Book Review: Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown

By Ian Acheson  @achesonian

BLURB

A 2013 Midwest Publishing Awards Show Honorable Mention Sharon Garlough Brown tells the moving story of four strangers as they embark together on a journey of spiritual formation: Hannah, a pastor who doesn't realize how exhausted she is. Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past. Mara, a woman who has experienced a lifetime of rejection and is now trying to navigate a difficult marriage. Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right. You’re invited to join these four women as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support and personal revelation. Along the way, readers will be taken into a new understanding of key spiritual practices and find tangible support for the deeper life with God. If you want to travel this journey with others, you will find a group study guide and book club resources at www.sensibleshoesclub.com.

REVIEW

This is quite a unique story, part instructional non-fiction, built around the fictional account of four women from different backgrounds who meet at a Scared Journey retreat. It's compelling reading as we get into the detail of each of these women's lives and their journey towards God's heart. Even though I'm a man I was able to relate to all four of them at various stages of their journeys. Whether it was Charissa's perfectionism, arrogance and thirst for information, to Hannah's being lost in her calling, to Mara's struggle with a non-believing spouse and Meg's struggle with the loss of her parents and fiancé, I found a bit of myself in all of them.

I particularly enjoyed how Brown combines the heart journey and desire for intimacy with God with the telling of the ladies lives. It's a tremendous practical demonstration of how we can pursue the heart of God while going about our lives incorporating various spiritual disciplines plus the importance of community (ie, each other) and guidance from a mentor (in this story it was the leader of the retreat: Katherine).

The novel is filled with spiritual insight plus instructional guidelines as to how to incorporate various spiritual disciplines and provides a wonderful insight into a scared journey with the Lord.

I'm excited to read the next one in the series.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Help! I don’t know my brand!

Branding. Eight letters that, apparently, can make or break a writing career.

I’m now 3.5 years into my ‘serious’ writing journey (there was a decade of random scribbling before that), and as I decided what to write and how to market, ‘branding’ was something that frustrated me continually.

Why? Because I didn’t know what I wanted to be.

Are you lost in the world of branding and marketing?

Here’s how the journey went:

•  In my first year, I wrote an issue-driven novel with romantic and speculative themes.
•  In my second year, I wrote what I thought was a romance (later found out it was actually issue-driven too).
•  In my third year, I second drafted that romance into (what I thought was) a romantic comedy. Turns out it’s actually ‘issue-driven contemporary fiction with romantic subplots and a humorous tone’. Yeah, try explaining that when people ask ‘What do you write?’

Meanwhile, I wrote a blog about God and personal growth, and those themes of identity and God’s love came through as the ‘issues’ in my fiction.

I was very aware of marketing, and always frustrated that I could never nail down what I wanted to my brand to be. I read blogs, filled out questionnaires, analysed patterns in my previous writing, and still, could never nail it down. Because I simply didn’t know.

And you know what?

It’s okay to not know your brand.

That’s right. If you’re in the same boat as me, take a deep breath and chill for a moment.

Just take a minute to breathe. 

Don’t get me wrong, branding is still vitally important—especially if you’re at the stage where you’re actually published. You need a consistent brand so that your readers know what they’re getting.

But if you’re not there yet, it just means you need more time.

I’ve used the last 3.5 years to learn my craft and get to know myself better. I’ve received feedback from writing professionals. I’ve learned life lessons and grown in my relationship with God. And, finally, I’m at a stage where I mostly know what it is that I want to write. My current tagline is ‘light and love in a messy world’. But that’s always up for change.

So if you’re confused about branding, don’t stress. Give yourself time. Be observant. And be ready for the epiphany when it comes.

What about you? How long did it take to figure out your brand? What is your brand? Share in the comments below!

Sabbatical or New Project?

After the release of my tenth novel, Beyond the Fight, I felt ready for a break, a sabbatical if you like, in order to be open to what might be next. I had pretty much told the last story I wanted to tell from my own family history.  Though I had been doing more research on my husband’s side of the family and had sketched ideas for a beginning story in that line, I was also conscious of needing time to focus on promoting and selling the books I already have before launching into another manuscript.

Our planned trip overseas seemed to be perfect timing in this process, as when I’m away I’m able to focus on the new experiences my husband and I have prepared for and my mind is free to observe, enjoy, be inspired and challenged by what we see.

However, just before we left I received a phone call from a man I had met on several occasions and heard speaking about his life story; one of a troubled, abandoned street kid to a successful business man and dedicated Christian. He had a great passion and a sense of calling to spend his retirement helping young people who were living the life he had once known; without hope, without purpose.  Bill’s reason for calling me was to ask me if I would help him write his life story. Members of his family have been encouraging him to write his story, to document how his vision and determination to build a residential and  foster program for troubled youth came into being, and how he has been able to restore health, hope and purpose to many lives. Bill had decided it was time to have this written, but knew he needed help. I was humbled and honoured that he wanted me to help him write his story.  I agreed to think about this while I was away and contact Bill when I returned.

Many years ago I wrote the story of another amazing woman who was in her nineties and similarly encouraged by her family to write her memoirs. While I was away and praying about my answer to Bill, I was reminded of what a great privilege it had been to listen to and record that dear lady’s words, to put her story into an interesting order and help get it into print, if only for family members and friends. I was also reminded that each time I speak about my novels, which are based on my own family research, I encourage the listeners to write down their own stories in some form, as they are such a valuable part of history, with depths of wisdom and experience from which many people can learn.  

This is me on a mountain top in Andorra. An inspiring place to contemplate a decision. 

I’ve come home from overseas with a sense of privilege and excitement about embarking on this new venture. I don’t believe it was a coincidence that Bill approached me at the time he did, and so I see this challenge as coming from God. It’s an opportunity for me to do something special for an inspiring man and also to respond to a new challenge for myself. I’ve agreed to take this journey with Bill, to put on hold my writing of fiction and enter into this quest of writing non-fiction. Bill’s story must be told from his perspective. It must be his experience, pass on his motives, learnings and wisdom. No filling the gaps with fiction, no creatively moving the story on by adding some extra drama, as I’ve allowed myself to do – and thoroughly enjoyed – in the writing of my novels.

Bill is a delightful man, with a beautiful heart, a wealth of experience, and a deep desire and determination to leave a legacy, to bring hope and freedom to those who've been rejected and damaged. Having made numerous attempts to record important events, achievements, challenges and battles, he had a great pile of papers waiting for me when we met this morning to begin. Together we prayed, looked at the fragments and discussed the possibilities, what Bill most wanted to achieve with this book, who he wanted to read it and how we would go about sharing the journey.   

Bill is now in his late seventies. There’s a lot he could say, much more than one book can contain. So I must follow his deepest desires, help him search out what God wants him to say, and help him get his message and story into print so that it’s gripping, challenging and moving. (which it is).

I have mixed feelings. I feel honoured to have been asked to undertake this project.  I feel a great weight of responsibility. I want this to be all Bill hopes for. I want to do his story justice because I believe it’s a story that should be told and could deeply affect the lives of many readers. I feel excited about doing something quite new and also apprehensive about my capacity to do it. Mostly I’m trusting God to enable and lead me. I’m not sure this counts as a sabbatical, but it will be an interesting, if not daunting, change. 

I know some of you are essentially writers of non-fiction, and some have turned to writing non-fiction after having written fiction. I’d been pleased to hear your advice, to know what you see as the major differences between these two genres, the essential dos and don’ts as I begin what I suppose is a ghost writer's adventure.

Carol

  

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released last year by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released this April. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

One Question to Boost the Conflict in Your Fiction

Are you looking for a way to inject more drama or conflict into your fiction?

If so, answer this one question for each of your characters:

What does this person value more than what is right?

In other words, what thing would they put above their ethics, beliefs, even loved ones? Once you’ve established this, just throw in a problem that makes them confront their priorities, and—bingo!—drama galore.

The most effective example I’ve ever seen of this is the TV show Suits.

Suits is a drama about corporate lawyers who, for the most part, are okay people. Except for one thing: one of them is a fraud.

The premise itself is full of conflict, and the weekly legal cases are always high-drama. But what makes this show really shine is its characters.

First you have Harvey Specter, the legal golden boy. He’s charming, smart, and always wins. He loves to win so much, that when he finds legal genius Mike Ross, he hires him as an associate lawyer—despite knowing that Mike has never actually been to law school.

Now we have two major conflicts—Harvey will push the boundaries to be the best, and now he’s covering for Mike’s fraud. But as much as he loves winning (and boy, does he love winning), he cares even more for his long-time friend and secretary, Donna.

So any time, say, an opposing legal firm tries to attack him via Donna, there’s nothing he won’t do to save her. Donna is equally loyal to Harvey, so when he’s unjustly accused of shady legal deals, she’ll even destroy evidence to protect him.

Meanwhile, Harvey’s colleague and frenemy Louis Litt desperately craves people’s approval, especially Harvey’s. So even though he loves the law and their legal firm, when an accidental screw-up has Louis on the verge of losing all Harvey’s respect, he’ll do anything to avoid being exposed.

Their boss, Jessica Pearson, loves her boyfriend, but she loves their legal firm more. So when Mike’s fraud is in danger of coming out, she’ll lie to the man she loves, rather than confide in him.

And just like that, four professional people, each with one or two misplaced priorities, will suddenly be put in situations they never dreamed of because of the choices they made.

And all that drama is just from the characters—we haven’t even discussed a single legal case yet!

Sometimes this can feel hard to pull off in Christian fiction, where most characters are expected to love God and have a strong moral compass.

Christian romantic comedy author Jenny B Jones does this well in her novel Save the Date.

In this book, former pro football player Alex Sinclair is running for Congress, and to save his

plunging approval rating, his campaign team decides he needs a fiancé. Lucy Wiltshire runs a residential program for teenage girls with bad home situations, but it’s on the brink of going broke. When Alex offers to save her girls’ home in exchange for five months as his fake fiancé, Lucy takes the deal—and hilarity ensures.

Both of these characters are Christians who genuinely love God. So how can they lie to their family, friends, and the world? Though misplaced priorities and a lack of trust in God.

These mistakes pave the way for a strong internal journey for both characters as they realise their wrongdoing and deal with the consequences of their actions.

Consider your characters’ strengths and weaknesses. Is there room for them to mistrust God, or place their pride first? Take that and run with it.

You’ll have enough drama to fill a library.

5 Reasons Every Novelist Needs Margie Lawson

By Dorothy Adamek 

There's been some talk about Margie Lawson of late. Have you heard the chatter? Margie Lawson is coming to Australia to present at the 2015 RWAust conference in August and run her world famous Immersion Masterclasses. 

Here's a post I wrote in 2013 about the benefits of studying with Margie. NOTHING has changed. If anything, I've learned I need this MORE. 

How about you? Are you ready to take your fiction writing to the next level? Looking to study the craft of writing with a master teacher? Perhaps, even change the course of your writing career? 

If you haven’t already met, let me introduce Margie Lawson. I’m a proud Margie-Grad. I’ve studied and applied her writing wisdom, and today I want to share the five reasons you need her, too. 

1. Margie Lawson knows psychology. And writing. And how the two should sit in a knot in every writer’s toolbox. Margie’s a psychotherapist, editor and international presenter. If you’re keen to sharpen your characters’ visceral responses, or even learn what a visceral response is, then you need to knock on the Lawson Writing Academy door. Discover how Margie’s decades of psychotherapy translate into online writing courses and lecture packets. You’ll learn how to Empower Characters’ Emotions, Write Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist, and plunge into the Deep Editing System. If you’re serious about writing fiction, you won’t regret taking Margie’s courses. Your editor, agent and reader will thank you. And long before they do… you’ll be thanking yourself. 

2. Margie loves fresh writing. She lives for it. When fresh writing grabs her, she slaps sticky notes all over that brilliance. She shares examples with her students, over and over and over, until the cadence of words sings across the room and each student stops to breathe it in. Margie will tell you, “It’s all about fresh writing,” and her enthusiasm is contagious. She trains the ear for what every reader deserves, and what every writer longs to deliver. 

3. Margie kills clichés. Don’t touch them. Don’t even think about them. Even if one bobs around in your mind, all pretty and perfect, don’t be fooled. Margie won’t care. She’ll take you a different way, deepen your writing senses and you’ll soon recoil when clichés flirt with your writer’s head. Instead, you’ll find the scaffolding to transform clichés into powerful writing. The way you hang laundry on the line. One word at a time. Here, here and here. Flipped and swapped, until words slap you across the head all crisp and bright, you’ll wonder how you never thought of it that way before. But Margie has. She’s taught her methods to hundreds of authors and I’ll bet there’s no reason you can’t be one of them. 

4. Margie plays with colours. Yes, she does. Just when you thought she was all frowns and tsk tsk…. turns out… her love of pinks and blues and greens will illuminate your world. She’s turned an ordinary pack of highlighters into a fierce editing tool, (along with her EDITS System) and you’ll never despair about what’s missing from your pages or what’s messing your story flow. You’ll learn to spot strengths and opportunities in a darkened room with your eyes half shut and your manuscript the wrong way around. Ok, maybe you’ll need the light on, but you’ll learn to edit with your pages upside down. For real. It’s a Margie-thing. And it works. I promise. 

 San Antonio fun with Margie Lawson, Lori Freeland and Dorothy Adamek

5. Margie keeps tricks up her professorial sleeve. She opens her home for Immersion Retreats where she welcomes writers to deepen their knowledge and sharpen their skills. Her Colorado mountain home is the perfect location for writing masterclasses, and Margie’s schedule also includes retreats all over the US. As well as presenting at the RWAust 2015 conference, for the first time ever, Margie Lawson will be conducting two Immersion masterclasses in Melbourne. (My home, to be exact, and I’m thrilled to share Margie with the Aussies and New Zealanders who will attend.) Those participating will discover what’s beyond the lecture packets and online courses, as well as enjoy one-on-one time with Margie and her red pen. (Read more about my 2013 Immersion Class here.)

Have you ever taken (or strongly desire to take) a Margie Lawson online course? Studied one of her lecture packets? Attended an immersion retreat? 

Yes? No? Want to? Visit Margie’s amazing website of online resources and courses for more inspiration. http://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy-courses

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three gorgeous kids. 

She's the winner of the 2013 FHL ~ Touched By Love Competition, 
and the 2104 Inspirational Category Winner of the TARA Writing Contest. 

Enamoured by all things 19th century, she writes The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, Historical Romance - Aussie style. Come say G'day at her blog, Ink Dots. 

Top 10 Books of 2014

By Ian Acheson

Iola kicked us off with a great list on Friday. I'm in awe of Iola's reading speed and haven't read nearly the volume she has this past year. 

I read more non-fiction and Biblical reference/commentaries than I do fiction so have split my list in half, well thirds in fact.

In no particular order but I will start with 5 Fiction reads that had me spellbound.

The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Lee

A fictional account of the Queen of Sheba and the effect she had on King Solomon and his empire. 

You can read my review here: Sheba






Spirit Bridge (Book 3 of the Well Spring Series) by James L Rubart

This is a wonderful series that so powerfully demonstrates spiritual warfare in a fictional context that is uplifting, challenging and thrilling in its suspensefulness.

You can read my review here: Spirit Bridge





Stranger Things by Erin Healy

It has all the hallmarks of a Healy novel: gripping suspense, characters grappling with their external and internal worlds and an insider's perspective of the "thin places" where the natural and supernatural intersect.

You can read my review here: Stranger Things 





Hacker by Ted Dekker

Interesting that this also featured on Iola's list. 

This is classic Ted Dekker: exploring the visible and invisible as he takes the reader on a heart-pumping  thriller of a ride.

You can read my review here: Hacker



The Evolution of Serialisation 

One aspect of the ebook world I really enjoy is reading novels in a serialised form. I find it fascinating we've gone back to how people first read Dickens (weekly episodes in the newspaper) and the like except in a digital form. This may not work for the truly prolific reader who devours books in a few hours, however, the weekly addition of 70 to 100 pages works well for me.

I expect in time we'll see additional features to this concept such as imagery, video, etc to make it more appealing.

I read a number of novels both Christian and secular including Operation Zulu by Ronie Kendig, Chronicles of Steele: Raven by Pauline Creeden and The Fuhrer's Daughter by Joshua Graham.

Non-Fiction

I've been in a season of reading a lot on intimacy with God and prayer. I'm pleased to see an increasing number of books being released on these subjects. It's very easy in our busy lives to get distracted from the wonder and joy of communion with God.

I can mention lots of books here but I'll restrict myself to three:

A Diary of Private by John Baillie

This was first released in 1949 and it is a small book of 64 prayers, a morning and evening prayer for 31 days plus two for a Sunday. Yes, it is full of "thees' and 'thous' which we typically don't use in modern services. I've found saying these prayers a wonderful way of commencing my prayer times during a day as it helps me take my mind off myself and focus on Him.





Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mulholland, Jr.

This was a wonderful book that outlined how God in creating us all with different personalities expects our spiritual journeys will also vary. The author even explores how each broad personality type (think poor man's Myer Briggs) engages spiritually.

Mulholland challenges us to understand that holistic spirituality requires incorporating elements of the individual, corporate and social dimensions into our walks. I needed to read that as increasingly I've become frustrated with my "walk" but now realise that the personal dimension far outweighs the other two and hence, I have an imbalance which limits my growth.

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

This beautifully written book helps the reader understand the soul's significance and how to care for it.

You can read my review here: Soul Keeping






Bible Reference/Commentary

I've read two fabulous commentaries that I wanted to mention.

The Book of Acts, a Commentary by C. Peter Wagner

At the time Wagner wrote this commentary there were 1,398 other books on Acts. So his one focuses on two particular aspects of Acts:

1. Power ministries, ie, supernatural acts of healing, prophecy, etc.
2. Missiological issues involved in the cross-cultural expansion of Christianity

It's not a verse-by-verse commentary but is still a hefty volume (circa 500 pages). It is written in layman's terms and does an excellent job relating Paul's epistles to his travels documented in Acts.

You can read my review here: Acts.

Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Christ-Centred Expository Commentary) by Tony Merida (+David Platt & Daniel Akin)

For all intents and purposes is a verse-by-verse commentary and provides good explanations of each verse. It is geared to providing practical understanding and each chapter ends with a series of in-depth questions challenging the reader to further explore the concepts outlined and apply them to their life.

Ephesians is one of my favourite books of the Bible as Paul goes to great lengths to explain what we have as a result of Jesus living, being crucified and resurrected and then outlines how we should live. And it has that great series of verses near it's end on spiritual warfare!

What's not to love about it! 

I've read a few Ephesians commentaries that lack depth but this one in a relatively few number of pages (288) is both very challenging and readable. Merida does a good job bringing in other commentators work so the reader gets to hear from a number of extremely qualified voices.


Okay, that's me. I'm sure looking forward to the next in the series of Top 10s.

Wishing everyone in the ACW community a blessed Christmas and here's to a fun and invigorating 2015.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Top 10 Recent (Fiction) Reads

By Rel Mollet

What a privilege it is to share some thoughts with you at Australasian Christian Writers ~ thanks for the invitation and welcome following my interview with the lovely Dotti Adamek.

As you would know, I love to read stories. Reading is comfort, encouragement, challenge, inspiration, peace, and escape all rolled into one appealing package for me. As a reviewer and blogger, my great passion is sharing with other readers (or writers!) the books that have evoked those feelings in me in the hope that others will also be blessed by spending a few hours in a literary haven!

Today I'd like to share with you my top 10 reads over the past few months. I suggest you read my answer to Dotti's question as to how I define a quality book before checking out this list! Bear in mind, some of these are yet to be released but I suggest you add them to your wishlists.  I'd love your thoughts on any of these books or others that you have continued to ponder after you have closed the last page.

Beowulf by Ronie Kendig

Beowulf—a hulky, brindle-coated bullmastiff—is the only “boy” for Timbrel Hogan. And she has a history to remind her why. But when Timbrel, a handler at A Breed Apart, embarks on a mission to detect WMDs in Afghanistan, she reunites with Tony “Candyman” VanAllen and her no-other-man philosophy is challenged.

While tension mounts between Timbrel and Tony, the team comes under fire after Beowulf gets a “hit.” When tragedy threatens Tony’s career and Timbrel’s courage, they must maneuver through an intricate plot and a mission like no other. . . .







Healer of Carthage by Lynne Gentry

A twenty-first-century doctor. A third-century plague. A love out of time.

First-year resident Dr. Lisbeth Hastings is too busy to take her father’s bizarre summons seriously. But when a tragic mistake puts her career in jeopardy, answering her father’s call seems her only hope of redeeming the devastating failure that her life has become.

While exploring the haunting cave at her father’s archaeological dig, Lisbeth falls through a hidden hole, awakening to find herself the object of a slave auction and the ruins of Roman Carthage inexplicably restored to a thriving metropolis. Is it possible that she’s traveled back in time, and, if so, how can she find her way back home?

Cyprian Thascius believes God called him to rescue the mysterious woman from the slave trader’s cell. What he doesn’t understand is why saving the church of his newfound faith requires him to love a woman whose peculiar ways could get him killed. But who is he to question God?

As their different worlds collide, it sparks an intense attraction that unites Lisbeth and Cyprian in a battle against a deadly epidemic. Even as they confront persecution, uncover buried secrets, and ignite the beginnings of a medical revolution, Roman wrath threatens to separate them forever. Can they find their way to each other through all these obstacles? Or are the eighteen hundred years between them too far of a leap?

Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck

Regina Beswick was born to be a princess.

But she’s content to be a small-town girl, running a classic auto restoration shop, unaware a secret destiny awaits her. One that will leap from the pages of her grandmother’s hand-painted book of fairytales.

Tanner Burkhardt is the stoic Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. When he is tasked to retrieve the long-lost princess, he must overcome his fear of failure in order to secure his nation’s future---and his own.

Yet lurking in the political shadows is a fierce opponent with sinister plans to abolish the throne forever.

Overwhelmed with opposition, Regina must decide if she’s destined to restore old cars or an ancient nation. Together---with a little divine intervention---Regina and Tanner discover the truth of her heritage and the healing power of true love.


The Kindling by Tamara Leigh

“’TIS SAID FAMILY CREATES A MULTITUDE OF SINS.”

Helene of Tippet is not her father or her brother’s keeper. Yet when she is enlisted to use her healing skills to aid a fallen knight, the secret she holds close threatens to visit her family’s sins upon her. Now she is in danger of loving where she should not—a man of the nobility, and one who has cause to despise her if ever he learns of the blood that courses through her veins. Dare she reveal herself? Dare she trust a warrior so bitter and intent on revenge? Dare she love?

Sir Abel Wulfrith, a man bred to battle, has the scar to prove one should never trust a woman. But when he is wounded by his family’s enemy, he finds himself at the mercy of one who could prove his undoing. Now he faces a battle against which no strategy can prevail, no blade can defend, no heart can escape unscathed. Can he forgive Helene the sins of the father—more, the sins of the brother? Can he reclaim his faith? Can he love?

Dear Mr Knightley by Katherine Reay

Samantha Moore has always hidden behind the words of others—namely, her favorite characters in literature. Now, she will learn to write her own story—by giving that story to a complete stranger.

Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is, both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.

But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor (calling himself Mr. Knightley) offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.

As Sam’s dark memory mingles with that of eligible novelist Alex Powell, her letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional. While Alex draws Sam into a world of warmth and literature that feels like it’s straight out of a book, old secrets are drawn to light. And as Sam learns to love and trust Alex and herself, she learns once again how quickly trust can be broken.


A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away....

September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries…and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. Will what she learns devastate her or free her?

September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers…the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. Will a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life?

Remnants: Season of Wonder by Lisa T. Bergren

Our coming was foretold by the elders--- Those who would change the future, just as the planet teetered on the edge of darkness.

Born on the prophesied day with birthmarks in the form of a crescent moon, they knew us immediately. Swaddled and screaming, we were spirited away by those who hid us, trained us, and kept us safe until our time came.

They poured their lives into us. Some died to save us.

And now we, the Remnants, protected by Knights of the Last Order, have gathered.

Called until we breathe our last … to save the world.

Somebody Like You by Beth Vogt

Can a young widow find love again with her husband’s reflection?

Haley’s three-year marriage to Sam, an army medic, ends tragically when he’s killed in Afghanistan. Her attempts to create a new life for herself are ambushed when she arrives home one evening—and finds her husband waiting for her. Did the military make an unimaginable mistake when they told her Sam was killed?

Too late to make things right with his estranged twin brother, Stephen discovers Sam never told Haley about him. As Haley and Stephen navigate their fragile relation­ship, they are inexorably drawn to each other.

How can they honor the memory of a man whose death brought them together—and whose ghost could drive them apart?


Burning Sky by Lori Benton

Abducted by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain is driven to return to her family’s New York frontier homestead after many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her father’s property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path. Feeling obliged to nurse his injuries, the two quickly find much has changed during her twelve-year absence—her childhood home is in disrepair, her missing parents are rumored to be Tories, and the young Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a man twisted by the horrors of war and claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.

When her Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world, the cultural divide blurs Willa’s vision. Can she follow Tames-His-Horse back to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? And what about Neil MacGregor, the kind and loyal botanist who does not fit into in her plan for a solitary life, yet is now helping her revive her farm? In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, strong feelings against “savages” abound in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa’s safety unsure.

Willa is a woman caught between two worlds. As tensions rise, challenging her shielded heart, the woman called Burning Sky must find a new courage--the courage to again risk embracing the blessings the Almighty wants to bestow. Is she brave enough to love again?

Dancing with Fireflies by Denise Hunter

Jade returns home to Chapel Springs after years of protecting her fragile heart. Then along comes Daniel, making her long to dance again.

Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she’d never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.

The mayor of Chapel Springs, Daniel Dawson, has been an honorary member of the McKinley family for years. While his own home life was almost non-existent, Daniel fit right into the boisterous McKinley family. He’s loved Jade for years, but she always saw him as a big brother. Now that she’s back, his feelings are stronger than ever.

As Jade attempts to settle in, nothing feels right. God seems far away, she’s hiding secrets from her family, and she’s strangely attracted to the man who’s always called her “squirt." Finding her way home may prove more difficult than she imagined.

And in case you think I've sworn of male writers, I can't wait to dive into Patrick W. Carr's A Draw of Kings, Jim Rubart's Spirit Bridge, and Randy Singer's The Advocate!

Your thoughts....

 
Rel Mollet founded her book-reviewing blog www.RelzReviewz.com in 2006, which is dedicated to showcasing Christian Fiction and its writers by way of reviews, author interviews, character spotlights, and more. Rel is a contributing writer for NovelCrossing.com and FamilyFiction.com, and an Advisory Board member of the INSPY Awards.  A book club co-ordinator for over a decade, Rel resides in Melbourne with her family.