Clash of the Titles 2016 Laurel Winner Delia Latham

2016 LAUREL AWARD WINNER

Author Delia Latham's novel 

~At First Sight~

is the winner of Clash of the Titles's sixth annual Laurel Award.

CONGRATULATIONS, DELIA!

Delia will receive the following: a beautiful banner to display on her website; a year-long page on COTT dedicated to the winning book, At First Sight; a feature tour on COTT's Blog Alliance; and a lovely plaque.

At First Sight was chosen by a panel of judges who narrowed the list of competing novels to three. From there, the panel put their choices to a straight vote. Delia's novel, At First Sight, took home the crown.

Special thanks to each of our judges who volunteered their time to this contest!

BRIEF SUMMARY OF At First Sight: 

Reagan Massey has gone through a great deal of trouble to make her cousin irresistible to the visiting single minister but things get a little sticky when Reagan falls in love with Cord Phillips herself…

Stay tuned for the full-length feature of Delia's winning novel, At First Sight!

Cindy Lynch and debut novel Bye For Now

Bye For Now

Cindy Lynch

About the Book:

Callista Lamply sits watching television 1,300 miles away from her hometown. In an instant she recognizes the place in which a horrific tragedy is taking place. While watching images of the scene unfold, Callie finds herself anxiously waiting to hear new details of those involved. Feeling frightened and alone, wishing she could turn back time when life was simple, her childhood memories begin to flood her consciousness.

Remembering in detail the summer of 1982, Callie recalls meeting a blond haired, blue eyed, handsome boy named Wyatt who, as luck would have it, lived several doors down from her grandfather’s camp. Callie and Wyatt begin a romance that blossoms from summer to summer, bringing them closer than Callie had ever imagined. If only her brother Jimmy could let go of his suspicions about Wyatt. Just because he is the kid brother of Jimmy’s arch nemesis doesn’t make him a bad guy. Does it?

The seasons change, and as Callie enters college she meets Charlie—the vivacious, devilishly handsome co-ed who quickly becomes an important part of her life. But is it more than that? Are her summers with Wyatt about to end?

Needing some clarity, Callie seeks out Marilyn- her loveable, quirky Aunt with an otherworldly voice of reason. Unexpectedly she finds Aunt Marilyn having a conversation with a blackberry bush and wonders just how dependable she can be.

With her love life in the balance, Callie is determined to make a decision, but which way should she turn? Will Wyatt make promises he can’t keep? Is there more to Charlie than fun and games? Is it worth the risk or is it time to say goodbye?

A brief interview with the author:

Cindy, tell us what you love about this book.

I love this book because I have had it bouncing around my head since I was 14 years old but never knew how to start it. When the Sandy Hook tragedy took place in my hometown, I knew I had the start to my story.

Please share a couple of things you learned along the way to publication.

Two things I have learned during my publishing process: 1) Find an editor that gets you, really gets you. Make sure they are on the same wave length and that they understand what you are trying to say or do creatively. I was lucky enough to find an editor like that in Keltin Barney. It makes for such an enjoyable ride. 2) Don't let the little things becoming daunting tasks. Getting your ISBN isn't as difficult as it may seem. Take baby steps and before know it you'll have a novel completed; you're very own paper baby.

Introduce us to a character:

Meet Maddie, one of my favorite characters in Bye For Now. She's as harsh and addictive as an unfiltered cigarette. She speaks the truth even if it isn't asked for. This character is based on a close friend of mine from college whom I have great admiration for her ability to speak the truth no matter the outcome.

What do you hope readers will pass on to other potential readers?

Truthfully I just want people to feel something reading my books. Whether it's pain, angst, fear, sorrow, happiness I just want you to feel emotion. My biggest compliment is when someone says to me that my book made them cry.

Tell us what you’re reading now.

I just finished reading Me Before You and it wrecked me. Talk about emotion! It was so well written that I didn't want to put it down. I anxiously await the film adaptation.

What’s next?

Next on my agenda is to publish the second book in the Bye For Now trilogy. Even Willows Weep, the second installment should be published by the end of May, 2016. I'm very excited to continue this trilogy.

--That sounds enticing, Cindy. Best wishes!

Thank you so much for allowing me to share my book with your viewers.

Sincerely,

Cindy Lynch

My book can be purchased on my website cindylynch.net, createspace.com, or amazon.com.It's also available on Kindle.

Julianna Deering and Dressed for Death

The Votes have come in, and we've got a winner!

DRESSED FOR DEATH

by Julianna Deering

Congratulations, Julianna!!

About the Author

JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuted from Bethany House with Rules of Murder (2013) and is followed by Death by the Book and Murder at the Mikado (2014), Dressed for Death (2016) and Murder on the Moor (Coming 2017). Also, as DeAnna Julie Dodson, she has written a trilogy of medieval romances (In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered) and six contemporary mysteries for Annie’s Fiction. She is represented by Wendy Lawton of the Books & Such Literary Agency (www.booksandsuch.biz).

Find her On the web:
www.juliannadeering.com
www.deannajuliedodson.com

On Facebook:
https://business.facebook.com/AuthorJuliannaDeering/
https://www.facebook.com/julie.dodson.9659

On Twitter:
@DeAnnaJulDodson

On Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6565151.Julianna_Deering

Dressed for Death Back cover:

A Regency-Era Costume Party Should Have Been an Amusing Diversion, But it Seems Wherever Drew Farthering Goes, Mystery--and Murder--Are on the Guest List

Drew and Madeline Farthering arrive at a Regency-era house party at Winteroak House, excited to be reunited with old friends, including Drew's former Oxford classmate Talbot Cummins. Tal is there with his fiancée, Alice Henley, and though many present seem worried about the couple, nobody is prepared when Alice dies from an apparent overdose. Tal refuses to believe she'd taken the drugs intentionally, and a dark question arises of whether the death is an accident or murder.

The police have their own information though, and Drew is shocked when they arrest someone he's trusted and admired since his childhood--someone who's been smuggling drugs into the country for years. Stunned by what has happened, Tal begs Drew to get to the bottom of everything, but Drew has never felt more unsettled. Questioning his own ability to see people as they really are, Drew doesn't know whom to trust, and he's not ready for the secrets he's about to uncover--or the danger he'll bring down on everyone he holds dear.

Clash Comments:

• "Dressed for Death" is the best Drew Farthering mystery yet, and I'm really looking forward to the next one (and yes, even more after that)! Julianna Deering has a gift for storytelling that keeps me turning the pages long into the night, and her characters are always so vivid and lifelike! I love pulling out her books and re-reading them over and over again.

• Julianna Deering captured our hearts and attention with Drew Farthering mysteries....can't wait for more.

This sounds like such a FANTASTIC read! Ready to dive in? Want to peek at the sample? It's right here:

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
CBD

And don't Miss Drew's Upcoming Adventure:

Murder on the Moor

At the urgent request of Drew's old school friend, Hubert "Beaky" Bloodworth, Drew and Madeline Farthering come to Bloodworth Park Lodge in the midst of the Yorkshire moors, a place as moody and mysterious as a Brontë hero. According to Beaky, there have been several incidents of mischief making out on the moor, property destroyed, fires started, streams dammed up, sheep and cattle scattered and, if local gossip is to be believed, the sighting of the shadowy figure of a great black hound. Worst of all, the vicar has been found dead on the steps of the church, and no one can imagine who would want to kill him.

Beaky is obviously smitten with his wife of eight months, the gorgeous and vivacious Sabrina Bloodworth, though it's hard to imagine what she sees in a man as awkward and plain as he. Drew can't help wondering if Sabrina's affections lie more with Beaky's money than himself and, just perhaps, with the fiery Welsh gamekeeper, Rhys Delwyn. Delwyn says poachers are to blame for the recent trouble, Sabrina claims the moor is haunted, and Beaky suspects that Carter Gray, a neighboring landowner with a longstanding grudge against the Bloodworths, is behind the episodes. But when someone else is murdered and the troubling incidents grow more threatening, Drew begins to suspect local ne'er-do-well Jack Midgley of more than poaching. But just how does Midgley fit into the scheme and who is paying him? It's up to Drew to look past his own prejudices, determine what is really going on, and find the killer before it's too late.

>>Would you like to see the cover for Murder on the Moor? Sign up for Drew’s News at http://www.juliannadeering.com/newsletter.php for exclusive series information and giveaways.

Have a blessed week, everyone!

From your friends at Clash of the Titles!

Jan Karon Come Rain or Come Shine

Mitford fans...rejoice!
Dooley and Lace are tying the knot...#13 has arrived.

Come Rain or Shine

Jan Karon

September 2015

About the Book:

Over the course of twelve Mitford novels, fans have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in At Home in Mitford as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls.

Now, Father Tim Kavanagh's adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple.

So the plan is to eliminate the cost of catering and do potluck. Ought to be fun. An old friend offers to bring his well-known country band. Gratis. And once mucked out, the barn works as a perfect venue for seating family and friends. Piece of cake, right?

In Come Rain or Come Shine, Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for. It's a June day in the mountains, with more than a few creatures great and small, and you're invited--because you're family.

By the way, it's a pretty casual affair, so come as you are and remember to bring a tissue or two. After all, what's a good wedding without a good cry?

Buy on Amazon

My Review:

For Mitford fans, Come Rain or Come Shine is one of those family conversations where you can come in the middle of and know who’s talking about what. The cousins and the neighbors are an open book, and all the advice is free and full of good intent regarding matters of love and the wedding. For that’s what this story is about—Dooley and Lace’s long-awaited marriage.

There are a few lovely little twists and surprises, some grief, a lot of joy, some wondering and bewilderment, a lot of pride. This, number thirteen in the series, would not be the best introduction to those new to Karon’s writing style. Folksy and familiar, the reader has always to feel as though stepping into the middle of someone’s thought, or to pick up a thread of conversation, or listen to the inkling of a great plan only to pick it up later, and to learn of an expected event, such as Dooley’s graduation from veterinarian school, but then come in after it’s done and feel slightly miffed that you missed the ceremony. Readers never quite know exactly where they are, but it’s the people of Mitford gathered not exactly in town but nearby, and you’re safe. You feel as though you’ve stepped into a 1930 scenario set in modern contemporary times and the breeze of a slight time warp as you adjust your shawls for a rock on the porch swing.

Full of layers of imagery and decision-making, revelations, hiding or being in the open, angst, finding the right dress, creating the right atmosphere, Come Rain or Come Shine is a lovely story of being oneself.

It’s good, it’s poignant, it’s humbling, and it’s home.

National Foster Care Month with Anne Garboczi Evans

 

Welcome Anne Garboczi Evans, to celebrate National Foster Care Month.

Anne, a licensed foster care provider, shares about two books that help anyone learn more about caring for those who need a safe and stable home.

Learn more at National Foster Care Month Coalition

Anne is offering an electronic copy of each of her books in a drawing from those who comment or share a story about how fostering has touched your life. Leave your email as well, please, to be entered. Thank you.

About the Books:

What's a Foster Family?

Alex's an only child who's used to having Mommy and Daddy all to himself. So when his parents start doing foster care and little Malik joins their home, Alex's not so sure he's happy about sharing.

Buy the Books:

What's a Foster Family? 

$3.50 eBook

$9.50 Print

What's a Forever Family?

 Read an excerpt:

On Tuesday, Bonnie’s brothers arrived.
“We’re twins,” said Charlie.
“But I’m bigger,” said Harry.
“No, you’re not,” said Charlie. He punched Harry.
Harry whacked Charlie back.
“Don’t hit,” Alex told them.
They both stuck their tongues out at Alex. 

In this sequel to WHAT'S A FOSTER FAMILY?, elementary-school-aged Alex York is about to gain not one, not two, but three forever siblings. But becoming a forever family isn't quite as smooth a road as Alex envisioned.

What's a Forever Family?

$2.99 eBook

$9.99 Print

Anne, What do you love about this book?

As a licensed foster parent, it hurts my heart to read about how short on foster homes America is. While the goal of foster care is to reunify children, that does not always happen and America is even shorter on adoptive families for those children who do end up needing a forever home. At this very moment, there are over 100,000 children in America who are unable to return to their bio-family and are waiting for an adoptive family. Over twenty thousand of those children will age out this year without finding an adoptive home. My goal with this picture book series was to heighten the awareness of the needs of children in the foster care system and encourage both parents and children to learn more about the most at-risk children around us.

If fiction, introduce us to your most influential secondary character; non-fiction, share the journey to your theme.

What do you hope readers will tell others about the book when they’ve finished reading?

I hope that children reading this book will enjoy the story and start asking the question, "What is a foster family?" I hope they will take that knowledge they've learned and use it to be kinder and more sympathetic to the foster children they meet at school or in their neighborhoods. Children in foster care are more likely to encounter bullying in their schools than other children, so it's important to teach our children empathy.

What are you reading now?

 I'm actually in the middle of some counselor style books for continuing education as a counselor. One book about dialectic behavioral therapy for children with strong emotions has especially caught my interest. But as gripping as non-fiction can be, I'll always be a fiction lover at heart.

What’s next for you?

 My Love and Warfare series, Christian love stories set during the time of the early church is currently being released. I have quite a few other historical romance book proposals out there so we'll see what contracts I get. I'd really like to break into non-fiction as well and write about mental health issues and apologetics.

About Anne:

Anne Garboczi Evans is a mental health counselor, military spouse, and mama to an opinionated little preschooler named "Joe-Joe." Anne and her husband are licensed foster parents in the state of Colorado and Anne has worked with foster children, adopted children, and forever families in her day job as a counselor.

https://www.facebook.com/annegarboczievans/

http://annegarboczievans.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/garboczievans

Talking Love with Paula Mowery and Crux of Honor

We’re told in Scripture that God is love. He definitely proved His kind of love is an unconditional and undeserved type through sending His Son to die for our sins.

Some love isn’t hard to conjure. God just helps us to enhance it. For example, I am still head-over-heels in love with my husband of twenty-six years. But through God’s Word and leading, I’ve learned to love my husband more like God planned for a wife to love her husband.

When my little girl was born, I was in love, even though it took a lot to get her here. But God has shown me how to love my daughter through example and discipline.

I struggled with infertility issues before finally conceiving my only daughter. My bitterness heightened each time I would hear about a young woman or girl who conceived out of wedlock and by accident. I cried out to God that this wasn’t fair. I wanted a baby and would care for that child and love that child, giving her a mother and a father.

Some years later I was approached by the director of our church association’s Pregnancy Crisis Center to become their devotional leader. I struggled with my answer for a bit but knew God was pushing me to do this.

As I shared about the love of God and then listened to these girls tell their stories, I had to repent of my former bitterness. God taught me to love and care for these girls and their babies. They each had a story with hopes and dreams of their own.

Everyone deserves to know about the unconditional love God offers. This is what I hope readers see in the story, The Crux of Honor.

Since God is love, when we allow Him to teach us His kind of love, we can’t help but be richer and enrich others.

Check out Paula’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…

The Crux of Honor

“Love does not dishonor…” 1 Corinthians: 13:4

Chelsea Wilson’s life is a constant reminder of what living dishonorably looks like. At every turn she continues to prove her mother’s shunning must be deserved. 

Dr. Kevin Alley returns to the old home place to establish his medical practice. After running into Chelsea, he knows his love for her is still strong. 

Chelsea is ousted from her small rented room when her mother bursts in, proclaiming Chelsea’s pregnancy. 

Kevin takes Chelsea in, giving her space to live on the upper level of his house. 

When Chelsea’s baby displays life-threatening symptoms, Chelsea must face her mother. Secrets unfold about Chelsea’s parents. Can Chelsea and Kevin uncover the secrets linked to Amish heritage in time to save the baby? Can the two find love together despite their history? 

My review:

Mowery’s addition to the Love Is series is a complicated, multi-layered story focused on the theme of dishonor…and ultimately, true honor. Fear and shame unchecked is the cause of the day. It’s hard to figure out who’s the real bad guy and good guy. Chelsea is a victim, certainly, who made poor choices and reaps the reward of a surprise child. Mother comes off as a true villain, damaging her daughter emotionally out of absolute terror Chelsea will make the same mistakes she did. But no one knows the depth of those mistakes until it’s almost too late.

Chelsea’s father hides while another man steps in to care for his adult daughter. Kevin has always loved Chelsea and slowly unravels the tangles of miscommunication that drove them apart. Ready to see through all of Chelsea’s misery and guide her out of it, Kevin also slowly woos her and is prepared to walk with her and her child as a true family. But Kevin must also risk patient confidentiality when he needs to get to the bottom of the baby’s medical condition.

Told from multiple viewpoints, Mowery does a wonderful job portraying all the angst of Chelsea and her sea of emotions during this incredibly emotional and physically painful passage into motherhood. Be prepared to experience mixed feelings about everyone as their true motivations are gradually peeled back. A poignant story in short form, those who enjoy a rollercoaster read will enjoy Crux of Honor.

Stand alone ebook Buy Crux of Honor on Amazon

Bundled for Print with two other Love Is books coming soon.

www.prismbookgroup.com

Awesome suspense Risky Research with Kim McMahill

Currently on sale for 99 cents on Amazon - check for price before purchase

A Dose of Danger

Kim McMahill

Prism Book Group, May 2015

Suspense

$3.99 eBook/$13.99 Print

ISBN:  978-1-943104-08-6

When researcher Grace Talbot and her team discover a possible solution for weight loss they become targets of a group dedicated to controlling the multi-billion dollar a year diet-product industry. Her unsanctioned testing methods bring tragedy to the family ranch and the attention of the local sheriff’s deputy. With her colleagues either dead, missing, or on the run she soon realizes she must trust the deputy with her life, but can she trust him with her heart? 

My review:

Entrepreneurialism and greed is killing Americans from the inside out, and dedicated FBI Agents Devyn Nash and Nick Melonis are on the hunt in this new series from best-selling author Kim McMahill.

Using her home territory of the US West, readers go along on what becomes more than a manhunt, but a mysterious corporation with far-reaching tentacles infiltrating the food we eat from the farm animals up. In A Dose of Danger, McMahill explores what we hope is a fictional scenario in which the testing process of controlled substances used for human diet medications come under suspicion. The story opens with corporate researcher Grace Talbot on her way home to the family farm which she’s been informed has suffered a suspicious fire that killed long-time family farmhand Butch and severely injured her uncle, the man who raised her from childhood. Grace has an ulterior motive for rushing to the scene, however, as the reader soon learns of her own mistrust in the system she works for. She is met at the ranch by Deputy Logan Carlson, and the two of them struggle against the elements and desperate thugs to stay alive and salvage the research that holds the truth about project Grace is working on.

Well into the story we meet the FBI Agents Nash and Melonis who have been working the cases of mysterious deaths in various aspects of the food industry. When Grace’s colleagues start dropping like flies or running for their lives, Nash and Melonis wonder if this situation is another piece of the puzzle they are working on, and get involved. Grace must decide how much to trust Logan as the too-good-to-be-true deputy works out his own past issues in order to help keep her alive.

This is a stand-alone story, however, the FBI Agents carry on their work in the next book in which they attempt to get closer to the mysterious corporation trying to affect our eating habits. The suspense kept me coming back to read in every spare moment, and I bonded with the characters and their dilemmas. I expected a shoot out to be typical and was prepared to skim through it but ended up reading every word. Those who enjoy romantic suspense with several twists, large casts telling the story from several viewpoints, and with more than one side story going on will eat up this series.

Currently on sale for 99 cents on Amazon! - check price before purchase.

A Taste of Tragedy

Kim McMahill

Suspense

Prism Book Group, April 2016

$3.99 eBook/$13.99 Print

ISBN:  978-1-943104-45-1

Morgan Hunter sacrificed everything for her career. She had yet to encounter anything she wasn’t willing to do to succeed...until now. When she uncovers evidence that the healthy foods she’s been hired to promote may be dangerous, she must reevaluate her priorities. As questions mount and the body count rises, she finds herself caught in the cross-hairs of an organization that will stop at nothing to hide its secrets and protect its profits. With no one else to trust, Morgan is forced to seek help from the man she drove away, but whom she never stopped loving...

My review:

The second book in best-selling author Kim McMahill’s Risky Research series brings FBI Agents Devyn Nash and Nick Melonis a little closer to their hunt for a mysterious corporation trying to manipulate American food and eating habits through the use of dangerous uncontrolled substances. In this story, a southwestern corporation making pre-packaged frozen foods for sale is under suspicion when a new division manager, Morgan Hunter, comes on the scene. Only the job is not what is appears to be and as Morgan searches for elusive information too carefully guarded by a micro-managing corporate head and the creepy assistant assigned to her, she stirs up a whole lot of danger. Unsure how to proceed when she finds a mysterious message, she calls on her former husband for help. Learning her predecessor died triggers the attention of the FBI who move in to tie this case to their own hunt for corporate greed stopping at nothing for their own nefarious purpose.

While this story can stand alone, readers will want to have read or read A Dose of Danger, the first book in the series, to be better acquainted with the FBI case and some of the characters introduced then. There is a large cast to get to know, and while they are so well drawn it’s easy to keep them apart, there is some back story that makes it a smoother transition to this new part of the series. Told in multiple character viewpoints, the pace keeps readers turning pages. For those who like clean-reading romantic suspense with lots of twists and angles to explore and ruthless characters, A Taste of Tragedy will satisfy. I look forward to reading more.