Cara C. Putman's Blog, page 70

Fiction Friday: Ebook Deals!

It’s almost the weekend. So today, I thought I’d share some Christian fiction ebook deals with you. These are some great books you can grab now! The selection is diverse, so there should be something for every reader. And with fall starting to make me long for a couch, blanket, and fireplace, it’s the perfect time to find a good book to read.

Ereader empty? @cara_putman sharing #chrisfic #ebook deals. Grab some today.
Click To Tweet

To start, my friend Deb Raney has two of her books on sale for $1.99. She writes women’s fiction which has a strong romance (usually), characters you will love spending time with and a sense of community that is strong. You can grab these two at a great price, so grab them while you can.

 

Jenny B. Jones is one of my favorite authors. And you’re in luck because the first book in one of her young adult series, In Between, is free! Yes, I said free. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but my teenager has and laughed her way through it and the rest of the series, not once, not twice, but three times. That’s the sign of a really good series. She only rereads the books she adores. So it’s a great time to try In Between from one of my favorite author friends.

And now for my friend Katherine Reay’s book Lizzy & Jane. (Have I mentioned how much I love meeting all these awesome writers and being able to call them friend?)  This book is a sweet story of sisters with a hard relationship that are forced together by one sister’s battle with cancer. It’s a compelling story that I enjoyed reading. The characters were so real and their conflict and growth so relevant, I thought about them long after I closed the book. If you love stories that focus on relationships and have a shade of romance, then definitely get Lizzy & Jane. 

Finally, there are several books that are about to release that you can preorder on ebook for $4.99 and there’s usually a really good paper deal as well. I’m super excited about the Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck. I’ve heard her talk about this book and the plot for months, so I can’t wait to read it. Katherine Reay’s next book, The Bronte Plot is also on prerelease special for $4.99. After reading Lizzy & Jane, I can’t wait to dive into The Bronte Plot. Last, but definitely not least, Colleen Coble’s next book, Mermaid Moon is also on prerelease sale for $4.99. These are some of my favorite authors and a great way to try their books.

Finally, Shadowed by Grace is also on ebook sale for $2.99. A great time to try this book of my heart!

I’m a writer? Then why am I stuck?

Today I’m posting over at Inspired by Life & Fiction. I’d love to have you join me! Here’s a little teaser….

I love writing, but I don’t like getting started. It is complete drudgery to create a multi-layered proposal. When I finally reach the right depth, it sits on my computer desktop for weeks or months while publishing houses consider whether my writing is a good fit for them.

Wonder what to do when you’re stuck? @Cara_Putman pulls back the curtain. #amwriting
Click To Tweet

Then I’m signing a contract and under deadline. That is such a GOOD feeling.

Such validation for all the prework when I think I have a good idea, maybe even a great idea…and then…gulp…I have to write that great idea.

All of a sudden I’m not so sure it’s a brilliant idea anymore.

To read the rest, please pop over to Inspired by Life & Fiction.

Firefly Summer: Sweet Romance

Firefly Summer

Kathleen Y’Barbo

Just about every author I know has one story that is a story of their heart. Some have sold them, others have that story resting in a drawer. Either way, it was a story or characters that had to be written down and captured in pages. For Kathleen Y’Barbo, Firefly Summer is that story. This romance is different from so many that you’ll read because the hero and heroine are both in their 40s. Life has not gone the way either has anticipated, and the core of that difference is a young man they loved and lost. He ties them together in ways that could tear them apart. This story has a rich supporting cast which adds warmth and laughter to the pages. The romance is sweet, at times bittersweet. At its core, Firefly Summer is a journey to redemption through the opportunities of love.

This is a perfect book for those who love a sweet romance that is filled with challenges and hope. (By the way, the paperback is a beautiful pocket sized book.)

ABOUT THE BOOK

A new cowboy romance from award-winning author Kathleen Y’Barbo.

Trey’s biggest challenge isn’t performing surgery…it’s restoring Sessa’s heart!

Artist Sessa Chambers may never recover from losing her prodigal son. Even as she grieves the tragic decisions that led to his death, and left her with a toddler to raise, she’s asked to work on her dream project—restoring carousel horses for the Smithsonian. But she can’t do it on her own…

Dr. Trey Brown can’t pick up a scalpel again. Yes, he acted in self-defense, but the events of that awful night haunt him. He was trained to save lives, not take them. When he goes to the young man’s widowed mother to apologize, she’s not at all what he expected. For one thing, she’s not as alone as he thought—not with the fearsome ladies of the Pies, Books, and Jesus Book Club in her corner. For another, she’s beautiful, and being in her presence is more jolting than any eight-second bronco ride from his former rodeo days. Before he knows it, she’s captured his heart as easily as they capture the fireflies gracing Sessa’s Texas ranch.

How can they overcome their past to embrace a future together?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Firefly Summer, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

RITA and Carol award nominee Kathleen Y’Barbo is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than forty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than one million copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad, and her books have been translated into Dutch, German, and Spanish, to name a few.

Kathleen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies, and is a former member of the Texas Bar Association’s Paralegal Division.

A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has four children of her own as well as seven bonus kids she gladly inherited when she married her own hero in combat boots (read about their real-life romance here!). Kathleen is proud to be a military wife, even if it did mean giving up her Texas drivers license.

 

Knowing when to Pause

Our lives as a family are running a bit out of control. All right, it’s so out of control, I’m scared to write in everything on a daily basis. In fact, if you look at the photo of our calendar below, I’m not adding everything. I can’t stomach the sheer busy-ness when I do. It’s too much. Too much.

And it’s our reality right now. We literally cut one activity from our schedule to have another take its place.

One symptom of the out-of-control nature of our current family life is that about two days after Eric and I returned from our trip to England, I wanted to move the family there. Why? Because while we were there we rambled around cities. There were few obligations on me. Few places we had to be at any certain time — a few of course, but not many. Because during that idyllic week no one could place excess demands on us. We were gone. Social media took a back seat. Email took a back seat. The phone didn’t ring. It was glorious. And within a few days of being home, I longed for that unrealistic space in life to return. And it stands in stark contrast to a calendar I purposely don’t complete because it’s too overwhelming — an example of a life that is being lived out-of-balance. 

Sometimes we each need a #Selah moment. Join @cara_putman on hers.
Click To Tweet

The reality is that as my kids are older, their activities often go until at least 8 p.m. Then we head home, eat, and bedtime for the little two is nine if we are lucky. As a result, I’ve lost what used to be golden writing time.

We are rushing so much, that we’ve lost the sense of SELAH in our lives: the ability to pause. My husband and I are frequently talking about the desire we have to recapture even one night a week of pausing as a family. Of entering a SELAH moment.

Another reality is that I am under deadline for a book I’m excited to write for my dream publisher and editor. The reality is that I need time and mental space to dig deep enough to do this. So I’m going on a hiatus of sorts. A pause you might call it. I will still post at The Writers Alley, The Grove, Novel PASTimes, and Inspired by Life & Fiction — and I’ll be sure to post teasers and links here. I will also continue posting Fiction Friday posts. But until I have the first draft of this novel completed, that may be the extent of my blogging. I am removing the pressure on myself to write three posts a week here plus the others. 

I have a feeling I’ll still have additional posts, but it will be as I really feel I have something to say and contribute.

Until then, thanks for reading. And prayers are so appreciated!

Cara

 

Fiction Friday: The Methuselah Project

During WWII, German scientists started many experiments. One never ended.

So begins the back cover for The Methuselah Project, Rick Barry’s latest release. I had the privilege of reading this book for endorsement. It’s storyline is a twist of historical and contemporary intersecting with a Captain America type character. Don’t think this is a copy though — instead it has a unique twist to the many experiments German scientists were running on people during the war. It’s a plot that will get your mind thinking and wondering with enough romance for those who cant read a book without it! 

Love #WWII novels w/ a twist? Try @writerRickBarry latest with #giveaway @cara_putman.
Click To Tweet

I asked Rick to peel back the curtain and explain why he wrote The Methuselah Project. Be sure to read to the end where I’m giving away a copy of this book. Enjoy!

Why I wrote The Methuselah Project

Years ago, a workshop instructor at a writers conference gave the following advice: “Don’t try to write what is currently popular. That ship will have set sail by the time you could write a manuscript and shop it to editors. Instead, write the story that is burning to come out of you, the story that only you can tell.” I took that advice to heart.

Please understand, I consider myself capable of writing a straight mystery, or a conventional suspense story, or even other genres. Yet, conventional stories with tried-and-true formulas weren’t the novel yearning to be born within me. God seemed to be calling me to pen something different, even if it might prove a harder sell to CBA publishers. So, almost like chef, I began with a large bowlful of WW2 history, then stirred in a cup of romance. To that I added a tablespoon of speculative elements, plus a light sprinkle of humor. I cooked all these ingredients in the oven of a Christian worldview, and voilá! The Methuselah Project emerged. As expected, several publishers who requested proposals declined. But my agent Linda Glaz loved the story nearly as much as I did, and so did the pub committee at Kregel Publications. Now I’m glad I stayed true to my own heart rather than imitating someone else’s vision.

The Methuselah Project (Kregel, September 2015)

Nazi scientists started many experiments. One never ended.

Roger Greene is a war hero. Raised in an orphanage, the only birthright he knows is the feeling that he was born to fly. Flying against the Axis Powers in World War II is everything he always dreamed—until the day he’s shot down and lands in the hands of the enemy.

When Allied bombs destroy both his prison and the mad genius experimenting on POWs, Roger survives. Within hours, his wounds miraculously heal, thanks to those experiments. The Methuselah Project is a success—but this ace is still not free. Seventy years later, Roger hasn’t aged a day, but he has nearly gone insane. This isn’t Captain America—just a lousy existence only made passable by a newfound faith. The Bible provides the only reliable anchor for Roger’s sanity and his soul. When he finally escapes, there’s no angelic promise or personal prophecy of deliverance, just confusion. It’s 2015—and the world has become an unrecognizable place.

Katherine Mueller—crack shot, genius, and real Southern Belle—offers to help him find his way home. Can he convince her of the truth of his crazy story? Can he continue to trust her when he finds out she works for the very organization he’s trying to flee?

Thrown right into pulse-pounding action from the first page, readers will find themselves transported back in time to a believable, full-colored past, and then catapulted into the present once more. The historical back-and-forth adds a constantly moving element of suspense to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That My Steps might be Steady

This week started with a very personal attack. Everything in me wanted to fight back, but I felt a very firm order to stay silent. So hard. So very hard.

Then last night I was scanning through something I’d posted and saw this verse.

Man, did it speak to my heart. Maybe it speaks to your heart as well. 

That our steps would be steady. No matter what life throws our way. #faith #journey
Click To Tweet

My goal in the way I lead life is for my steps to always be pointed toward Jesus. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect. It doesn’t mean things I do or say aren’t taken out of context and misinterpreted. But I’m learning I’m not responsible for another person’s behavior. I’m responsible for my heart, my motives, my actions. That’s what I can control.

So I have to pray to not pick up an offense. I have to pray to not develop bitterness. I have to turn over my desire to please everyone and keep them all happy. I have to relinquish my need for justice and vindication.  And rely instead on pleasing the One who really matters. The One who holds my heart. The One who gave His all for me.

Sometimes that hurts, but it doesn’t cost me anything compared to His sacrifice for me.

So here’s to living a life that’s steady in its focus on Him. A life that follows the course He has set for me.

I have a feeling it will be a life that demands much time on my knees.

5 Reasons to Attend Writer’s Conferences

This week many of us are still on a post-ACFW writer’s conference high. Some of us returned depleted — I haven’t had a voice since the first day of conference. Gulp. But we’re all jazzed and ready to reengage with our writing.

Writer’s conferences are expensive. So why should you start saving today to attend one next year? I’m so glad you asked!

Why should #writers attend conferences? @cara_putman has 5 reasons.
Click To Tweet

1) At a writer’s conference like ACFW, you will find camaraderie.  For maybe the first time in your life, you won’t be the only person you know who has multiple voices in your head. You won’t be the only one who sees a headline and immediately spins it into a dozen what-ifs that could launch a book. You will be with people who understand what it’s like to live like that. The realization you aren’t crazy is frankly priceless.

2) You will learn how to be a writer. True, you can learn that from books, but there is something special about sitting in classes taught by FANTASTIC, successful authors and marketers and business professionals. You can ask people questions that the pages of a book just can’t respond to. You can learn tools that will help you better tell the stories of the people in your head. You will also learn how to let go of bad ideas. Believe it or not, we can fall in love with a character or idea that simply isn’t ready. You can fix that at a conference.

3) You make key connections. Every single one of my books is contracted because of a relationship that was forged in the appointments and hallways of ACFW. Every. Single. One. There is nothing that pulls you out of the slush pile like meeting face to face with an agent or editor. You become a real person with a personality and passion. One editor who voted in the acquisitions meeting for my next series teared up as she told me how she knew they were helping make my dream come true. That kind of connection does not happen via email. You have to get out there and become a known person.

4) You have an opportunity to serve. Writing is so, so solitary. It is too easy to become focused on ourselves. As a result we stop serving. Many conferences like ACFW will have simple ways for you to give back. Turn your focus off yourself. Sit down and learn about someone else’s journey and story. Pray for them. Listen to their pitch. Ease their nerves. It is so priceless. And you may just form some lasting friendships like those here at the Alley.

5) You gain God’s perspective for your writing and career. At ACFW, there are daily worship sets, a prayer room that is open 24 hours a day, and keynotes and tracks on the spiritual aspects of writing. Conversations are focused on God and His partnership with us. It is a very real part of the atmosphere. It is quite literally a retreat for me. A place I go to regain His perspective on what I’m doing and the why.

There are many other reasons you could join a writer’s conference like ACFW. What would you add to my list?

CFBA Tour: The Bones will Speak

Today’s tour is about a book I thoroughly enjoyed. It made the suspense reader in me happy. You can read my review below.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A killer with a penchant for torture has taken notice of forensic expert Gwen Marcey . . . and her daughter.

When Gwen Marcey’s dog comes home with a human skull and then leads her to a cabin in the woods near her Montana home, she realizes there’s a serial killer in her community. And when she finds a tortured young girl clinging to life on the cabin floor, she knows this killer is a lunatic.

Yet what unsettles Gwen most is that the victim looks uncannily like her daughter.

The search for the torturer leads back in time to a neo-Nazi bombing in Washington state—a bombing with only one connection to Montana: Gwen. The group has a race-not-grace model of salvation . . . and they’ve marked Gwen as a race traitor.

When it becomes clear that the killer has a score to settle, Gwen finds herself in a battle against time. She will have to use all of her forensic skills to find the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her—and the only family she has left.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Bones Will Speak, go HERE.

The Bones Will Speak is an absolute page turner. Carrie Stuart Parks has quickly developed a style that goes deep into a story with multiple plot lines intersecting throughout the pages. This style makes it incredibly hard to put a book down. Where the A Cry From the Dust dove into a what if regarding Mormon history, The Bones Will Speak dives into the neo-Nazi world with a serial killer who seems to be stalking Gwen Marcey.

The killer has planted evidence close to her home and takes her on a scary ride that is intense and filled with suspense. The prologue launches the book with one case. The first chapter picks up with Gwen’s first person account of what is happening years later…and eventually the two begin to overlap. Throughout it all, Gwen has to deal with the messiness of real life…and staying alive.

Love a book packed with #suspense? A real page-turner? @cara_putman recommends The Bones Will Speak.
Click To Tweet

The Bones Will Speak is perfect for those who love a good suspense. I highly recommend it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning fine artist and internationally known forensic artist. Along with her husband, Rick, she travels across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement as well as civilian participants. She has won numerous awards for career excellence. Carrie is a popular platform speaker, presenting a variety of topics from crime to creativity.

Animals have always been a large part of her life. Her parents, Ned and Evelyn Stuart, started Skeel Kennel Great Pyrenees in 1960. Carrie inherited the kennel and continues with her beloved dogs as both an AKC judge and former president of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. She lives on the same ranch she grew up on in Northern Idaho.

 

Fiction Friday: Books & Giveaway

With this week’s Fiction Friday, I’d love to share three historical novels with you. They are as different as they can be. One is set in Regency England, another in 1860s Colorado, with the final set in 1930s Hollywood. Each has an interplay of mystery with some level of romance. A Noble Masquerade and Fire & Ice are both romances first

Love historicals? Today’s #FictionFriday post highlights 3 @cara_putman read + a #giveaway.
Click To Tweet

 

A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Noble Masquerade is an engaging debut novel set in Regency England. While I have come to enjoy this time period, I always wonder if a new-to-me author will have the elements to keep my attention. This book certainly did. From the tightly crafted characters that are each trapped in their circumstances to the rich setting, this book is a delight. Add a nice mystery and pile of secrets to the romance and it is just plain fun.

I think what I most enjoyed, though, was a heroine who simply didn’t fit into the strict rules of her society. She tried, but just couldn’t do it. She longs for more and isn’t willing to settle. And when it comes for her…well, you’ll have to read the book to find how delightful it is.

Any historical fan will enjoy this novel, but those who love a layer of mystery and intrigue will adore it!

Fire and Ice by Mary Connealy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This has been such a fun series as the Wilde sisters are tamed by some mighty wild men. If you love a western that has strong heroines, this series is a great one to read. There are whispers of the author’s trademark humor within the confines of a marriage of convenience. He lied to his momma and now she’s coming to visit. Somehow it all works. Add in a layer of danger and mystery, and this becomes another story I loved to dive into.

If you don’t like cowboys, this might not be your book. But if you love a hero and heroine that can stand toe-to-toe while the sparks fly, you really should give this book a read. While Fire & Ice is the third in a series, you don’t need to read the first two to fully enjoy this one.

Hollywood Lost by Ace Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There was something about the writing in Hollywood Lost that was a little distracting. Still the story pulled me through. It’a murder mystery with plenty of suspects and some interesting characters. I love this time period in Hollywood, so it was fun to travel to 1930s Hollywood. And the plot really did pull me in after the first quarter of the book. Still there were a lot of threads to this whodunit — enough to keep you guessing until almost the end.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Acfw 2015 Post Conference wrap up

 

Last week I was in Dallas for ACFW board meetings and conference. It’s always a highlight of my year and was frankly kind of shocking to realize this was my 11th conference. In 2005 the conference was in Nashville. It’s no exaggeration to say that my writing journey was launched there in such a big way. Today I’m still recovering from the laryngitis I brought home with me, so I’m keeping this post simple. It’s all about the people I love and spend time with while I’m at ACFW.

Wonder who was at #ACFW2015? @cara_putman shares photos. #amwriting
Click To Tweet

I hope you enjoy seeing some of your favorite Christian fiction writers as well as a few you’ll read someday!

At the Harper Collins Christian Publishing Toast to their authors. I adore Denise Hunter and Rachel Hauck as well as their great books!

Jaime Wright is an author to watch. Her first novella releases soon in a collection with Barbour.

Carrie Stuart Parks is the talented author of a suspense series I really enjoy. In fact I’m talking about her next book next week!

Here are the Alley Cats that were at conference this year: Laurie Tomlinson, Angie Dicken, Mary Vee, me, Pepper Bashem, and Casey Herringshaw.

This girl (Casey Herringshaw) radiates Jesus and is a pure joy to be around.

Becky Philpott is a fiction editor with Zondervan and a sweetheart. I love getting to connect with her.

Some of the Grove girls and pals. Katherine Reay, Kristy Cambron, Katie Ganshert and our friend Cathy West.

The Grove Girl Team. We were missing Beth Vogt and Sarah Ladd. But the rest of us are here along with Casey Herringshaw and Jeane Wynn. These two gals have the vision and help us with the details!

Susan May Warren is a best-selling author with a heart to teach and mentor writers. She is also just an amazing woman. Love her!

Shannon Marchese edited the novella collection Where Treetops Glisten. Sarah Sundin’s novella in that book was a finalist for the Carol Award. It was so fun to enjoy the Gala with my co-author and editor! Two great ladies.

a Rafflecopter giveaway