by admin | Jul 3, 2008 | Books
It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book’s FIRST chapter!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today’s Wild Card author is:
and her book:
Multnomah Books (June 17, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of six books, including her latest novel, Beyond the Night, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels. Marlo’s other books include Veil of Fire, a novel about finding hope in the fires of life, Empty Womb, Aching Heart– Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility, and Cry Freedom.
She’s had over 600 articles published in various Christian magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman, Decision, Moody Magazine, and Discipleship Journal. She has contributed to Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, Tyndale’s Book of Devotions for Kids #3, and Discipleship Journal’s 101 Small Group Ideas. She is a speaker and a regular columnist for Power for Living.
Marlo is also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry!). In addition, she has recently earned her Masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Marlo lives with her husband and four young daughters in a log home in Central California.
When she’s not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and speaking to groups about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.
Visit the author’s website.
Product Details:
List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books (June 17, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601420161
ISBN-13: 978-1601420169
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
Chapter One
Darkness rose from somewhere within her. Blackness, like a great, choking wave. Immersing her, drowning her, until she couldn’t breathe under the weight of it. It flooded her mind, spilled down her back, and submerged her limbs in icy heaviness. She fought against it…and failed. Deeper. Darker. Until her world was nothing but a black river, crashing in currents of pain.
Help me… The words squeezed from her, unspoken yet real. They became a silent cry, like mist above the water, shimmering, then gone. Did anyone hear? Did anyone know? Was there someone listening out there beyond the darkness? Help me. Don’t leave me alone. Please…
Time wavered. Stillness breathed. In. Out.
Then a voice dipped into the blackness. A single word, spoken from a world beyond her own. It came like a slender ribbon of light, rippling over the waves. “Maddie…”
I’m here.
“Maddie.”
One word. And in it, hope.
I am not alone.
The water receded. A little.
“Wake up. I’ve come to take you home.” The blackness shivered, broke, then settled into a familiar gray. Her breath came again, steady and comforting.
“Can you hear me, Maddie?” The voice caressed her, embraced her in its gentle warmth.
I hear you. The answer formed in her mind but refused to be spoken. Stay with me.
“Come to me. Remember.”
I can’t. Silence. Dreaded, awful silence.
Please… Don’t leave me… You promised… (more…)
by admin | Jul 2, 2008 | Books
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
(Thomas Nelson – July 8, 2008)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Rachel Hauck is a forty-something, a child of the ’60’s, ’70’s, ’80’s, ’90’s and ’00’s, who roller skated through the ’70’s into the ’80’s with Farrah Fawcet hair and a three-speed orange Camero. She graduated from Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) with a degree in Journalism.
After graduation, she hired on at Harris Publishing as a software trainer, determined to see the world. But, she’s traveled to Ireland, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Canada and the U.S. from California to Maine.
Rachel met Tony, her husband, in ’87, at church, of all places. They married in ’92.
They don’t have any children of their own, just lots of kids-in-the-Lord and they love them all. However, they do have two very spoiled dogs, and a very demanding cat.
With a little help from my friends, my first book was published in ‘ 04, Lambert’s Pride, a romance novel. My current release is Sweet Caroline from Thomas Nelson. Romantic Times Book Club gave both books their highest rank of 4.5 stars, with Love Starts With Elle being honored as Top Pick!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Elle’s living the dream-but is it her dream or his?
Elle loves life in Beaufort, South Carolina-lazy summer days on the sand bar, coastal bonfires, and dinners with friends sharing a lifetime of memories. And she’s found her niche as the owner of a successful art gallery too. Life is good.
Then the dynamic pastor of her small town church sweeps her off her feet. She’s never known a man like Jeremiah-one who breathes in confidence and exhales all doubt. When he proposes in the setting sunlight, Elle hands him her heart on a silver platter.
But Jeremiah’s just accepted a large pastorate in a different state. If she’s serious about their relationship, Elle will take “the call,” too, leaving behind the people and place she loves so dearly. Elle’s friendship with her new tenant, widower Heath McCord, and his young daughter make things even more complicated.
Is love transferable across the miles? And can you take it with you when you go?
If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE
MY REVIEW:
Love Starts With Elle is just another confirmation of why Rachel Hauck has become one of my very favorite authors. Her characters are people who could easily be our friends or neighbors. The places and people of small town Beaufort, South Carolina come alive through her descriptive prose – so much so that I’d really like to visit. Rachel also has a very special touch when describing the presence and movement of God.
Just when Elle thinks her life has finally gotten on the right track, things suddenly take a drastic turn. As she struggles to accept the unwelcome changes, new opportunities and relationships present themselves. I was particularly touched by the details of Elle’s spiritual journey throughout her trials. There were moments that seemed almost holy. It was enjoyable to follow Elle’s process as she slowly matured, became more self-confident, and found her true calling. Of course the romantic elements were good too, but I won’t give any of that away. I hope that Rachel will take us back to Beaufort again in the near future.
And Rachel, how about some recipes for some of those dishes you describe? You know – like pluff mud pie and roast beef casserole. I can’t be the only one who gets hungry reading your books.
by admin | Jul 1, 2008 | Books
It is July FIRST, time for the FIRST Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and her latest book’s FIRST chapter!
The feature author is:
and her book:
A Mile in My Flip-Flops
WaterBrook Press (June 17, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In sixth grade, Melody Carlson helped start a school newspaper called The BuccaNews (her school’s mascot was a Buccaneer…arrr!). As editor of this paper, she wrote most of the material herself, creating goofy phony bylines to hide the fact that the school newspaper was mostly a “one man” show.
Visit Melody’s website to see all of her wonderful and various book titles.
Don’t miss her latest teen fiction, Stealing Bradford (Carter House Girls, Book 2).
Product Details:
List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (June 17, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400073146
ISBN-13: 978-1400073146
AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:
I’m not the kind of girl who wants anyone to feel sorry for her.
So after my fiancé jilted me less than four weeks before our wedding date, and since the invitations had already been sent, my only recourse was to lie low and wait for everyone to simply forget.
Consequently, I became a recluse. If I wasn’t at work, teaching a delightful class of five-year-olds, who couldn’t care less about my shattered love life, I could be found holed up in my apartment, escaping all unnecessary interaction with “sympathetic” friends.
And that is how I became addicted to HGTV and ice cream. Okay, that probably calls for some explanation. HGTV stands for Home and Garden TV, a network that runs 24/7 and is what I consider the highest form of comfort TV. It is habit forming, albeit slightly mind numbing. And ice cream obviously needs no explanation.
Other than the fact that my dad, bless his heart, had seven quart-sized cartons of Ben & Jerry’s delivered to my apartment the day after Collin dumped me. Appropriately enough, dear old Dad (who knows me better than anyone on the planet) selected a flavor called Chocolate Therapy, a product worthy of its name and just as addictive as HGTV.
But now, eighteen months and twenty-two pounds later, I seem to be in a rut. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so. (more…)
Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of six books, including her latest novel, Beyond the Night, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels. Marlo’s other books include Veil of Fire, a novel about finding hope in the fires of life, Empty Womb, Aching Heart– Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility, and Cry Freedom.
Chapter One
