WRITING FROM THE SOUL: August 2015

Friday, August 28, 2015

AN ENDING YOU WILL NEVER GUESS

Title: Wish You Were Here

Author: Beth K Vogt

Publisher: Howard Books; First Edition edition (May 1, 2012)

Pages: 336

There are many ways that one comes across a book, and one of those ways is by recommendation of another. That is exactly what happened with WISH YOU WERE HERE by BETH K VOGT.

At a writing meeting I attended, a guest author and Brainstorm/Huddle Coach, spoke highly of WISH YOU WERE HERE. So much so, when I returned home I went online and purchased a copy. She spoke of the brilliant way she structured the story and the plot, despite the fact she didn’t care for the ending.

There was nothing fairy tale about Allison Denman’s walk down the aisle. In fact, you might say it was downright disastrous. Kissing her future husbands brother days before their wedding was neither in her plans nor a good idea. Seth Rayner is all Allison has ever known. Yet it is his brother Daniel that has her dreaming things she never imagined before.

Aside from MS VOGT being a wonderful writer, accurately incorporating every element needed to write a great story, I believe this has to be the first romance I’ve read that I was truly stumped at the outcome. For some time I thought I knew, then it became unclear, then it made sense, and in the end being something else...kind of. I take my hat off to MS VOGT for being able to pull off such an accomplishment.

I feel blessed to have read WISH YOU WERE HERE. As a writer, I learned a lot. I really enjoyed the story, and if there were anything I would change, perhaps it might be the ending. However, to be honest, I was okay with it.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

ACFW AUGUST 2015 NEW RELEASE

August 2015 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.

Contemporary Romance:

Be My Valentino by Sandra D. Bricker -- Now that the whole truth has come out about her husband's double life-including the fact that she and Jack were never legally married-Jessie is standing on her own for the first time in her life. As she struggles to put Adornments, her rental store for designer labels, on the map in Tinsel Town, her relationship with private investigator Danny Callahan gains momentum. Can Jessie afford to put her faith-and heart-into another relationship when she's so obviously handicapped in the good judgment department? (Contemporary Romance from Abingdon Press)

One More Wish by Robin Jones Gunn -- As Christy blows out the 26 candles on her birthday cake, she closes her eyes and makes a wish. Could this be the year that she and Todd finally have a baby? As her closest friends announce they are expecting, Christy's heart carries an ache for a child of her own. On their way home from Sierra's wedding, Todd opens up the discussion of adoption and soon a simple invitation turns into a life-changing season. Christy's patience and understanding are stretched beyond her limits, and she finds herself holding not just one baby in her arms, but two. Everything Christy and Todd thought about family and hospitality shifts as the two of them dare to make one more wish and believe that God's timing is flawless. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

Island Dreams by Kimberly Rose Johnson -- When a land developer comes to Wildflower Island Chase fights to keep the island the way it is. But there is a problem, he's falling for the developer and if he stops her, he may never see her again. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)

An Unexpected Family by Jill Kemerer -- After five years apart, Tom Sheffield is shocked to find his ex-wife, Stephanie, on his doorstep. The news that they share a child he's never met sends him reeling. Four-year-old Macy has his eyes, his mouth and, from their first encounter, his heart. Things with her mother are much more complicated. He doesn't understand what went wrong between them or why she kept their daughter a secret. And he's afraid of falling in love all over again. Yet he feels a glimmer of hope that somehow he can convince Macy and Stephanie to stay in Lake Endwell-and with him-for keeps. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Historical Romance:

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman -- She used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself. Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman. (Historical Romance from Tyndale House)

Through Waters Deep by Sarah Sundin -- In 1941, as America teeters on the brink of World War II, Mary Stirling works at the Boston Navy Yard and renews an old friendship with naval officer Ens. Jim Avery. Jim's destroyer escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic, but problems on his ship point to a saboteur at the shipyard. As Mary works to find the culprit and Jim battles U-boats, could their friendship blossom into something more? Or could the dangers they face keep them apart? (Historical Romance from Revell - A Division of Baker Publishing Group)

12 Brides of Summer, Novella Collection #3 by Margaret Brownley, Miralee Ferrell, and Pam Hillman -- Love Is Buzzing in the Good Old Summertime! Spend the sunny days of summer relaxing with an ice cold glass of lemonade and revel in the dreams of twelve brides who are a bit surprised by how the men of their dreams come into their lives. Journey to the Old West, stay on the prairie, and visit quaint small towns. . .without leaving the comfort of your own front porch with the third release in this collection. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)

Romantic Suspense:

Smokescreen by Jodie Bailey -- When her life is on the line, Ashley Colson is rescued by the last person she ever expected to see again. Military officer Ethan Kincaid might have disappointed her once in the past, but now he's the only person who can keep her safe. They're under the gun to decode top secret files that can save the life of a friend who is in enemy hands. But the killers will pull out all the stops to get their hands on the files...and Ashley. With time running out, can they put aside their past and find the answers that could give them a future? (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller:

Midnight on the Mississippi by Mary Ellis -- As a newly minted PI and a New Orleans stockbroker encounter sophisticated shell games, blackmail and death threats, danger swirls around them like the mysterious black water of the bayou. (Mystery/Crime from Harvest House Publishers)

The Bones will Speak by Carrie Stuart Parks -- A killer with a penchant for torture has taken notice of forensics expert Gwen Marcey . . . and her daughter. (Suspense/Thriller from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])

Speculative Fiction:

Take and Give by Amanda G. Stevens -- To escape the oppressive Constabulary and gain freedom in a newly formed country, four people must embark on a road trip fraught with danger and distrust. (Speculative Fiction from David C. Cook)

Young Adult:

A Perilous Assignment by JC Morrows -- The Order of the Moonstone is not just another shadowy underground resistance operation. They have a much more sinister purpose. Kayden is about to find out just how sinister. Go back to the very beginning with us... see how Kayden was chosen for her most important and most dangerous assignment yet. (Young Adult, Independently Published)