Heidi McCahan's Blog, page 21

31 Days of Debut Authors: Danica Favorite

 

Coming this November from Love Inspired Historical, Danica Favorite’s debut, Rocky Mountain Dreams.

Book Blurb:

The last thing Joseph Stone expects to discover upon arriving in Leadville, Colorado, is a newfound little sister. Hoping to find his late father’s silver mine and hopefully keep his siblings back home out of an orphanage, Joseph needs an ally. The preacher’s lovely daughter agrees to care for the little girl. She’s just not as willing to trust the prospector….

Annabelle Lassiter has seen what men do in pursuit of riches. Yet for all the hardship he’s known, Joseph still shows tenderness and warmth. Annabelle’s plan has long been to leave Leadville far behind. But Joseph’s quest for silver could cost them a more precious dream—one of family, love and new beginnings….

Danica’s Bio:

A dedicated professional in the publishing world, Danica Favorite works as an online moderator for a major publisher where she connects readers and writers with new fiction releases. With four active kids, a devilishly handsome husband and insane dog, Danica’s never short of inspiration when it comes to writing characters for her latest book. She and her family make their home in Denver, Colorado, where they enjoy the mountain lifestyle with the comforts of the city.

Rocky Mountain Dreams is available for pre-order via Amazon, B & N, or ChristianBook.com

If you’d like to connect with Danica, sign up for her newsletter and/or follow her blog, you can visit her website.

31 Days of Debut Authors: Kim Galgano

I’m stepping outside the fiction realm to celebrate with my friend Kim Galgano as she prepares for the release of her much-anticipated book The Chance to Choose. I used to attend the same church as Kim and was a part of her coffeehouse chats before we moved away. As she states on her blog, seeing The Chance to Choose in print is a dream ten years in the making. I’m always excited to see a debut author achieve the dream of publication, no matter how the journey unfolds, but this particular story is especially sweet because I watched her labor and sweat and strive until the dream became a tangible reality. She inspires me to keep on keepin’ on and to be faithful to the One who calls us to use our gifts and abilities for His glory.

Back Cover Blurb:

How could a homespun Pennsylvanian like me nearly be sold into the sex trade? That answer is found in 1,000 seemingly unimportant decisions.

But all too often we ignore our choices. How do you choose?

Within the pages of The Chance to Choose, an unfettered guide to remedy your indecisiveness awaits. Nestled in the Biblical book of Jeremiah lies an often overlooked verse containing a simple, flexible, and very powerful process for decision-making.

The Jeremiah Method™ contains both structure and freedom, with pages of opportunity to piece together your personal transformation. May this be a safe place to fashion a course for the rest of your life, while learning to choose with confidence.

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths;

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

Author Bio:

The best choice I ever made was going to India over 25 years ago! It was there, as I sat in a field, where God showed me all the poor choices I’d made in the past. 

Choices of greed, lust, selfishness, and empty love. He then took me from my “religious” view of Him, to a place of peace and freedom as I was birthed into a relationship with a living Savior! 

Since then I have seen how He often uses cracked people like you and me to display His promise, but my own personal experience reveals His ability to draw souls by His own unique presence alone; a prize I will always treasure! 

The second best choice I’ve ever made was marrying my husband of over 20 years, Adam, who I fondly refer to in my blogs as “The Teacher.” My soul-mate and best friend has been my biggest source of encouragement. Without his constant boost of hope, laughter and patience, I’d be somewhere completely different, I’m sure! Without him we also wouldn’t have the incredible blessing of our three children, Carter, Davis and Maggie. 

I never set out to be a speaker or a writer. I grew up outside of Philadelphia and graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Communications Media. My dream was to direct movies. It wasn’t until looking in the bathroom mirror over 15 years ago when God whispered, “You have a story to tell, maybe even a few.” that I felt the millstone and the beginning of Chicks with Choices™. I just never imagined this early vision would blossom into the business and ministry it has become today.

***

Congratulations, Kim!

You can read more about Kim and her ministry Chicks with Choices, as well as purchase her book on her website.

 

31 Days of Debut Authors: Autumn MacArthur

You never forget your first love… 

With her eye for design and her cut-glass accent, no-one would guess Beth Forrest’s impoverished background. It’s all throw pillows, china patterns, and upper class brides as she manages the Wedding Registry at Pettett & Mayfield, the stately maiden aunt of London department stores. It’s not quite her dream job, but each bride she helps to select beautiful and oh-so-expensive items for their gift list brings her one step closer to buying a little home of her own, and financing the education she longs for. 

When physics professor James Tetherton-Hart, brilliant in his research lab but awkward and disorganised in everyday life, comes to the store in desperate need of both a gift and a partner for a wedding that evening and recognises her, all her careful plans and meticulous checklists are turned upside down. 

Now her first love is back, determined to make her his partner for life, not just the evening. But unless Beth can let go of the mistaken beliefs that separated them in the past, and appreciate the depth and breadth of God’s love for us all, her only gift from the wedding will be another heartbreak. 

The Wedding List is a novella length prequel to Believe In Me, a semi-finaling entry in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest 2013. Believe in Me releases October 20th. The novella and the novel are available through Amazon.

Author Bio:

Autumn Macarthur is an Australian writer of inspirational romance living near London with her very English husband, three spoiled cats, and a guinea pig with a dandelion addiction. She loves reading, cooking, gardening, and writing deeply emotional stories to make you smile and remind you how big and wide and deep God’s love and forgiveness can be.

She tends to talk a little too much, laugh a little too loud, and eat a little more than maybe she should. She’s thankful to be blessed with some good friends and a very patient husband. Most of all, she’s eternally grateful for God’s great love and mercy.

31 Days of Debut Authors: Ane Mulligan’s Chapel Springs Revival

I’m delighted to share Ane Mulligan’s debut, Chapel Springs Revival, with you today. I love a book cover that doubles as a work of art, don’t you?  The colors, textures … it’s perfect. I could totally frame it and hang it in my home.

Book Blurb:

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

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

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

Ane’s Author Bio:

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

Five Questions with Ane Mulligan:

What was the inspiration for your novel?  

I had a “Titus 2:4 moment” with her, but that conversation stuck with me. If one woman thought that, there had to be others. So I decided to explore what would happen if a woman in her forties, who had been married for a long time just learned that God had the perfect mate picked out for her.

Years ago, a young women at church told me when she married, she didn’t know she should have prayed for the husband God had picked out for her, so she was going to get a divorce and go look for that other man.

If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would you choose and why?  

Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, and Madeline Kahn. They were some of the best comediennes ever. I’d love to pick their brains.

In terms of writing a novel, are you a plotter or a pantser? Or a hybrid combo?  

I’m a hybrid combo. Rachel Hauck calls it Planster and it fits me perfectly. First I do extensive character development by interview and by writing a totally pantster backstory for each main character. Then I storyboard to get the basics of where I want to go. After that, I let the characters take over.

What can your readers expect from you in the future? Prequel, sequel, novella, etc.  

The second book in the Chapel Lake series, Chapel Springs Survival, is done and I’m working on the third, Dreamkeeper.

Please share one piece of advice for aspiring writers you wish you’d known before you started this writing journey.

Factor God’s timing into your publishing dream.

Thank you so much for participating in my 31 Days blog series, Ane. Congratulations on the release of Chapel Springs Revival.

31 Days of Debut Authors: We Are Not Ourselves

Whew. This posting every single day requires some stamina, of which I find myself lacking on this beautiful Thursday. I’m taking a breather and sharing a novel from my TBR pile: Matthew Thomas’s We Are Not Ourselves.

From the publisher (Simon & Schuster):

” Destined to be a classic, this “powerfully moving” (Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding), multigenerational debut novel of an Irish-American family is nothing short of a “masterwork” (Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to the End).Born in 1941, Eileen Tumulty is raised by her Irish immigrant parents in Woodside, Queens, in an apartment where the mood swings between heartbreak and hilarity, depending on whether guests are over and how much alcohol has been consumed. When Eileen meets Ed Leary, a scientist whose bearing is nothing like those of the men she grew up with, she thinks she’s found the perfect partner to deliver her to the cosmopolitan world she longs to inhabit. They marry, and Eileen quickly discovers Ed doesn’t aspire to the same, ever bigger, stakes in the American Dream. Eileen encourages her husband to want more: a better job, better friends, a better house, but as years pass it becomes clear that his growing reluctance is part of a deeper psychological shift. An inescapable darkness enters their lives, and Eileen and Ed and their son Connell try desperately to hold together a semblance of the reality they have known, and to preserve, against long odds, an idea they have cherished of the future. Through the Learys, novelist Matthew Thomas charts the story of the American Century, particularly the promise of domestic bliss and economic prosperity that captured hearts and minds after WWII. The result is a riveting and affecting work of art; one that reminds us that life is more than a tally of victories and defeats, that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away. Epic in scope, heroic in character, masterful in prose, We Are Not Ourselves heralds the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction.”

Author Matthew Thomas’s Bio:

Matthew Thomas was born in the Bronx and grew up in Queens. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he has an MA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, where he received the Graduate Essay Award. He lives with his wife and twin children in New Jersey. We Are Not Ourselves is his first novel.

Extras:

There’s some interesting bonus content featured on the publisher’s website, including reflections from the author, Matthew Thomas, regarding his father’s diagnosis and battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. I’m under the impression that this novel is inspired by that battle. You can watch more about that here.

Happy reading, friends. I’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll chat with Ane Mulligan regarding her debut, Chapel Springs Revival.

31 Days of Debut Authors: Jill Kemerer and Small-Town Bachelor

I’m excited to feature Jill Kemerer today and hear more about Small-Town Bachelor, her debut novel slated for release in April 2015 with Harlequin Love Inspired. If you aren’t familiar with the Love Inspired novels, Harlequin says this particular line focuses on “faith, forgiveness and hope, showing that they have the power to lift spirits and change lives–always”. 

Book Blurb for Small-Town Bachelor:

When a tornado destroys her sister’s wedding, Claire Sheffield owes Reed Hamilton for saving her life. Injured Reed accepts Claire’s care and helps rebuild the town, but wounds from his dysfunctional family fester. Will Claire choose a coveted zoo job with her beloved otters or the loner she’s grown to love?

Five Questions with Jill Kemerer:

What was the inspiration for your novel?

Last year I decided to enter a pitch contest for the Harlequin™ Love Inspired lines. Shana Asaro seemed like the perfect editor for me, so when I saw that she liked stories with animals, I immediately thought of otters. Yes, otters!

Years ago, a member of our church worked for the zoo and brought home an otter who wasn’t adapting to his surroundings. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! The rest of the book came easily to me once I knew my heroine would be taking care of baby otter twins.

If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would you choose and why?

I’ve always been fascinated by the book of Esther. Even as a kid, I thought she was a genius. At dinner, I would want to get all her tips on dealing with difficult people. To round out the party, I’d definitely invite my deceased grandmother, because I loved chatting with her and miss her hugs, and my spunky mom.

In terms of writing a novel, are you a plotter or a pantser? Or a hybrid combo?

I’m 100% plotter. I don’t even think about writing until I know my characters inside and out, have the major plot points nailed, and have a synopsis written. With two of my books, I tried plotting each scene beforehand, but the story changed when I actually wrote the books. I’ve found that as long as I have the main plot points figured out, the in-between scenes come naturally.

What can your readers expect from you in the future? Prequel, sequel, novella, etc.

I’m not sure! Small-Town Bachelor is set on a fictional lake in Michigan. The heroine, Claire, has three brothers, and I’m writing their stories now, but it really depends on what my editor would like to see from me.

  Please share one piece of advice for aspiring writers you wish you’d known before you started this writing journey.

Just one? I feel like I learned everything the hard way! I guess the one thing it took years for me to understand was that writing a book isn’t the same as writing a good book. It took years of studying, practicing, and writing book after book to get to a place where I understand solid storytelling and can get it on the page. Some writers get there more quickly than I did, but I’ll always be improving!

Jill’s Bio:

Jill Kemerer writes contemporary romance novels with love, humor, and faith. Her debut novel, Small-Town Bachelor, will be released in April 2015 through Harlequin™ Love Inspired. Besides spoiling her mini-dachshund and keeping up with her busy kids, Jill enjoys magazines, M&MS, fluffy animals, and nature walks. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children.  Jill loves connecting with readers, so please visit her website, www.jillkemerer.com, and sign up for her newsletter!

Thank you so much for participating in the 31 Days of Debut Authors series, Jill. I can’t wait to see that cover for Small-Town Bachelor and of course, get my hands on it in the spring. Congratulations on the upcoming release of your Harlequin inspirational romance, such an awesome accomplishment!

Author Christina Yother, a Book Birthday, and a Giveaway

Happy book birthday, Reliance!

This is Christina Yother’s second novel and it releases today. The first novel in the Hollow Hearts series, Reverie, released in June. We’ll take a closer look at her debut later in the post. Christina has graciously offered to give away copies of BOTH novels, so be sure and read through to the end for details regarding how you can enter the giveaway.

Book Blurb for Reliance:

Two strangers. One clandestine wedding. Many hidden stories.

 Discouraged by his limited prospects and tired of trying to find a bride in a traditional manner, Elias Wheeler places an advertisement requesting a mail-order bride and mother for his young daughter. Rebecca Malone, eager to escape an abusive past, travels to Montana to become Elias’s wife despite only exchanging a few letters. Learning to care for one another proves easy; learning to trust proves much more difficult. Elias and Rebecca must navigate the waters of blending families while learning to depend on one another with confidence, loving support, and faith. Together they must learn to rely on each other and what they hope to build while accepting that perfection isn’t the goal; love is.

Book Blurb for Reverie:

Orphaned at a young age Hetty is convinced that her circumstances make her unworthy of having a family of her own. When a job opportunity as a housekeeper presents itself Hetty accepts believing that working for Isaac Wheeler and his family is a welcome, if not temporary, surrogate for her own family dreams. As she’s faced with learning to trust she discovers that wanting a family and building a family are two very different things. Will she learn to see herself as worthy of God’s gifts? Or will she return to the solitary existence that defined so much of her life?

Isaac Wheeler, successful furniture maker and dishonorable bachelor, finds Hetty’s presence in his home to be disturbing and a haunting reminder of his past sins. As he struggles with his growing and unwanted feelings, he can’t help but torment himself with mistakes from his past. Can he navigate the family tensions, infidelity, and sudden choices destined to keep them apart? Or can Isaac endure each struggle and seek forgiveness before discovering what truly makes a family?

Five Questions with Christina Yother:

What was the inspiration for your novel? 

I wanted to write a story that conveyed the value of family. It is something that is so important to me – building that strong foundation of faith and love with my husband and children. It is also something that is so prevalent here in the culture of the south. I wasn’t raised down here, but I’ve lived here long enough to feel myself become rooted in the culture. I’ve learned so much over the years about the importance of family and I hope my novel channels some of that value in a way that will connect with readers.

If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would you choose and why?

Oh, there are so many choices! One of my first choices would be John Green. His novels are so hot right now and he does an amazing job connecting with and creating a younger generation of readers. Plus, he’s a total nerd! I think we’d get along famously! I’d also love to have dinner with Flannery O’Connor. I studied her work in college and grew to love her strong voice. She was one of the first female writers I really connected with and I imagine she’d be a great conversationalist! My third choice would be my grandmother, Mimi.  She passed away in 2005 and never got to meet my two youngest children. She always encouraged me to go back to school for my PhD long before I ever did and she always showed such interest in whatever I was pursuing. I’d love to have another meal with her and just hold her little wrinkled hand in mine while I tell her all about my children and my writing.

  In terms of writing a novel, are you a plotter or a pantser? Or a hybrid combo?

I tend to be a combination of both.  I start by opening a blank Moleskine notebook. I begin creating character profiles, plot points, and a general timeline for the story. Once I have the general outlining done I begin researching. I do all this by hand and keep it in the Moleskine notebook so I always have it as a reference. Once I actually start writing I tend to become a pantser. I have a general idea where the story goes, but the writing flows on its own. Sometimes what I plan to happen is completely different from what comes out. The characters will start talking to me and telling me where they want and need to go. That can’t be planned – it comes in the moment.

What can your readers expect from you in the future? Prequel, sequel, novella, etc. 

In addition to Reverie and Reliance, the third book in the Hollow Hearts series can be expected sometime in Spring 2015. I have a couple ideas to extend the series to five books, but for now I’ll be stopping at three. Once this series is finished I’ll begin working on another project. It’s more contemporary and isn’t really a romance at all.

Please share one piece of advice for aspiring writers you wish you’d known before you started this writing journey.

The mantra that I try to remember when writing is this: Write a great book. Give your readers time to find it. Repeat.  I can’t remember where I heard that advice, but I wish I’d known it from the beginning.   Writing takes patience – an obscene amount of patience.  It’s important to remember that none of this – the process, the publishing, the readers – happens overnight. You have to be willing to wait. And while you’re waiting you have to be willing to keep writing.

Christina’s Bio:

Christina Yother is a historical and contemporary romance writer. She has been involved with writing, blogging, and social media for several years and earned a PhD in 2012 by writing one of the first dissertations to explore how women build community through writing online. She lives in small-town Georgia with her husband and three children. You can find her writing at christinayother.com or at projectunderblog.com where she runs a submission-based collaborative writing blog that celebrates the smaller voices in the blogging community. You can connect with Christina via Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

Books available on Amazon, B & N,  Books-A-Million, and iTunes

Thanks for participating in the 31 Days of Debut Authors series, Christina. Congrats again on the release of both your novels. If you’d like to win a paperback copy of Reliance and Reverie, please leave a comment below with a valid email address, telling us one person you’d like to have dinner with (living or deceased). Entries limited to US RESIDENTS ONLY, please. Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on 10/14/2014.

31 Days of Debut Authors: Al Cedeno and The Resurrection of Rey Pescador

The Resurrection of Rey Pescador captured my attention from the moment Alfred Cedeno revealed this incredible cover design. There’s much to examine here. Through my brief interactions with Al, combined with early praise garnered by his debut, I think it’s safe to say this author isn’t afraid to broach complex themes. His rich characterization, combined with dystopian adventures and an appealing romance both entertains the reader and causes one to think about the state of our own hearts.

“Alfred Cedeno’s debut novel sparkles. He engages questions and themes relevant to the human experience—such as love, death, materialism, and religion—and injects them with the fantastic and the epic. For the reader, this story has it all…” –E.M. Richards, reader

“Resurrection is something we all hope for in small and big ways. Join Rey and the other members of the Genius Brigade in their search for it. I was genuinely surprised by what they discovered in the end, and found myself thinking about it for days.” –W.T. McMaken, reader

Book Blurb:

You are invited to a world where everyone has mechanical hearts.

That is, everyone except Rey Pescador. You want to know him. You just can’t help it. And it’s not just his beating heart that lures you into this story. It’s the depths and heights of his journey that draw you into the tales of this legendary figure.

He’s incredible. He’s Rey Pescador. He’s boxed heavyweights. He’s freestyled in front of stadiums. He’s fought robots, but, for years, Rey Pescador’s greatest adventure remained a mystery.

Until Now.

Five Questions with Al Cedeno:

What was the inspiration for your novel?

I worked on Rey’s story on-and-off for seven years, so no single moment of inspiration exists. At the beginning it was a story about identity. I got married in college. Then my wife and I spent a summer working near the Giant Forrest in Sequoia National Park. We came back to Wheaton Illinois, and I longed for the adventure of the mountains but knew that my life would be in the suburbs. I wanted to explore an extraordinary character that follows his primal influences and juxtapose that with a character of faith and discipline and the ordinary. I wanted to show the adventure of life and the beauty of the mundane. Epic literature also inspired me. I allude to The Odyssey, Don Quixote, Huck Finn, and others. I thought it would be funny to have a world where great poets were more famous than Kim and Kanye and where philosophers and theologians were wealthy. In that world allusions seemed essential. I tried to have fun and celebrate literature while doing something new. Through that I tried to continually juxtapose the wealth and adventure with the mundane. At one point the narrator David Rosario says, “They say there are nine muses, does one deal in workflow solutions?” Can literature speak to the fractured person in a cubicle? I think it can.

If you could have dinner with three people (living or dead), who would you choose and why?

I’ll start with the classic Sunday school answer: Jesus. Yeah, he’s the obvious choice, but how could you pass up a dinner with Jesus? Teddy Roosevelt embodied the American spirit while being a total nerd, and is one of the few historical figures more fascinating than Rey Pescador. I mean, the guy read books daily, was an amateur Dante scholar, and continued giving a speech after being shot in the chest. The third person would be whatever ancestor of mine came to Puerto Rico from Spain. I’d love to hear that guy’s story—getting on a boat from a thousand-year-old culture to come to a little island in the Caribbean for a better life.

In terms of writing a novel, are you a plotter or a pantser? Or a hybrid combo?

Combo, I guess. My novel started as short stories and blog posts. I just wrote what came: inconsistencies didn’t bother me. Then my friends added their own fictional blogs with characters who interacted with mine. We developed a sort of mythology within a fictional universe. Once I had a basic idea of the characters and world, I plotted the book in detail. I knew the characters. I had been a “pantser” already, but I turned into a plotter for the novel. I’m currently a plotter in my second novel. I think that’s where I’ll stay.

What can your readers expect from you in the future? Prequel, sequel, novella, etc.

I’ve begun plotting a trilogy of novels. It’s not a sequel. My novel doesn’t really allow for a traditional sequel, but it does take place within the same fictional universe, with a few similar characters. Like with my first novel, I really want to experiment with genre, so I envision the first book of the trilogy to be a tragedy. The overall story will be a comedy. I’ve always thought The Divine Comedy was organizationally perfect. Start on earth, go to hell and end in heaven. I’d love to do something like that, but I’d fill it with humor and metafiction and technology and different dimensions while maintaining realistic characters.

Please share one piece of advice for aspiring writers you wish you’d known before you started this writing journey.

I teach writing to high school students, so this should be easy for me. However, it’s not.

Twitter and writing blogs celebrate any writing for any reason. Just keep writing; you’ll get there. Your story needs to be heard. As if the goal is to get words on the page. Writing is powerful. Fiction can tell the truth beautifully. But it can also demean. So maybe my advice is don’t write unless you have to. Or maybe, don’t write unless you have something to say. If you’ve seen something beautiful and true in the world, tell us about it. If not, search and search and read from those who have. Then when you have a vision of what you want to say—when you can really see it—get ink on the page. Most might say that’s terrible advice, but I believe it.

 

Alfred Cedeno believes human beings are made of three parts: saint, sinner, and robot. He explores all three in his fiction.

When he isn’t writing fiction, he teaches English, watches Doctor Who with his wife, and plays the types of imaginary games that a father of toddler girls plays–that is to say he is often the king of a castle.

His primary stories are about larger-than-life poet Rey Pescador, and his equally famous friends, The Genius Brigade. He began blogging about these characters in 2006. His novel, The Resurrection of Rey Pescador, chronicles Rey Pescador’s search for meaning and adventure in a metal world that has forgotten both.

He thinks you should buy it right now. Click here to purchase a digital or paperback copy of The Resurrection of Rey Pescador.

You can connect with Al via his website, Facebook, or  Goodreads. He Tweets via the handle @reypescador.

Thank you, readers, for stopping by and learning more about Al Cedeno and his fascinating debut novel. Al has offered to give away a digital copy of The Resurrection of Rey Pescador to one fortunate reader. Please leave a comment below with your current email address and tell us the one person (living or dead) you’d like to have dinner with. Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on October 13,2014.

 

 

31 Days of Debut Authors: John Faubion’s Friend Me

Today’s post most likely appeals to fans of suspense, particularly those who read from a Christian world view. Apart from Dee Henderson and Dani Pettrey, I haven’t read widely in this genre. But the cover of Friend Me caught my eye when it released earlier this year and I’m always intrigued by a premise that’s culturally relevant. John Faubion’s novel garnered high praise from other well-respected authors:

“Right from the start Friend Me caught me off-guard and threw me into the first loop of an action-packed ride that is anything but what you expect. Filled with rich characters and complicated situations, Friend Me is a compelling read that makes you glad you took the ride. Don’t miss this book.” (Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author of the Books of Mortals series and Iscariot)

“Friend Me is a suspense-filled trip torn from tomorrow’s headlines; an all-too-believable story that had me turning pages to the unexpected end. I’m anxious to read more from this debut author.” (Richard L. Mabry, MD, author of Stress Test and Heart Failure)

Book Blurb:

“You’re afraid you are becoming unfaithful, aren’t you?” 

Scott and Rachel’s marriage is on the brink of disaster. Scott, a businessman with a high-pressure job, just wants Rachel to understand him and accept his flaws. Rachel is a lonely housewife, desperate for attention and friendship. So she decides to create a virtual friend online, unaware that Scott is doing the exact same thing. But neither realizes that there’s a much larger problem looming. . . . 

Behind both of their online creations is Melissa, a woman who is brilliant— and totally insane. Masquerading as both friend and lover, Melissa programmed a search parameter into the Virtual Friend Me software to find her perfect man, but along the way she forgot to specify his marriage status. And Scott is her ideal match. Now Melissa is determined to have it all—Scott, his family, and Rachel’s life. 

As Melissa grows bolder and her online manipulations transition into the real world, Scott and Rachel figure out they are being played. Now it’s a race against time as Scott and Rachel fight to save their marriage, and their lives, before it’s too late.

Author Bio:

I am a former thirty-year foreign missionary, now working as Senior Software Engineer for a large electronics and appliance retailer.

In 1966, as a new Christian and an American soldier in Vietnam, I was deeply moved at my first exposure to idolatry.

In 1974, after completing Bible college and missionary deputation, our family of four moved to South Vietnam to begin formal missionary work, where we remained until the war was lost and Americans had to leave.

In 1976, with another missionary, we started Harvest Baptist Church and Christian School on Guam.

We returned to the field in 1977 going to Taiwan, where we began our Chinese ministry. The Lord allowed us to start the Ping Lin Baptist Church in Taichung at that time.

From 1981 until 1988 I did the software development for Baptist International Missions in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We then returned to the mission field of mainland China. In 1989 my first wife went to be with the Lord, and the Lord gave me my wife Beth in 1990. 

We remained in Beijing and Hong Kong until 1999.

I’m still a Mandarin Chinese speaker. I have five children, the youngest sixteen years old.

John Faubion’s website features more information about Friend Me, including a book trailer, social media links for connecting with John, and a list of retailers carrying his debut novel.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back each day this week for more debut novels, interviews with talented authors and opportunities to win free books. 

 

Catherine West and Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Happy weekend, friends. I hope you are enjoying this blog series so far. A few readers have asked how I selected these authors and their novels. Some I discovered through Brenda Anderson’s recent debut author series, while others were mentioned in Book Fun magazine. A handful of the novels I’m featuring this month were Advanced Reader Copies that I received so I could participate in blog tours and help promote the release of the novel. Yesterday’s Tomorrow falls under that third umbrella and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read it. This award-winning debut is equal parts heart-wrenching and beautiful and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that cover design. Isn’t it phenomenal?

“This compelling love story set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War transported me through recent history. Cathy West’s debut novel is beautifully crafted and thoroughly engaging!”
––Deborah Raney, author of the Clayburn Novels and Almost Forever

“A beautifully told story, crisp and accurate in its detail, filled with emotion and deftly handled by a writer who understands the hope of prayers asked and the beauty of prayers answered, Yesterday’s Tomorrow is a story to savor.” Lisa Wingate, national bestselling author of Larkspur Cove and Dandelion Summer

Book Blurb:

Vietnam 1967

Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother’s wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he’s hiding something.

Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they’re forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.

Heidi’s Review:

A gritty, haunting read that drew me right into a period of history that I admittedly know little about. While family members and some of my parents’ friends served, I never devoted much time to understanding the conflict or the impact the Vietnam war had on our nation and our troops. I applaud the author’s ability to paint a story world that puts us in the middle of it all: I experienced the heat and the dirt and the heartache, not to mention Kristin’s (the protagonist) determination to finish the story her father never had a chance to write.

The horrors of war contrasted sharply with the presence of children in the story, which I thought added another rich layer to the plot and made the circumstances more vivid.

Miss West creates a hero in Luke Maddox that captured me from his first appearance in the novel. Handsome, wounded, mysterious, equal parts funny and witty … I rooted for him all the way through to the finale.

No spoilers here, but the tension builds throughout the novel to a climax that made me question how this was all going to pan out. To me, that’s a mark of a talented author and a must-read novel.

Full disclosure: I received a complimentary digital edition of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions stated in this review are my own.

Cathy’s Bio:

Catherine West is an award-winning author who writes stories of hope and  healing from her  island home in Bermuda. Educated in Bermuda, England and  Canada, Catherine holds a degree  in English from the University of Toronto.  When she’s not at the computer working on her next  story, you can find her  taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and  orchids. She  and her husband have two college-aged children. Catherine is a member of  American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, and is  represented by  Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary. Catherine loves to  connect with her readers and can  be reached at catherinecatherinejwest.com

Cathy’s website is lovely and you can read her blog, catch the latest updates regarding her writing and watch Yesterday’s Tomorrow ‘s book trailer. 

 Yesterday’s Tomorrow can be purchased here