Works In Progress

If Tomorrow Never Comes
by Marlo Schalesky

They say you should reach for your dreams.
This time, they’re wrong…

Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams—marriage, children, a house by the sea…everything they needed for happily ever after. What they didn’t plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes. Now, all that’s left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until…

Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope. One final chance to follow not their dreams, but God’s. Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it’s too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once built upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?

A Bit About Marlo:
Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of seven books, including her latest novel, If Tomorrow Never Comes, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels. Marlo’s other books include Beyond the Night, just nominated for a Christy Award – yay, Veil of Fire (winner of the 2008 ACFW Book of the Year, historical category), and Empty Womb, Aching Heart – Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility.

For more information, including an audio interview with Marlo about IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES and helps for the infertility journey, visit www.marloschalesky.com

If Tomorrow Never Comes is available at Amazon.com >

Lyn is a wonderful story-weaver; let her whisk you away to historical Texas with her loveable, believable characters.

THE DESIRES OF HER HEART :
Texas Star of Destiny
By Lyn Cote
Avon Inspire, ISBN: 9780061373411

A beautiful historical romance develops between a woman forced to make a new life on the Texas frontier and the scout who leads their wagon train through the uncharted territory. Set in 1821, Dorritt Mott who is against slavery is a woman ahead of her time. When events make it impossible for her family, including an overbearing stepfather and a spoiled half-sister, to remain in New Orleans, they head to Texas to join Stephen Austin’s first angloamericano settlement and recoup their fortune in the Spanish colony of Texas.

Quinn, a social outcast as the half-breed son of a Cherokee mother and an American father, has made a name for himself as a scout and a man not to be taken lightly.

When the New Orleans lady and the frontiersman meet, they become unlikely allies as they travel the wilds of Texas. But will their trek be in vain? Mexico has broken with the Spanish Crown that had granted Austin land. And both armies plus marauding Comanche roam the pine forest and prairie of Texas.

And though they are unaware of it, there is a closer danger, a man who is plotting destruction and who will try to make Dorritt and Quinn pawns in his scheme. As their romance blossoms, can Dorritt help Quinn put his trust in the God? The Creator who has promised that those that delight in Him shall be given the desires of their hearts? What will it take for Quinn to believe that promise?

About The Author:
LYN COTE is an award-winning author of both contemporary and historical inspirational romance and was a 2006 Rita Award finalist for Best Inspirational as well as a finalist for the Holt Medallion and the National Readers Choice Contest. She is also one the top-selling authors in Harlequin’s Love Inspired category line. Born in El Paso, Texas, Lyn and her husband now live in Wisconsin.

Another wonderful thriller – with emotional and spiritual layers, too, by master craftswoman Terri Blackstock. Enjoy!

DOUBLE MINDS
A Stand-Alone Novel by Terri Blackstock

Were the bullets intended for her?
As talented singer/songwriter Parker James struggles to make her mark on the Nashville music scene, she finds the competition can be fierce – even deadly. When a young woman is murdered at the recording studio where Parker works, Parker is drawn into a mystery where nothing is as it seems. Unraveling the truth puts her own life at risk when she uncovers high-level industry corruption and is terrorized by a menacing stalker. As the danger escalates, Parker begins to question her dreams, her future, and even her faith. Does stardom even matter anymore?

“Blackstock’s superior writing will keep readers turning pages late into the night to discover the identity of the culprit in this amazing mystery. The unique setting and peek into the Nashville music scene are fascinating. Suspense lovers are in for a delightful treat.”
Romantic Times, February 2009.

Terri Blackstock’s books have sold six million copies worldwide. Known for her “Up All Night Fiction,” Terri has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. Terri makes her home in Mississippi, where she and her husband Ken are enjoying their empty nest after raising three children.

See the Video Trailer for Double Minds at: www.terriblackstock.com

Available now at Amazon.com, or ChristianBook.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and your favorite bookstores everywhere.

Double Minds
ISBN #978-0-310-31842-2
Terri Blackstock
www.terriblackstock.com

Looking for a terrific romantic historical novel to relax with this evening, or to give as a Christmas gift? Take a peek at my friend Lyn Cote’s newest release, Her Captain’s Heart. Here’s a little bit more about it.

Nothing is impossible—as far as idealistic Verity Hardy is concerned. The lovely widow is certain teaching freed slaves in a Virginia town torn apart by the Civil War will help heal bitterness and old wounds. But she’s finding that the school’s builder, cynical Captain Matt Ritter has little reason to have faith in her—or anything else.

First in the “Gabriel Sisters” series for Love Inspired Historical:
“In the wake of the Civil War, three Quaker sisters fight injustice and find true love.”

Her Captain’s Heart is not just a great love story. It shows how people used their faith and determination to end social ills.” Romantic Times

Visit Lyn at booksbylyncote.com or http://www.strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com.

Her Captain’s Heart , a Love Inspired Historical
ISBN 978 0 373 82801 2

My friend Angie Hunt always writes about the most interesting, compelling, and unusual subjects in a fresh way, so it’s with great pleasure that I introduce her latest book, The Face, to you. Treat yourself to something wonderful this month and pick up, The Face.

THE FACE
by Angela Hunt

Born to parents who died shortly after her birth, twenty-year-old genius Sarah Sims has been hidden all her life in a secure CIA facility. Yet her days of anonymity are limited because her aunt has discovered her existence and is determined to lead Sarah out of exile. But before she can leave the only world she’s ever known, Sarah needs what most people take for granted… a functioning face and the skills to use it. Will she remain in her secluded fortress or summon the courage to follow her heart?

“Compelling characterization is the driving force behind this enthralling story of hope…Hunt (The Elevator) fuels the completely engrossing story with dual present-tense narration by the two women. Readers are drawn into their lives, sharing their joy and fear as they approach a fulfilling and surprising climax. A touch of suspense adds to the powerful themes of second chances and new beginnings.” (Nov.) –Publishers Weekly

My sister just had the world’s cutest baby – aside from my own two, of course – so cute babies have been on my mind. What a delight, then, to find this adorable story by my friend Robin Lee Hatcher…

BUNDLE OF JOY
by Robin Lee Hatcher
Alicia Harris says she’s happily married and expecting a baby—but only the last part is true. She can’t bear to disappoint her grandfather by telling him she’s two months away from single motherhood. Then Grandpa Roger, still recovering from a heart attack, drops in unexpectedly to spend the holidays with Alicia and her husband, and to protect her beloved grandfather from unnecessary stress, Alicia needs to find a fill-in—fast. Childhood friend Joe Palmero fits the bill and is willing to play along. Still, the longer they spend playing their parts, the closer Alicia and Joe come to discovering what love, faith and marriage truly mean.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373786255/

********************************************************************

About Robin:
Robin Lee Hatcher discovered her vocation as a novelist after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. The winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Whispers from Yesterday), the RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance (Patterns of Love and The Shepherd’s Voice), two RT Career Achievement Awards (Americana Romance and Inspirational Fiction), and the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, Robin is the author of over 55 novels, including Catching Katie, named one of the Best Books of 2004 by the Library Journal.

For more information about Robin and her books, visit her web site at: http://www.robinleehatcher.com

My friend Susan Meissner’s stunning new book, The Shape of Mercy, is a blend of contemporary and historical fiction, mystery and romance. Set in present day Santa Barbara and also in colonial America during the Salem Witch Trials, the book follows a young college student as she transcribes the diary of a young woman falsely accused of witchcraft in 1692.

“The story in a nutshell is this,” Susan says. “Lauren Durough is a West Coast English major at the proverbial age of discovery. Sheltered in her growing up years by family wealth, she is just beginning to grasp how people judge other people by what they want to believe about them, and particularly for her, how the poor view the wealthy. When she opts out of her family’s financial support, she takes on a job as a literary assistant to Abigail Boyles, an 83-year-old reclusive East Coast transplant. Abigail tasks Lauren with transcribing the diary of her ancestor, Mercy Hayworth, hanged for witchcraft in 17^th-century Massachusetts. The lives of these two very different women converge as they jointly piece together the life — and death — of a third woman, Mercy Hayworth, who lived three hundred years earlier, and who also struggled against undeserved cultural stigmatization, but lost.”

Susan says the title has dual meaning. “Those who testified against the accused in Salem in 1692 often claimed their tormentors “took shape” in their bedrooms and tortured them as they slept. My fictional character Mercy was also accused of taking shape and torturing another young girl of the Village. She was innocent of course, as all those accused were, but in her last act before death, she shows that love has a shape. And its shape is mercy.”

Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review and offered these insights. “Meissner’s newest novel is potentially life-changing, the kind of inspirational fiction that prompts readers to call up old friends, lost loves or fallen-away family members to tell them that all is forgiven and that life is too short for holding grudges… Meissner’s prose is exquisite and she is a stunning storyteller.”

You can learn more about Susan and her books at www.susanmeissner.com. The book is available at bookstores everywhere and online.

If you’re looking for a good summer read that has both romance and enough suspense to keep those pages turning, why not check out Susan May Warren’s new book, Finding Stefanie?

Noble Legacy Series, Book 3
Finding Stefanie
ISBN 1-4143-1019-6

When she put her dreams on hold to help run the family ranch, she never imagined they would slip out of sight. Luckily for Stefanie, those dreams are about to come knocking at her door.

Lincoln Cash has gained fame and fortune on the big screen, but a crippling secret leaves him one last chance to make his mark on the movie industry. With dreams of hosting a new film festival, Lincoln intends to remodel a sprawling ranch in eastern Montana to make it the new Hollywood hot spot.

Unfortunately, a house fire threatens his plans. So does opposition from his new neighbor Stefanie Noble, who’s not thrilled about his Tinseltown changes. What Lincoln and Stefanie don’t know is that the fire won’t be the last disaster to threaten Lincoln or his future. Someone is out for revenge… but who? And who is the real target?

Read Chapter One >
Buy The Book >

This week I’d like to introduce you to my good friend, and a fabulous writer, Tamera Alexander. If you like historical romance novels this is the book for you. It’s sure to capture you from the first page and resonate in your heart long after you close the cover. Do you have secrets? Do you have dreams? Do you wonder where God is when things seem difficult? Read on…

TAMERA’S BIO:
Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots and poignant prose resonate with readers. Tamera is a finalist for the 2008 Christy Award (Remembered), and has been awarded the coveted RITA^® from Romance Writers of America (Revealed), along with Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction of 2006 (Rekindled). Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in the quaint town of historic Franklin, Tennessee, where they enjoy life with their two college-age children and a precious—and precocious—silky terrier named Jack.

“FROM A DISTANCE” BACK COVER BLURB:
What happens when dreams aren’t what you imagined,
And secrets you’ve spent a lifetime guarding are finally laid bare?

Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life.

Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt will bring secrets from his past to light.

Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met … from a distance.

“…a rich historical romance by possibly the best new writer in this subgenre.”
–Library Journal

“…a most amazing story. The characters are more than words on the page; they become real people.”
–Romantic Times

A NOTE FROM TAMERA:
Stories are journeys, and each story I write is a journey for me.

Rekindled began with a dream – the image of a man returning home on horseback. He came upon a freshly dug grave and when he knelt to read the name carved into the roughhewn wooden cross, he discovered the name was…his own. The inspiration for Revealed grew from two characters in Rekindled whose stories needed to be told. But even more, whose stories I needed to tell. Writing Revealed was a very personal journey for me, and a healing one. For Remembered, I met that story’s heroine (figuratively, of course) while strolling the ancient cobblestoned pathways of a three hundred-year-old cemetery in northern Paris, France. And From a Distance came from a question I was struggling with in my own life at the time, “What happens when the dream you asked God for isn’t what you thought it would be?”

For me, the greatest thrill of these writing journeys is when Christ reveals Himself in some new way, and I take a step closer to Him. And my deepest desire is that readers of my books will do that as well — take steps closer to Him as they read. After all, it’s all about Him.

In the Potter’s Hand,
Tamera

www.tameraalexander.com

It’s thunderstorming and lightning at my house right now – the perfect weather for a good mystery. No matter what the weather at your house, may I recommend a new, captivating read? It’s titled Shadows at the Window and was written by my friend Linda Hall. Read further to learn more about Linda and her terrific titles.

http://writerhall.com

SHADOWS AT THE WINDOW: In Her Own Words Shadows at the Window is the second in my ’shadows’ trilogy. The women in these series of books must deal with and work through the ‘shadows’ in their pasts before they can make peace and find love in the present. In the first of the series, Shadows at the Mirror, the main character doesn’t know anything about her past. It’s a mystery she must uncover. In this release,

Shadows at the Window, main character Lilly Johnson knows her past all too well, and it’s one she’d rather forget. Because it’s so abhorrent to her, she’s made up a series of lies that she tells her fiancé. But, the past has a way of catching up with the present, and when people in her past show up, her first inkling is to run. But, that would mean leaving everything behind, and that’s something she’s not willing to do now.

BIO:
Linda Hall is the award-winning author of fifteen mystery and romantic suspense novels and many short stories. Her latest release, Shadows at the Window (July ’08) is a Romantic Times Top Pick for the month, and the first in her shadows trilogy, Shadows in the Mirror is a winner in The Word Guild’s Canadian Christian Writing Awards. It is also a finalist in the Reader’s Choice Awards.

In addition, both Sadie’s Song and Steal Away were short listed for the Christy Award. Steal Away was a Daphne finalist, the Beacon Award winner for Best Inspirational Novel, the Winter Rose Award Winner for Best Inspirational Novel, and was given the Award of Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers.

Linda is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the American Christian Fiction Writers, The Word Guild and the Crime Writers of Canada.