Verse of the Day

"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17)

Verse of the Day

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (Galatians 6:9 AMP)

Verse of the Day

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

I can stand free because God has "equipped me with strength for the battle. (Psalm 18:39 ESV)

Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Canary Island Song  Howard Books; Original edition (July 5, 2011)  by  Robin Jones Gunn   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Jones Gunn was born in Wisconsin and lived on a dairy farm until her family moved to southern California when she was five years old. She grew up in Orange County and spent her summers at Newport Beach with friends from her church youth group. After attending Biola University and Capernwray Bible School in Austria, Robin and Ross were married and spent the next two decades working together in youth ministry.

It was the young teens at Robin’s church who challenged her to write stories for them. She hadn’t thought much about being a writer, but took their request to heart and set her alarm for 3am, three days a week. With two small children it was the only time she could find to write the first story about Christy Miller. After two years and ten rejections the novel Summer Promise was accepted for publication in 1988. Robin hasn’t stopped writing since. Over 4 million copies of her 75 books have sold and can be found in a dozen translations all over the world.

Robin and her husband now live in Hawai’i where Ross is a counselor and Robin continues to write to the sound of tropical birds chattering in the palm trees outside her window. Their children are grown but manage to come to the islands with their families every chance they get. Robin's awards include: three Christy awards for excellence in fiction, a Gold Medallion finalist, Mt. Hermon Pacesetter, and the Mt. Hermon Writer of the Year award. Robin travels extensively and is a frequent key-note speaker at various events around the world.  She serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and Jerry Jenkin’s Christian Writer’s Guild.


ABOUT THE BOOK

When Carolyn’s grown daughter tells her she needs to “get a life,” Carolyn decides it’s time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother’s home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn’s mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn’s visit makes for a perfect surprise.

    The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It’s been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride, and the steady gaze of Bryan’s intense blue-gray eyes.

    Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?

    Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Canary Island Song, go HERE.

Review to come later.

Choosing to Trust God

I know I haven't updated everyone on the status of Roger's unemployment and its continued effects. But that doesn't mean nothing is going on. In fact, there is a lot going on. Just not a permanent job opportunity . . . yet. Next week marks 7 months of unemployment for him. 

This summer has been an interesting one on many fronts. We are continuing to grow closer together as a couple as well as spiritually, both individually and as a couple. More and more we have the opportunity to depend on God alone for strength and wisdom to handle each situation as it comes up.  

After six months of nonstop editing/proofreading jobs, July dried up. Several known factors play into that, not the least being the International Christian Retailers Show earlier in July. Every publisher focuses on what to bring out in time for the show, and then publishing comes to a near halt in order for everyone to catch their breath before heading into the final push for the Christmas season. 

In my "freer" time I've been working on a couple of story ideas, fleshing them out into proposal form. One of those ideas I was getting ready to pitch to Heartsong Presents, a mass market Christian romance bookclub imprint under Barbour Publishing. Yesterday, Barbour announced that at the end of the year they will be discontinuing this line. Sort of a double blow for me, as I have done most of my copy editing for them over the last two or three years. I've enjoyed working for the various editors over the past eleven years, and I'm very sorry to see them close down this line. 

Economically it makes sense. And the publishing world is changing across the board, with many people going the e-reader route as it is cheaper to produce. Even I have jumped on the e-book bandwagon with the Kindle my family gave me for my last birthday. Oh, don't worry. I still have stacks and stacks of print books waiting for me to review them. And we have overflowing bookshelves in nearly every room in the house. But I do love the convenience of carrying my Kindle loaded with books of nearly every genre when I travel or know I'll be waiting for an appointment. 

All summer, I've sensed the Lord preparing me to do more writing and the possibility of cutting back on the amount of editing and proofreading I do. And just within this past week, He's given me many verses and devotional readings that confirm and encourage me in this junction in the path He is guiding me on.

Our faith has been stretched, and it is continuing to get stretched even further, with our sporadic income. Right now, we're waiting on a large check for work I did last month so we can pay July's house payment . . . hopefully before August. With Randy's wedding coming up next week, we have some extra expenses related to that, which we had planned on. What we didn't plan on was the car problems we've had (both Randy's and ours), which thankfully Roger was able to fix at a fraction of the cost. Nor did we plan on our air-conditioning going out during the hottest and most humid weather Denver has experienced in a few years. And of course in the middle of this, our sewer line backed up . . . once again. But none of these things came as a surprise to the Lord.

So I'm ending this post with a few of the verses and devotional thoughts the Lord has blessed us with in the last week. We are still choosing to trust God with everything. It hasn't been easy, but we can still praise Him for His goodness and His faithfulness. Truly all we have needed He has provided.

July 21, 2011

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10

But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness [mercy] of God forever and ever. I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, and I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Psalm 52:8–9

The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously. James 4:5

“J. B. Mayer’s translation of this phrase . . . ‘jealously yearns for the entire devotion of the heart.’ How grand to be so loved; how unworthy to squander any part of our love elsewhere than on Him. Away, then, with worldliness.” (Guy King, James: A Belief that Behaves)

In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” Hosea 5:15

“Lean hard upon Me, for I bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems now to be a wind of destruction. Draw upon the resources of My grace. Heaven rejoices when you go through trials with a singing spirit.” (Francis J. Roberts, Come Away My Beloved)

 

July 25, 2011

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. Psalm 56:3–4

You make known to me the path of life. Psalm 16:11

“I will instruct you in the good and right way.” 1 Samuel 12:23

July 26, 2011

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. . . . My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! . . . I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. Psalm 57:1–2, 7, 9–11 nlt

Give thanks to His holy name! Psalm 97:12

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17

Jesus said unto him, “Follow Me.” Matthew 8:22

“The time is now. Run after Me as I move, because I am moving rapidly and am doing a quick work. Pay no attention to any voice except the voice of the Spirit. Let no one use you except the Father. Believe no one except the Son. Live in expectancy and move in absolute obedience.

            “Break out of old patterns and make no provision for your own personal wishes. Purify your desires so that you do not stand in Your own way.” (Frances J. Roberts, Progress of Another Pilgrim)

Verse of the Day

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. . . . My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! . . . I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. (Psalm 57:1–2, 7, 9–11 NLT)

Verse of the Day

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

"I will instruct you in the good and right way." (1 Samuel 12:23)

Verse of the Day

"Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can't bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can't bear fruit unless you are joined with me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing." (John 15:4–5 MSG)

Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Shadows on the Sand  Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)  by  Gayle Roper   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gayle is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times for her novels Spring Rain, Summer Shadows, and Winter Winds. Her novel Autumn Dreams won the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Summer Shadows was voted the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Book of the Year (tied with fellow author Brandilyn Collins).

Gayle has won the Holt Medallion three times for The Decision, Caught in a Bind, and Autumn Dreams. The Decision won the Reviewers Choice Award, and Gayle has also won the Award of Excellence for Spring Rain and the Golden Quill for Summer Shadows and Winter Winds. Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her Amhearst mystery series, Caught in the Middle, Caught in the Act, and Caught in a Bind, originally published by Zondervan, was reprinted in 2007 by Love Inspired Suspense with a fourth original title added, Caught Redhanded. Another original single title, See No Evil, was also released. Caught in the Middle has been optioned for film.

For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon CWC, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC. She directed St. Davids for five years and Sandy Cove CWC for six. She has taught with Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS), serving for several years as their writer in residence. She enjoys speaking at women's events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality.

Gayle lives in southeastern Pennsylvania where she enjoys her family of two great sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and the world's five most wonderful grandchildren. When she's not writing, or teaching at conferences, Gayle enjoys reading, gardening, and eating out.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But Carrie has a painful past, too, and when the reason she once ran away shows up in town, the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg threatens to implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry. Two wounded hearts struggle to find a way to make one romance work. Failure seems guaranteed when Carrie locates her waitress but is taken hostage...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Shadows on the Sand, go HERE.

Review to come later. Gayle is one of my favorite authors, so I'm looking forward to this latest book. Her Seaside Mysteries are excellent—true summer beach reads. Or mountain retreats as I'm more likely to get this summer.

Verse of the Day

Then [God] told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I . . . quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size--abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10 MSG)

Verse of the Day

Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. (Ephesians 5:18–20)

Verse of the Day

God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. (Ephesians 3:20 MSG)

ACFW July 2011 New Releases

I'm a little late this month. Below is the list of July new releases from ACFW members as reported to ACFW's Fiction Finder site.


More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW FictionFinder website.

Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate -- General Fiction from Penguin Praise.  J. Norman, recently widowed, aging and a retired space program engineer, eventually warms up to part-time caretaker Epie, an at-risk teen, as they search for his long forgotten roots when old, buried memories of a different home, a fire, red-headed children, and a black housekeeper surface.

Dangerous Reunion by Sandra Robbins -- Thriller/Suspense from Love Inspired Suspense. A woman deputy sheriff on a small barrier island off the coast of North Carolina struggles to stop a crazed killer's vendetta while battling her renewed attraction to the man who broke her heart years ago.

Love Finds You in Lancaster County by Annalisa Daughety -- Romance from Summerside Press. When Amish-born Lydia Ann Raber and Southern belle Caroline DeMarco discover a shared history of loss, the unlikely duo decides to open a gift shop in beautiful Lancaster County. There each woman finds friendship, a fresh start, and a second chance at love.

Odd Little Miracles by Fred Warren -- Fantasy from Splashdown Books. Follow the twists and turns of twenty-two bizarre tales, where odd is commonplace, little things make all the difference, and miracles are everywhere, if you know where to look...

Pursued by Lillian Duncan -- Thriller/Suspense from White Rose. Reggie Meyers has spent her life pursing the American Dream, but now she’s the one being pursued— by an unknown killer. Putting her trust in Dylan Monroe, a man she barely knows, will either be the best decision she ever made or the last.

Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry -- General Fiction from Tyndale. Residing in a parsonage is not for sissies, but living anywhere else scares the pastor’s widow spitless.

The Blessed by Ann Gabhart -- General Fiction from Revell. After being pushed into marriage to her preacher husband, Lacey Bishop follows her husband to a Shaker village. A community that believes marriage is a sin. And to make matters worse, she finds herself drawn to Isaac Kingston, a man who came to the Shakers after his young bride died. But of course any notion of love between them is only a forbidden dream. How will Lacey ever find true happiness?

The Nanny’s Homecoming by Linda Goodnight -- Romance from Love Inspired. After her fiancé calls off their wedding, Brooke Clayton has nowhere to go but home.

Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig -- Thriller/Suspense from Barbour. Former Green Beret Captain Canyon Metcalfe is unnerved when Nightshade is sent to a South American jungle that holds an eerie similarity to a dark tragedy from his past.

Verse of the Day

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. . . . "Cease striving and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:1, 10)

Pattern of Wounds by J. Mark Bertrand

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Pattern of Wounds  Bethany House (July 1, 2011)  by  J. Mark Bertrand   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury, and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead. 



ABOUT THE BOOK

It's Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman's brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat -- or did March convict the wrong man?

Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Pattern of Wounds, go HERE.

Review to come later.

Verse of the Day

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7–8)

Verse of the Day

Grant to those who mourn . . . a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:3–4 ESV)

Vigilante by Robin Parrish

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Vigilante  Bethany House (July 1, 2011)  by  Robin Parrish   


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Parrish wants to take you on a ride.

A wild ride -- which is exactly what you're in for when you pick up one of his books. And he's adamant that it will never be the same kind of experience twice.

Robin's stories mix, mingle, and meld various genres together to create thoroughly original suspense/thrillers. His Dominion Trilogy, for example, mashed up superhero action, secret societies, ancient myths, and an apocalyptic setting to create an entirely new take on the classic "hero's journey." Offworld mixed science fiction and an end-of-the-world scenario with high-octane action. Nightmare, his 2010 novel, is a spine-tingling examination of the world of the paranormal, paired with can't-put-it-down mystery. His 2011 novel, Vigilante, is an action-packed story about a soldier who sets out to change the world. Later this year, he's releasing his first ever Young Adult novel, titled Corridor.

Always pushing the envelope, ever on the edge of where modern storytelling is going, Robin Parrish will gladly and unapologetically tell you that he's an entertainer, a weaver of stories that ignite the mind and delight the heart. Defying labels and refusing pigeonholes, his imagination is fueled by the possibilities of asking "What if…?", and as anyone who's read his work knows, he has a very big imagination.

His influences as a novelist range from television and film storytellers like Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams, to masters of the modern myth like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Akin to Philip K. Dick's search for the meaning of identity, most of what Robin writes about boils down to his own ponderings and examinations of just what this thing we call "existence" is.

Robin is a full time writer. He and his wife Karen and two children live in High Point, NC.

"Robin Parrish is a keen-eyed, passionate pop cultural savant,

whose writing is as incisive and insightful as it is entertaining."

- Allan Heinberg, Executive Producer, Grey's Anatomy



ABOUT THE BOOK

Nolan Gray is an elite soldier, skilled in all forms of combat. After years fighting on foreign battlefields, witnessing unspeakable evils and atrocities firsthand, a world-weary Nolan returns home to find it just as corrupt as the war zones. Everywhere he looks, there's pain and cruelty. Society is being destroyed by wicked men who don't care who they make suffer or destroy.

Nolan decides to do what no one else can, what no one has ever attempted. He will defend the helpless. He will tear down the wicked. He will wage a one-man war on the heart of man, and he won't stop until the world is the way it should be.

The wicked have had their day. Morality's time has come. In a culture starving for a hero, can one extraordinary man make things right?


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

Review to come later.

Verse of the Day

But I will remain . . . for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:8–9)

2011 Christy Award Winners

Last night was the annual Christy Awards dinner and ceremony. I took part via the live blog on the Christy Award website. Tyson Wynn and Susie May Warren did an excellent job of giving us up-to-the-minute commentary of the program and the dinner.

Here is the list of the nominees for this year. The winners are in bold and their book covers are with each section.

Christy Award 2011 Winners and Finalists

Contemporary Romance:
Sworn to Protect
by DiAnn Mills (Tyndale House)
Blood Ransom
by Lisa Harris (Zondervan)
Indivisible
by Kristin Heitzmann (WaterBrook Press)


Contemporary Series, Sequels, and Novellas:
The Reluctant Prophet
by Nancy Rue (David C. Cook)
The Thorn
by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House)
The Waiting
by Suzanne Woods Fisher (Revell Books)


Contemporary Stand-alone:
Almost Heaven
by Chris Fabry (Tyndale House)
Lady in Waiting
by Susan Meissner (WaterBrook Press)
A Season of Miracles
by Rusty Whitener (Kregel Publications)


First Novel:
Heartless
by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House)
Crossing Oceans
by Gina Holmes (Tyndale House)
A Season of Miracles
by Rusty Whitener (Kregel Publications)


Historical:
While We’re Far Apart
by Lynn Austin (Bethany House)
Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther
by Ginger Garrett (David C. Cook)
For Time & Eternity
by Allison Pitman (Tyndale House)


Historical Romance:
The Girl in the Gatehouse
by Julie Klassen (Bethany House)
She Walks in Beauty
by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House)
Within My Heart
by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House)


Suspense:
The Bishop
by Steven James (Revell Books)
The Bride Collector
by Ted Dekker (Center Street)
Predator
by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)


Visionary:
To Darkness Fled
by Jill Williamson (Marcher Lord Press)
Konig’s Fire
by Marc Schooley (Marcher Lord Press)
The Last Christian
by David Gregory (WaterBrook Press)


Young Adult:
Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book
by Nancy Rue (Zondervan)
The Charlatan’s Boy
by Jonathan Rogers (WaterBrook Press)
The Healer’s Apprentice
by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)

Veiled Rose by Anne Elizabeth Stengl

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Veiled Rose  Bethany House (July 1, 2011)  by  Anne Elisabeth Stengl   



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anne Elisabeth Stengl makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she enjoys her profession as an art teacher, giving private lessons from her personal studio, and teaching group classes at the Apex Learning Center. She studied illustration at Grace College and English literature at Campbell University. Heartless is her debut novel.  





ABOUT THE BOOK

Rose Red trusts no one with her secret. She hides in the forest, her face veiled in rags, shunning the company of all save her old father and her nanny goat. Her life is bleak and lonely.

Until she meets a privileged young man sent to spend his summer in the mountains. Leo, a lonely lad, befriends Rose Red, and together they begin hunting for the Mountain Monster which, rumor says, stalks these lands.

But the hunt which began as a game holds greater risk than Leo supposes. Rose Red can scarcely guess at the consequences should he insist on continuing his search. Dare she trust him with her secret? Or tell him what dwells at the top of the mountain in the cave only she can find?

Above all, when Leo asks Rose Red to leave the mountain and follow him to the low country, dare she agree and risk the wrath of a Monster that is all too real?


If you would like to read the first chapter of Veiled Rose, go HERE.

Review to come later.

Verse of the Day

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG)

Verse of the Day

Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust . . . also in Him and He will bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:3–5 AMP)

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Lion of Babylon  Bethany House (July 1, 2011)  by  Davis Bunn   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in North Carolina, Davis left for Europe at age twenty. There he first completed graduate studies in economics and finance, then began a business career that took him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Davis came to faith at age 28, while living in Germany and running an international business advisory group. He started writing two weeks later. Since that moment, writing has remained both a passion and a calling.

Davis wrote for nine years and completed seven books before his first was accepted for publication. During that time, he continued to work full-time in his business career, travelling to two and sometimes three countries every week. His first published book, The Presence, was released in 1990 and became a national bestseller.

Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include The Great Divide, Winner Take All, The Meeting Place, The Warning, The Book of Hours, and The Quilt.

A sought-after speaker in the art of writing, Davis serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.   


ABOUT THE BOOK   

Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq--kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight--a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation.

Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy--from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Lion of Babylon, go HERE.

Review to come later.

Verse of the Day

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10–11)

The Protector by Shelley Shepard Gray

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Protector  Avon Inspire; Original edition (June 28, 2011)  by  Shelley Shepard Gray   



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven.  Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado.  She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children.  When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town's scenic bike trail.     



Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page



ABOUT THE BOOK 

Everyone needs a safe place to call home


When her mother passes away, Ella's forced to auction off her family's farm. Her father died years ago, and she could never manage the fifty acres on her own. But after she moves to town, she can't deny the pain she feels watching the new owner, Loyal Weaver, repairing her family's old farmhouse—everything Ella had once dreamed of doing.

What Ella doesn't know is that Loyal secretly hopes she will occupy this house again. . .as his wife. He begins inviting her over, to ask her opinion on changes he wants to make. As their friendship blooms, Ella starts to wonder about Loyal's intentions, especially when her best friend, Dorothy, hints that Loyal is not who he seems. There's no way the golden boy of their close-knit Amish community could be interested in Ella, long the wallflower, hidden away caring for her ailing parents.

Should she trust the man she's always yearned for, or the friend who's always been by her side? When one of them threatens to disrupt the independence she's finally achieved, Ella is faced with a choice. She can protect her heart and keep things the way they've always been. Or she can come out of her shell, risk everything for the love she's always wanted, and finally have a place to call home.


If you would like to read an excerpt from The Protector, go HERE.

Review to come later.

Verse of the Day

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. . . . The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:7–8 NLT)

He led them also by a straight way. (Psalm 107:7 NASB)