Phoebe Reynolds from Time Trap by Danele Rotharmel

Meet Phoebe Reynolds

Character from Time Trap by Danele J. Rotharmel

Today, I’m talking with Phoebe Reynolds, a senior cadet in the Temporal Counseling Program at National Science University. Phoebe, I’ve heard that you’re about to take your field exam. Can you tell us more about the test?

Sure, Lisa! In order to earn my Time-Counselor License, I have to pass a field exam. For four years, I’ve been studying about time travel. Now, I have the opportunity to surf timewaves myself! I can’t wait!

How far into the past will you be traveling, and what will you be doing?

Unfortunately, because of TEMCO protocol, I can’t give specifics. However, I can say that I’ll be traveling about ten years into the past, and my case subject is a girl named Nicki. She’s a fourteen-year-old artist who is about to commit suicide. It’ll be my job to convince Nicki that life is worth living.

I’ve heard that because of new field-exam protocol, cadets are now teamed with partners. Can you tell us a little about your partner?

My partner is Drake Procerus, another senior cadet. I’m really looking forward to working with him.

You just blushed. Is there something going on between you two?

Not yet, but… Lisa, all of the girls wanted partnered with Drake. He’s so cute. When he looks at me, my bones melt. It’s been so much fun going through the preliminary stages of testing with him. I’m hoping that once we’re out in the field, I can really catch his eye. Gil, one of TEMCO’s former cadets, fell in love during her field exam. Why couldn’t it happen to me?... Not that I won’t be focused on Nicki, of course. Nicki is my first priority.

Are field exams dangerous?

Not usually. Gil ended up facing a serial killer during her exam, but I don’t think that will happen to me. After all, I’m just dealing with a suicidal teenager. What could be dangerous about that? Besides, I’ll have Drake as my partner. I feel completely safe.

You just went pale and shivered. Why?

I’m not sure… I just had the strangest feeling… Never mind, I’m just being silly. It’s just a case of nerves. I know that everything will be fine. Field exams are safe—at least, most of the time.

Phoebe, thanks for being with us today, I wish you the best with your exam.

Thanks, Lisa. I can’t wait to make a difference in Nicki’s life!

And what about catching Drake’s eye?

I can’t wait to do that too!

About Time Trap:

 When problems arise during a field exam, Director Peter Matthews and Dr. Laura Nelson are sent through a time portal to investigate.  While they search for their missing cadets, they encounter an enemy who is calculating and brutal—a mysterious nemesis who is holding a grudge against the TEMCO program.  As Peter and Laura race to unravel clues directing them to their kidnapped cadets, their own survival comes into question.  A deadly trap has been set, and they are forced to pit their wits against a serial killer who is intent on playing a deadly chess game through time itself. 

Prism Book Group

$3.99 eBook

$16.99 Print

Buy on:

Amazon

Barnes& Noble

 Danele J. Rotharmel 

Danele Rotharmel’s life took an unexpected turn when a mysterious illness brought her close to death. Eventually, she learned that a carbon monoxide leak from a faulty furnace was poisoning her. This poisoning triggered Multiple Chemical Sensitivity causing her to be put in quarantine. For seven years, she could only talk to friends and extended family through a windowpane. During this time, she wrote the first six books in The Time Counselor Chronicles.  Although her journey back to health was difficult, it provided her the opportunity to grow closer to God and write her books. For that, she’s forever thankful. To learn more about Danele, visit her blog:  

https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/

Meet Danele on the web:

Testimony: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/welcome/

Books: https://dragonflydanele.wordpress.com/my-books/

Mystery Review of Carole Brown and Knight in Shining Apron

I introduced Carole Brown's newest book, the second in the Appleton, West Virginia Romantic Mysteries series here.

Print:11.99
Ebook: 2.99
Buy on Amazon

As promised, here's my review.

Hints of an abusive relationship between restauranteur Starli and her late husband are the focus of this romantic intrigue. When first introduced, it seemed Starli had a huge chip on her shoulder and was at odds with many in the town, including her former brother-in-law, a policeman, who constantly threatens to avenge his sibling’s death. Starli has more on her plate to deal with as her former head chef abruptly leaves, with an ominous note “accidentally” left for Starli to find, vandalism and sabotage taking place in her business, a youngster in the kitchen who thinks she’s management material, an over-confident, over-the-top knighted British chef stepping in at the request of her maître d, and a boring confidant banker who wants to be more. What’s a widow to do?

Book Two of the Appleton, West Virginia Romantic Mysteries (after Sabotaged Christmas) is a charming follow up. Told in alternating points of view, Sir Joel tasks himself with uncovering his new boss’s skittish untrusting persona as he repays his uncle for past kindness in rescuing this damsel in distress. Starli deals with scary parts of threats and well-meaning friends and employees who think it’s time she get out and live again after the death of her terrifying husband. Clues, plenty of red herrings, several twists all make the reader keep turning pages…and that’s only in the first quarter of the book. A proposal gone awry, a dreadful accident, and a surprise confession all bring this sweet and savory story to a satisfactory conclusion.

A huge cast will keep you entertained as well as guessing and salivating during the courses of Knight in Shining Apron.

The Scarlet Cord biblical fiction book review

The Scarlet Cord

By Carlene Havel and Sharon Faucheux

Prism Book Group, September 2014

Biblical Fiction

ISBN 978-1940099699

Print $13.99

Ebook $3.99

Buy on Amazon 

About the Book:

Rahab, a resourceful beauty, struggles to survive in the pagan culture of ancient Jericho. As years of harsh labor begin to lift her and her family from poverty, a foreign army threatens the well-fortified city. Rahab is forced to make an immediate decision. Will she put her faith in the fabled walls of Jericho or the powerful God of the Hebrews? Either choice may cost her life.

My review:

Wonderfully researched, beautifully written, lovingly shared…this version of the story of one of the more elusive biblical characters is a treat for those who love fiction based on short facts known about documented people.

Rahab, called by several discourteous terms in the account of Joshua’s capture of the city of Jericho. She is a sympathetic person, and perhaps her family and descendants embody acceptance and forgiveness, mercy and love in a way the pen strokes of God’s law do not.

Canaanites occupying the Promised Land were wary of the mysterious Hebrew tribes, escaped former slaves from Egypt, marching across the land, conquering mighty kingdoms in their way, worshiping an unseen and powerful force. Rumors were rampant, and when their path led through the mighty city of Jericho, only one family was destined for salvation.

Summer's Sizzlin' with Competition

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Summer's Sizzlin'
Vote for your Fave!

Scroll through these THREE new reads and vote below

for which you'd pick up first to read while sippin' iced tea.

It'll be a tough choice! But somebody's gotta do it. May as well be you!

Almost Like Being in Love by Beth K. Vogt

She’s won an all-expenses-paid, luxurious wedding — all she needs now is the groom! Winning a destination wedding would be a dream come true … if Caron Hollister and her boyfriend, Alex were already engaged — and if her ex-boyfriend, Kade, wasn’t back in her life, causing her to wonder “what if?” when she thought she was ready to say “I do” to someone else.

~~~~~~

Rescue Me by Sandy Nadeau

Risking her life to save him is easy. Risking her heart to give him a second chance is impossible.

~~~~~~

River Rest by Susan Page Davis

Unable to depend on her father to heal the crumbling family, Judith is afraid to trust the mysterious neighbor, Ben, who lives with his own grief. When Ben is injured, she is the only one who can help him.

~~~~~~

VOTE HERE!

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Featuring the 2016 Clash of The Titles Laurel Award Winner

2016

LAUREL AWARD WINNER!

This year, At First Sight took home Clash of the Titles's sixth annual Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel's first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined At First Sight to be the worthiest to receive the 2016 Laurel Award.



Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Delia Latham for her exemplary writing. We wish God's richest blessings on her future work.



About 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…

Cord doesn’t believe in marital bliss after seeing the mockery his parents made of their vows. He’s promised himself he’ll live as the Apostle Paul lived, dedicating himself solely to God. When his heart turns traitor, Cord has to completely rethink his position on love.

Things around Riverbend House of Worship take on some humorous, heart-touching, soul-stirring twists and turns, with Reagan and Cord so busy getting in God’s way that they can’t see the path He has laid out for them to travel…together.

At First Sight is part of the Pure Amore bundle of 12 novels that celebrate purity. Use the code Laurel2016 to receive the bundle at 50% OFF. (expires 31 July 2016)


PURCHASE YOUR BUNDLE TODAY


LISTEN TO A RADIO INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR!

Delia in her own words:

A born-and-bred California gal, I grew up in a little community called Weedpatch. Nope, that's not a typo. It's a few miles southeast of Bakersfield, and in the...well, I won't say how many years since I left there...Weedpatch has even found its way onto a map or two.

Writing has been my passion since third grade, when I won an essay writing contest and took home the coveted prize: a beautiful bed doll with an overstuffed pink, quilted satin skirt. Remember them? Huge, padded skirts, some (like mine) with flat cardboard bottoms to accommodate display. The doll's feet were hidden away somewhere in all that finery, never again to see the light of day. These fancy ladies were most often used as centerpieces for beds, and that's where mine went - smack in the middle of my unimposing bed in my unmatched, Salvation Army-furnished bedroom. It was the most elegant item I had ever owned, and I was one proud little lassie. (Ahem ... surely someone else remembers those dollies?)​

Winning that contest made a profound impact on my young psyche - enough so that I never stopped writing. From those first little songs and poems and (very bad) short stories, I graduated to Staff Writer for a large daily newspaper; freelanced for an upper-scale regional magazine; and finally began writing fiction...which was my goal all along.

Connect with Delia online:

http://www.delialatham.net/
http://www.facebook.com/delialatham
http://www.twitter.com/delialatham

New Fiction from Victoria Minks

About the Book:

Fourteen year old Olivia Wilkerson is left desolate and grieving when her patriot father passes away. Directed by his will to be placed in the care of an old friend, Olivia is forced to venture away from all she’s ever known to make her new life among people who are strangers to her. 

Unaware of the new responsibility about to be thrust on him, Jonas Carmichael lives the life of a reclusive in an attempt to ignore the painful memories of the past. His heart has grown hard and bitter over the past thirty years of solitude, and his hatred towards people has only multiplied. 

Suddenly burdened with Olivia, Jonas’s only burning desire is to shove the girl off on somebody else. But Olivia, still suffering from her loss, is only looking for someone to love her as her father did-- and soon realizes that there is more to Jonas than meets the eye.

With the Revolutionary War pressing closer around Jonas’s secluded bubble of safety and threatening to burst it at any moment, Jonas discovers that there are choices to be made--choices that will not only affect himself but those around him as well. 

Book information

Inspirational historical fiction
Trade Paper ISBN: 978-0996993821
$9.99

Ebook coming soon
$3.99

Buy on Amazon

My review:

This young lady connected with me in plenty of time before her release to ask if I'd be interested in helping her promote her new book and possibly review. I really should stop hesitating over DIY author requests, as Ms. Minks proves.

Jonas and Olivia is on the surface a simple story about orphaned hearts healing together through a special faith and unconditional love. There is angst, natural grief and a fair amount of grumping from each of the principal characters as they adjust to their changing lifestyle; for Jonas it's a thirty-year wake-up; for Ishmael, the silent servant, it's a journey of several years, and for Olivia, the catalyst character, it's a mere few days. A lot can happen in a fortnight.

Minks shares the theme of her historical novel well in her summary, so I won't elaborate. The story is told through multiple viewpoints, but primarily through Olivia and Jonas's perspectives. I hadn't reread the summary and mistakenly thought the story might be a romance until I realized Jonas was a contemporary of her father and not a romantic figure despite being portrayed as almost a Heathcliff-type character, but that was my fault. Olivia might be an orphaned teen, but even in grief and fear, her maturity shows others who have more reason to feel alone through choice or circumstances that we are never abandoned. As a historian I also scrambled to fact check a couple of aspects of daily life and was pleased to see that all was very much in order.

For such a young author, Minks has done extremely well, showing an understanding of story and character, an excellent grasp of language, grammar and punctuation with only minor lapses I don't even count on mature writers to display, myself included. Well done. Recommended for those who love daily life in the Revolutionary War era in American history, and for any age reader, probably avid readers preteen and up.

A brief interview with the author

Victoria, what do you love about this book? 

I love the characters. Maybe Jonas the best, but they all have a special place in my heart! 

Share two things you learned while writing it.
Well as far as writing goes, probably that sometimes you need to take a step back and actually pay attention to your characters, to dig a little deeper. And an important life lesson I learned: To stay dedicated and focused on what God has you doing right now, even when you might want to do other things or you get annoyed with what you're supposed to be working on.

What you hope readers will tell others? 

Oh you know, I've never thought about this! I hope that people who read my book will say "It seemed so real" or "They're the kind of characters that you can't soon forget". But that's a lot to ask. ;) I'd be satisfied with a "I thought it was a pretty nice read" too. 

What you're working on next? 

I have a few things planned. The next one to be published will probably be another Revolutionary War book. It's about a young midwife and involves lots of secrets and twisty subplots. The theme is how courage comes in many different forms, and how we must stand for right even if we stand alone. 

That sounds fascinating, Victoria. Thanks for sharing with us today and congratulations on your books. Victoria is also the author of a short story collection titled The Wind Chimes and Other Christmas Stories, available from Kindle for .99.

About the Author:

Victoria Minks is an everyday teenage MK in Japan, with oodles of daydreams and ideas. She loves historical fiction, chocolate, music, horses, and old books, and firmly believes that there is whimsy and beauty in any day. She was saved at age 5 and desires to write for God's glory. visit  www.victoriaminks.com.

Giveaway New Romance Through Raging Waters with Renee Blare

If Mother Nature has her way, Timber Springs will never be the same... 

A warm spring and early rainstorms melt the snowpack. Spring runoff compounded by the storm of the century sends Timber Springs into a tailspin.

Tossed into the role of rescuer, local pharmacist Paul Fitzgerald must face his past before the whole world falls apart. While he fights to contain the beast around him, he finds his steadfast control slipping through his fingers. And life…everyone’s life…hangs by a thread once again. 

She isn’t a hero. Melissa Hampton has her own demons to battle. After she learns of her mysterious beginnings amidst her mother’s keepsakes, she faces more than just the river rushing outside her door. Now, she must discern friend from foe…but as waters rise and tension climbs within Timber Springs, she needs to rise to the challenge or lose the only man she's ever loved.

Can two people find each other through raging waters? 

$3.99 eBook

Buy on Amazon 

A brief interview with Renee

Renee, what do you love about this book?

I love the pace of Through Raging Waters. Some may say that it’s fast-paced, but I can tell you from experience that my life is like this book. I rarely have time to breathe. I rely solely on the Lord for my peace and strength and this book is a clear reflection of that.

Share two things you learned while researching this book.

I wrote a lot of Through Raging Waters from personal experience but I researched a lot of the helicopter scenes. I discovered quite a bit about how they are used in logging operations as well as rescue. They are extremely versatile pieces of equipment. Some don’t even have keys, but others do…mainly for the doors.

Introduce us to one of the characters.

I’d like you to meet Ashley Morrison or Ajax as she prefers to be called. Ajax is an old pharmacy classmate of Paul Fitzgerald’s. She’s also his deceased fiancee’s sister. Ajax brings quite a bit of baggage with her to Timber Springs when Paul calls her to town as relief for the pharmacy while he gallivants off to the mountains. And that baggage is very, very heavy.

What are you reading now?

I’m actually reading biblical fiction more now. It’s kind of strange but the stories of biblical times have really piqued my interest.

What’s next for you?

I’ve accepted a promotion at the pharmacy I work for and I’m busier than ever. We’ve relocated in my wonderful state. I’m still unpacking boxes as we speak! I’m also releasing two novellas this year! In addition, I’ve broke ground on Book 3. As you can see, life is never dull around the Blare House. LOL What’s NOT next?

Renee has offered to give away an electronic copy of Through Raging Waters to one of our guests. I'll draw from those who comment on the morning of July 26 by noon.

About Renee:

Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, Renee started writing poetry in junior high school. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, and she's been counting pills ever since. While writing's her first love, well, after the Lord and husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar.

Nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains with her husband, crazy dogs and ornery cat, she continues to serve her community as a pharmacist while penning her Christian stories any chance she can get. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.

• Website: http://www.reneeblare.com/
• Blog: http://reneeblare.blogspot.com/
• Group Blog: http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/
• Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Renee-Blare/e/B00SCELZRS
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReneeBlareAuthor
• Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113410151904056563997/posts
•  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/renee-blare/4/44a/3a0
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/blarerenee/
•  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReneeBlare
•  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/reneeblare/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55WKSlufqXcluWMdhxMEjw
• Tumblr: The  Journey: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/reneeblare
• BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/renee-blare