Tag Archives: book review

Author Interview/Book Review: Brandilyn Collins & Over The Edge

15 Aug

Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author’s own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today’s medical field.

Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University’s  Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn’t exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment. 

One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.

But Janessa’s marriage is already rocky. She’s so sick she can hardly move or think. And her  husband denies she has Lyme at all.

Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.

 

*******************************

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e . . .” ®  Brandilyn’s first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn’s awards for her novels include the ACFW Book of the Year (three times), Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice.

Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley & Sons). The Writer magazine named Getting into Character one of the best books on writing published in 2002.

When she’s not writing, Brandilyn can be found teaching the craft of fiction at writers’ conferences. She and her family divide their time between homes in the California Bay Area and northern Idaho.

My Impressions:

Brandilyn Collins is known for her Seatbelt Suspense brand, and her newest novel, Over The Edge, will certainly make you strap that seatbelt tight!   Janessa McNeil is the wife of famous Lyme researcher Brock McNeil.   After three weeks of the flu, Janessa gets a bizarre phone call.  The caller claims to have infected her with Lyme and wants her husband to recant his previous statements that Lyme is not a chronic disease.  What begins as a bizarre incident escalates to full-scale stalking and a life or death race to identify the stalker and get a diagnosis for the illness that has Janessa in its grips.

Collins used her own struggles with chronic Lyme as the inspiration for this novel. The obstacles that Janessa faces to get both a diagnosis and appropriate treatment were Collins’ own.  The author’s experience brings an even higher level to the suspense in Over The Edge.  The Lyme wars are brought into focus. And while the book is a fascinating look at the Lyme wars, it is also a great twisting and turning suspense that will keep you guessing and gasping to the end.  Besides the mysterious caller, Janessa must face an increasingly hostile and abusive husband.

Over The Edge is a perfect book club pick.  There is so much to discuss — from the Lyme controversy, to Collins’ own experiences, to the solving of the whodunit — Over The Edge will keep you reading and talking into the night.

Highly Recommended.

While at the ICRS in Atlanta in July, I had the opportunity to talk with Brandilyn Collins.  Here are the highlights.

BTB:  Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?

Brandilyn:  True crime stories are the biggest inspiration for my novels.  Of course Over The Edge was inspired by my experience with Chronic Lyme, but day to day experiences can trigger an idea.  One evening while in my hot tub with my husband, I got the idea for the opening scene of Violet Dawn.  I thought, a body could be dumped in a hot tub and no one would be the wiser!  I also have people coming to me with ways to kill people!  A repairman even gave me his take on the perfect murder!

BTB:  What type of research do you do?

Brandilyn:  After writing so many novels, I have a base of knowledge to draw from.  But I will call on experts to get specifics just right.  My next book is set in a fictional small town in Mississippi.  I traveled there to research the setting.

BTB:  What is your next book?

Brandilyn:  My next book is set in the fictional town of Amaryllis set in real life Jasper County, Mississippi.  In this small town there have been several unsolved murders and the newest one has just happened.  Three women are sure they know who the killer is, however, their suspects are three different men.  The novel is titled Gone To Ground.

Thanks to Brandilyn for sharing with me.  To find out more about her story and to get more information about Lyme, click on the following:  My Healing and About Lyme.

Gone To Ground — Amaryllis, Mississippi is a scrappy little town of strong backbone and southern hospitality. A brick-paved Main Street, a park, and a legendary ghost in the local cemetery are all part of its heritage. Everybody knows everybody in Amaryllis, and gossip wafts on the breeze. Its people are friendly, its families tight. On the surface Amaryllis seems much like the flower for which it’s named—bright and fragrant. But the Amaryllis flower is poison.

In the past three years five unsolved murders have occurred within the town. All the victims were women, and all were killed in similar fashion in their own homes. And just two nights ago—a sixth murder.

Clearly a killer lives among the good citizens of Amaryllis. And now three terrified women are sure they know who he is—someone they love. None is aware of the others’ suspicions. And each must make the heartrending choice to bring the killer down. But each woman suspects a different man.

(I received Over The Edge from B&H Publishers in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Book Review: The One Who Waits For Me

12 Aug

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

and the book:

The One Who Waits for Me

Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Karri James, Marketing Assistant, Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lori Copeland is the author of more than 90 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books’ Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband, Lance, and their three children and five grandchildren.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This new series from bestselling author Lori Copeland, set in North Carolina three months after the Civil War ends, illuminates the gift of hope even in chaos, as the lives of six engaging characters intersect and unfold with the possibility of faith, love, and God’s promise of a future.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0736930183

ISBN-13: 978-0736930185

My Impressions:

The One Who Waits For Me is ideal for those who like an historical setting for their romances.  Set in the months following the Civil War, the story involves three women on the run and three men returning from war.  They face a number of obstacles to their romances — danger, betrayal, differing backgrounds, and distrust.  The main emphasis of this first in a new series is on the relationship of Beth, a determined woman who cannot abide men, and Pierce, the son of a southern planter who fought for the north.  Through a number of twists and turns, they come to fall in love.  The book ends with a number of loose ends that should be taken care of in the next books in the series.  One interesting note: there is a good deal of information on the Cherokee indians of the time.


AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Joanie?”Beth’s sister stirred, coughing.Beth gently shook Joanie’s shoulder again, and the young woman opened her eyes, confusion shining in their depths.“Pa?”“He passed a few minutes ago. Trella will be waiting for us.”Joanie lifted her wrist to her mouth and smothered sudden sobbing. “I’m scared, Beth.”“So am I. Dress quickly.”

The young woman slid out of bed, her bare feet touching the dirt-packed floor. Outside, the familiar sound of pond frogs nearly drowned out soft movements, though there was no need to be silent any more. Ma had preceded Pa in death two days ago. Beth and Joanie had been waiting, praying for the hour of Pa’s death to come swiftly. Together, they lifted their father’s silent form and gently carried him out the front door. He was a slight man, easy to carry. Beth’s heart broke as they took him to the shallow grave they had dug the day before. Ma’s fever had taken her swiftly. Pa had held on for as long as he could. Beth could still hear his voice in her ear: “Take care of your sister, little Beth.” He didn’t have to remind her that there was no protection at all now to save either of them from Uncle Walt and his son, Bear. Beth had known all of her life that one day she and Joanie would have to escape this place—a place of misery.

It was her father’s stubborn act that started the situation Beth and Joanie were immersed in. Pa had hid the plantation deed from his brother and refused to tell him where it was. Their land had belonged to a Jornigan for two hundred years, but Walt claimed that because he was the older brother and allowed Pa to live on his land the deed belonged to him. Pa was a proud man and had no respect for his brother, though his family depended on Walt for a roof over their heads and food on their table. For meager wages they worked Walt’s fields, picked his cotton, and suffered his tyranny along with the other workers. Pa took the location of the hidden deed to his grave—almost. Walt probably figured Beth knew where it was because Pa always favored her. And she did, but she would die before she shared the location with her vile uncle.

By the light of the waning moon the women made short work of placing the corpse in the grave and then filling the hole with dirt. Finished, they stood back and Joanie bowed her head in prayer. “Dear Father, thank You for taking Ma and Pa away from this world. I know they’re with You now, and I promise we won’t cry.” Hot tears streaming down both women’s cheeks belied her words.

Returning to the shanty, Joanie removed her nightshirt and put on boy’s clothes. Dressed in similar denim trousers and a dark shirt, Beth turned and picked up the oil lamp and poured the liquid carefully around the one-room shanty. Yesterday she had packed Ma’s best dishes and quilts and dragged them to the root cellar. It was useless effort. She would never be back here, but she couldn’t bear the thought of fire consuming Ma’s few pretty things. She glanced over her shoulder when the stench of fuel heightened Joanie’s cough. The struggle to breathe had been a constant companion since her younger sister’s birth.

Many nights Beth lay tense and fearful, certain that come light Joanie would be gone. Now that Ma and Pa were dead, Joanie was the one thing left on this earth that held meaning for Beth. She put down the lamp on the table. Walking over to Joanie, she buttoned the last button on her sister’s shirt and tugged her hat brim lower.

“Do you have everything?”

“Yes.”

“Then go outside and wait.”

Nodding, Joanie paused briefly beside the bed where Pa’s tall frame had been earlier. She hesitantly reached out and touched the empty spot. “May you rest in peace, Pa.”

Moonlight shone through the one glass pane facing the south. Beth shook her head. “He was a good man. It’s hard to believe Uncle Walt had the same mother and father.”

Joanie’s breath caught. “Pa was so good and Walt is so…evil.”

“If it were up to me, he would be lying in that grave outside the window, not Pa.”

Beth tried to recall one single time in her life when Walt Jornigan had ever shown an ounce of mercy to anyone. Certainly not to his wife when she was alive. Certainly not to Beth or Joanie. If Joanie was right and there was a God, what would Walt say when he faced Him? She shook the thought aside. She had no compassion for the man or reverence for the God her sister believed in and worshipped.

“We have to go now, Joanie.”

“Yes.” She picked up her Bible from the little table beside the rocking chair and then followed Beth outside the shanty, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Pausing, Joanie bent and succumbed to a coughing spasm. Beth helplessly waited, hoping her sister could make the anticipated trip through the cotton fields. The women had planned for days now to escape if Ma and Pa both passed.

Beth asked gently, “Can you do this?”

Joanie held up a restraining hand. “Just need…a minute.”

Beth wasn’t certain that they could wait long; time was short. Dawn would be breaking soon, and then Walt would discover that Pa had died and the sisters were missing. But they had to leave. Joanie’s asthma was getting worse. Each gasping breath left her drained and hopeless, and Walt refused to let her see a doctor.

When Joanie had mentioned the notice in a discarded Savannah newspaper advertising a piece of land, Beth knew she had to buy the property and provide a home for Joanie. Pa had allowed her and Joanie to keep the wage Uncle Walt paid monthly. Over the years they had saved enough to survive, and the owner was practically giving the small acreage away. They wouldn’t be able to build a permanent structure on their land until she found work, but she and Joanie would own their own place where no one could control them. Beth planned to eventually buy a cow and a few setting hens. At first they could live in a tent—Beth’s eyes roamed the small shanty. It would be better than how they lived now.

Joanie’s spasm passed and she glanced up. “Okay. You…can do it now.”

Beth struck a match.

She glanced at Joanie. The young woman nodded and clutched her Bible to her chest. Beth had found it in one of the cotton picker’s beds after he had moved on and given it to Joanie. Her sister had kept the Bible hidden from sight for fear that Walt would spot it on one of his weekly visits. Beth had known, as Joanie had, that if their uncle had found it he’d have had extra reason to hand out his daily lashing. Joanie kept the deed to their new land between its pages.

After pitching the lighted match into the cabin, Beth quickly closed the heavy door. Stepping to the window, she watched the puddles of kerosene ignite one by one. In just minutes flames were licking the walls and gobbling up the dry tinder. A peculiar sense of relief came over her when she saw tendrils of fire racing through the room, latching onto the front curtain and encompassing the bed.

“Don’t watch.” Joanie slipped her hand into Beth’s. “We have to hurry before Uncle Walt spots the flames.”

Hand in hand, the sisters stepped off the porch, and Beth turned to the mounds of fresh dirt heaped not far from the shanty. Pausing before the fresh graves, she whispered. “I love you both. Rest in peace.”

Joanie had her own goodbyes for their mother. “We don’t want to leave you and Pa here alone, but I know you understand—”

As the flames licked higher, Beth said, “We have to go, Joanie. Don’t look back.”

“I won’t.” Her small hand quivered inside Beth’s. “God has something better for us.”

Beth didn’t answer. She didn’t know whether Ma and Pa were in a good place or not. She didn’t know anything about such things. She just knew they had to run.

The two women dressed in men’s clothing struck off across the cotton fields carrying everything they owned in a small bag. It wasn’t much. A dress for each, clean underclothes, and their nightshirts. Beth had a hairbrush one of the pickers had left behind. She’d kept the treasure well hidden so Walt wouldn’t see it. He’d have taken it from her. He didn’t hold with primping—said combing tangles from one’s hair was a vain act. Finger-picking river-washed hair was all a woman needed.

Fire now raced inside the cabin. By the time Uncle Walt noticed the smoke from the plantation house across the fields, the two sisters would be long gone. No longer would they be under the tyrannical thumb of Walt or Bear Jornigan.

Freedom.

Beth sniffed the night air, thinking she could smell the precious state. Never again would she or Joanie answer to any man. She would run hard and far and find help for Joanie so that she could finally breathe free. In her pocket she fingered the remaining bills she’d taken from the fruit jar in the cabinet. It was all the ready cash Pa and Ma had. They wouldn’t be needing money where they were.

Suddenly there was a sound of a large explosion. Heavy black smoke blanketed the night air. Then another blast.

Kerosene! She’d forgotten the small barrel sitting just outside the back porch.

It was the last sound Beth heard.

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Book Review: Maximal Reserve

8 Aug

Petroleum engineer Phil Channing has only been employed a week when he uncovers the largest oil reserve in history. Using the research of a recently murdered friend, Phil discovers the secret to drilling for it lies in lava tubes under the Dead Sea. But will this knowledge throw off the world’s balance of power? 

Sam Batterman grew up in the 1980′s with a pocketful of quarters to play video games in one hand and a stack of computer magazines in the other. He holds a Computer Science degree from Bob Jones University and works as a Software Engineer in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wonderful wife, Susan, and his two kids, Samantha and Parker. He teaches Computer Programming at a Christian school and enjoys seeing kids get excited about the technology he loves so much. Sam’s first novel, Wayback, has become the best seller for Deep River Books. Sam and his wife serve at Valley Forge Baptist Temple in Collegeville, PA.

My Impressions:

Sam Batterman had me with the first chapter of his newest book, Maximal Reserve.  The action starts with a life or death chase scene and really doesn’t let up until the end of the story.   Phil Channing is a recent Masters graduate looking for the perfect job to combine his years of research with his goal to make a difference in the world.  Joining the research team at Axcess Energy is a dream come true — a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.  Faced with killers determined to stop the research findings — the world’s largest petroleum source — from being made public, Phil and his fiancee, Lisa must be smarter and quicker than their assailants.  The stakes are high — the economic balance of the world, and there are enough shady characters, corrupt politicians and professional assasins to make the most dedicated fan of action and suspense keep reading.

I love a story that sweeps you right up and keeps you turning the pages as fast as you can.  Maximal Reserve is that kind of story.  I even liked all of the scientific theories that were put forth in the book as background.  Now, I am definitely not a scientific person (I graduated from college without any math and only 2 semesters of science), but Sam Batterman made this part of the book fascinating and easily understood.

So if you want a fast-paced suspense novel with enough questions to get you thinking about what our government, corporations, and scientists are really up to, pick up a copy of Maximal Reserve.

Highly Recommended.

(I received a copy of Maximal Reserve from Bring It On! Communications in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Book Review: Restless In Carolina

5 Aug

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

and the book:

Restless in Carolina

Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)

***Special thanks to Ashley Boyer, Publicist, WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamara Leigh began her writing career in 1994 and is the best-selling author of fourteen novels, including Splitting Harriet (ACFW Book of the Year winner and RITA Award finalist), Faking Grace (RITA Award Finalist), and Leaving Carolina. A former speech and language pathologist, Tamara enjoys time with her family, faux painting, and reading. She lives with her husband and sons in Tennessee.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Tree-huggin’, animal-lovin’ Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan is on a mission. Well, two. First she has to come to terms with being a widow at thirty-three. After all, it’s been four years and even her five-year-old niece and nephew think it’s time she shed her widow’s weeds. Second, she needs to find a buyer for her family’s estate—a Biltmore-inspired mansion surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoiled forestland. With family obligations forcing the sale, Bridget is determined to find an eco-friendly developer to buy the land, someone who won’t turn it into single-family homes or a cheesy theme park.

Enter J. C. Dirk, a high-energy developer from Atlanta whose green property developments have earned him national acclaim. When he doesn’t return her calls, Bridget decides a personal visit is in order. Unfortunately, J. C. Dirk is neither amused nor interested when she interrupts his meeting—until she mentions her family name. In short order, he finds himself in North Carolina, and Bridget has her white knight—in more ways than one. But there are things Bridget doesn’t know about J. C., and it could mean the end of everything she’s worked for…and break her heart.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601421680
ISBN-13: 978-1601421685

My Review:

Restless In Carolina is a sweet, romantic, chick lit novel.  Set near Asheville, North Carolina, there is certainly an air of all things southern — the food, the accents, the corn mazes and the southern belle heroine.  Oops, Bridget Pickwick may be a southern gal and she might know how to cook southern food,  but she is NO southern belle!  In fact, Bridget is a tomboy from way back, with the dirt under her fingernails to prove it. And though she has been a widow for 4 long years, her family thinks it is time for her to shed her widow’s weeds. Soon she has two men showing her attention, or are they just widow sniffers trying to get the inside track to purchasing the Pickwick estate?  

The 3rd installment in the Southern Discomfort series, Restless in Carolina offers a quick and enjoyable read.  (You do not have to read the books in order, but why not since they are so much fun!)  Bridget comes a long way in this book — in her trust in God and herself — and she may finally be able to believe in the happily after the happily ever after. Although you may figure out what is going on way before Bridget, I think you will still enjoy turning page after page to make sure you and the writer got it right. I know I did.  

Recommended.

 

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Deep breath. “…and they lived…”

I can do this. It’s not as if I didn’t sense it coming. After all, I can smell an H.E.A. (Happily Ever After) a mile away—or, in this case, twenty-four pages glued between cardboard covers that feature the requisite princess surrounded by cute woodland creatures. And there are the words, right where I knew the cliché of an author would slap them, on the last page in the same font as those preceding them. Deceptively nondescript. Recklessly hopeful. Heartbreakingly false.

“Aunt Bridge,” Birdie chirps, “finish it.”

I look up from the once-upon-a-time crisp page that has been softened, creased, and stained by the obsessive readings in which hermother indulges her.

Eyes wide, cheeks flushed, my niece nods. “Say the magic words.” Magic?

More nodding, and is she quivering? Oh no, I refuse to be a party to this. I smile big, say, “The end,” and close the book. “So, how about another piece of weddin’ cake?”

“No!” She jumps off the footstool she earlier dubbed her “princess throne,” snatches the book from my hand, and opens it to the back. “Wight here!”

I almost correct her initial r-turned-w but according tomy sister, it’s developmental and the sound is coming in fine on its own, just as her other r’s did.

Birdie jabs the H, E, and A. “It’s not the end until you say the magic words.”

And I thought this the lesser of two evils—entertaining my niece and nephew as opposed to standing around at the reception as the bride and groom are toasted by all the happy couples, among them, cousin Piper, soon to be wed to my friend Axel, and cousin Maggie, maybe soon to be engaged to her sculptor man, what’s-his-name.

“Yeah,” Birdie’s twin,Miles, calls from where he’s once more hanging upside down on the rolling ladder I’ve pulled him off twice. “You gotta say the magic words.”

Outrageous! Even my dirt-between-the-toes, scab-ridden, snot-on-the-sleeve nephew is buying into the fantasy.

I spring from the armchair, cross the library, and unhook his ankles from the rung. “You keep doin’ that and you’ll bust your head wide open.” I set him on his feet. “And your mama will—

”No, Bonnie won’t.

“Well, she’ll be tempted to give you a whoopin’.”

Face bright with upside-down color, he glowers.

I’d glower back if I weren’t so grateful for the distraction he provided. “All right, then.” I slap at the ridiculously stiff skirt of the dress Maggie loaned me for my brother’s wedding. “Let’s rejoin the party—”

“You don’t wanna say it.”Miles sets his little legs wide apart. “Do ya?” So much for my distraction.

“You don’t like Birdie’s stories ’cause they have happy endings. And you don’t.”

I clench my toes in the painfully snug high heels on loan from Piper.

“Yep.”Miles punches his fists to his hips. “Even Mama says so.”

My own sister? I shake my head, causing the blond dreads Maggie pulled away from my face with a headband to sweep my back. “That’s not true.”

“Then say it wight now!” Birdie demands.

I peer over my shoulder at where she stands like an angry tin soldier, an arm outthrust, the book extended.

“Admit it,”Miles singsongs.

I snap around and catch my breath at the superior, knowing look on his five-year-old face. He’s his father’s son, all right, a miniature Professor Claude de Feuilles, child development expert.

“You’re not happy.” The professor in training, who looks anything but with his spiked hair, nods.

I know better than to bristle with two cranky, nap-deprived children, but that’s what I’m doing. Feeling as if I’m watching myself from the other side of the room, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’ll admit no such thing.”

“That’s ’cause you’re afraid. Mama said so.” Miles peers past me.

“Didn’t she, Birdie?”

Why is Bonnie discussing my personal life with her barely-out-of-diapers kids?

“Uh-huh. She said so.”

Miles’s smile is smug. “On the drive here, Mama told Daddy this day would be hard on you. That you wouldn’t be happy for Uncle Bart ’cause you’re not happy.”

Not true! Not that I’m thrilled with our brother’s choice of bride, but…come on! Trinity Templeton? Nice enough, but she isn’t operating on a full charge, which wouldn’t be so bad if Bart made up for the difference. Far from it, his past history with illegal stimulants having stripped him of a few billion brain cells.

“She said your heart is”—Miles scrunches his nose, as if assailed by a terrible odor—“constipated.”

What?!

“That you need an M&M, and I don’t think she meant the chocolate kind you eat. Probably one of those—”

“I am not constipated.” Pull back. Nice and easy. I try to heed my inner voice but find myself leaning down and saying, “I’m realistic.”

Birdie stomps the hardwood floor. “Say the magic words!”

“Nope.”Miles shakes his head. “Constipated.”

I shift my cramped jaw. “Re-al-is-tic.”

“Con-sti-pa-ted.”

Pull back, I tell you! He’s five years old. “Just because I don’t believe in fooling a naive little girl into thinkin’ a prince is waiting for her at the other end of childhood and will save her from a fate worse than death and take her to his castle and they’ll live…” I flap a hand. “…you know, doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me.”

Isn’t there? “It means I know better. There may be a prince, and he may have a castle, and they may be happy, but don’t count on it lasting. Oh no. He’ll get bored or caught up in work or start cheatin’—you know, decide to put that glass slipper on some other damsel’s foot or kiss another sleeping beauty—or he’ll just up and die like Easton—” No,
nothing at all wrong with you, Bridget Pickwick Buchanan, whose ugly widow’s weeds are showing.

“See!”Miles wags a finger.

Unfortunately, I do. And as I straighten, I hear sniffles.

“Now you done it!” Miles hustles past me. “Got Birdie upset.”

Sure enough, she’s staring at me with flooded eyes. “The prince dies? He dies and leaves the princess all alone?”The book falls from her hand, its meeting with the floor echoing around the library. Then she squeaks out a sob.

“No!” I spring forward, grimacing at the raspy sound the skirt makes as I attempt to reach Birdie before Miles.

He gets there first and puts an arm around her. A meltable moment, my mother would call it. After she gave me a dressing down. And I deserve one. My niece may be on the spoiled side and she may work my nerves, but I love her—even like her when that sweet streak of hers comes through. “It’s okay, Birdie,” Miles soothes. “The prince doesn’t die.”

Yes, he does, but what possessed me to say so? And what if I’ve scarred her for life?

Miles pats her head onto his shoulder. “Aunt Bridge is just”—he gives me the evil eye—“constipated.”

“Yes, Birdie.” I drop to my knees. “I am. My heart, that is. Constipated. I’m so sorry.”

She turns her head and, upper lip shiny with the stuff running out of her nose, says in a hiccupy voice, “The prince doesn’t die?” I grab the book from the floor and turn to the back. “Look. There they are, riding off into the sunset—er, to his castle. Happy. See, it says so.” I tap the H, E, and A.

She sniffs hard, causing that stuff to whoosh up her nose and my gag reflex to go on alert. “Weally happy, Aunt Bridge?”

“Yes.”

“Nope.” Barely-there eyebrows bunching, she lifts her head from Miles’s shoulder. “Not unless you say it.”

Oh dear Go—No, He and I are not talking. Well, He may be talking, but I’m not listening.

“I think you’d better.” Miles punctuates his advice with a sharp nod.

“Okay.” I look down at the page. “…and they lived…” It’s just a fairy tale—highly inflated, overstated fiction for tykes. “…they lived happily…ever…after.”

Birdie blinks in slow motion. “Happily…ever…after. That’s a nice way to say it, like you wanna hold on to it for always.”

Or unstick it from the roof of your mouth. “The end.” I close the book, and it’s all I can do not to toss it over my shoulder. “Here you go.”

She clasps it to her chest. “Happily…ever…after.”

Peachy. But I’ll take her dreamy murmuring over tears any day. Goodness, I can’t believe I made her cry. I stand and pat the skirt back down into its stand-alone shape. “More cake?”

“Yay!” Miles charges past me.

Next time— No, there won’t be a next time. I’m done with Little Golden Books.

Excerpted from Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh Copyright © 2011 by Tamara Leigh. Excerpted by permission of Multnomah Books, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Author, Author! — Robert Whitlow

4 Aug

Robert Whitlow is a film-maker and a best-selling author of eight legal thrillers. He is also a contributor to a short story The Rescuers, a story included in the book What The Wind Picked Up by The ChiLibris Ring. In 2001, he won the Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction, for his novel The Trial.

His debut novel, The List, was made into a movie starring Malcolm McDowell.

In 2010, Whitlow’s second novel, The Trial, a film based upon Whitlow’s Christy Award Winning book The Trial, and directed by Gary Wheeler, was produced as a movie. The screenplay for the movie The Trial was written by Mark Freiburger. The movie starred Matthew Modine, Nikki Deloach, Robert Forster, Clare Carey and Bob Gunton [1]

Robert Whitlow is also a practicing attorney and lives in North Carolina.  (From Wikipedia)

Robert Whitlow stands at the top of the list of my book club’s favorite authors.  We have read and discussed all of his books, except two:  The List (which some had already read, but we watched the movie) and Water’s Edge (because it has just come out).  I had the opportunity to sit down with Robert and his wife Cathy at the ICRS last month.  Here are some highlights of our talk.

BTB:  What is your writing schedule and research practices?

Robert:  Because I still practice law, I tend to write in the evenings and sometimes on the weekends.  I like to keep time open for my family though. When deadlines are coming close, I will spend much more time.  As to research, my legal experience helps with that aspect of my writing.  I will do research on the places in which the books are set.  Water’s Edge is set in northwest Georgia, an area we lived in for some time.  I also did research on Ponzi schemes for Water’s Edge. But, generally I have very little actual research hours invested in each book.

Kathy:  He is very disciplined in his writing schedule.

BTB:  Of all your books, which one is closest to your heart?

Robert:  My first book, The List and  my book Jimmy are what I call “inspired books”, books I had to write.  Writing Jimmy had a huge impact on my life.  Following the publication of Jimmy, my daughter gave birth to my grandchild who has Downs Syndrome.   My other books I believe are “sanctified imagination”.

BTB:  Jimmy had an alternate ending published online, why?

Robert:  I presented the publisher with both endings and they choose the ending to be published in the book.  A movie version of Jimmy is also currently in the works.

BTB:  Are the movies adapted from your books different?

Robert:  I am involved in the whole process of producing a movie.  The movies become independent works from the book on which it is based.  For The Trial, the focus was on healing from grief, so parts of the novel that were not integral to the focus were not included.

BTB:  What is your newest book, Water’s Edge, about?

Robert:  A young lawyer on the rise in Atlanta is faced with the death of his father, also an attorney. He has to deal with all the issues involving his father’s death, including the closing of his law office. In the novel, the young lawyer has to go back to his roots in order to find purpose in his life.  I have used Jeremiah 6:16 for this book (The Lord said to his people: “You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path.  Ask where the old, reliable paths are. Ask where the path is that leads to blessing and follow it. If you do, you will find rest for your souls.”  But they said, “We will not follow it!” NET)

BTB:  Can you tell us about the novel you are currently working on?

Robert:  The first draft of my newest novel is due August 1.  It will be a standalone featuring a High School student faced with an unplanned pregnancy.  The year is 1974, the year of the Roe v. Wade decision.  The action then jumps to a point in the future.  It will be a very emotional story.  (Robert shared a little more about the book, but Kathy very wisely advised I not tell too much!  Let’s just say, you won’t want to miss this one when it is finished.)

A Big Thank You to Robert and Kathy for speaking with me.  

My Husband’s Impressions:

Copies of Water’s Edge were snapped up quickly at the ICRS, so the publisher, Thomas Nelson, sent me a copy of to read and review.  Unfortunately that copy was snatched up too — by my husband!  Brian is a huge fan of Robert Whitlow and was eager to read Water’s Edge. Because it was his birthday, I let him. Here are some of Brian’s thoughts about the book.

“It kept me wanting to read more and more.  The main character, Tom Crane, has a set view on what success is, until he returns to his hometown and to the law practice of his dead father.  He runs into all kinds of people around town who tell him what a success his father is, something he has a hard time believing since he has bills and back taxes to take care of.  His uncle is also was a great character.  A retired preacher, he is often awakened at night to pray for the issues Tom is facing.  And the prayers, often unknown to Tom, impact the direction that Tom goes.  The scripture the uncle quotes is very relevant and applicable for the day to day.  Probably the best book Robert Whitlow has written.”

 

(I received Water’s Edge from Thomas Nelson.  The opinions expressed by my husband are his alone, no coercion from anyone, including me!)

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Book Review: River’s Song

2 Aug

Sometimes when we look back, we are able to see ahead 
Following her mother’s funeral, and on the verge of her own midlife crisis, widow Anna Larson returns to the home of her youth to sort out her parents’ belongings, as well as her own turbulent life. 

For the first time since childhood, Anna embraces her native heritage, despite the disdain of her vicious mother-in-law. 
By transforming her old family home on the banks of the Siuslaw River into The Inn at Shining Waters, Anna hopes to create a place of healing—a place where guests experience peace, grace, and new beginnings. Starting with her own family . . . 

 First Chapter

Melody Carlson grew up in a small town in Oregon. She wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but when she turned 15, her life turned around dramatically after she became a Christian. She became very involved in missions, and was the youngest short-term assistant that Wycliffe Bible Translators ever had in Papua New Guinea.

Melody loved to write at a young age, but she found other ways to express her creativity over the years. Eventually she found she had a compulsion to write, and that she could write quickly. In 1995, her first book was published, and she has been writing prolifically ever since. Her award-winning books include: The Prayer of Jabez for Little Ones, King of the Stable, The Gold and Honey Bible, The Ark that Noah Built, and Benjamin’s Box. In the past few years, she has published over sixty books for children, teens, and adults–with total sales of over a million copies. Melody’s recent projects include the Just Like Jesus Said series for children, Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them, and Looking for Cassandra Jane, and the upcoming releases Sold Out–the latest in the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, I’m Zoë–part of the Little Blessings series, When Creepy Things Come Out, Miranda’s Story, and Heal Me, Oh God.

In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Bailey, her chocolate lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

My Impressions:

My previous experience with Melody Carlson has been through her YA novels. The high school girls’ book club I hosted a few years back read several of her novels.  My daughter couldn’t get enough of her Samantha McGregor series.  So I was eager to read her newest adult novel, River’s Song.

I normally do not look at reviews by other bloggers before writing my own.  But several blogs I follow have featured this book today, and I read them.  It is amazing how differently readers view a book.  I won’t go into the specifics of the other reviews, but my take on the book is different from theirs.

First of all, River’s Song is set in the early 1950’s.  It has a definite feel of an era that is long gone, but I wouldn’t characterize the novel as historical.  The story could have taken place anywhere at anytime.  But I am glad Carlson chose the quiet backwater (that’s what some of the characters call it) setting of the Suislaw River in Oregon.  There is a restorative quality to the setting, and I really get that. My husband and I own a lake house on the end of a quiet cove.   It is hard to break away from our everyday lives, but when we get there, finally, we experience the refreshment not often found outside of God’s creation.

The main character, Anna, is difficult.  As viewed from a 21st century perspective, she is a bit unbelievable.  But Anna is from a different time:  her childhood experiences of The Depression, her adult experiences of caring for a husband injured physically and emotionally on the beaches of Normandy, the stigma of being a Native American in the early 20th century and her struggle just to survive in difficult times make her what she is.  Anna has been abused for years and that has taken its toll on her self-worth.  Did I like Anna?  Yes . . . and sometimes no.  I wanted to shake her to wake her up.  But ultimately Anna found the strength and courage to do what she knew was right.

And that brings me to what I feel is the biggest strength of the novel — the blessings of humility and forgiveness.  Meek and lowly of heart may describe our Lord, but most westerners would descry that as weak and foolish.  While I don’t think Jesus was a doormat (cleaning out the temple was sure a bold move), His example of servanthood is one that is hard to adopt in the face of abuse and misuse.  Carlson does a good job, through Anna, at showing what a servant looks like and what forgiveness will accomplish in the forgiver’s life.

So, yes I liked River’s Song.  I didn’t always like how the characters acted or the circumstances their creator put them in. Kind of like real life, eh?  But at the end, I liked how they persevered and matured.  Hopefully, that’s how I am living too.

Highly Recommended.

(I received River’s Song from Glass Roads PR in return for an honest review. The opinions expressed are mine alone)


 


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Book Review: Shadows on The Sand

26 Jul

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, leaving only cryptic clues in her Sudoku book, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But when Carrie’s own painful past becomes all too present, her carefully constructed world begins to sink.

Will the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry?

My Impressions:  

There is a lot going on in Carrie Carter’s life:  she is pining away for Greg, a man who doesn’t even know she exists, she is trying to help out a young waitress in her Cafe who seems to be hiding from her past, and now her dishwasher is missing! Include a drug dealer who uses his hummer to wreak havoc on his landlord and a mother who appears almost 20 years after Carrie and her sister escaped their horrific home and you really have a lot of plot lines.  Now, add a polygamous cult with sinister leaders. Wow, little Seaside, New Jersey is really hopping!  But in Gayle Roper’s new mystery, Shadows on The Sand, all the plot lines work and eventually come back together.

Billed as a cozy mystery, I think I would describe Shadows on The Sand as just plain mystery.  It is set in a small town and there are a number of quirky characters:  a pony-tailed Vietnam vet and a scooter riding and tweeting grandma, but there is a lot of sinister stuff going on.  And the bad guys aren’t just bad they are downright creepy. I really enjoyed this book; it kept me guessing and turning the page.  And there are a few story lines left to follow, so I hope it will be followed by a sequel.

So if you need a few days down at the shore, pick up Shadows on The Sand.  It will give you just the thing you need for the end of the summer blues.

Recommended.

I received Shadows on The Sand from First Wild Card in return for a review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.  To find out much more about the Gayle Roper and to read the first chapter, click HERE.

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Book Review: The Dashwood Sisters Tell All

26 Jul
Ellen and Mimi Dodge have never been close, but their mother’s dying wish sends them on a walking tour of Hampshire, England, that follows in the footsteps of Jane Austen. Their mother also left them something else: a diary that belonged to Jane’s sister Cassandra. These pages shed light on the secrets that nearly tore the Austen sisters apart and inspired one of the greatest love stories of all time. They also bring Jane to life in a way that no one has ever seen before: through the eyes of her sister. As the Dodge sisters embark on their walking tour, they too are drawn together in ways they never expected. They also discover that Cassandra’s diary holds secrets, and someone doesn’t want Ellen and Mimi to discover the truth. As they stumble on their way toward love, the women learn how Jane and Cassandra Austen inspired the original Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and come to realize that despite their very different personalities, they are a vital part of each other’s happy endings.

About The Author:

Beth Patillo — I am a born and bred Texan, but I haven’t lived in Texas since my college days at Trinity University in San Antonio. Oh, San Antonio, how I love your delicious Mexican food and rich culture.

Where was I? Oh, yes. After college, I moved to Nashville where I earned a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University and met my wonderful husband. Our careers took us to Jackson, Tennessee, and then to Kansas City, Missouri, where my son was born. I started my first novel while in KC but didn’t sell a book until after we moved back to Nashville and had a second child, my darling daughter.

Now, I wear a lot of hats — mom, wife, writer, daughter, friend — just like so many other women. I’m lucky that I love being all of these things. The challenge is keeping up with all the demands!

I’ve had the opportunity to write historical romance, chick lit, mystery, and women’s fiction. All my books do have two things in common — heroines and humor! I love a strong female character and lots of laughter.

My Impressions:

The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is the third book from Beth Pattillo billed as a modern day novel of Jane Austen.  All three books are stand alones, although The Formidables, a secret society charged with protecting Jane Austen’s privacy make an appearance in all three books.  This novel draws from  Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, both for the two main characters Mimi and Ellen and for the plot involving Cassandra Austen’s lost diary.

Mimi and Ellen Dodge find themselves on a walking tour of Austen’s Hampshire following the death of their mother.  Charged with finding a resting place for their mother’s ashes, the two sisters are drawn into old roles from childhood.  Mimi is the romantic flirt and Ellen is the sensible one.  Their mother has also given them an Austen heirloom to dispose of as well — Cassandra Austen’s diary.

Loosely following the plot of Sense and Sensibility, The Dashwood Sisters Tell All is more about finding yourself than finding Mr. Right.  There is a good bit of mystery surrounding the diary, which at one point is stolen.  This book is a satisfying read for Austen enthusiasts and a good chick lit book for those not familiar with Austen’s novels.

Recommended.

(I received an ARC of The Dashwood Sisters Tell All from the Christian Review of Books in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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