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.
” Along Wooded Paths” is somewhat different than most Amish novels I have read, primarily because its setting is not in one of the expected Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Indiana locations. Another difference is the frequent interaction between the Amish and the Englisch in this series. Because of the remote and rugged territory, all the residents of the small Montana town are dependent upon each other and their friendships tend to ignore the usual barriers.
After Marianna’s plans to return to Indiana are aborted, she settles into life in Montana. Her friendship with Ben has introduced her to a more personal relationship with the Lord and her spiritual life is thriving. She is very drawn to Ben but knows that a romantic relationship is impossible because he is not Amish. Then Aaron Zook, the Amish man she expected to marry, shows up unexpectedly and circumstances force an extended stay with Marianna’s family. Most of the book focuses on Marianna’s indecision between Ben and Aaron. Each of them attracts her for different reasons and she finds herself torn.
As the book draws to a close, Marianna has made her decision between Ben and Aaron and I found myself telling her “NO!”. The teaser for the next installment of the series seems to confirm that my instincts were correct. Can’t wait to find out if I am right.
I enjoyed “Along Wooded Paths” because it was not the usual bonnet fiction but dealt with some true to life matters and didn’t ignore the difficult subjects. I also liked the way some of the Amish characters began to question the importance of all the Amish rules and regulations when compared to a true relationship with Jesus.
For those who are a little weary of the usual Amish fiction, Goyer’s Big Sky series might just be a breath of fresh air.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
See what other bloggers are saying about “Along Wooded Paths” HERE.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
All she wanted was a simple Amish life . . . But now Marianna Sommer finds herself depending on Englisch neighbors. Although proud of living apart from the world, she and her newly relocated Amish family have discovered that life in the remote mountains of Montana requires working together.
As Marianna begins helping those different from herself—and receiving their help—her heart contemplates two directions. She’s torn between the Amish man from Indiana whom she has long planned on marrying and the friendly Englischer who models a closer walk with God than she’s ever seen before.
Who should have young Marianna’s heart? What is God asking her to sacrifice? Her traditions? Her community? The answer is found along the wooded paths.
Find out about book 1, “Beside Still Waters” HERE.
Tricia Goyer is the author of thirty books including “Songbird Under a German Moon”, “The Swiss Courier”, and the mommy memoir, “Blue Like Play Dough”. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book “Life Interrupted” was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.
Tricia is celebrating the release of Along Wooded Paths with a Fabulous Facebook party on October 18th. She’ll be giving away prizes and a sneak peak at the next book in the Big Sky series.
Then during the second half of the party she’ll be hosting a LIVE AUTHOR CHAT on her website and announcing something BIG! CLICK the button (below) to RSVP for the party – then go here to sign up for the Live Author Chat.
“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.
“Hello, Hollywood” is another fun filled tale from Janice Thompson that is filled with her trademark quirky humor. Set in the same sitcom TV studio as “Stars Collide”, first installment of Thompson’s Backstage Pass series, the primary character is Athena Pappas, the head screenwriter for the wildly popular TV series. Included are some beloved old friends as well as several new friends the reader will love, including Athena’s fun and loving crazy Greek family.
Athena’s world tilts when a new writer is added to the writing team. It doesn’t help that he is a somewhat famous comedian who has just starred in his own HBO TV special and has been nominated for an award. Her lack of self-confidence has her convinced that it is only a matter of time before everyone knows she is a fraud and her job security is gone. Prepared to hate the new writer, Steve Cosse, Athena finds herself liking him against her better judgement. But in her mind, there is NO WAY an Adonis like Steve could ever be interested in someone like her.
Well, it is a given that “Hello, Hollywood” is a romantic comedy featuring Steve and Athena. What you don’t know is how much fun it will be on the journey to the expected conclusion. Let me just say, “Conflict, conflict, conflict!” I loved the mentions of classic TV comedies and the chapter titles of old TV shows. Athena’s tendency to script her own romantic moments in her head as she experienced them was hilarious. As I can always expect from one of Janice’s novels, “Hello, Hollywood” has a well paced plot, wonderful characters, plenty of humor, a sweet romance, and an unobtrusive but clear message of faith. I know I can count on Janice to supply me with stories that brighten my day. If you have never read one of her books, “Hello, Hollywood” (and “Stars Collide”) would be a good place to start.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Say Hello to Hollywood! Find out just how funny life can be when you try to script it.
Popular romance author and screenwriter, Janice Thompson, is charming her readers once again with a behind-the-scenes look at life in Hollywood. Her new book, Hello, Hollywood! (ISBN: 978-0-8007-3346-9, $14.99, 288 pages, September) is the second installment in the Backstage Pass series. This time, Thompson takes her readers inside the writer’s room.
At 28, Athena Pappas has a pretty great gig. She’s the head writer of one of the most popular sitcoms in television history, Stars Collide. Yet, something’s still lacking: her love life.
Athena finds nothing wrong with still living at home with her large, wacky Greek family and making her bed with the same Strawberry Shortcake sheets she had as a kid. None of that has prevented Athena from plotting her characters’ romances. So why is her own love life so hard to script?
Athena’s love life gets the shakeup it needs when her boss hires up-and-coming Vegas comedian, Stephen Cosse, to help boost the show’s sagging ratings. Feeling her position as head writer threatened, she starts to doubt her talents, and the fact that Stephen is as good looking as Adonis doesn’t escape Athena’s attention either.
Sparks fly as the competition—and attraction—between the two heats things up. While they struggle to create conflict and comedy for their characters on the page, Athena and Stephen develop a relationship they never would have scripted for themselves and discover that not being in control of the plot of their lives may just be the best thing that’s ever happened.
Hello, Hollywood! delights readers with its charm and humor. Every character will jump off the page and into the readers’ hearts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson affords an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and lives in Texas. To learn more about Janice visit her at: www.janicethompson.com
Beverly’s first venture into adult fiction is the best-selling trilogy, The Heritage of Lancaster County, including The Shunning, a suspenseful saga of Katie Lapp, a young Amish woman drawn to the modern world by secrets from her past. The book is loosely based on the author’s maternal grandmother, Ada Ranck Buchwalter, who left her Old Order Mennonite upbringing to marry a Bible College student. One Amish-country newspaper claimed Beverly’s work to be “a primer on Lancaster County folklore” and offers “an insider’s view of Amish life.”
Booksellers across the country, and around the world, have spread the word of Beverly’s tender tales of Plain country life. A clerk in a Virginia bookstore wrote, “Beverly’s books have a compelling freshness and spark. You just don’t run across writing like that every day. I hope she’ll keep writing stories about the Plain people for a long, long time.”
A member of the National League of American Pen Women, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of Evangel University, Lewis has written over 80 books for children, youth, and adults, many of them award-winning. She and her husband, David, make their home in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, and spending time with their family. They are also avid musicians and fiction “book worms.”
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Rose Kauffman pines for prodigal Nick Franco, the Bishop’s foster son who left the Amish under a cloud of suspicion after his foster brother’s death. His rebellion led to the “silencing” of their beloved Bishop. But is Nick really the rebel he appears to be? Rose’s lingering feelings for her wayward friend refuse to fade, but she is frustrated that Nick won’t return and make things right with the People. Nick avowed his love for Rose–but will he ever be willing to sacrifice modern life for her?
Meanwhile, Rose’s older sister, Hen, is living in her parents’ Dawdi Haus. Her estranged “English” husband, injured and helpless after a car accident, has reluctantly come to live with her and their young daughter during his recovery. Can their marriage recover, as well? Is there any possible middle ground between a woman reclaiming her old-fashioned Amish lifestyle and thoroughly modern man?
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Mercy, go HERE.
Watch the book trailer:
MY REVIEW:
The Mercy is the final installment of Beverly Lewis’ Rose Trilogy and for the most part the story focuses on tying up all the loose ends from the previous two novels. By the end of the book the reader will find out what happens with Hen and her husband Brandon, whether Rose’s mom had a successful surgery to relieve her chronic pain, what really happened with Nick and his brother Christian, and whether Rose found the husband she so desperately wanted.
It was good to see all the unresolved issues from the earlier books wrapped up so neatly but in many ways, The Mercy was pretty much just another Amish novel in a market full of them. Issac’s character introduced a bit of originality with the groups of Amish young people who participated in barn dances but it didn’t take very long to realize that he and Rose were total opposites and that he was merely a distraction from her obsession with Nick. Very little effort was made to portray Issac because in the long run, he just wasn’t important enough.
Overall The Mercywas a decent read. It was well written and moved at a reasonable pace. Forgiveness and reconciliation were major themes and the spiritual content was more than adequate. So, if you are a true Amish fiction fan, you should love The Mercy.
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