CSFF: Lost Mission by Athol Dickson

Song Stuck on the Brain: New Divide by Gavin Mikhail

Gavin is a spectacular performer and song writer. This is his cover of Linkin Park's song. Now I love Linkin Park's version, who would have guessed it could be redone in a totally different style and still be amazing. Love his version. Check out his other vids on YouTube.com.

This week the CSFF is sponsoring:

Lost Mission

by

Athol Dickson

MY TAKE:

Athol Dickson is a very good author. I've read other novels by him and enjoyed them very much. I was a little disapointed with Lost Mission, though. The story idea was promising, but I had a very hard time getting in to the narrative. There is a lot of transfering back and forth between time periods, locations and characters and with very little warning. It made it hard to follow and took to long to get hooked.

Of course, this is my opinion and everyone has different tastes in their literature. If you've enjoyed Athol's books before, give this one a try. You may find you love it, then you'll know that my taste must be poor compared to yours. :)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Among the dirt-poor barrios and ultra-wealthy enclaves lining the hills of southern California, a construction project unearths a long-lost Spanish mission. This discovery sets off a chain of events that presents four unrelated people—Reverend Tucker Lockwood, Concha Rivera, Delano Jones, and Detective Harmony Killeen—with difficult choices. In every case, a greater good could be served with a compromise of some basic moral value. Lockwood could steal to feed the poor. Delano Jones could lie—or at least bury the truth—to protect his monument to God's law. Concha Rivera, a Christian with a strong sense of mission, could trespass to preach the Gospel. Detective Killeen could betray her sense of legal responsibility to defend her family. It seems these devil's alternatives will inspire these modern people to perpetuate the very crime that left the mission buried and forgotten 250 years ago—a mystery that is gradually revealed through research into a mysterious triptych excavated at the mission site, as well as through historical flashbacks. At least two themes of magical realism appear repeatedly through the story. First is the appearances of Santos, a mysterious being characterized by a crooked nose, in both the contemporary and historical storylines. And second, the gradual appearance of faces on the triptych as the story's four protagonists—often with the help of a mysterious Hispanic man with the crooked nose—decide whether they will repeat the mistakes of the past.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Athol Dickson's university-level training in painting, sculpture, and architecture was followed by a long career as an architect—then his decision several years ago to devote full time to writing. River Rising, named one of the top novels of 2006 by Booklist magazine, received a Christy Award; and his novel They Shall See God was a Christy Award finalist. Athol's haunting mystery novel set on the most remote inhabited island off the coast of Maine, Winter Haven, released in Spring 2008. His novels are known for their richly evocative settings, unforgettable characters, intense suspense, and pervasive sense of “magical realism.” He and his wife, Sue, live in California.

Check out the authors blog to learn more about his books and views.

And check out what the other tour members have to say as well:


Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Jeff Draper
Timothy Hicks
Jason Isbell
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Rebecca LuElla Miller
New Authors Fellowship
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Crista Richey
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
KM Wilsher

CFBA: She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Song Stuck on the Brain: How Much is that Doggie in the Window.

My siter and I are babysitting my nephew's one year old horse of a dog. Her name is Cocoa and she's adorable. (some kind of a boxer bird dog mix) She's also VERY strong. She kept climbing into my lap, smooshing me in the effort to look out the window at the kids walking home from school. The song popped into my head and it's been stuck there ever since.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


She Walks in BeautyBethany House (April 2010)by


Siri Mitchell





MY TAKE:

Siri Mitchell has done a fantastic job with this book. Presenting romance and real life characters that you can identify with are just the begining. The era and setting is perfect for this story. Too often you see this type of story set in London or Paris. Setting it here in the US with the Rockefellers was refreshing.

She also addresses the dark side of the era for women. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it's also a killer. I applauded Clara's decision at the end of the book. I truly enjoyed this one and have recommended it to several friends and family.

Check out her other books too. They're just as enjoyable.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city's most eligible bachelor.

Debuting means plenty of work--there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity's spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling.

Yet Clara soon wonders if this is the life she really wants. Especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries.

When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it's not just her marriage at stake--the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

If you would like to read the first chapter of She Walks in Beauty, go HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including in Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.

But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a sermon and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.

Siri wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher. In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening her manuscripts with the shredder.

Big Tom Movie

A friend sent me this link to watch a movie on AppreciateLife.com. It's called Big Tom. I wish I had watched it early enough to share it with you all sooner. I think it's beautiful and I hope you will all take the time watch it as well.

Since it is a Flash Player file, I can't embed it here, but click on the link below to go directly to the movie.

Big Tom Movie

God Bless!

Friends Becoming New Authors!

I am so excited to share my friends news with all of you. I know I've mentioned before that several of my critique writing partners have books being released this year. Well, their news just keeps getting better, so here is an update on books you just have to check out!

You can also find their links in the side bar under Favorite Authors.

A new Twilight competitor? Could be! This book is amazing (trust me, I read an early draft!)

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

The Healer's Apprentice

When destiny sleeps, it can only be awakened by true love’s kiss.

In this historical romance loosely based on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, a woodcutter's daughter becomes the town's healer's apprentice. Rose's job is to care for the sick and injured in Hagenheim Castle. But she gets sick at the sight of blood and is more suited to making up stories than sewing up wounds. She is determined to overcome her weakness and prove herself a competent healer, or she faces marrying a disgusting old merchant her mother has picked out for her.

Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of the region, is injured and Rose must overcome her squeamishness to save him. He is everything that is noble and good, but loving him is forbidden. He is already betrothed to a mysterious woman in hiding.

With two noble-born brothers vying for her affections, Rose learns that the people of Hagenheim are not always who they seem.

Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley

http://www.kellyannriley.com/


Ex-FBI agent Luke Tanner doesn’t need any more complications in his life. He has moved to Pine Lake to be closer to his minister father, hoping a smaller community and supportive church family will help his rebellious teen-age son. Acting as the temporary fire chief, he suddenly finds in himself in the biggest complication of all as Kitty McGuire’s arrival in town not only sparks a new series of arson fires and murder, but rekindles a love in his heart that he thought was gone forever.

Kitty McGuire is determined to convince the new Pine Lake fire chief that someone has killed her father and framed him for arson. But by returning to her hometown, she has to deal with her painful past and gain the courage to love again.

Effigy by Theresa Danley

Coming May 2010 from Whiskey Creek Press

A serial killer is on the loose, depositing his victims’ hearts amid the Toltec ruins of central Mexico. Meanwhile, a priceless Mesoamerican artifact is stolen from the University of Utah, sweeping archaeologists Anthony Peet and Lori Dewson on a desperate recovery mission south of the border. Accompanied by a reluctant colleague, an enthusiastic young journalist and a Yaqui woman in mourning, the team must decipher clues hidden within the Aztec sunstone, mystical Toltec Pyramids and astronomical calendar rounds to find the priceless effigy of Quetzalcoatl. They suddenly find themselves in a race against the coming solar eclipse, all the while dodging a corrupt Mexican police force still on the hunt for the sadistic murderer – a killer who’s chosen one of them for his next human sacrifice.


Can't wait to see these released. Be sure to keep an eye out for them. :)

CFBA: Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Song Stuck on My Brain: Single Ladies by The Chipettes

Watched the Squeakwell last night. LOVED it. I'm a huge Chipmunks fan. My favorite as a kid. These new versions are great. :)

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Sixteen BridesBethany House (April 2010)


by


Stephanie Grace Whitson




MY TAKE:

Loved this book. Sometimes historical prarie romances begin to feel a little 'been here, done that'. The story may be good, but it's not always very original.

This one didn't feel that way at all. I thought it was a very refreshing way of looking at that particular time and what widowed women faced. Especially the very young widows. The characters were strong and had very individual voices. It's great when you can tell which characters is speaking just by hearing their words and not being told who's words they are. It had me laughing out loud. Very much recomend reading this one.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

In 1872, sixteen Civil War widows living in St. Louis respond to a series of meetings conducted by a land speculator who lures them west by promising "prime homesteads" in a "booming community."

Unbeknownst to them, the speculator's true motive is to find an excuse to bring women to the fledgling community of Plum Grove, Nebraska, in hopes they will accept marriage proposals shortly after their arrival! Sparks fly when these unsuspecting widows meet the men who are waiting for them.

These women are going to need all the courage and faith they can muster to survive these unwanted circumstances--especially when they begin to discover that none of them is exactly who she appears to be.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixteen Brides, go HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of southern Illinois, Stephanie Grace Whitson has lived in Nebraska since 1975. She began what she calls "playing with imaginary friends" (writing fiction) when, as a result of teaching her four home schooled children Nebraska history.

She was personally encouraged and challenged by the lives of pioneer women in the West. Since her first book, Walks the Fire, was published in 1995, Stephanie's fiction titles have appeared on the ECPA bestseller list numerous times and been finalists for the Christy Award, the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year.

Her first nonfiction work, How to Help a Grieving Friend, was released in 2005. In addition to serving in her local church and keeping up with two married children, two college students, and a high school senior, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips with her family and church friends.

Her passionate interests in pioneer women's history, antique quilts, and French, Italian, and Hawaiian language and culture provide endless story-telling possibilities.