Wednesday, February 28, 2007
And We Have a Winner!
Well, folks, Heather is our grand winner today. It was a tough draw with only three names. LOL! Where is everybody these days?
Sunday, February 25, 2007
An Invitation
I posted over at Writer Interrupted today under the title "An Introduction." I hope you'll check it out. This is a topic very near and dear to my heart.
And there's still time to leave a comment on the post for Wedgewood Grey to win books. I'll announce a winner on Tuesday.
Blessings!
And there's still time to leave a comment on the post for Wedgewood Grey to win books. I'll announce a winner on Tuesday.
Blessings!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson
This week Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is featuring Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson.
THE AUTHOR:
John was born five miles north of the setting for Abiding Darkness, a cotton country town within a rifle shot of two rivers, a bayou, a double handful of lakes, and endless acres of woods.
After graduating from Mississippi State, he flew six years in the Air Force then twenty-nine years for a major airline. And now he gets to write.
He and his wife have been married for forty some-odd years and live in Texas—about twenty miles south of the Red River. He spends the biggest part of his time writing; she’s immersed in leading a comprehensive, women’s Bible study.
They like greasy hamburgers and Dr. Peppers, most species of warm-blooded creatures (the kind that don’t normally bite), and spending July in the mountains.
THE BOOK:
Wedgewood Grey is the second book in the Black and White Chronicles. The first was Abiding Darkness (August, 2006).
Mississippi cotton country . . . in the spring of 1960.
The War At Cat Lake is fifteen years in the fading past . . . but the demonic beings who launched that first battle, are alive and well at Cat Lake. Waiting.
Late on a Friday night, on a muddy little road a mile east of Cat Lake, a ten-year-old black child is forced to watch while a gang of white men beat his mother to death. Aided by Mose Washington, an old black man, the boy exacts a measure of his own revenge. When the sun comes up on Saturday morning, Mose and the boy are fugitives.
Missy Parker Patterson, who as a child stood at the epicenter of the first war, is married and living in Texas. In the aftermath that follows Mose Washington’s disappearance, she goes back to Cat Lake to discover that the demonic beings have been anticipating her return . . . and so begins the second battle of The War At Cat Lake.
In 1962, an old black man and his grandson move into the country near Pilot Hill, Texas. The people in the local area are told that the old gentleman’s name is Mose Mann—his grandson introduces himself as Bill.
However, the lives of the new arrivals are not as peaceful as they seem. The unassuming old black man and his grandson are being pursued by a triad of formidable and unrelenting adversaries . . . a ruthless political leader, an enduring lie, and an invisible army allied beneath the banner of a hatred for God.
Wedgewood Grey is a story about the impact of choices that real people—people like you and me—are sometimes forced to make.
THE CONTEST:
Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the first book in the Black or White Chronicles, Abiding Darkness AND a signed copy of Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins.
THE AUTHOR:
John was born five miles north of the setting for Abiding Darkness, a cotton country town within a rifle shot of two rivers, a bayou, a double handful of lakes, and endless acres of woods.After graduating from Mississippi State, he flew six years in the Air Force then twenty-nine years for a major airline. And now he gets to write.
He and his wife have been married for forty some-odd years and live in Texas—about twenty miles south of the Red River. He spends the biggest part of his time writing; she’s immersed in leading a comprehensive, women’s Bible study.
They like greasy hamburgers and Dr. Peppers, most species of warm-blooded creatures (the kind that don’t normally bite), and spending July in the mountains.
THE BOOK:
Wedgewood Grey is the second book in the Black and White Chronicles. The first was Abiding Darkness (August, 2006).Mississippi cotton country . . . in the spring of 1960.
The War At Cat Lake is fifteen years in the fading past . . . but the demonic beings who launched that first battle, are alive and well at Cat Lake. Waiting.
Late on a Friday night, on a muddy little road a mile east of Cat Lake, a ten-year-old black child is forced to watch while a gang of white men beat his mother to death. Aided by Mose Washington, an old black man, the boy exacts a measure of his own revenge. When the sun comes up on Saturday morning, Mose and the boy are fugitives.
Missy Parker Patterson, who as a child stood at the epicenter of the first war, is married and living in Texas. In the aftermath that follows Mose Washington’s disappearance, she goes back to Cat Lake to discover that the demonic beings have been anticipating her return . . . and so begins the second battle of The War At Cat Lake.
In 1962, an old black man and his grandson move into the country near Pilot Hill, Texas. The people in the local area are told that the old gentleman’s name is Mose Mann—his grandson introduces himself as Bill.
However, the lives of the new arrivals are not as peaceful as they seem. The unassuming old black man and his grandson are being pursued by a triad of formidable and unrelenting adversaries . . . a ruthless political leader, an enduring lie, and an invisible army allied beneath the banner of a hatred for God.
Wedgewood Grey is a story about the impact of choices that real people—people like you and me—are sometimes forced to make.
THE CONTEST:
Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the first book in the Black or White Chronicles, Abiding Darkness AND a signed copy of Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Empire by Orson Scott Card
*Spoiler Alert! I give specific plot details in this review. Do not continue if you want to read the book.*
Former Special Ops soldier, Major Reuben Malich now works at the Pentagon. Doing what? Well, that's a mixed bag he's not even sure about. But one thing is certain. The attack he just witnessed unfold, which resulted in the assination of the President, is the same plan he compiled as a possible scenerio a smart enemy might deploy, right down to the weapons.
Now Malich's got an even bigger problem. How will he prove he didn't impliment the plan? Thow into the mix a civil war between Left and Right, and even his side-kick, Captain Coleman (or Cole) finds himself imbedded into a political nightmare he never dared imagine.
The dialogue between these two men is superb.
AN EXCERPT FROM EMPIRE:
"If they had five hundred of these things," Reuben said to Cole, "they could scan the whole city. They don't have that many. Not even close."
"I'm not surprised," said Cole. "What do you think it takes to build one of those? Two million? Six?"
"Real costs or Pentagon costs?" asked Reuben.
"Microsoft costs."
"These are not a Microsoft product," said Reuben.
"Developed in secret, though."
"Yeah, but they don't lock up."
The most shocking part of this story is what happens in chapter fifteen. In one, brief line, Malich is killed. I had to read it three times to be sure. And I will be honest. I did briefly consider putting the book down. Malich is a rich character (as if Card could write any other kind), but I had to know what happened to Cole, who Card had steadily built into more than a secondary character. I wondered about that earlier in the book, but never imagined Card would kill off his protagonist. Bold move!
Clearly Card had a political agenda for this book as well. The subtitle on the cover (A disturbing look at a possible future.) is fair warning. Based on a premise by Donald Mustard, Card says building a fiction story about a near-future American civile war "was, sadly enough, all too easy."
Still, the book's a great read. Card is a master of pacing and characterization. Empire is not only entertaining, but perhaps a tad eye-opening as well.
Former Special Ops soldier, Major Reuben Malich now works at the Pentagon. Doing what? Well, that's a mixed bag he's not even sure about. But one thing is certain. The attack he just witnessed unfold, which resulted in the assination of the President, is the same plan he compiled as a possible scenerio a smart enemy might deploy, right down to the weapons.Now Malich's got an even bigger problem. How will he prove he didn't impliment the plan? Thow into the mix a civil war between Left and Right, and even his side-kick, Captain Coleman (or Cole) finds himself imbedded into a political nightmare he never dared imagine.
The dialogue between these two men is superb.
AN EXCERPT FROM EMPIRE:
"If they had five hundred of these things," Reuben said to Cole, "they could scan the whole city. They don't have that many. Not even close."
"I'm not surprised," said Cole. "What do you think it takes to build one of those? Two million? Six?"
"Real costs or Pentagon costs?" asked Reuben.
"Microsoft costs."
"These are not a Microsoft product," said Reuben.
"Developed in secret, though."
"Yeah, but they don't lock up."
The most shocking part of this story is what happens in chapter fifteen. In one, brief line, Malich is killed. I had to read it three times to be sure. And I will be honest. I did briefly consider putting the book down. Malich is a rich character (as if Card could write any other kind), but I had to know what happened to Cole, who Card had steadily built into more than a secondary character. I wondered about that earlier in the book, but never imagined Card would kill off his protagonist. Bold move!
Clearly Card had a political agenda for this book as well. The subtitle on the cover (A disturbing look at a possible future.) is fair warning. Based on a premise by Donald Mustard, Card says building a fiction story about a near-future American civile war "was, sadly enough, all too easy."
Still, the book's a great read. Card is a master of pacing and characterization. Empire is not only entertaining, but perhaps a tad eye-opening as well.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Christian Writer's Market Guide by Sally Stuart
This week the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is featuring Christian Writer's Market Guide by Sally Stuart. This is a must have for any writer just starting in the industry. I still have my copy form 2005 and found it to be an invaluable resource. It's definitely worth the money.WaterBrook Press; Pap/CDR edition (January 16, 2007)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sally E. Stuart is the author of thirty-four books and has sold more than one thousand articles and columns. Her long-term involvement with the Christian Writers' Market Guide as well as her marketing columns for the Christian Communicator, Oregon Christian Writers, and The Advanced Christian Writer, make her a sought-after speaker and a leading authority on Christian markets and the business of writing. Stuart is the mother of three and grandmother of eight.ABOUT THE BOOK
For more than twenty years, the Christian Writers’ Market Guide has offered indispensable help to Christian writers. This year, for the first time, this valuable resource comes with a CD-ROM of the full text, so you can search with ease for topics, publishers, and other specific names.The 2007 edition also includes up-to-date listings of more than 1,200 markets for books, articles, stories, poetry, and greeting cards, including information on forty new book publishers, eighty-three new periodicals, and thirty-four new literary agents. Perfect for writers in every phase, this is the resource to get noticed–and get published.
It contains listings for: 695 periodicals, 228 poetry markets, 355 book publishers, 133 online publications, 29 print-on-demand publishers, 1185 markets for the written word, 321 photography markets, 31 e-book publishers, 122 foriegn markets, 112 literary agents,and 59 newspapers.
It also gives you comprehensive lists of contests, writers groups and conferences, search engines, pay rates and submission guidelines, editorial services and websites.
Christian Writers’ Market Guide is a "must have' for any serious Christian writer that is looking to get published!
Sunday, February 04, 2007
I Protest
According to the Washington Post, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has offered $10,000 to academics willing to contribute to a book on climate-change policy. And in case you didn't know, AEI has received funding from Exxon for several years. Basically, they want to find scientists who will debunk the concerns over carbon dioxide and other gasses linked to global warming.Then to top it off, Exxon finished with another record breaking year for 2006 with profits reaching close to $40 billion. How many of you have had to reduce gas usage or even had to get rid of a car because you just couldn't afford the gas anymore? If you don't, then you're reading the blog of someone who had to do just that.
Exxon is a cash cow more interested in lining their pockets than helping the people of this country or the environment. That money could be better spent on research to find cleaner burning fuels. Research that has been held back by these major oil companies, I'm betting.
But today I have only one weapon and that's my voice.
Exxon, I protest.
*Image from Associated Press
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