fiction

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS from Pelican Book Group

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

Permission to forward granted

Passport to Romance™

Let’s take a trip and fall in love! Passport to Romance™ titles are contemporary romances that are set in specific locales and feature a special set of objects. ( Check out the Location/Object table for specifics). 

Passport to Romance™ feature chic heroines who are sparkling, confident, open for adventure—and who are a perfect match for a contemporary alpha male who has a zest for life, a thirst for God, and who likes an intelligent woman who can hold her own.

Set in exotic locations around the world, these stories offer the contemporary Christian reader adventure, vivacity, romance and faith.

Passport to Romance™ key elements:

· Heroines must be between the ages of 22 and 35.

· Heroes must be between the ages of 22 and 39.

· Settings and objects must be chosen from within the Passport to Romance™ guidelines.

· Hero or Heroine (or both) must’ve traveled to the location of the story (He/She must’ve needed a passport to arrive at the story setting)

· Regular guidelines for White Rose Publishing also apply

· Word length: 30,000-35,000 words

· Please submit only completed stories

An Important Tip:

We created the Passport to Romance™ series to for a two-fold reason: to give readers a taste of overseas and to stir the creative juices of authors. We encourage authors to research the chosen location so that the cultural flavor of the location can be infused into the story. Also, we want to encourage authors to think outside the box when considering ways to incorporate the object prompts. If the location is the Arctic Circle and one of the objects is Hibiscus in Winter, don’t be discouraged! Rather, consider alternatives to the conventional bush blooming in the garden. Hibiscus in Winter might be the name of the heroine’s favourite musical band or book—or poem. A hibiscus could arrive in winter when a plane carrying hibiscus bushes crashes or dumps its cargo for some reason, or because the hero knows a the hibiscus is the heroine’s favourite flower and so carries one with him as he arrives from Hawaii.

When ready to submit, please use the regular submission form found on the www.pelicanbookgroup.com website.

Tuesday’s Child by Clare Revell

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments

About the Book:
Tuesday’s Child tenders direction…
Deaf from the age of five, Adeline Munroe operates a hospital for injured dolls, but lately her quiet life is disturbed by violent, haunting visions. Perhaps it’s just her unspoken fear–a serial killer has struck in Headley Cross. But Adeline soon realizes she’s seeing each murder just before they happen and reluctantly contacts the police.
Detective Sergeant Nate Holmes has enough to deal with between caring for his orphaned niece and his current assignment–the Herbalist killings, so when a woman comes forward who claims to be “seeing” the crimes in dreams, he isn’t hopeful she’ll be of any help. But he knows her from church, and she inexplicably describes how each crime is committed. Is God answering his prayers through Adeline?
Adeline assists the police, yet more women die and she becomes the prime target of the killer. Will Nate crack the case before the Herbalist can complete his agenda–or will the next murder Adeline foresees be her own?
Excerpt:
All of Nate’s senses kicked into action, his copper’s antennae twitching.
She knew something, or at least thought she did.
“What is it?”
Adeline sucked her lower lip into her mouth, worrying it with her teeth. “This is going to sound stupid, but…” She took a deep breath. “I saw them. All of them. They all had their hair tied back or up.” She picked up the top clipping. “She was playing on a swing and wearing a red jacket. This one was walking the dog and wearing blue.”
Nate jolted as if he’d been struck by lightning. Those details hadn’t been released. Was he wrong about her? Was she somehow involved with the murders? “Wait  a minute. How did you know any of this?”
Adeline carried on speaking as she shifted through the papers. “She was on her way to dance class in pink. This one was jogging in a gray toweling track suit and the first one…”
Nate put a hand on her arm, cutting her off.
She jerked her head upwards in surprise.
He held her gaze. “How do you know all this?”
“I told you, I saw them.” 
White Rose Publishing Purchase Link
Amazon UK Kindle
Amazon US Kindle & Amazon US Paperback
 

Make sure you stop back by tomorrow when I share my review of Tuesday’s Child. Now let’s find out a little about Clare Revell. What is your workday like?  Well I don’t sleep much so I’m up at midnight – when the kids have finally gone to bed and hand write until half two or three am. Then sleep til 6.30 when i have to get up to go to the day job in a school. That’s giving the kids breakfast, playing with them, art activity etc. Between 18 and 36 kids a day ranging from 4yr olds to 11 yr olds (foundation stage to year 6). Next its home and then writing more or less all day in between cleaning and cooking and laundry til i fall asleep around 9pm.

 
Sounds like you don’t sleep at all. Not me. I need seven or eight hours or I’m dragging all day. That’s amazing, Clare. Do you have any interesting or strange writing quirks? The first draft is hand written. in pencil. on a narrow leaved spiral bound notebook.

Ouch. Not me. If I drafted in pencil, I’d spend a fortune in erasers. Name one thing you learned from your hero or heroine. There is no such thing as a disability. Just a different kind of problem to deal with and over come.

Love that, Clare! Look to your right – what’s sitting there?  –>
the flower which one of the 4yr olds gave me at work on Thursday

What are some of your favorite things to do when you’re not writing? Reading. My kindle is always on my desk and constantly needs charging up 

Mine, too. Least favorite? housework
 
Here! Here! Do you have a question for our readers?  

The heroine of Tuesday’s Child Adeline is deaf. If you had to lose one sense what would it be and why? Or what sense would you least like to lose.
Thanks so much for visiting, Clare. I’m looking forward to sharing my review of Tuesday’s Child tomorrow! 

Clare lives in a small town in England with her husband, whom she married in 1992, and her three children. Writing from a early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fanfiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children’s stories. When she’s not writing, reading, sewing or keeping house or doing the many piles of laundry her children manage to make, she’s working part time in the breakfast club at one of the local schools.

She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of three registrars.

You can find Clare here:
http://www.revell124.plus.com/clarerevell/
https://www.facebook.com/ClareRevellAuthor
https://twitter.com/ClareRevell
http://telscha.blogspot.co.uk/

DEVOTION by Marianne Evans – My Review

/ Dora Hiers / 7 Comments
About the Book:

From This Day Forward
Christian Music agent Kellen Rossiter has everything he ever wanted: A-list clients from coast to coast, a loving wife who honors and respects him, and a faith life that’s never wavered—until now.

Juliet Rossiter has the perfect life: a rewarding schedule serving the underprivileged, a husband who loves her as Christ loved the church, and a blessed future as a mother—at least that’s what she thinks.

For Better or Worse
But what happens when their rock-solid marriage begins to crumble under the weight of an unexpected and powerful temptation? How does love survive when its foundation is shaken?

‘Til Death Do Us Part
When human frailty and the allure of sin deal a harsh blow to their relationship, it will take more than love to mend the shattered trust and heartbreak. It will take a lifetime of devotion. 

My Review:
From all outward indications, Kellen and Juliet appeared to have the perfect marriage. Both Christians, they share the same values and long to complete their family with children. A successful music agent, Kellen falls into a pattern of skipping worship services, choosing instead to worship at home. Juliet, active in church and various outreach opportunities, loves her husband and her life. When Kellen signs a rising star, he struggles with desire and temptation for a woman other than his wife for the first time in his marriage. 

What a powerful reminder that no marriage is immune to temptation and that we engage in spiritual warfare for our families on a daily basis. It’s so easy to let life get in the way, to allow relationships to take a back-burner to jobs and responsibilities, and to slip into convenient routines. Kellen and Juliet battled realistic emotions, with plenty of angst and heavy drama you’d expect for a story line centered around temptation and broken trust. This is a story of re-commitment, renewal, and devotion to God and each other. It’s also a gem of a romance. If you’re looking for a book to squeeze in a couple hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon, Devotion probably isn’t the book you should reach for. Don’t expect to read it in one sitting, and be sure to have a box of tissues handy. Great job tackling such a tough topic, Ms. Evans!

Purchase Link: White Rose Publishing Pre-order Special Offer. Choose either a special 30% discounted pre-order price, or pre-order at the regular retail price and receive a $10.00 eBook gift certificate to use store-wide*. Every eligible pre-order will be automatically entered into a drawing to win either a Kindle or Nook. (See Pelican Book Group site for details.) Available 10/15/12
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BTS in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.