Heather Day Gilbert's Blog, page 21

GOD’S DAUGHTER Quotes Pin Series

Almost finished with my read-aloud edits for God’s Daughter, so this self-publishing thing is getting pretty real, folks!

I was pondering my quotes series, and I know they might seem a bit…sad. But Gudrid struggles with some very real issues, depression being one of them. Never fear–there is humor in the novel, as well! Eirik the Red’s children often bring a smile to my face. But I wanted to give you a flavor of my book, which runs along the lines of Girl with a Pearl Earring or The Mists of Avalon, in that it’s bringing a historical time period to life through the eyes of a female main character.

Here we go…next pinnable. Always appreciate your getting the word out!

GOD’S DAUGHTER Quotes Pin Series

And…on to our next pinnable from God’s Daughter, in which Gudrid–wife, mother, and loyal sister-in-law–has determined not to be a victim of her circumstances. Would love it if you’d pin this one somewhere to get the word out.

Lazy Days of Summer Book Review–AMY DROWN reviews THE GIRL IN THE GLASS by Susan Meissner

No intros today, as Amy has posted before and I enjoy her reviews so much! Amy’s bio is below. I loved Meissner’s A Sound among the Trees, so I’m looking forward to reading this one, as well!

  







Amazon link: The Girl in the Glass

The Girl in the Glass by Susan Meissner

Book Review by Amy Drown

Renaissance is a word with hope infused in every letter.
 
Since she was a child, Meg has dreamed of taking a promised trip to Florence, Italy, and being able to finally step into the place captured in a picture at her grandmother’s house. But after her grandmother passes away and it falls to her less-than-reliable father to take her instead, Meg’s long-anticipated travel plans seem permanently on hold.

When her dad finally tells Meg to book the trip, she prays that the experience will heal the fissures left on her life by her parents’ divorce. But when Meg arrives in Florence, her father is nowhere to be found, leaving aspiring memoir-writer Sophia Borelli to introduce Meg to the rich beauty of the ancient city. Sophia claims to be one of the last surviving members of the Medici family and that a long-ago Medici princess, Nora Orsini, communicates with her from within the great masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance.

When Sophia, Meg, and Nora’s stories intersect, their lives will be indelibly changed as they each answer the question: What if renaissance isn’t just a word? What if that’s what happens when you dare to believe that what is isn’t what has to be?

In My Honest Opinion:
I love Italian food. Several of my favorite movies are set in Italy. I have Italian pop music and opera on my iPod. I even have an entire Italian immigrant community in the Historical Fiction novel I am writing. But even after all of this, I never felt particularly compelled to visit Italy myself . . . until I read The Girl in the Glass.

Susan Meissner has crafted a remarkably moving story that is literally sensual and sensational. Page after page, I could see the glorious antiquities of Florence, feel the golden warmth of the Italian sun and Italian hospitality, hear the music of the Italian rhythm of life, and definitely smell and taste the food. Oh. My. Goodness. The food! I should NOT have read this book while hungry. I kept interrupting my reading to jot down recipes I needed to look up after reading about them in this story. I think I gained a good twenty pounds just by reading about everything Meg and Sophia eat. Darn Meissner and her evil pastas!

Seriously, though, I don’t usually enjoy stories told from only one character’s first-person perspective, but Meissner writes with a talent for bringing all of her characters to vivid, multi-dimensional life, so that I soon forgot I was inside only one character’s thoughts. I could easily relate to Meg’s single life and suppressed desires for both love and the life she feels she’s always been denied, and the way she is awakened and transformed by her visit to Italy reminds me of Lucy Honeychurch in E.M. Forster’s classic A Room with a View. Sophia’s innocence and frailty were absolutely endearing, and one of my favorite aspects of Meissner’s stories is the way she effortlessly intersects the past with the present–in this case, through Sophia’s connection to the historical Nora Orsini. And as each of these three women dares to believe that their lives can be more than they are, I found myself daring to believe in my own personal Renaissance.

Favorite Scenes:
All of the cooking, eating, gathering-around-the-table scenes. There are many! Word to the wise–read this book on a full stomach.

Survey Says:
FIVE STARS! The Girl in the Glass is both intimate and epic in its scope, and the depth of heart-to-heart storytelling made me an instant and lifelong fan of Susan Meissner. I already have several more of her books on my to-be-read shelf. And one day, thanks to the inspiration of this novel, I will have a ticket to Italy in my hand . . .

To read more about Susan Meissner and The Girl in the Glass, click on the book cover image above or visit her website.

AMY DROWN studied History at the University of Arizona and the University of Glasgow. An executive assistant by day, she is also an award-winning photographer and musician. But her true passion is writing edgy, inspirational stories that explore the deep roots of family, friendship and faith. She is a 2013 My Book Therapy Frasier Finalist and Bronze Medalist, and an ACFW Genesis Semi-Finalist and First Impressions Finalist. Connect with Amy and learn more about Deep-Rooted Fiction™ at www.AmyDrown.com.

****Anyone read this one yet? Any thoughts you’d like to share? Thanks for the great review, Amy!****

GOD’S DAUGHTER Quotes Pin Series

We still have some Lazy Days of Summer book reviews coming down the pike, but I couldn’t wait to launch this next blog series.

I wanted to share little bits of my Viking novel, God’s Daughter, with you, so I decided to go the PicMonkey route and give you pinnable quotes and pictures. I will freely admit it took me a full two hours to get one of these ready to go…not as simple as it looks, at least for me!

These pins will give you a hint at Gudrid’s voice in the novel, and hopefully make you salivate a little to read the book, releasing Novemeber first!

Today, I’m going to give you a quote from the Prologue. This is the only part of the novel that’s written in third person…and Gudrid is just a young girl. It’s quite sad, but it gives you a hint of what Gudrid is repressing and dealing with all her life.

Oh, and please pin these babies to your Pinterest boards! I’d like to drum up excitement for these Viking travelers/warriors/families early in the game!

Thank you all. Hope you enjoy this series. Here we go with the first pin!:

Lazy Days of Summer Book Review–RACHEL MCMILLAN Reviews FIRE BY NIGHT by Lynn Austin

So thrilled to have friend and agency-mate Rachel McMillan reviewing one of her fave books today. Rachel always astounds me with her knowledge of the classics–but she’s also very plugged-in to the Christian book market. You can read all her bookish musings here: A Fair Substitute for Heaven.

I’d read the first in the Refiner’s Fire series by Lynn Austin (A Candle in the Darkness)–Civil-War era novels. I loved the way Austin wove in spiritual lessons without being preachy…and you knew she’d done her Civil War research. Can’t wait to share about the next book in the series below. With no further ado, here’s Rachel, with one of her characteristically deep reviews.

Fire by Night by Lynn Austin

Reviewed by Rachel McMillan

FIRE BY NIGHT–Amazon link

Fire by Night by Lynn Austin is everything Christian fiction should be. It is underlined by a strong spiritual message; but never wades into the territory of being too blatantly preachy, it establishes Lynn Austin as an author with one of the broadest narrative ranges in the CBA ( Fire by Night, part two of the award-winning Refiner’s Fire trilogy is couched between the North point of view in Candle in the Darkness and the slave point of view in A Light to my Path ) and it reinforces Austin’s talent for playing with her ongoing thesis: women of faith tried and tested by different historical circumstances.

Lynn Austin champions strong women challenged by faith. She never slips into condescension or sentimentality and her heroines ask the tough questions of God. More still, she balances the patriarchal importance of a man’s religious stirrings with the broadly painted belief that God speaks to women too—no matter their secondary role in the gender hierarchies of the setting.

I am consistently challenged by Lynn Austin’s fiction. It inspires me to seek God more, to seek scripture more and to revel in the fact that I am validated — no matter how oddly independent, strong or willful— because God never turns on a broken vessel and God validates women who follow Him no matter their unlikely paths.

Fire by Night straddles between two strong narrative presences: Julia Hoffman, long in romantic pursuit of the reverend Nathaniel Greene, decides to prove her worth by running away and enlisting as a nurse. Here, her faith is tested, her will challenged and her resolve weakened by the presence of the gruff and indomitable Dr. James McGrath and Phoebe Bigelow, who defies convention, disguises herself as a man and enlists with her best friend Ted. The two women’s paths intersect in the most unlikely way as they are face to face with extreme danger and softened and beguiled by the paths to love neither could have dreamed of. All the while, their faiths are tested and strengthened.

One such instance has Julia questioning her burgeoning station away from her heritage and upbringing. Having oft-heard her fiancé Nathaniel’s talk of God’s purpose, she rallies with a truthful cry to the extent of a question: Can’t women hear God’s voice and follow His purpose too? In a male dominated society, entrenched in tradition and war, Julia and Phoebe are caught at the turning of the tide. No longer, argues Austin, will women be content to stay underappreciated in the household, not when circumstance has forced them out to the front and to hone the God-given skills they were made for.

Lynn Austin is unparalleled in accolades—and Christy awards— and Fire by Night is just vintage Austin.

It can be read within the context of the trilogy, or separately. Austin is undeniably at home in the American Civil War years and the setting, descriptions of battle, and nuances of the political infrastructures of the time are well-painted here.

I should also mention, in a far more superficial vein, that Lynn Austin is champion at writing the most supremely dishy kisses and the most appealing heroes. James McGrath remains one of my favourite romantic interests in Christian fiction. He is strong, sardonic, intelligent and more than a little rough around the edges. Think a Neil MacNeill of the Civil War.

Rachel McMillan is a long time Christian fiction addict. She has judged the Christy awards and the INSPYs awards and is a frequent contributor to Breakpoint and Novel Crossing. She has been featured on BlogHer and Breathecast. Her blog, A Fair Substitute for Heaven, is popular with book lovers and publishers alike. Her historical fiction is represented by William K. Jensen Agency. Rachel lives in Toronto and spends a lot of time watching baseball.

              ****Thank you so much for the excellent review, Rachel! Have any of you read Lynn Austin? If so, which is your fave of her novels?****

Big News on my Viking Novel, GOD’S DAUGHTER!

Okay…hope you have about five minutes to watch this…then please respond below! I hope you will share my excitement! I couldn’t wait till my regular Monday posting schedule to let you all know!

Lazy Days of Summer Book Review–My Review of SIX SOLITUDE ROAD by Bethany Macmanus

Bethany Macmanus and I have been writerly friends from waaay back. Okay, maybe just back to last year, when we first started chatting and I interviewed her for my blog: Interview with Bethany Macmanus.

I love Bethany’s honesty and enthusiasm, which shines through everything she does. She also interviewed me for her uber-cool blog, A Noise in the Night. You can catch that vlogpost here: What’s Up Wednesdays: Heather Day Gilbert.

When Bethany let me know she was going to self-publish, I was thrilled for her. I was blown away by the professional-looking cover of her suspense novel, Six Solitude Road. Here’s a peek–and the link to it on Amazon:

Amazon link: SIX SOLITUDE ROAD

Isn’t that a gorgeously eerie cover? And so is the book. Here’s my review:

Lazy Days of Summer Book Review–Brandy Heineman reviews GONE SOUTH by Meg Moseley

I’ve been looking forward to Brandy’s review of Gone South, by Meg Moseley. First off, I’ve already heard stellar things about this book, and secondly, Brandy is real blessing and encouragement to me, and I knew she’d do a great job. You can find her blog here: Bookishness and other Beauties, where she explores writing, genealogy, and other cool stuff.

With no further ado, let’s jump into the next book on my To Be Read list! Thanks for reading it for me, Brandy…I have a feeling I’ll be buying this one.

GONE SOUTH by Meg Moseley

Book Review by Brandy Heineman

GONE SOUTH–Amazon link

Thanks for having me, Heather!

As a Southern girl with Northern roots and a genealogy nut to boot, I might just be the quintessential reader for Meg Moseley’s newest release, Gone South (Multnomah, 2013). Only a few pages deep, I was already rooting for and sympathizing with Letitia “Tish” McComb.

Single, 35, and caught up in a series of sad goodbyes, Michigander Tish jumps on an opportunity to purchase the McComb ancestral home in Noble, Alabama, where her great-great-great grandparents, Nathan and the first Letitia McComb, once lived. However, she is so entranced with this connection to the past that present day reactions to the McComb name escape her notice at first.

Ms. Moseley does an expert job weaving in supporting story lines, layering in friendly neighbor George Zorbas to cushion Tish’s landing in Noble, and introducing troubled Melanie Hamilton as a wild card who has used up her second chances with everyone in town. Mel’s reputation as a thief slams doors shut in her face, but in spite of the warnings from George and the few citizens of Noble who will actually speak to her, Tish sees a young woman with nowhere else to go and takes her in. After all, Tish and Mel both suffer the effects of the same ailment: a bad name in a small town.

A story that could have easily been bogged down with difficult historical details instead glides along on the strength of great dialogue—fluid in some exchanges, snappy in others—and the smooth, mellow pacing of a story worth reading straight through on a long, leisurely Saturdayafternoon. The author threads an interesting motif with antique props through the story, including heirloom letters, prized costume jewelry, a missing gold watch and a stolen classic Corvette, but significantly, the final distribution of objects is never the point of the story, and the characters’ resolutions are not pinned to these earthly treasures.

Some readers might wonder whether Civil War and Reconstruction-era grudges can realistically ignite tensions in a contemporary story. It’s a fair question, but as one who’s been asked, “Who’s your daddy?” by a small-town old-timer suspicious of my weird, hybrid accent, I didn’t find it far-fetched at all. In fact, I found this novel’s realism continued after I’d turned the last page as my mind poked at where each character ended his or her own piece of the story. (Click to Tweet!) Not everyone confesses; not everyone forgives.

Meg Moseley respects her story world, characters, and readers, and she avoids reframing the past with wild revelations from dusty wills and deeds. Instead of endlessly trying to make amends for a broken past, her main characters mature and look to a future of better choices. A picture of repentance, well-painted. (Click to Tweet!) Gone South is a beautifully crafted novel, and one I enthusiastically recommend for readers of women’s fiction.

You can find out more, read chapter one, and purchase Gone South at Meg Moseley’s website.

BRANDY HEINEMAN writes contemporary women’s fiction peppered with a dash of the historical. She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga., where she studied Communication and Business Administration. After spending several years in the financial services industry, she left to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Mt. 6:33) and to develop her craft as a writer. She and her husband Michael love traveling to new places for relaxation and inspiration, and stories usually come find her whenever she steps off the beaten path. They reside in metro Atlanta with two of the most pampered kitty cats you’d ever want to meet.

When she’s not writing, you’ll find her puzzling over which book to pluck next from a huge to-be-read pile, seeking out hundred-year-old genealogy mysteries that need solving, and just occasionally poking around antique shops, looking for something unusual. She is a member of ACFW and a regular contributor at Writer…Interrupted. You can also find her blogging about books, genealogy and faith at Bookishness and Other Beauties and tweeting as @brandyhei.

****Thanks so much for the in-depth review, Brandy! I thought Melanie in Gone South would be like Miss Melly in Gone with the Wind, so it was interesting to see she was most definitely not! I’ve heard nothing but good about this novel, not to mention, I’m in love with the cover art, so I’ll definitely be buying this one!****