Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Terri Reed | Sweet Summer Treats
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

Hello and thank you for hosting me today. With Fourth of July fast approaching many people will be hosting family and friends as we celebrate the birth of the United States of America. I remember growing up, my grandparents would have everyone to their house for a barbeque. There would be hamburgers, hot dogs and my grandmother’s fried chicken. Corn on the cob dripping with butter, slices of fresh watermelon straight out of my grandfather’s garden and dessert–we’d have my grandfather’s homemade vanilla ice cream and berry pie. Yum. As an adult I found I didn’t like cooking the way my grandmother and grandfather did but I will occasionally make a few choice creations. One that I would like to share with you that would be perfect for a Fourth of July celebration whether a picnic at a park or a backyard barbeque. This is an appealing, do-ahead dessert that can be formed and frozen, ready to be thawed and baked the day you want to eat it. Fresh Plum-Blueberry Turnovers Makes 8 large turnovers 12 ounces plums, pitted and sliced 2 cups fresh blueberries ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water…

Congratulations to the 2016 Christy Award Winners!
News / July 1, 2016

Book of the Year The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart     What if you met your twenty-three-year-old self in a dream? What would you say? Brock Matthews’ once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage. So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past Read More »   Contemporary The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate     From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of Read More »   Contemporary Romance/Suspense The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck     A lonely wedding chapel built as a tribute to lost love just might hold the long-awaited secret to hope and reconciliation. For sixty years, the wedding chapel has stood silent and empty. Retired football hall-of-famer Jimmy “Coach” Westbrook built the chapel by hand, stone by stone, for Read More » Saga of four loves and a wedding chapel   Contemporary Series Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Beth K. Vogt  …

Pamela Mingle | Regency Heroines Who Matter
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

Can heroines from the past be relevant in today’s world? A twenty-first century career woman coming home to a partner, children, dishes in the sink, and a hamper full of dirty laundry may find it difficult to relate to an early nineteenth century lady, whose every need is seen to by servants. Writers of historical romance try to imbue their heroines with enough curiosity, gumption, and resourcefulness to make them relatable and likable. Ladies living in a different age didn’t have the same family responsibilities as we do today, but neither did they have the same opportunities, especially for education and employment. For an unmarried gentlewoman of the early nineteenth century, options were limited to a very few professions: most commonly, lady’s companion, governess, or shopkeeper. And we see these occupations often in historical romances. But Regency writers have found clever ways to circumvent the lack of options available to their heroines. These fictional characters often have the requisite skills and interests to carve out a purposeful life. And if they are also engaging, beautiful, and admirable, heroes (and readers) find heroines to love. As a result, we have female characters who are writers, philanthropists, artists, and scientists. We can…

Lisa Wingate | Finding Roosevelt’s Federal Writers
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

I never know where my stories will come from. While working on my first Carolina book, set on the Outer Banks, I became fascinated with the mystery of the Lost Colonists of Roanoke Island. You can’t spend time on the Carolina Coast without realizing that theories abound as to the fate of the 117 people who vanished from Sir Walter Raleigh’s ill-fated colony over thirty years before the Pilgrims would land on Plymouth Rock. While writing my second Carolina book, THE STORY KEEPER, I delved into the mystery of what early explorers deemed to be “blue-eyed Indians,” who were found to have been living in the Appalachian mountains decades before other Europeans pressed in. I knew that the third Carolina book would somehow bring these two fascinating bits of history together. An interesting thing happened when THE STORY KEEPER hit the bookstores. Because the novel is about the discovery of an untold story, readers began sharing their own family stories with me. One reader mentioned that she’d traveled through the mountains many times as a child and one day had noticed that there were doors in the mountainside. When she asked about the doors, her father told her that during…

It Wasn’t Me That Won. Not Really.
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

Monday afternoon I won a Christy Award for my novel, THE FIVE TIMES I MET MYSELF. (If you’re not familiar with the Christy’s, it’s the Christian Fiction equivalent of the Oscars.) And I didn’t win one Christy, I won two. First in the Visionary category, then Book of the Year—which I suppose is something like winning Best Picture. Crazy cool. Stunned me to win. So deeply honored. But here’s the twist. I didn’t win. Not really. My name is on the cover of the book. But so many other names should be there alongside mine. Three of those names? Amanda Bostic, Erin Healy, Darci Rubart. Amanda Bostic My editor. When I finished the first version of my manuscript and sent it in, Amanda wrote back and said, “Jim, it’s so hard to tell you this, but what you’ve written isn’t going to work. We’re going to have to start over. There’s a better book than this one inside you.” I was devastated. But she was right. Oh how she was right. So I wrote the book again, 90 percent of it new. Amanda and I are friends. Would have been easier for her to say, “Yeah, okay we’ll work with…

Meet Author: Amy Clipston
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. We’d love to introduce you to Amy Clipston. Writes: Amish fiction, with my latest release THE COURTSHIP BASKET , book #2 in my Amish Heirloom series, hitting shelves June 28, 2016 About: Forty-something romance author seeks readers for sweet and emotional Amish novel, with an outspoken, quick-tempered heroine who’s all but given up on love after having her heart broken and a workaholic hero, who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and is burdened with caring for his six-year-old younger brother and chronically ill father. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Their idea of the perfect date includes a Saturday night in with their e-reader/or paperback, a box of chocolate and perhaps a diet soda… Dreams of horses and buggies Falls easily in love with hardworking heroes dressed in suspenders and straw hats Likes sweet, inspirational stories with touches of humor Doesn’t mind reading about delicious recipes and baked goods Enjoys a fast-paced, emotional plot Wants to learn more about the…

Allison Winn Scotch | I Love You, I Hate You …
Author Guest / July 1, 2016

I have a love/hate relationship with social media, which I think is pretty aptly reflected in IN TWENTY YEARS. On one hand, I absolutely adore Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: I love how Facebook and Instagram connect me with old friends and allow me to keep track of their lives in ways that I’d never otherwise be able to. Watching their kids grow up, cheering on their personal accomplishments, finding common ground when the world at large has disappointed us or inspired us. I truly could spend all day “liking” their posts because I am so proud that these people are part of my life. Similarly, I enjoy Twitter a lot, as it keeps me company during my solitary writing days and keeps me informed about news and the world at large. That said… As reflected in the book, I think there are a lot of downsides to social media too, and I guess I balance my love for all of the things I said above with my equally measured view of the perils. I’m not a fan of the sugar-coated, overly-filtered presentation of, well, life, and how people use that presentation to, I don’t know, make others envious or jealous…