes where the characters perform actions that boil over into deeper meaning and higher stakes. And the real kicker? All those stakes, those intense emotions, must be conveyed to the reader in physical ways which the reader can then internalize. 

When all these keys combine, we'll have characters readers care about so much, they'll want their stories to continue even after The End. The creators of The Gillmore Girls pull this off. I mean, really, have you seen the websites full of fan fiction?
Now let's get busy. Let's go toy with our readers' emotional state of mind.

COTT Announces Winner of 2015 Olympia!

by Michelle Massaro

Good morning, lovers of the written word! We have some big news to share today: The Olympia has a winner!


Before we bring you our featured novel, Clash of the Titles wishes to congratulate Kelly Goshorn manuscript "A Love Restored" for taking home the crown during our Olympia Awards.Congrats, Kelly!The Olympia is COTT's annual contest for pre-published authors.To learn more about the Olympia and Kelly Goshorn, please visit us atClash of the Titles.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoy a sweet romance in a quaint village, you’ll love Julie Arduini’s debut novel. She fills the town with delightful and insightful characters. The story has a good balance of humor, wisdom and love. Buy this book, wrap up in a warm blanket with a cup of team, and snuggle in for a great read.

                                                                    --Amazon customer


About the book:
Jenna Anderson, sassy city-girl from Youngstown, Ohio, plows–literally–into Adirondack village, Speculator Falls, with a busted GPS. She gets a warning from the sheriff but has ideas for the senior center to prove she belongs in town as their director. Town councilman Ben Regan is as broken as the flower box Jenna demolished. He’s grieving and wants to shut down the center before there’s too much change and heartbreak. They work on community projects and build a slow relationship, but the council needs to vote on the senior center’s future. Can Jenna show Ben both her and the center are worth trusting?

PURCHASEAmazonCBDBarnes and Noble
Special offer from the author, Julie Arduini!
Subscribe for free to the Julie Arduini newsletter and receive her novella, Match Made in Heaven plus monthly installments to the sequel, Crumbs and Embers. To subscribe, visit the left sidebar of http://juliearduini.com to complete the form and watch for activation. 

What COTT voters had to say:

--Julie Arduini I love this book & am beyond thrilled to hold your passion in my hands. I am happy to be able to vote for you, but as you know, you've already won!!

--Julie Arduii can't wait to read this book.

--Julie Arduini so excited to see what God does with your book!!

--Love the cover and the novel Entrusted by Julie Arduini.

--Congratulations on your novel Julie Arduini!!!

--Julie Arduini, the setting of your book and the language brings me back home.

--May God keep blessing your writing ministry for Him, Julie Arduini

--Julie Arduini, this sounds like my kind of story. I like the term, "the fir flies."

--Entrusted had it all. I thoroughly enjoyed it and encourage others to check it out. Good job Julie A.

--Julie Arduini has a heart of passion and the gift of penmanship!!! What a Blessing!!

--Love the cover Julie Arduini!!

--Julie Arduini is one of my favorite people-- including one of my favorite authors. Love her book "Entrusted"!

--Just so exciting to watch God work in your life Julie Arduini . Surrendering your writing to Him and Wow look what he does ...and he's not done ! ??

--Julie, I loved the book. Thank you!! Blessings, Jenn

--Can't wait to read more from Julie Arduini! I'm hooked on her Adirondack series, the characters, the setting, and Julie's good writing!

The author shares how Entrusted came about:

My writing includes surrender issues and in Entrusted, Ben and Jenna both struggle. Jenna wants to

belong and Ben’s afraid of loss. They have to surrender those things to their Heavenly Father and trust that He’s taking care of them. Book 2 and 3 also give a clue to the surrender journey with Entangled and Engaged.

The book came about after my first visit to the real village of Speculator in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate NY. As I walked the street and drank in the mountain air, the characters came alive. I’m excited to return to Speculator June 12 as I share my writing experience at the Lake Pleasant library. Then, starting June 25th I’m participating in an Entrusted book club in Youngstown where I plan to share exclusive footage of me visiting the places I used in Entrusted.

~~~~~~~
Enjoy this trailer for The Love Boat Bachelor by Jerusha Agen and Theresa Anderson!



Find more great new releases all year at Clash of the Titles!

February Release Feature, plus FREE novella!

What a wonderful debut! It's a story of redemption and forgiveness and love. The author, Jessica R Patch, sucked me in on the first page. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for her next book to be released. Wonderful writer. Highly recommended read, especially around Christmas time, but could be read anytime. It's that good.                                                                                              ~fan review
About the book:

A rowdy bar owner. A widowed pastor’s wife. And Christmas hope that brings them together.

After widower Eden Snow’s church almost burns to the ground, she’s compelled to find a temporary place to hold services and Christmas cantata practices.

Has-been hockey player, Knox Everhart, has a reputation for being fast on the ice and with women. Except Eden. She’s always been a fascinating mystery to him, which is why he agrees to let her use the back room of his bar—with one rule: No converting his customers.

But when Eden brings the church to the bar, it offers something the bottle can’t. Hope. And he finds himself falling in love with a woman and a Savior he feels unworthy to pursue.


PURCHASEAmazon
What COTT voters had to say:

--Jessica's my favorite! She is an awesome writer and a firecracker of a person.

--Jessica, your book sounds so hopeful for a season built on hope! Just what we need in these times. I look forward to reading your book.

--I throughly enjoyed Jessica Patch's "Under the Mistletoe" so my vote is for that! Can't wait for more in the series :)

--Hope Under Mistletoe by Jessical Patch has an intriguing fresh premise.

--Hope Under Mistletoe was a wonderful book! I loved how the story dealt with people getting through their hardships with the help of God. And as I told Jessica..it had the perfect romantic ending...And they lived happily ever after!!

--inspiring way to spread the message of Christ.

I loved Hope Under the Mistletoe! Jessica R. Patch created an inviting town, swoonworthy characters and just enough spice for this inspirational romance!

--A church in a bar? Really? Gotta read it...

Don't miss the free novella Jessica is offering!

Sign up for Jessica’s newsletter, Patched In, and receive the second novella in this Seasons of HopeJust the Way You Are, for FREE until April 22nd! Sign up HERE.

Jessica hangs out on Facebook and Twitter so stop in and join the daily conversations. Also, don’t forget to stop by her Hope Under Mistletoe Pinterest board and meet the characters and take a peek at some of the scenes in the book!

About the free novella, Just the Way You Are:

When Pastor Gabe asks Audrey Gilbraith to use her mad florist skills to help him design a prayer garden, she’s all in, especially since it helps take her mind off the fact she’s about to lose her job and her apartment. But working closely with Gabe and not falling for him is complicated. She’s not pastor’s wife material, and she has the past to prove it.

Gabriel Brookson wants out of Audrey’s friend-zone, but when he pursues her romantically, he ruffles more than a few feathers in his congregation. How much is he willing to give up for this wonderful, quirky woman, and will Audrey accept him if he risks it all?


About the author: Jessica R. Patch lives in the mid-south where she pens inspirational contemporary romance and romantic suspense novels. When she’s not hunched over her laptop or going on adventurous trips in the name of research with willing friends, you can find her sneaking off to movies with her husband, watching way too much Netflix with her daughter, dominating her son at board games, and collecting recipes to amazing dishes she'll probably never cook. Her debut novel with Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense will release in January 2016. She is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management

~Find more great new releases at Clash of the Titles.com!~

Featured Novel: Baxter Road Miracle by Carlene Havel

I read [Baxter Road Miracle] in one day, simply because I really didn't want to stop until I got to the end. Bet you will as well. Kudos to Carlene Havel for sharing this story with the world. --Amazon Reviewer

Baxter Road Miracle by Carlene Havel
About the book: 

Can faith move mountains? The Youngbloods are about to find out.

Henry Youngblood is determined to plant a new church in Buffalo Creek, despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife worries about paying the bills. One daughter dreams of a college education she cannot afford, and the other wants nothing more than popularity. It will take a miracle for the Youngblood family’s dreams to come true.

PURCHASEAmazonBarnes and Noble
What COTT voters had to say:

--I love covers with churches on them.

--Thank you for well written words that speak truth.

--Keep writing those good books!

--I'm reading it now and can't put it down!

--Excellent book.. wonderful author!

--You are an awesome woman of God. You are an inspiration and a great author.

Q&A with Carlene:

Q: The book is categorized as ‘historical.’ When does it take place?

A: The setting is during the early 1960s, when good girls didn’t kiss on the first date. When smoking a cigarette in the high school bathroom was a huge scandal. When parents disapproved of bleached hair, eye shadow, and short skirts. When an idealistic preacher decided to take on the world to fulfill his calling.

Q: Do you have another book on the horizon?

A: Of course – how nice of you to ask! Joan Alley at Prism Book Group came up with the idea of a series based on the characteristics of love. Each author selected a phrase from the First Corinthians description of love as the theme for a short novel. Mine is entitled “Evidence Not Seen,” based on love keeping no record of wrongs. It’s the story of an attorney whose father is returning home after completing a long prison sentence. If the relationships among the father, mother, and son are to survive, each one must let go of old hurts.


About Carlene:

Carlene Havel is an award-winning writer of Christian-themed fiction. She has lived in Turkey, Republic of the Philippines, and numerous US States. After a career in human resources and software development, she began writing in 2005. The Havels live in Texas, surrounded by their extended family.





Find more great new releases all year at Clash of the Titles!

The Salt Covenants: A Novel on the Spanish Inquisition

Clash of the Titles is excited to announce this year’s Olympia Finalists!! 
Please congratulate:
*Kelly Goshorn*Madelyn Herbert*Mary Vaitkevicius-Vee



All three authors’ entries will go to our Round 3 judges:

Karen Ball, Becky Philpott, and Becky Wade.
The winner will be announced on April 8th!
Learn more about these authors.
Learn more about the Olympia Awards.

And now, for our featured novel!
~~~~~~~
“In her historical novel, The Salt Covenants, Sylvia Bambola paints a masterpiece with words.” Micki Sorbello, artist and free lance writer





The Salt Covenants 
by Sylvia Bambola
About the book:

“But these plans they have laid out for me like an embroidered rug, showing me where my feet must travel, is to me an awful penance for sins I did not commit.” --Isabel

Spain 1493: Millions of Jews are forced to convert to Christianity or flee their homeland or die. Caught in this web is young Isabel, who has broken her mother’s heart by her sincere conversion to Christ. But her conversion is not enough to shield her from the eyes of the Inquisition, and in order to save herself, she is forced to marry a man she does not love and flee to a faraway land with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage. Here she struggles to make a life in this wild new land, struggles to adjust to her new faith, and struggles to find love. But how is she to survive? With all the risks and hardships? And can she find love with the sophisticated Antonio Villarreal who unexpectedly enters her world? And what of the dangerous Enrique Vivar? Will his hidden agenda cost her her life?

Purchase Book:Amazonbarnsandnoble.combookamillion.com
What others are saying:

“Bambola (Rebekah’s Treasure) elevates a simple historical tale into something transcendent, in this beautifully written novel about a young Jewish noblewoman, Isabel, who flees the Inquisition on Christopher Columbus’s second voyage to the New World.” Publishers Weekly starred review

“This is not a quick read, but Bambola (Rebekah's Treasure) adeptly depicts a time and place not often explored in Christian historical fiction. Her theme of loss of ethnic culture suffered by the Jews and Native Americans should resonate with readers. Isabel is a well-developed character living in a cruel world, who never succumbs to becoming cruel herself. There may be some crossover appeal to readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir.” Library Journal 1/1/15

“Bambola’s gift for storytelling in this work of historical fiction is noting short of remarkable.” Sallie Yusko, pastor, founder of Women of Worth and Destiny, conference speaker and writer

“In her historical novel, The Salt Covenants, Sylvia Bambola paints a masterpiece with words.” Micki Sorbello, artist and free lance writer

What COTT voters had to say:

--It's been a long time since I've read anything set during the Spanish Inquisition. I would LOVE to get my hands on this book. :)
--Sylvia this looks very interesting!
--I really love the cover of "The Salt Covenants"! I have a thing for beaches and the model really makes an eye-catching cover. Plus the book description sounds really unique.
--I love books that touch the heart. By Chapter 3, I cried about the injustice of the Inquisition period. Sylvia must have spent hours researching the data given. Excellent and spell-binding !
--Sylvia is a very talented author. Her books are ones you don't want to put down.
--Sylvia this sounds fascinating.
--I totally enjoyed this book. I hated to put it down and was sorry when I reached the end. Great Job Sylvia!
--This is a fantastic book. Very impressed with this author! Well written as she takes you along the journey of the Inquisition and travels to the new world. Highly recommended!
--Sylvia your next book looks wonderful!!!
--Historical fiction is a challenge for an author to fit the characters to the time in a believable manner.. Sylvia Bambola does it!
--I'm sure God has given each of you such talent that you are pleased to share with us. However, I based my vote on the novel historicity displayed in The Salt Covenants. Rosie
--Your novels are always well researched and address interesting issues. This one is of particular interest to me because of the time period...amaangela
--Creative, ingenious, captivating...your books always take me With them! Looking forward to going on the Salt Covenant journey.

A moment with Sylvia:

What is the one take-way you’d like to leave your readers?
Answer: Well, there’s actually two. The first is that forgiveness is paramount. Both getting it and giving it. Without it we will never heal those deeply buried wounds. The other thing is that as Christians we must not allow history to repeat itself. The ill-treatment of Jews by the Church and the rabid anti-Semitism during the Spanish Inquisition was troubling. But now that anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head, we, Christians, must take a stand against it, as well as to stand with God’s chosen people.

What do you find most challenging about being a writer:
Answer: For me, the most challenging thing is the marketing. I’m not a fan. But I do it. I suspect that’s a problem with most writers. Still, I’d like to be like Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, whose only responsibility (regarding writing) seemed to be to write novels while someone in the background handled all the p.r. and marketing for her. I guess one can dream.



About Sylvia:
Born in Romania, Sylvia Bambola lived her early years in Germany. At seven she relocated with her adopted family and saw the Statue of Liberty and America for the first time. But the memory of those years in post World War Germany inspired her to write Refiner’s Fire, which won a Silver Angel Award, and was a Christy Finalist. Her frequent moves as an “army brat” gave her an opportunity to see America and fall in love with her new country. Bambola has authored seven novels, has two grown children, teaches women’s Bible studies, and is learning the guitar.

The Winner of the February 2015 Clash of the Titles

A big thank you to all four authors for sharing news of their wonderful new releases! One voter sums it up.
"All of these books sound so good. I would really like to take a vacation where I could just read, read, eat, read, eat, and did I mention read some more? Well, all of your books sound amazing like you! May God bless each of you as you endeavor to do His will. May you shine for His glory."

Congratulations go to Marissa Shrock for her young adult novel!





Voters had lots to say about The First Principle, many comments from Marissa’s students.


It is a wonderful book! I loved it!


To God Be the Glory...


Really interesting, great book


Very good. My favorite book.


It was amazin’


This is the best book I have ever read.


This book looks so interesting! I look forward to reading it!


While all sound like good reads, I love the concept of a young, pregnant girl fighting against mandatory abortion.


Great book. Looking forward to the sequel.


Great concept!



Great book with lots of non-stop action and wonderful character development. It belongs on your must read list.


It is inspirational even to a grandma like me to read stories such as this.


Bless your efforts!


The latest comment from a teen reader:


 I absolutely loved The First Principle, a dystopian story with a Christian twist....Tear-jerking, heart-racing, and beautifully written. -- Tessa, 16About The First Principle

In the not-too-distant future, the United Regions of North America has formed. Governors hold territories instead of states, and while Washington, DC, is gone, the government has more control than ever before. For sixteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins, the daughter of a governor, this is life as usual. High school seems pretty much the same–until one day, that controlling power steps right through the door during study hall.

When Vivica speaks out to defend her pregnant friend against the harsh treatment of Population Management Officer Martina Ward, she has no idea she’s sowing the seeds of a revolution in her own life. But it isn’t long before she discovers her own illegal pregnancy. Now she has to decide whether to get the mandatory termination–or follow her heart, try to keep the baby, and possibly ruin her mother’s chances at becoming president.

A rebel group called the Emancipation Warriors, who are fighting to restore freedoms once held unalienable, offer her asylum. Can Vivica trust these rebels to help her or will they bring everything crashing down around her? Accepting their help may come with consequences she isn’t ready to face.


Buy Links
Amazon paperback
Amazon kindle

 Marissa Shrock is a writer and language arts teacher who enjoys working with her seventh grade students. She is a graduate of Taylor University and has completed the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild Apprentice, Journeyman, and Craftsman courses. She is a member of ACFW.

Marissa has written articles for teens and adults in Evangel and Encounter. The First Principle is her debut novel.

In her spare time Marissa loves spending time with family and friends, shopping for cute clothes, traveling, baking, playing golf, and reading. Her favorite genres are young adult, suspense, and science fiction.

Visit Marissa’s web site http://www.marissashrock.com/web site

Clash of the Titles Presents January New Releases

Hostess: Gail Pallotta

January 2015, brought us many great fiction books. Contemporary, historical, young adult futuristic and a suspense novel round out this month’s Clash. Which of these will you put at the top of your to-be-read list?

***During the 1960s, Henry Youngblood feels the call to plant a new church. Meanwhile, his wifewonders how to pay the bills for the new baby, keep their teen-aged daughters under control, and temper the family’s dreams with reality.
Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle

***Spain 1493: In order to flee the Inquisition, Isabel, accompanied by the husband she was forced to marry, must sail with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Indies. There, amid the hardships of the New World, her character is forged and her destiny reshaped as she comes to terms with who she is.
Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle ***When Jen unravels the family scandal within the walls of an English country manor, will she reveal the truth she’s hidden for so long as well? Or will she choose to live the lie in order to keep the man she loves?
Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle
***Sixteen-year-old Vivica Wilkins never questions her country’s pregnancy termination law for underage girls until she becomes pregnant. Now she must comply or fight to save her unborn child, but fighting means Vivica must abandon her mother, a powerful governor, and side with a rebel organization that’s determined to start a revolution.


Amazon Print | Amazon Kindle

Featured Novel: "This Redeemer" -- Not All Prisons Have Bars

“An exhilarating ride full of suspense and hope...” “…hits the ground running and never lets up…” “A riveting story with great characters…”

About This Redeemer:
Not all prisons have bars.Charlotte Davis should know—she’s lived in one for years. She can handle getting slapped
around by her boyfriend, Tommy, and even being forced to do things she would
never choose, but when Tommy turns on her 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte must
try to escape. With nowhere else to turn, Charlotte runs to the stranger her
dying mother believed would help her.Looking only for shelter or cash, Charlotte finds a family she longs to call her own
and a gentle man she could learn to love. But if Tommy catches up with
Charlotte, these strangers could discover the truth about her. Will they send
her back to Tommy? Or can a Father’s love set her free?PURCHASEAmazonBarnes and Noble

"Jerusha keep up the good work I cant wait to read the next book!"

"I just finished reading This Redeemer by Jerusha Agen, and it was excellent -- the best of the series!"

"Love Jerusha's writing style!"

"I am excited for you! Jerusha Agen this is just the beginning of more great things to come!"

"I loved This Redeemer and think it's Jerusha's best book yet. Great characters!"

"Jerusha Agen, your writing is amazing! Thank you very much for sharing your incredible talent!"

"Jerusha! Keep up the excellent work!"

About Jerusha:Jerusha Agen is a lifelong lover of story--a passion that has led her to a B.A. in
English and a highly varied career. A member of American Christian Fiction
Writers, Jerusha is the author of the Sisters Redeemed Series, which includes the titles This Dance, This Shadow, and This Redeemer. Jerusha co-authored the e-books A Ruby Christmas, A Dozen Apologies, and The Love Boat Bachelor from Write Integrity Press. Jerusha relishes snowy Midwest winters spent with her three large, furry dogs and two small, furry cats.Visit Jerusha’s website at www.SDGwords.com. Follow Jerusha on Twitter @SDGwords and Facebook (Jerusha Agen – SDG Words).

Q&A Interview with Jerusha Agen, author of This Redeemer, Book Three in the Sisters Redeemed Series:
What message do you hope your readers will take away after reading your novel?
I hope and pray that women who are in abusive relationships, poverty, depression, or any other type of seemingly hopeless situation will see in this story that there is hope even in the most desperate of situations, and that His name is Jesus. For readers who have no experience with such desperation, I hope that they will be convicted of the need to selflessly love the “unlovable” in the world and to humbly forgive the “unforgivable.” For all of us, there is hope! 

Do you have any practical advice for writers on how to keep their sanity in our run, run, run world?
Staying sane in our hectic culture is my daily struggle! Some things that help me most are setting writing goals for each day and actually quitting for the day when I reach the goal. I’ve found that I have to limit when I’ll allow myself to check email or go online, so that I don’t end up letting my sleep or work time disappear into the Internet vacuum.
As a writer, it’s also too easy to work whenever I’m home, even on Sundays, which translates into no day off from work and eventual burnout. I believe that rest, especially on our day set aside to worship, is
crucial to staying in the rat race for the long haul, so I’ve now made every Sunday a no-writing, no-Internet day. I end up with a free, restful day away from social and work pressures that allows me to recharge for the work week ahead. The other essential for sanity is sleep!
Find more great reads at Clash of the Titles!

Plundered Christmas--Pirates, Storms, Murder!

Pirate legends, unexpected storms, murder.Will Jeanine discover the truth before someone else winds up dead?



About Plundered Christmas:

Compelled to spend Christmas on a private island with her father’s future bride and family, Jeanine learns that Margo Banet is descended from a pirate queen.

Relatives and friends all have their reasons for attending the festivities—including the legendary treasure. But when Margo’s nephew winds up dead and a violent storm cuts them off mainland, Jeanine has to wonder if they will solve the mystery before someone else dies trying.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

About the author:

Susan A. J. Lyttek, author of kids’ comedy, "Guzzy Goofball" and the "Homeschool Play from Outer Space" and the cozy mystery trilogy by Harbourlight Books which includes the recent Plundered Christmas, is a wife and homeschool mother who writes early mornings in the shadow of our nation’s capital. She also enjoys training up the next generation of writers online through Write At Home, and by teaching middle and high school co-op classes. Learn more about her and her projects at sajlyttek.com.





What COTT Voters Had to Say:

--Susan Lyttek, you are an amazing and talented writer.

--Susan, I can't wait to read your new book!

--Looking forward to reading Plundered Christmas!

--Love Plundered Christmas.

--Susan, your work continues to thrive, all for the Glory of God! I'm proud to know you, and can't  wait to read this one! A. Montgomery.

--Susan Lyttek, enjoy reading your books.

--I really enjoyed Plundered Christmas--between the character dynamics and the plot twist I never saw coming--well done!

--Great series by Susan Lyttek!

Chat with Susan:

Why do you write the kind of books you do? I homeschooled and am homeschooling. These are the people I’ve been around for the last seventeen years. That’s also why I weave history in. Every homeschool resource I know targets multiple subjects and levels of learning.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life? My goal is for today, whatever day that is, to be the happiest. It doesn’t always work, especially when I get a piece of bad news or insufficient sleep, but it’s my goal. I want to live contentedly in what my Lord hands me each day.

What is your favorite season of the year? Christmas. Hands down. What’s special about it for you?? I love my heritage and the special traditions that we have. Every Christmas creates new memories that adds to the woven tapestry of what it is. I also love celebrating the arrival of the son of God in human form!

What is something that very few people know about you? I like to read my Bible in French. C’est vraiment la belle langue!

What three things about you would surprise readers? I have a second degree black belt in tae kwon do. I like LOUD music. (I’m a quiet person, so the music thing surprises most people.) I earned a marksman ribbon with the M-16 when I was in the Air Force.

What can you tell us about your current project? I assume you mean Plundered Christmas. In this mystery, we need to figure out why the Banet family has hidden their heritage all these years, in addition to learning who killed Margo’s nephew. Secrets can poison a family and damage relationships. As the Talbotts uncover the truth about Anne Bonny/Banet, it leads to healing for those who accept it.

Find more great reads at Clash of the Titles!