Alice was born in Osaka, Japan in the sixties. Her parents were Presbyterian career missionaries. As a young child, Alice loved to walk down to the local stationer’s store to buy notebooks, pencils and scented erasers. In her room, she created stories. The desire to be a published famous author has never left her. Well, two out of three isn’t bad. She’s the author of Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Hatteras Girl and A Wedding Invitation (all published by Bethany House).
Alice went to Eastern Mennonite University after graduating from Canadian Academy, an international high school in Kobe, Japan. She majored in social work and has worked across the U.S. in that field. She taught ESL (English as a Second Language) in Japan and at a refugee camp in the Philippines. She also studied Spanish at a language institute in San Jose, Costa Rica.
She has four children–Rachel, Daniel, Benjamin and Elizabeth. Daniel died on 2/2/97 from cancer treatments at the age of four. Since then, Alice founded Daniel’s House Publications in her son’s memory. This organization reaches out to others who have also lost a child to death. In 2000 and 2003, Alice compiled recipes and memories of children across the world to publish two memorial cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
After returning home from teaching English at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Samantha Bravencourt enjoys her quiet life working at her mother’s clothing boutique in Falls Church, Virginia. When she receives an invitation to a wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she looks forward to reconnecting with her college friend. Instead her life collides with Carson, a fellow teacher and the man who broke her heart, and a young Amerasian refugee named Lien who needs Samantha and Carson’s help to find her mother before Lien’s own wedding. When the search for Lien’s mother reveals surprising secrets from the past, Samantha must reevaluate her own memories and decide whether to continue to play it safe or take a risk that could change her life.
“Waking Hours” is one of those page-turners that are difficult to put down. I found myself up until the wee hours because I didn’t want to stop until I reached the end. Then to my surprise, I found that matters were only partially resolved. I have been left hanging high and dry until the sequel is released. Of course I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand I am delighted that there will be another book in this series to enjoy. On the other hand I have to wait for it!
When a gruesome murder is discovered, the townspeople of East Salem are on edge. Dani Harris, a forensic psychiatrist is determined to find the killer. Tommy Gunderson, former football star and PI in training, is equally determined to help Dani in her quest. When evidence places a group of teens at the scene, none of them can remember being there. Not only is the case increasingly confusing but Dani and Tommy witness some other bizarre incidents and Dani is haunted by nightmares that wake her at the same time each night. With conflicting evidence and red herrings that throw them off track, Tommy and Dani wrestle with a sense of impending doom that threatens to derail their investigation. Will they find that elusive piece of evidence and identify the killer before someone else dies?
Wiehl’s easy-to-read writing style and a plot that progressed at a brisk pace pulled me into the story and wouldn’t let go. The budding romance between Tommy and Dani added a bit of relief in the midst of the darkly intense narrative. Not only is “Waking Hours” a gripping murder mystery but the supernatural undertones added a dark atmosphere that served to increase the suspense. Although there are fairly detailed descriptions of the murder victim and a violent encounter or two, “Waking Hours” is free of the offensive language and intimate scenes that are common in books of this type. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy this genre. I would advise against sharing it with your children for obvious reasons.
This book was provided for review by BookSneeze.
ABOUT THE BOOK: New from Fox News Analyst and New York Times Best-selling author, Liz Wiehl
All towns have secrets. Some have demons.
Welcome to East Salem. A deceptively sleepy town where ancient supernatural forces are being awakened.
A local high-school girl is found murdered in a park amid horse farms and wealthy homes of northern Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet none remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?
But it’s not just her waking hours that challenge Dani. Each night, her eyes open at 2:13 due to troubling dreams. Dreams filled with blood, water, and destruction. Is it a clue—or a supernatural sign?
Across town, former NFL linebacker Tommy Gunderson finds his state-of-the-art security system has been breached by an elderly woman. Mumbling threats in Latin, she attacks him with an uncanny, preternatural strength. Before he has time to process the attack, someone close to him is implicated in the girl’s murder at the park. He agrees to help—and finds himself working with Dani, the only girl who could resist his charms years ago when they were in high school.
A heavy darkness is spreading. Yet a heavenly force is also at work.
It will take astute analysis and forensic skills to solve the crime. But Dani and Tommy suspect there’s more the the mystery than murder, more to their growing friendship than chance . . . and more to the evil they’re facing than a mere human killer.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Lis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.
Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.
Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.
Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.
She lives with her husband and two children in New York.
Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Playboy, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine. He’s published twelve young adult novels, including a six-book series about a girl named Sylvia Smith-Smith which earned him an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. His young adult non-fiction WWII history, Left For Dead (Randomhouse, 2002) about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis won the 2003 Christopher award as was named to the American Library Association’s 2003 top ten list. His other non-fiction titles include Real Man Tells All (Viking, 1988), Marry Like a Man (NAL, l992), That Others May Live (Crown, 2000) and Kidshape (Rutledge Hill, 2004). His novel The Christmas List was published by Rutledge Hill Press in 2004. He wrote, with former army counterintelligence agent Dave DeBatto, a four book series of military thrillers, including CI: Team Red (2005), CI: Dark Target (2006), CI: Mission Liberty (2006) and CI: Homeland Threat (2007) published by Time-Warner. A More Unbending Battle; The Harlem Hellfighters’ Struggle for Democracy in WWI and Equality at Home, was published in 2009 by Basic Civitas books. His novel, I Thought You Were Dead, will be published by Algonquin in 2010. He also has two CDs out on the Signature Sounds label, the first entitled The Restless Boys Club (1996), the second called Days Like Horses (2000).
Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.
She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings’ Heartsong Presents. She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership’s vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.
In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella. Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.
She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.
Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.
Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family–especially her three grandchildren–Rainy, Fox and Max. She’s active in her church as the Director of Women’s Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer’s retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When her father orchestrates a surprise trip to the summer house of her childhood, Bailee Cooper is unprepared for what follows. What is intended to be a happy reunion for Bailee and her sisters, Geena and Piper, quickly becomes shrouded by memories from the past.
Together again, the three sisters sift through their recollections of fifteen years ago…of an ill mother, and of their father making a desperate choice. They vowed, as children, to be silent–but one sister believes the truth must now be revealed. Yet can they trust their memories?
Mark Delahunt arrives in the wake of this emotional turmoil. Determined to win Bailee’s affection, Mark becomes the strong fortress for her in this time of confusion, and what was once a tentative promise begins to take root and grow. Caught between the past and an uncertain future, can Bailee let God guide her to heal the past and ultimately to embrace love?
If you would like to read the first chapter of House of Secrets, go HERE.
Learn more about Tracie and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
Although Tracie Peterson is probably best known for her excellent historical fiction, House of Secrets is proof that her talent is multifaceted. In this contemporary novel, Bailee Cooper and her two younger sisters still wrestle with childhood family secrets that have immobilized their lives in many ways. Bailee in particular suffers frequent nightmares as well as an unnatural sense of responsibility for her sisters and has never allowed herself to develop friendships let alone contemplate a romantic relationship. Nevertheless, each of the sisters has managed to squelch the memories and to keep up appearances of normalcy – that is until their father arranges for them all to return for the first time to the house where their mother died.
House of Secrets tells a vivid story of the crippling effects of mental illness on the Cooper family. Not only do the memories haunt them, particularly Bailee, but each of them deal with different levels of anger, fear, depression, and other dysfunctional traits. When their return to the vacation home brings all the memories and secrets back to the surface, they must decide whether to meet them head-on and overcome the past or to forever remain trapped there. House of Secrets is an emotional tale that ultimately illustrates principles of true forgiveness and the decision to rely on God.
Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.
She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.
Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she’s added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.
Kathy’s husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and birdwatching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7
When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.
A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table…and they begin to talk…
Out of all the books offered by CFBA for review this month, Dangerous Mercy was the one I most wanted to read. Wouldn’t you know it – the book barely arrived in time for its blog tour. What with other things I needed to do and admittedly some piddling around, I am getting my review in by the skin of my teeth. It might even end up a few minutes late.
I always expect a good suspenseful story when I pick up a book by Kathy Herman and Dangerous Mercy did not disappoint. With several murders in one week, the townspeople of Les Barbes are on edge and for good reason. All but one of the crimes seem to have been committed by the same person but one murder does not follow the same pattern as the others. As law enforcement scrambles to put together the clues, one man from the halfway house becomes a person of interest in the seemingly unrelated death. Will the murderer be found before more people die? What about Noah – is he really guilty? And Adele – is she foolish for trusting the men from the halfway house to work in her home? These and many more questions will be answered if you pick up a copy of Dangerous Mercy.
I did manage to figure out who the murderer was fairly early in the story, mainly because the person was just too nice but Kathy did drop a few clues for anyone sharp enough to pick up on them. Suspecting the guilty person did not detract from my enjoyment of the story at all. In fact, I often find that the suspense in Herman’s stories takes a backseat to the human interaction and relationships within the book. That is what makes her books so realistic and makes me continue to read them. The fact that each of her novels contains a valuable spiritual lesson does not hurt either.
As with all Kathy Herman books, I highly recommend Dangerous Mercy. If you are not familiar with Kathy’s books, now would be a wonderful time to try one.
A Lancaster County Christmas is an Amish Christmas novella that could be read in one sitting on a lazy afternoon. The reader will quickly find herself immersed in the deftly crafted story filled with well-defined characters. The author has not wasted her time on nonessentials but has made every sentence count.
Although Jaime Fitzpatrick and Mattie Riehl are from widely divergent backgrounds, each carries her own personal pain that influences every aspect of her life including her relationship with the Lord. Jaime’s grief after her mother’s death has resulted in a dependence on sleep medication and a desperate need to reconnect with the father who abandoned her as an infant. Mattie’s failure to have another child has sent her into a depression and the need to overprotect her one son. Little could either of them imagine that one small whistle left behind at the doctor’s office and a huge snowstorm could change their lives forever.
When the Fitzpatricks are forced to spend several days at the home of the Amish family of Sol and Mattie Riehl, each person in the home is touched by their encounter. Several plot twists keep the story moving along. A Lancaster County Christmas may not be the typical story about a Christmas celebration but the intended message of “Emmanuel, God With Us” comes across very clearly.
A tender and touching story, A Lancaster County Christmas is one book that could be enjoyed each year during the holiday season. I would highly recommend it.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life as most couples do–in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But four years later they’ve drifted apart and are almost ready to call it quits.
Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for–news that a baby was on the way. But as usual, she is disappointed. The holidays bring an acute awareness to Mattie that her dream of a big family isn’t likely to become a reality.
Then a winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home–and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?
With her trademark plot twists and attention to detail, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers readers a beautiful Christmas story of love, forgiveness, and what truly matters in life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.
Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles–simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily– into your life.
When Suzanne isn’t writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne’s way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth.
To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the “Christmas in September” iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).
Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour HERE – many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!
Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):
A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
$25 gift certificate to iTunes
A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas
To enter, click HERE. But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.
But, wait! There’s more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne’s author page. During the party she’ll be revealing something *BIG* – you won’t want to miss it. She’ll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.
Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults–with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards. And her “Diary of a Teenage Girl” series has received great reviews and a large box of fan mail.
She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Once upon a time in a little town on the Oregon coast lived four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever.
Decades later, they’re all back home in Clifden and reinventing their lives, but the holidays bring a whole new set of challenges. Abby’s new B&B is getting bad reviews and husband Paul is acting strange. Still grieving for her mom, Caroline is remodeling the family home, but boyfriend Mitch keeps pressuring her to go away with him. Artist Marley, distracted by a friend’s family drama (and a touch of jealousy), can’t find her creative groove. And Janie’s drug-addicted daughter has just appeared up on her doorstep! When a long-planned New Year’s cruise turns into a bumpy ride, they learn once again that, in your fifties, friends aren’t just for fun—they’re a necessity!
Learn more about Melody and her books on her Website.
MY REVIEW:
Although I somehow missed the second and third installments of The Four Lindas series, I had very little trouble following the story. I did feel that I missed some important events of the women’s lives but Here’s to Friends pretty much brought me up-to-date as I read.
Here’s to Friends documents the ups and downs in the daily lives of Abby, Caroline, Marley, and Janie. As they deal with such issues as low self-esteem, marital problems, financial set-backs, business difficulties, uncertain romantic relationships, career challenges, etc., the one thing each lady can count on is the support of her three closest friends. Their longstanding friendship is based on mutual trust which allows each of them to speak into the others’ lives with openness and honesty.
Here’s to Friends is not a particularly exciting book nor is it filled with romantic scenes, drama, or suspense. However it is a beautiful illustration of friendship that will make the reader thankful for her own friends or leave her wishing for deeper relationships of her own.
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