I have three copies of Amy Grant’s new book, “Mosaic” to give away. If you will leave a comment between now and October 20, 2007, I will draw three names. If you will include your email, I can notify you if you are a winner and I can then get your mailing address. Thanks for reading!
When my children were young teens, I listened to and enjoyed Amy Grant’s music along with them. As they grew older, their musical tastes changed to harder Christian rock and Amy’s recordings stopped coming into our home. When I was given the opportunity to read and review Amy’s new book, I thought it would be a way to discover what had been happening with her during the years.
I’m not sure what I expected when I began the book – probably the usual autobiography with all the achievements, glories and possibly even scandals. I was pleasantly surprised to find Mosaic to be more of a journaling of Amy’s thoughts and perceptions about people and events in her life, many of which might be considered insignificant at casual glance. Yet Amy relates these events in a way that exhibits her depth and maturity of thought and her true humanity. Her observations inspired me to look into my own view of my life. When I read this book, I saw a woman I could relate to, not a celebrity who has set herself on a pedestal.
Lyrics of many of Amy’s songs are interspersed throughout the book, lending additional insight to her reflections.
I would recommend Mosaic to anyone even if they have never been an Amy Grant fan. What she has to say is worthwhile and will probably open your mind and heart to new ways of looking at life.
Summary and Author Bio
Grammy Award–winning artist Amy Grant has lived in the spotlight since bursting onto the Christian music scene as a teenager thirty years ago. In that time her work, marriage, and spiritual life have been subject to varying degrees of adulation and criticism.
Now, in her first autobiographical book, Grant bares her heart and soul, giving readers an intimate glimpse into her everyday life and the lessons she’s learning along the way. From lighthearted reminiscences of her Tennessee childhood to painfully honest reflections on the journey of faith, her vivid writing draws readers into her world while simultaneously creating space for them to rethink their own perspectives on life.
With honesty and depth, Grant offers poignant and often startling insights on motherhood, marriage, friendship, faith, loss, forgiveness, and redemption. Never-before-shared stories about her husband, country music star Vince Gill, provide a look into her life as a celebrity, while intimate portraits of her mother and musings on the past reveal the various pieces of a life blessed with jagged edges as well as vivid colors. Readers will find their preconceived notions of this music icon stripped away as they settle in for a warmly satisfying conversation with a gracious and wise friend.
Amy Grant is the best-selling Christian music artist of all time and the first to garner the number one spot on Billboard’s chart. Since beginning her career at age 17, she has earned six Grammy Awards and twenty-five Dove Awards, and last year she received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Grant’s numerous television appearances include Oprah; Good Morning, America; and Late Night with David Letterman. In 2007 she’ll tour nationwide, performing with local symphonies in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and elsewhere.
To purchase a copy of Mosaic, CLICK HERE.
I have one new unread copy of Nobody by Creston Mapes to give away. I will draw one name from those who leave comments between now and October 15, 2007. Even if you are not the winner, I hope that you will read Nobody anyway. You won’t be sorry!
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
(Multnomah Fiction September 11, 2007)
by
As a newcomer to the CFBA, Nobody is the first book I have had the opportunity to read and review for the blog tour. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It has a fast moving plot that pulled me into it and kept me guessing as to the outcome. It kept me up past my bedtime because I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next.
Creston Mapes writes with a skill that keeps the reader interested and involved with his characters, particularly Hudson Ambrose and Holly Queens. The plot was well conceived with unexpected twists and turns. A compelling mystery/suspense, Nobody explores the consequences of choices made and the impact of faith or the lack thereof. The reader is challenged to examine her own heart in light of the spiritual truths revealed by the characters’ struggles and growth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Creston Mapes is a talented storyteller whose first two novels, Dark Star and Full Tilt, made him a finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year awards and the Inspirational Readers Choice awards. Creston has written for major corporations, colleges, and ministries, including Coca-Cola, TNT Sports, Oracle, Focus on the Family, and In Touch Ministries. Committed to his craft and his family, Creston makes his home in Georgia with his wife, Patty, and their four children.
He’s been married for twenty-one years to the girl he first loved way back in fourth grade. They have three lovely girls and a boy in a very close-knit family, spending a lot of time together – watching old classic movies, going on outings, and taking in various school and community events and activities. Creston loves to go for morning walks with his dog, read, paint watercolors, meet friends for coffee and Bible study, watch hockey, take his wife on dates, and spend time in God’s Word.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Not everything that happens in Vegas has to stay in Vegas!
They said, “He’s a nobody.”
They were dead wrong.
When reporter Hudson Ambrose hears an early morning call on his police scanner about an injured person at a bus stop on Las Vegas Boulevard, he rushes to the scene to get the scoop.
His world is blown off its axis when he discovers a murdered homeless man with a bankbook in his pocket showing a balance of almost one million dollars. Should he wait for the police, knowing the case will get lost in reams of red tape, or swipe the bankbook and take the investigation–and perhaps a chunk of the money–into his own hands?
With sirens bearing down on the scene, Hudson makes an impulse decision that whisks him on a frantic search for answers, not only about the mysterious dead man, but about the lost soul lurking within himself.
Uncovering bizarre links between a plane crash, a Las Vegas pit boss, a dirty cop, and a widowed Atlanta business mogul, Hudson is forced to find out: who was Chester Holte, what was he doing on the streets, and why are his homeless friends convinced he was an angel in disguise?
“Nobody was absolutely riveting from the opening scene to the final page. With compelling characters, a plot that surprised me at every turn, and a subtle, yet profound message that moved me to tears, this book goes straight to the top of my highly recommended list.”
– Deborah Raney, author of Remember to Forget and Within This Circle
“A taut, entertaining novel of mystery, intrigue, and spiritual truth. Creston Mapes delivers a winner in Nobody.”
– James Scott Bell, bestselling author of No Legal Grounds and Try Dying
“Nobody had me fascinated from the first paragraph and kept the surprises coming to the very end. Somehow, as the pages flew by, it also managed to convey a beautiful picture of faith the size of a mustard seed. From now on I’ll read anything by Creston Mapes the instant it hits the shelves.”
– Athol Dickson, Christy Award—winning author of River Rising and The Cure
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing THE TROPHY WIVES CLUB
Avon Inspire (September 4, 2007)by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kristin Billerbeck was born in Redwood City, California. She went to San Jose State University and majored in Advertising, then worked at the Fairmont Hotel in PR, a small ad agency as an account exec, and then,
she was thrust into the exciting world of shopping mall marketing. She got married, had four kids, and started writing romance novels until she found her passion: Chick Lit. She is a CBA bestselling author and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year. Featured in the New York Times and USA Today, Kristin has appeared on the Today Show for her pioneering role in Christian chick lit.
Her last three books were:
Split Ends: Sometimes the End is Really the Beginning (April 17, 2007)
She’s Out of Control (Ashley Stockingdale Series #1) (Nov 13, 2007)
Calm, Cool & Adjusted (Spa Girls Series #3) (Oct 1, 2006)
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Haley Cutler is the consummate trophy wife. Perhaps “was” is the more accurate term. Haley married Prince Charming when she was only twenty years old – back in the day when highlights came from an afternoon at the beach, not three hours in the salon.
When Jay first turned his eye to Haley, she was putty in his slender, graceful hands. No one ever treated her like she was important, and on the arm of Jay Cutler, she became someone people listened to and admired. Unfortunately, after seven years of marriage, her Prince Charming seems to belong to the Henry the XIII line of royalty. When Haley loses Jay, she not only loses her husband, she loses her identity.
With her first independent decision, Haley leaves LA and moves home to Northern California. Feeling freedom just within her grasp, Haley learns that her settlement payments must go through one of Jay’s financial advisors, Hamilton Lowe. Haley believes he’s nothing more than a spy. And the feelings of distrust are mutual. Yet somehow, Hamilton finds himself handing over the monthly checks in person, and Haley can’t deny that there’s a kind of tenderness and protectiveness in Hamilton that she’s never experienced in a man before.
But before Haley can even consider another relationship, she must learn to accept her inherent worth, and what it is to be loved for who she is, not what’s on the outside.
Get a copy of The Trophy Wives Club for yourself.
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
REMEMBERED
(Fountain Creek Chronicles, Book 3) (Bethany House, 2007)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Her books have received acclaim from Library Journal, True West Magazine and Historical Novels Review, and Rekindled debuted on the CBA fiction bestseller list. She has a professional background in business management and conference coordination. A leader of women’s ministries for over twelve years, she is currently active in music ministry, facilitating small groups, and mentoring other women. A graduate of Harding University, Tamera lives with her husband and their two teenagers in Greeley, Colorado.
Her other two books in the Fountain Creek Chronicles are Rekindled (Book 1) and Revealed (Book 2)
To celebrate the release of Remembered, as well as the 3-volume boxed set of Fountain Creek Chronicles (Rekindled, Revealed, and Remembered), Tamera is currently giving away boxed sets in a contest on her website. Check out the contest at http://www.tameraalexander.com/ .
From a Distance, the first book in Tamera’s next historical series (Timber Ridge Reflections) releases in spring 2008.
The threat of war–and a final request–send Véronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood–her father. Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Véronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers.
His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn’t count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman’s search will cause havoc with his plans… and his life.
“Alexander again delivers a most amazing story. The characters are more than words on the page; they become real people. Though there are French words sprinkled throughout the story, they enhance the emotions rather than distract the reader.” –Romantic Times
“…a rich historical romance by possibly the best new writer in this subgenre.” –Library Journal
“Alexander has done it again with Remembered, third in the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES. She’s fashioned characters that are as rich and deep as the mountains and valleys they explore throughout the pages, coloring the story as adeptly as the heroine does her canvas. I was drawn immediately into the ages-old heartaches of both of the main characters, understanding at once Veronique’s reticence to make a place for herself in the unknown wilds of America and Jack’s uncompromising love for this land that he’s cut a swath through time and again. They both have a series of mountains to overcome in the search for Veronique’s father, but I enjoyed watching their faith and appreciation grow with each turn of the page. And woven adeptly through it all is the encompassing truth of the Lord’s sovereignty—that sometimes He takes away, and sometimes He gives us what we need, not what we’re looking for.Anyone’s who’s read the other Fountain Creek books won’t want to miss this one, but it easily stands alone. The characters will take you by the hand and lead you heart-first into their stories, and by the time they release you at the end, you’ll feel as though you’ve taken up residence just across the Creek from them, as surely as they have in your heart.” –Roseanna White, christianreviewofbooks.com
“Remembered, the third book in the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES, takes us back to Willow Creek and revisits beloved characters from the previous two books in the series, Rekindled and Revealed. Tamera Alexander has the remarkable ability to create places, and characters who endear themselves to us, even those just briefly mentioned. If I had lived in the late 1800s, I would love to have met these people and would surely have been inspired by the way they lived out their faith.
Remembered is a delightful read, well-researched and well-written. I expect to see great things from this author in the future.” –Lindsey Freitas, bookloons.com
“Remembered is an absolutely wonderful continuation of the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES.” –Amanda Schafer, armchairinterviews.com
To purchase “Remembered” please click here.
