inspiration

Meet Lexi from Shattered Identity by K. Dawn Byrd

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

K. Dawn Byrd is back with her latest YA inspirational romance, Shattered Identity. Let’s meet Lexi, the leading lady.

Tell us about yourself, Lexi.
I’ve been told I’m beautiful, especially by the guys. Oh, I’m great in math. I’m so good that my teacher has asked me to tutor other students who aren’t getting it. I only tutor hot guys though.


What do you like to do in your spare time? And what things do you avoid?
I hang out with my new boyfriend, Zack. My mom wouldn’t exactly approve because I’m 19 and he’s 25, so I haven’t told her about him. Maybe one day.

Eden used to ask me to go to church with her. I went a couple of times, but it wasn’t my thing. Now, Jeremy is bugging me about church. We can’t even have a conversation without him bringing it up. Just give it a rest, people!

What’s your biggest fear?
Rejection. I guess it goes back to when my dad left Mom and me. I felt rejected and still do since I never get to see him. I can’t stand feeling that way. That’s why I tried to take Eden’s boyfriend away from her. I knew he wanted her instead of me and I couldn’t take the rejection.

What’s your dream life, Lexi?
I want to go to college, get married, and have a couple of kids one day. Right now, I can’t trust my mom to stay sober, so I have no immediate plans for college. I feel like my life is on hold.

Any regrets?
I would change the fact that sometimes I do things without thinking about the consequences and people I care about get hurt. If I’d really thought it through, I never would have gone after Eden’s boyfriend. That cost us our friendship and I miss her.

Blurb for Shattered Identity:
Lexi Branson thinks she’s found the guy of her dreams. So what if he’s older? Her new motto is, “Love knows no boundaries or age limits.” Zack Bane loves her and treats her like a princess and that’s all that matters.

Lexi soons discovers that she doesn’t know Zack as well as she thought. He has secrets, the kind that shatter the lives of those who love him. When faced with the truth, Lexi tries to hang onto him because she has a secret of her own.

When Lexi ends up in danger, she discovers she has no one to turn to except her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy. Can Jeremey, who is still in love with her, keep her safe from Zack? When faced with a choice will Lexi choose to stay with the guy who has become a stranger or will she choose Jeremy, the guy who loves her with all his heart?

K. Dawn Byrd is an author of inspirational romance and avid blogger who gives away several books per week on her blog at http://www.kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com, most of which are signed by the authors. She’s also the moderator of the popular facebook Christian Fiction Gathering group at http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=128209963444. 


When not reading or writing, K. Dawn Byrd enjoys spending time with her husband of 16 years while walking their dogs beside a gorgeous lake near her home and plotting the next story waiting to be told.

Book Reviews

/ Dora Hiers
Do you find book reviews difficult to write?
When I attempted my first book review, 
I spent hours working on it. 
Since then, I’ve adopted an easy template to use. 
I’ll even share. 😉
First, if you’re blogging, it’s a good idea to 
insert a copy of the book cover 
for your visual viewers. 
Just as an attractive plate of food stirs your taste buds, a well-designed book cover draws a reader in and prompts them to take a deeper look. Generally, you don’t need to ask permission to use the cover. Most authors I know would LOVE the free advertising.


Secondly, I usually 
plug the back cover copy into the top of a Word document 
as a working copy. Although I don’t always use it in my review, doing this keeps the names and general story idea handy, saving time later.

Journey’s Edge back cover copy:
A Routine Audit? Hardly. 
Red flags—including some goon who’s following her—raise McKinley Frasier’s suspicions that numbers don’t add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley’s daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner’s not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a “new man.” She trusts the new Renner with her daughter’s safety…but what about her heart?

As I’m reading the book, I 
use the following template 
to type notes in the Word document.

  • What I liked.
  • What I didn’t like. Was I confused about something?
  • Characters ~ were they 3-dimensional? Did I like them?
  • Setting ~ was it real enough that I felt like I was there? 
  • For romantic suspense novels, was there an appropriate balance?
  • Is there a message for the reader to take away? A faith thread?
  • How would I rate the book?

Answering these questions as you read the book allows your review to flow fairly quickly and painlessly. 

Your readers may also appreciate purchase links. 😉


And lastly, due to 2009 FTC regulations, you’re obligated to indicate whether you received any compensation 
for the review. 


Want to see an awesome example? Check out Susan Tuttle’s Bookshelf Friday. 


Do you have a method for writing book reviews?
What works for you?

Inspiration at the RT Booklovers Convention?

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments
Chicago, gear up for romance lovers to storm your city for the RT Booklovers Convention! 
And, yes, you will meet inspirational authors as this segment of the convention blossoms and expands every year. Read the full line-up here. 
Check out this reader’s workshop in particular…

Wednesday, 4/11 
from 2:15-3:15 pm
Inspirational romance has come a long way, baby. Real people … real-life issues … real romance … and messages that remain long after the last page is turned. What is inspirational romance today, and what does it have to offer you, the reader?

Join inspirational authors Marianne Evans, Dorothy Love, Mary Manners and Dora Hiers
for this reader’s workshop.

Thursday, 4/12 
from 4-6:00 pm
I will be signing copies of Journey’s Edge and Journey’s End  at the E-Book & Graphic Novel Bookfair
Interested in attending? Check out the full schedule.
Stop by and say “hi.” I’d love to meet you.