ECFL Blog Tour Stop for Michelle Sutton here!

Title and Genre: Decision to Love (Women's fiction)

Book Blurb: Love is a decision, or is it merely an emotion?

Eight years after Tony and Hope's affair ended, new problems arise. Jimmy has gone off to college, but returns home with a startling revelation that devastates his father and causes his final heart attack. Now Hope is grieving the loss of both her husband and their son. She tries to make sense of everything, and in the end she decides to love her son through the grief. More than that, she makes the decision to love whoever her son chooses to love, whether she agrees with his choices or not. Jimmy is confused about his faith, his life, and ultimately, whom he should love. After some severe trials knock him off what he thought was the right course for his life, he makes the decision to love himself enough not to be used by someone again. But will his decision protect him in the end?

What makes this a "hot" summer read? First of all, it's loaded with drama. So people who want to get lost in a book and forget themselves for a while will enjoy this story. Also, it's full of hot topics, deep spirituality, and steamy romance. When it comes to discovering true love, it's a real sizzler.

Buy it in paperback format or for your kindle on Amazon HERE

Title and Genre: Out of Time (Contemporary Romance)

Book Blurb: Bree Le Fleur moves to Arizona to heal from her past. She meets her neighbor Donny Garafalo Jr., race car driver and model. Unlike most, she's not impressed. After their disastrous introduction, Bree ends up needing Donny's help. They become friends and Donny decides Bree is the perfect girl for him. He won't inherit the family business unless he can change his ways. He believes dating Bree and attending church will persuade his father. While following his ruse, they fall in love and find faith. Things look promising until Donny hits the road again for his final racing circuit and Bree discovers a plot to harm him. She tries to tell him, but he won't listen, so she takes matters into her own hands. When he finds out, will he thank her for meddling or send her packing? Is their love strong enough to make it through the ultimate test?

What makes this a "hot" summer read? For starters, there is a hot hero in this book. Plus, in my opinion, there is nothing hotter than restrained passion because of true love. A former playboy type finds himself falling for an ordinary girl. At the same time he finds faith. The transformation is believable, but something to behold. And the romance is smoking hot. The tension will set your pages on fire. A perfect beach read for sure.

Buy it in paperback format or for your kindle on Amazon HERE

Title and Genre: It's Not About Her (Contemporary Romance)

Book Blurb: Deena Tyler's mother led an unsavory lifestyle with drugs and men prior to Deena being taken into foster care as a teenager by a pastor and his wife. Her dream is to become a pastor's wife so someday she'll have a family life similar to her foster parents.  She has secretly been in love with Tony Lane since he started dating her roommate during their freshman year of college and he talked about wanting to become a youth pastor after graduation. But when her roommate died, Tony left town and changed schools. Deena transfers to the college in his home town so she can provide him with moral support, only he just wants to forget the past and move on. Tony has always fallen for beautiful women. To complicate things further, his friend Deena, whom he has never been attracted to because she's fairly plain, starts looking really good to him. Can he handle a new relationship this time around without messing it up, or is he destined to remain single?

What makes this a "hot" summer read? This book is hot because it has been long overdue for its release. The original date was scheduled for 2010. Fans of the prior two books will look forward to this conclusion where bad boy Tony finally redeems himself and changes for the better. The romance is hot, yet emotional, and the series concludes on a sigh-worthy note. 

Buy it in paperback format or for your kindle on Amazon HERE

The next tour stops are...

• Sat, Aug 18: Tori Chase (THE SNAKE MURDERS) http://www.kvictoriachase.com
• Mon. Aug 20:  DEBORAH PICCURELLI   (HUSH, LITTLE BABY)   http://faith-fiction-friends.blogspot.com/
• Wed, Aug 22: Christine Lindsay (SHADOWED IN SILK) www.christinelindsay.org
• Sat, Aug 25: Michael Scott (THE LOST SCROLLS) http://MichaelJScott.wordpress.com.
• Mon, Aug27: Paul Baines (ALPHA REDEMPTION, ALPHA REVELATION)  http://www.pabaines.com
• Wed, Aug 29: Dale Amedei (THE ANVIL OF THE CRAFTSMAN, THE BRITTERIDGE HERESY) http://daleamidei.wordpress.com/

November is National Adoption month, and Arizona Adoption month!

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed a decree making November Arizona Adoption month where the event is officially recognized along with National Adoption month. It's so fitting then to acknowledge the beauty of adoption and the people who are willing to expand their family to take on a child who needs a home. I've written a number of books that include adoption themes in them. 


So if you want to read a few stories that deal with adoption you might want to try these...

My Thanksgiving gift to bloggers and authors everywhere...

Most of you know that once in awhile I like a post enough from Book Marketing Experts that I want to share the wealth with you. Their newsletter allows you to do that as long as you say where it's from. So without further adieu, here is the featured article from Penny C. Sansevieri, editor, and here is her marketing advice this month.


The New PR: Secrets to Turning Fans into Evangelists
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twelve years ago when I was first in business it was unclear whether blogs would even make a dent in news and communication. Back then, if you wanted to get your book out you had to market to radio, TV, and print publications otherwise your message would die quietly and all your efforts to publish the book would go with it. Cycle forward to 2011. We live online and social media has almost replaced the nightly news.
Publicity and marketing have changed in ways that no one could have anticipated and that's a good thing. Why? Because now so many channels have opened up to help us market. Could you imagine living in a world where if you didn't get traditional media or even a regional paper to pick you up, no one would ever know about you? I did, and we marketed in that world. Believe me, it wasn't easy.


And while it's great that we have these channels, there is always a downside to this new, tethered, social media world. We have a lot of news. A lot of it. And not all of it is news, either. Some is just wasteful white noise and much of it, we ignore. Now, the challenge is no longer can you get peoples' attention, but can you keep it? And can you keep their attention long enough to get them interested in your book enough to turn contacts into evangelists? One thing I've learned: it's not a challenge everyone is up for and that's OK. If it's not your thing to wrestle your way to the top of the Twitter posts or Facebook mentions, that's fine. But if you want to get noticed and sell books, you'll have to ramp up your game. Here's how to do it:


Be good or be gone: For lack of a better term, there's a lot of junk online. A lot of people ramble on about things that only they care about. We currently run a program that gets a lot of "Likes" to a client's Facebook Page. We're such a numbers driven society that people love this program. Here's the kicker though: you can get Facebook Likes but that doesn't mean they will keep liking you. You have to post good, interesting, unique and compelling content. There is so much information out there, you must be good, or be gone. You won't even have to leave the virtual party because if you keep posting self-absorbed, look at me posts, no one will listen anyway.


Say something new: Please do not tell me the same thing I've already heard a million times. Don't just repeat what everyone else is saying, offer your perspective, your viewpoint. Now, there's a caveat to this: sometimes when you're in a particular field you will feel like you are repeating yourself. In many cases, especially if you are teaching the masses, your clients or fans will need to hear a message several times before they get it. Sometimes repetition is good. But if you're just repeating what someone else is saying with no new spin or twist on it, then it's just boring.


No one cares what you say: Truth be told, no one cares what you tell them. What people care about is what their friends say, who their friends recommend. You must be so compelling, interesting, funny, helpful - or whatever - that people will start to evangelize your work. That's when it happens: when you are interesting enough that people want to tell other people about you. Remember, no one cares what you say. They only care what their friends care about. A survey done by Edelman Digital noted that fewer than one in three people trust marketing messages. Scary, isn't it?


Give consumers what they want: It amazes me how often marketers make consumers conform to their needs. Remember, it's not about you, it's about your consumers. Give them what they want and they will give you what you want. So often I see authors with messages that are highly ego based, meaning it's about them. Leave your ego at the door and make it about your consumers. People want valuable insights, access to information and lots of free stuff. Yes, I said free. If the thought of free makes you shiver, here's an article that shows you how to monetize "free:" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/how-to-monetize-free_b_676794.html


Numbers matter: Let's face it, we're a society that pays attention to the numbers we see on Twitter and Facebook. If you are promoting yourself and have 10 followers on Twitter and 16 Likes on Facebook, you might want to think about paying more attention to these properties. Consumers like what other consumers like and the numbers associated with these sites often determine how "likable" you are. Bigger numbers get consumer (and media) interest.


Getting people to pay attention: You have to stop your consumers in their tracks, get them to put down their iPhone, iPad, droid or whatever gadget they're consuming their news feeds on and get them to pay attention to what you are saying. How do you do that? This goes back to my first point: Be Good or Be Gone. Get people to pay attention by adding solid, helpful and insightful content to your feeds. If you ramble on about the flight you missed or the bad day you're having, I can guarantee that people will turn the virtual channel.


Do stuff people will love: Getting people to love you is easy. Do stuff they'll love. This is why I talk so much about giving away information, being helpful, being on top of your industry. I am always stunned when authors come up to me at conferences to tell me how much they love our newsletter (The Book Marketing Expert) or how much they love the information we share on Huffington Post. Give people what they want and they will give you what you want: love - and, hopefully, book sales.


Do stuff people will hate: Not everyone will love what you say and that's OK. When I wrote "Why Some Authors Fail" ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/why-some-authors-fail_b_534629.html) I thought everyone would hate that piece. It turns out some people did, and that's OK. I once had a good friend and business coach tell me, if everyone loves you you're doing something wrong. Embrace it.


Make random connections: Not all of your contacts or connections need to make sense. They are following you for a reason, because they want to be part of your information funnel. Here's a cool little idea you might want to consider. Make random connections. What I mean by this is that every couple of weeks (or more if you have the time), email or direct message someone who is following you on Facebook and/or Twitter and ask them if they like the information that's being sent to them and what you can do better. When you ask these questions, you may not always like the answer but I can almost guarantee that you will find it helpful. Our best information often comes from our audience. I've known some authors/speakers to develop entire content for a book based solely on audience questions. Their questions and feedback will show you their interest and hot buttons. Ask!


Stay on top of current trends: This is a big one for most of us. We're out of time, out of ideas and well, out of time. Staying on top of current trends seems like it's just another time suck. But trust me, it's not. First, head over to Google alerts (it's free) and sign up for alerts in your market or area of expertise. What happens when you do that? You'll get all news items and blog posts on your topic funneled to you. This will help you gather ideas on new topics to blog on and new developments in your arena. Staying topical is important, especially if you're trying to keep someone's attention.


Be trendy: No, this isn't a repeat of my previous paragraph. Here is what you do: go over to Google Trends, and search current trending topics. Want to drive more traffic to your site? Increase your Facebook Likes and Twitter followers? This is a great and fun way to do it: talk about current trends. Now, granted, you need to be able to speak to these trends and they do need to have at least something to do with your book. But if you can tie a hot topic into your specialty you can really drive some interest to your content. Why? Because if it's trending in Google, it means the searches for this are pretty high. Higher searches mean a higher volume of potential people who can find your message.


You might wonder how all of this can help you get more exposure for your book, get more people to talk about your book, and sell more copies. Here's how: it's not enough to get mentioned in the news. While it's great, that alone won't sell your books. You have to get in front of enough people in a very interesting and unique way. You have to get them to fall in love with your message so much that they'll talk about you, Tweet about you, and tell all their friends to go buy your book. The new PR isn't going after Oprah (though big shows are always a great boost), it's really about the consumers and the message. How will you get your community so enamored with your message that you turn contacts into evangelists? That's the new PR.


Sites mentioned in this article:


http://www.google.com/trends


http://www.google.com/insights/search/




Reprint permission 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph:


Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New article titled 10 Deadly Sins of Website Design by Penny C. Sansevieri...

Enjoy the guest post... used with permission (see bottom of this post for statement.)


Feature Article: The 10 Deadly Sins of Website Design
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Checklist to Help You Avoid Them


So, you're ready to create your very own author site, or maybe you're updating your old one. We all know there's a lot that can go wrong with a website (server gone down?) but there's also a lot you can do in the early stages to avoid some mishaps down the road. Here's a checklist that you can take with you as you work through the design elements of your website:

1. Cluttered: Let's just start there. A cluttered site is the kiss of death to conversion. Make sure the site you choose is clean, uncluttered and easy to navigate. If you can't figure it out, I guarantee you your visitor won't, either.

2. Confusing: Tell them what you want them to do. Several times. In order to make a sale, you have to tell your visitor what you want them to do - over and over and over. When we were redesigning our website, http://www.amarketingexpert.com, I kept hearing this from my web designer: let's tell them again and again what we want them to do. I responded to her, "But my visitors aren't stupid, they'll know what to do!" The problem is most surfers don't. We're busy, we're distracted, we want information and we want it now, also we want to know right away if we've landed on a site that can help us. If you repeat your primary message, they won't be able to miss it, and if the site is what they're looking for, they will stay. Which takes me to:

3. Too many messages: You must have one primary message and objective for your website. Yes, I know you want to do so much with it. You want to sell books and get speaking engagements and maybe even some consulting gigs. But all of this starts with one, clear objective. Take my site, for example. I have books, I am a speaker, I also sell marketing services and we are a full-service marketing and publicity firm. Wow, that's a lot, right? Yes, it is, but if you look at our homepage you don't see my books or my speaking. Why? Well, as much as I'd love to sell my books by the truckload, and speaking gigs are always fun to do, they don't keep the business going the way new business does. That's my primary objective.

4. Not knowing what your consumer wants: Once you figure out what you are selling, now you have to package it in a way that will entice your buyer. Knowing what they want and how they want it is key. Let's say you've written a cookbook for busy parents. And let's say your only objective is to sell books. That's a great goal! Now, your site needs to be designed around that goal. That means the book is front and center on the homepage, and because your user is probably busier than most, there's a big 'buy now' button just under the book that takes them to a page where they can purchase and download an eBook or order a print copy. Easy! You may also want to add a sign-up on the homepage so your readers can get cooking ideas, recipes and tips in their inbox a couple of times a month!

5. Cropsharing: This is what I call those folks who use other people's website domains. I seem to recall years ago there was something called Angelfire. Anyone could get a free site there. You could never own it, or upgrade, it was on their server and that was that. The problem is when their site goes away, so does yours. There are a lot of freebie websites out there, there's nothing wrong with this per se (other than I don't think we should design our own sites), and if you're strapped for cash this is a great, initial way to get started. But be sure that you can own the site at some point. Often free sites have an upgrade option, look into it before you build your website!

6. Copying your competition: It's great to love what your competition is doing, but don't copy them pixel for pixel. Not only is it not a nice thing to do, but consumers landing on both sites may not be able to tell the difference! Additionally, if Google spots this type of duplication, you could get your site pulled down.

7. Uh-oh, typo: Please spell check your website. Really. I don't understand why anyone would launch a site that wasn't spellchecked.

8. Staying static: No one likes a site that never changes, and a quick and easy way to make sure you don't have a static site is to add a blog to it. A blog is a fantastic way to keep your site looking fresh and it's great for SEO, too.

9. Not understanding your traffic: OK, I admit this has less to do with website design, but it all flows into the same pot. Get to know your stats, and if you aren't sure how to read your site analytics, get someone to help you. Many authors I speak to don't even know if they have traffic reports. To me, that's sort of like having access to a bank account you never check!

10. Nowhere to go: Regardless of how you will sell your book, you want to be sure that the sales process is super clear on the site. Additionally, you don't want your consumer to go through a lot of steps to buy your book; with each step you lose a sale so keep that in mind. Ideally, no more than three steps to a buy!

When you're going through your website - either building one, redoing one or making sure yours is in check, take note of the points I've shared here. It's hard enough getting people to come to your site; when they get there don't send them into "surf shock" and miss a potential sale.


WHO ARE WE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from.

To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our website at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Reprint permission 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

My top five books so far this year...

I found a blog post that asked this question of readers... What are the best five books that you've read this year  and why are they at the top of your list? Here is what I posted...


Hmmm...let's see. There may be other novels that would make my list that I simply haven't read yet, so I don't know if I would bump other books to slide them onto this list or not. Regardless, of the 104 books I have so far read this year my top five would be... tada...

Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan (Revell)
A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman (Revell)
Dance of the Dandelion by Dina L. Sleiman (Whitefire)
The Heiress by Susan May Warren (Summerside)

Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith (Revell)

What do they have in common? Well, they are all historical fiction for one. It's my favorite genre. There are three of the five that are published by Revell. I love most of their historical romances, but not all (three I didn't care for) so I tend to love their historical novels. I can't help it. There is something about historical fiction that just grabs me. Also, the books listed above were all daring. Each story delved into an area that is not typically touched on in Christian fiction. Ironically four of the five touch on domestic violence, now that I think about it. All but Bathsheba.Not that I thought about it until just now. They all deal with issues pertaining to sexuality. All of them. Desire that is somehow forbidden or for some reason seems wrong even though it seems right, too. They also deal with guilt. Major guilt. And a sense of unworthiness. Bottom line? I think this is what many people feel at times (even Christians) but so few books truly touch upon.

Barn Door Book Loft: Michelle Sutton's Letting Go

If you didn't win the last time here is one more chance to win Letting Go, then no more giveaways for this book for awhile. :)

Barn Door Book Loft: Michelle Sutton's Letting Go: "Michelle has been writing for a number of years and is a member of ACFW, as well as an avid book reviewer and blogger on a variety of sites...."

Oops, for this one. Here is another place to win. I think these are the last two giveaways!

http://enjoyingthewritingcraft.blogspot.com/2011/08/giveaway-and-author-interview-letting.html

Get Letting Go for only $2.99 - offer ends in one week from NOOK and Kindle, then the price goes up!

Michelle Sutton

Hey, just saw that Letting Go is also available on NOOK for $2.99 as well!!!
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Letting-Go/Michelle-Sutton/e/2940012157959/?itm=1&USRI=letting+go+michelle+sutton

Letting Go

search.barnesandnoble.com

Michelle Sutton

Right now you can get Letting Go for only $2.99 on Kindle!!!! YAY!

Letting Go (Healing Hearts)

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Letting Go (Healing Hearts) eBook: Michelle Sutton: Kindle Store

Want to see video clips of your favorite authors (including me?)

The Person Behind the Pen 
(note: the author videos are in alphabetical order)

Connect with your favorite Christian authors as they offer a glimpse into their lives. We asked them to share their inspirations, typical work days and more. Just click on one of the following buttons to find out what they had to say. If you'd like to join Christian Retailing's Author Corner, click here.  What inspires you to write? Three books everyone should read. Listed above are links to two of the questions so you can see what they are like... Sign up for our free eNewsletters Subscribe to Christian Retailing print magazine Subscribe to the free digital version of Christian Retailing

Two giveaways going on right now for my books. These are the last of them...

If you have wanted to read Never Without Hope  







or First Love (Tombstone Treasures, # 2)





then you might want to check these out and enter ASAP. I think these are the last of the giveaway opportunities for each book. :)

Are you loving Love Finds You titles? Let's make a few lists...

How many Love Finds You titles do you own, want to own, have you read, or do you want to read? I'll start with the ones I own, then I'll list the ones I've read. Then I'll list the ones I want to read. The ones listed that are bold  or bold and pink are the ones I read and loved, or really, really want to read.

I've read:

Love Finds You in Humble, Texas Anita Higman

Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon by Miralee Ferrell

I own:

Love Finds You in Humble, Texas by Anita Higman

Love Finds You in Last Chance, CA by Miralee Ferrell

Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne

Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina by Tamela Hancock Murray

Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas by Janice Hanna

Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker

Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida by Sandra D. Bricker

Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon by Miralee Ferrell

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson

Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii by Bodie Thoene

Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico by Lena Nelson Dooley

I want to read but don't own:

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington by Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss

Love Finds You in Sugarcreek, Ohio by Serena Miller

Love Finds You in Deadwood, South Dakota by Tracey Cross

Love Finds You in Calico, California by Elizabeth Ludwig (I'm supposed to be getting this one)

Love Finds You in Hope, Kansas by Pamela Griffin

Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho by Janelle Mowery

Love Finds You in Sun Valley, Idaho by Angela Meuser

Love Finds You in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California by Sandra D. Bricker

Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska by Loree Lough

Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella Sechrist

Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Annalisa Daughety

Love Finds You in Pendleton, Oregon by Melody Carlson

Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania by Loree Lough

Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss

Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky by Andrea Boeshaar

Love Finds You in Romeo, Colorado by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry

Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska by Irene Brand

Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio by Lisa Harris

Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon by Melody Carlson

Attention Nook owners and people who have the B&N reader on your computer!!!

Right now all Desert Breeze books are on sale on Barnes and Noble for only $2.56 ! OMG, that is practically free! So what are you waiting for? I'll make it easy for you. Click on the link below the cover to buy the book, okay??? I have no clue how long this sale will last. Also, did you know you can browse books for 60 minutes? You could probably read my book in that amount of time. But if you don't like it, no harm no foul, right? You haven't spent a dime.

Order In Plain Sight!

Order Danger at the Door!

Order First Impressions!

Got an e-reader, Nook, Kindle, iphone, ipad, etc???

This is just the coolest thing ever! Shawna Williams started a blog where she will be featuring reviews of different inspirational e-books. She also has links to purchase them there. I get so tired of weeding through sites with half naked people and icky erotica stuff to find decent e-books. Now Shawna has made it easy for everyone! And the thing with e-books you need to know is this... At this point in time if the book is published by Desert Breeze Publishing, you will only find the titles in e-book format. So help an e-author by ordering their e-books. Thanks everyone!

http://inspirationalebooks.blogspot.com/

Pages on the site with further links here...

• Home
• E-Readers/E-News
• Romance
• Historical
• Suspense
• Speculative (Scfi/Fantasy/Time Travel)
• Contemporary
• Young Adult
• Anthologies/Short Stories
• Nonfiction

More cool stuff for bookclubs from Waterbrook/Multnomah!

Book Spot - A Program For Book Clubs This Month's Feature: Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann Everyone in Redford, Colorado, has a secret—even Police Chief Jonah Westfall and the woman who loves him. Will the revelations drive them apart? Or make them indivisible? Read an Excerpt Download the Reading Group Guide Way-FM Podcast Interview See the Video Trailer Read Reviews of Indivisible

Found them in My Mailbox on 6/1/10

I'm on Operation Encourage an Author this week. Win a book on Chapter 1 Zone!

You might want to check it out. After the spotlight there is a sneak peek of my book In Plain Sight posted.


To read the sneak peek click HERE


Last, Chapter 1 Zone has a contest going on to win a copy of one of my books. Check it out!

read a chapter and enter to win a book

February releases by ACFW authors!

1. Abigail: A Novel, The Wives of King David, Book 2, by Jill Eileen Smith from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Turmoil marks her life - what price will she pay for love?

2. A Valentine Wish, by Betsy St. Amant from Steeple Hill Lori, chocolate-lover extraordinary, is unemployed, single, and out of brownie mix. But when a secret admirer pops up at her new job running a chocolate boutique, she might have the ingredients for a special Valentine's after all!

3. Deliver Us From Evil, by Robin Caroll from B&H Publishing. When a female helicopter rescues a US Marshal escorting a heart, they must race against time to uncover the largest child trafficking ring in history.

4. Hometown Promise; First in the Kellerville Series, by Merrillee Whren from Steeple Hill. Kellerville: Finding family, community and love in one small town

5. Love's Winding Path, by Lauralee Bliss from Heartsong Presents, Barbour Publishing. A prodigal's life is never out of God's reach and His love as two lonely adventurers are about to discover.

6. The Marriage Masquerade, by Erica Vetsch from Heartsong Presents, Barbour Publishing. Sometimes running away brings you right back where you started.

7. Meander Scar, by Lisa Lickel from Black Lion. When Ann is ready to jump back into life with a new love, she discovers the devastating truth behind her husband's disappearance.

8. My Deadly Valentine, by Lynette Eason and Valerie Hansen from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Two suspense filled stories about stalkers and the men determined to protect the women they love.

9. On Wings of Love, by Kim Watters from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. A dedicated nurse devotes her life helping others, only to discover the man who steals her heart doesn't want her help..

10. The Pastor's Wife, by Jennifer AlLee from Abingdon Press. A woman must face the husband - and the congregation - she ran from six years earlier.

11. Walking on Broken Glass, by Christa Allen from Abingdon Press. Leah Thornton stops numbing her pain with alcohol, but discovers the road to redemption might still be under construction.

Circle of Friends award...

A huge THANK YOU to Andrea from Pray Without Ceasing for giving me this wonderful award.

I am suppose to tell 5 things I love to do:


1) Hugging my husband and my two sons.

2) Reading a great book (especially romances).

3) Going to my church (Calvary Chapel).

4) Sitting by the fire with family.

5) Talking about the Bible with family and friends.


I'm passing this on to:

Debra Ullrick

K. Dawn Byrd

Lynn Rush

Seed Thoughts by Lauren Abbott

These links to hero interviews are awesome!!!

http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/09/character-sootlight-michelle-suttons.html

http://relzreviewz.blogspot.com/2009/09/character-spotlight-michelle-suttons.html

Heartfelt blog award!

Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you're relaxing, seeking comfort, or sharing a plate of cookies with family and friends? You know the feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea, or a hot toddy? That is what the Heartfelt Award is all about...feeling warm inside.

The Rules for the Heartfelt Award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I am nominating~

Deb Ullrick
Angie Breidenbach
Lynn Rush
Nora St. Laurent

Three interesting things I discovered today - with links so you can enjoy them too!

First, I logged in and MSN had a quiz to test your cultural IQ regarding Black History month. Well, back in 1984 I actually took a class in black history (yeah, I was the only white person in the class, but I loved it) so of course, I got an "A" on this test and it was fun. So here is a link so you can take it, too.

Link to Black History quiz HERE

Then, I discovered I made it on Kelly Klepfer's best books of 2008 list! Wahoo! She is an amazing reviewer so it was quite an honor. Here is a link to her list.

Kelly's Best of 2008 list HERE

And last, I found this great post called Nerds and Prom Queens. Read it and you'll see why I think it's ubercool!

Nerd and Prom Queens