www.LeeStrobel.com www.TheAmbitionBook.com A corrupt judge in a mob murder case. A disillusioned pastor hungry for power. A cynical reporter sniffing for a scandal. A gambling addict with a secret. Zondervan May 2011 On Sale: May 1, 2011 Featuring: Garry Strider; Eric Snow 320 pages ISBN: 0310292670 EAN: 9780310292678 Hardcover Add to Wish List Amazon Barnes and Noble Books-A-Million Borders.com Powell’s Books Local Independent Bookstore Deceit, Deception, and Death New York Times bestselling nonfiction author delivers his debut thriller, THE AMBITION After reaching millions with his bestselling “A Case For” series, Lee Strobel probes into the power of ambition in the city he knows best: Chicago. From corruption inside the halls of justice to betrayal in the back alleys, THE AMBITION launches a major new voice in fiction. “The much published author writes with great confidence and plots like a screenwriter . . . Strobel succeeds in his new direction.”—Publishers Weekly Edgy characters, corruption and political intrigue populate Strobel’s debut novel. “THE AMBITION is inspired by real-life stories that I covered at the Chicago Tribune,” said Strobel, former award-winning legal editor of the daily. “I’ve been in that world of reporting on the crime syndicate and political and judicial corruption. While…

Dead #4  May 2011 On Sale: May 2, 2011 Featuring: Daisy Giordano 216 pages ISBN: 0547345933 EAN: 9780547345932 Paperback $7.99 Add to Wish List Young Adult Paranormal Buy at Amazon.com Graduation is tough…even for the ‘undead’ Dead Is Not An Option by Marlene Perez It’s springtime of senior year, and psychic sleuth Daisy Giordano is preparing to say goodbye to Nightshade High. But no college acceptance letters have arrived yet, and she’s beginning to worry about where she’ll end up come fall—and if it will be anywhere near her boyfriend, Ryan. But that’s not the only uncertainty Daisy’s dealing with. There’s a vamps-versus-shifters war going on in Nightshade, and things are so tense that there is talk of canceling the prom. The conflict is carrying over to the Giordano home, since Rose and Daisy are both dating werewolves and Poppy’s new boyfriend is a vampire. Can the paranormal community in Nightshade finally find peace? And will Daisy and her friends survive graduation? All of these questions and more are answered in the latest explosive installment in the Dead Is series. Previous Picks

In my many dialogues about ASHES OF THE EARTH I have discovered a remarkable, though sometimes reluctant, resonance among others about post-apocalyptic scenarios. I expected that initial reactions from readers would be along the lines of “why select such a dismal context?” or “why would you want to spend so much time in such a dark, unlikely place?” –but that has not been the case.  Instead many readers seem almost eager to offer their personal view of the post-apocalyptic world. They don’t reject the notion that such scenarios are a real possibility, they want to explain their own version of what that world would be like. Apparently we have lived so many years with the Doomsday Clock set at five minutes to midnight that the apocalypse has taken on a familiar aspect. We may often treat discussion of the apocalypse as taboo but it is uncanny –even alarming—that so many of us are thinking about it. I have been truly amazed at how many people harbor ready, well-considered views on what post-apocalyptic geographies would be safe, what technologies would endure, what types of people would be most likely to survive, or even what food survivors would be eating. This may…

May 2011 On Sale: April 26, 2011 416 pages ISBN: 0061728934 EAN: 9780061728938 Hardcover $18.99  Add to Wish List Young Adult Buy at Amazon.com Carrie’s summer after graduation Summer And The City: A Carrie Diaries Book by Candace Bushnell A Carrie Diaries Novel Summer is a magical time in New York City and Carrie is in love with all of it—the crazy characters in her neighborhood, the vintage-clothing boutiques, the wild parties, and the glamorous man who has swept her off her feet. Best of all, she’s finally in a real writing class, taking her first steps toward fulfilling her dream. This sequel to The Carrie Diaries brings surprising revelations as Carrie learns to navigate her way around the Big Apple, going from being a country “sparrow”—as Samantha Jones dubs her—to the person she always wanted to be. But as it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile her past with her future, Carrie realizes that making it in New York is much more complicated than she ever imagined. With her signature wit and sparkling humor, Candace Bushnell reveals the irresistible story of how Carrie met Samantha and Miranda, and what turned a small-town girl into one of New York City’s most…

Once Upon A Time, I wanted to be a historical romance writer.  I even majored in history in college, although I dropped out of the honors program when they won’t let me write an accurate historical novel (“like Michael Shaara‘s THE KILLER ANGELS,” I said) for my thesis.  They told me I had to go to the English department for that. Well, everyone I knew who majored in English ended up teaching writing, and I didn’t want to teach, I wanted to write.  In truth, I was already writing.  I had paid much of my way through college as a freelance nonfiction writer, and in my sophomore year, I started working as a reporter for a local radio station. There—and in my history classes—I learned about the importance of accuracy, of not committing anything to paper until it was absolutely right.  Which, somehow, I took over into the fiction side. It would take me years, I reasoned, to write a good historical romance.  And honestly, I didn’t (and don’t) have the attention span for that. So I gave up and wrote science fiction and fantasy (sf/f). Because I could make it all up.  All of it—the setting, the people, the…

I think all writers can agree that characters build as we write. Especially the hero or heroine. But what we don’t always expect is when the secondary characters—or as I like to call them, our secondary heroes—begin to speak louder and demand to be heard. It happens differently for every writer. I can only tell my own experience as it happened to me. And understand, it doesn’t happen with ever book or with every series. The stories of these characters becomes important to the reader, as well as the writer. So much so their voice comes through and they’re no longer shoved to the back of the book, but come forward to the front. And eventually—they get their own show. This is great news for a writer who’s developed a series that readers enjoy. It gives the writer a new path to follow from a different set of eyes, and it fleshes and fills out the back-story of every character within that writer’s universe. For me, it was a persistent character. A character that I used through the series as a dues ex machina. And as my books grew, and I continued to use this secondary hero—I realized I went…

January 1990 On Sale: January 22, 1990 56 pages ISBN: 0679805273 EAN: 9780679805274 Hardcover (reprint) $17.00  Add to Wish List Childrens Buy at Amazon.com Graduations and advice… Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss Don’t be fooled by the title of this seriocomic ode to success; it’s not ‘Climb Every Mountain,’ kid version. All journeys face perils, whether from indecision, from loneliness, or worst of all, from too much waiting. Seuss’ familiar pajama-clad hero is up to the challenge, and his odyssey is captured vividly in busy two- page spreads evoking both the good times (grinning purple elephants, floating golden castles) and the bad (deep blue wells of confusion). Seuss’ message is simple but never sappy: life may be a ‘Great Balancing Act,’ but through it all ‘There’s fun to be done.’ Previous Picks

Hello, my friends. It’s been a long time since I chatted with you here. Did you miss me? Laughing, probably not since we’ve had many many authors stop by and be our guest at Fresh Fiction, more interesting than what I usually rambled about. And so, here we are and I’m not quite sure what to say. Well, today is book club tea day in Texas. It’s a late one because the tea room holds it at 3:30pm to 5:00pm. That’s the strange thing about teas I’ve found over the years, the ‘proper’ time ranges from noon to 6pm. Each venue has their own idea of what is right. Most believe that a tea was a snack between luncheon and dinner so the ladies wouldn’t faint. I guess I’ve always thought of it as similar to feeding your kids when they came home from school before the family dinner. Give them a quick sandwich or snack and they won’t tear the kitchen apart rummaging for food. But whenever tea is held there is always someone who expresses that it’s too early, too late but never just right. Ah, well, life goes on. From experience I am certain the Chocolate Angel…

August 2010 On Sale: August 3, 2010 240 pages ISBN: 0307588637 EAN: 9780307588630 Trade Size (reprint) $13.99  Add to Wish List Self-Help Buy at Amazon.com Sometimes you need more advice…delivered with a smile and common sense. Your Mother Was Right by Kate Reardon All the Great Advice You Tried to Forget The most useful tips for women, by women. While we have learned to respect (and finally listen to) the hard-won wisdom of our mothers, there’s nothing we love more than another nugget of great advice. We are all constantly on the lookout for new answers to life’s everyday challenges, such as: Q: How can I not look so tired? A: Massage your ears. (It works!) Q: How can I mend a hem if I don’t have time to sew it? A: Use adhesive tape from the first-aid kit. Q: What should I do if I’m having trouble sleeping? A: Eat a banana. Q: How can I keep a friendship platonic? A: Give him advice, especially about the way he drives. From beauty questions to cooking tips, money advice, style pointers, and all you need to know about love and friendship, here are the most helpful secrets that women from…

Fresh Fiction. I like this website’s name and theme. Everyone likes things fresh–fresh air, fresh fruit…and a fresh start. I’m author Linda Hubalek and many of my historical fiction books have characters longing for fresh starts for their families. I write about ancestors that moved to Kansas for a reason–to homestead land to start a new life for their families. For example Deborah and John Pieratt, featured in the first book of the Trail of Thread series) left Kentucky in 1854 when the Territory of Kansas was formed. They were part of the thousands of families that packed wagons and headed east for the promise of a new life. The thought of owning land must have seemed like the perfect fresh start for their six young children. THIMBLE OF SOIL, the second book in the series, features Margaret Ralston Kennedy. She was a widow who moved with eight of her thirteen children from Ohio to the Territory Kansas in 1855. (Margaret and two of her daughters are standing in front of their house in the photo with this post.) She was dedicated to the cause of the North, and helped with the Underground Railroad in both Ohio and Kansas. She…