Kindle Free Preview: Fall From Grace by Kelsey MacBride

Fall From Grace is Book #1 of 2 Christian Romance books and offers a FREE Preview of the Glen Ellen Story. It begins with the story of Kevin Pierce, an ER doctor whose life falls apart when he fails to save a young girl who resembles his late niece, a niece who lost her life while he was behind the wheel. In order to escape his painful memories, he leaves LA for a small town by the ocean, hoping to rebuild his life and rediscover God’s purpose for his life. This story highlights Kevin’s journey from hopelessness, his hopes, his struggles, and his achievements as God shows him a different path to healing.


*This is a FREE Preview and not a stand-alone novel*

In this first book, Kevin, a resident ER doctor has his world turned upside down when he fails to save a teenage girl named Rachel injured from an auto accident. What complicates matters is Rachel resembles Sarah, his late niece who died while he was behind the wheel. While Kevin still blames himself for Sarah’s death, his failure to save Rachel causes his life to spiral downward. Unable to cope with the overwhelming guilt, he escapes to a small town in Northern California where he hopes to find God and a resolution to the devastation he feels. But the overwhelming emotional pain paralyzes him and just when he is at his limit, his life takes another unexpected twist when he accidentally meets Stephanie, Rachel’s mother who has also escaped to the same small town to live with her parents. Kevin is torn between feelings of guilt and indebtedness when he finds out Stephanie wants him to help her heal from the loss of Rachel. Can he come to grips with the painful events in his life and travel down the road to recovery with Stephanie by his side, or will he reject her help?

Stephanie Knight is a single mother who suffers the loss of her daughter Rachel to a tragic car accident. Even though she has a close relationship with her mother Valerie and a strong faith in God, she struggles with the question of why God would allow Rachel to be taken so early. She relocates to her parent’s home in Northern California to escape the depressing memories of her daughter and to take time to heal. With God’s help and her mother’s support, she manages to cope with the loss of Rachel. But to her surprise, she finds out that Kevin Pierce, the same doctor who couldn’t save Rachel, is also living there. When she notices that Kevin’s life has spiraled into a place darker than her own, her heart goes out to him and she proposes they work together to help each other heal. But will he accept her help and forge an unlikely relationship? Or will Kevin reject her and miss out on an opportunity to experience sacrificial love?

File Size: 2125 KB
Print Length: 144 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: New Prosperity Publishing, Inc. (February 24, 2015)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00U07GL3I

Purchase here!

Guest Blogger: Russ Colchamiro, Author of Genuis De Milo

Best pals Jason Medley and Theo Barnes barely survived a backpacking trip through Europe and New Zealand that — thanks to a jar of Cosmic Building Material they found — almost wiped out the galaxy. But just as they envision a future without any more cosmic lunacy:

The Earth has started fluxing in and out of existence, Theo's twin girls are teleporting, and Jason can't tell which version of his life is real.

All because of Milo, the Universe's ultimate gremlin.

Joined by the mysterious Jamie — a down-and-out hotel clerk from Eternity — Jason and Theo reunite on a frantic, cross-country chase across America, praying they can retrieve that jar, circumvent Milo, and save the Earth from irrevocable disaster.

In author Russ Colchamiro’s uproarious sequel to Finders Keepers, he finally confirms what we've long suspected — that there’s no galactic Milo quite like a Genius de Milo.

• Genius De Milo is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Crazy 8 Press.
• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Why Should a Busy Mom Read Genius De Milo?

In my humble if not biased opinion, there are many reasons why a busy mom should read Genius de Milo. Hey … I said my opinion was biased!

Of course, you’ll have to enjoy wild and wacky sci-fi comedy adventures that take you places you’ve never been before. So assuming that sounds good to you … there’s a character in the series, Lilly, who starts off in the first book, Finders Keepers, in her mid-20s, running from herself, allowing others to use and manipulate her, trekking half-way around the globe to serve someone else’s bidding.

But in my latest novel Genius de Milo, Lilly is almost 30, and a single mom, trying to put her life together, worried about being a role model for her three-year-old son, Benny.

In particular there’s a sequence where Benny is at the playground, and he has a friend, who, even at their age, is already a bully. Lilly doesn’t like this kid, and wants to intervene when the two boys mix it up on the jungle gym, but she holds back. She gives Benny the space to negotiate with this bully.

 Here’s an excerpt:

It’s the one thing they never tell you, Lilly thought. That as a parent you live in constant fear, on emergency room alert. That in every nanosecond the worst possible outcome for your child could be just another nanosecond away. I could be inches from Benny and still it might not be close enough to catch him. I can handle his bumps and bruises, but what about when it’s worse? When there’s real danger? When the damage could be permanent?

But if I never let go, if I never let him roam, will he just run away from me, anyway?

No spoilers here, but things go far better for Benny than Lilly feared might unfold. The sequence is telling for Lilly, because it reveals both who she is — as a woman and a mother — and who she is still striving to become.

I’m a dad myself, so I can relate as a parent, at least. I often watch my wife as she relates to my children, and think about what that’s like for her, and how I can implement the best parts of her parenting into my own.

Genius de Milo is not in any way a serious treatise on raising children, but this sequence — in the middle of all the crazy sci-fi shenanigans that take place throughout the novel — is one of my favorite in the series.

To me, the humor and fun of Genius de Milo works best because there’s real life mixed in. And for a busy mom looking for a smile amongst her hectic life, what better distraction can you ask for than an adventure that both touches upon your own life while transporting you to another?

Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure Crossline, the hilarious scifi backpacking comedy Finders Keepers, and the outrageous sequel, Genius de Milo, all with Crazy 8 Press.

Russ lives in West Orange, NJ, with his wife, two children, and crazy dog, Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ is now at work on the final book in the Finders Keepers trilogy.

As a matter of full disclosure, readers should not be surprised if Russ spontaneously teleports in a blast of white light followed by screaming fluorescent color and the feeling of being sucked through a tornado. It’s just how he gets around — windier than the bus, for sure, but much quicker.

His latest book is the science fiction novel, Genius De Milo.

For More Information

• Visit Russ Colchamiro’s website.
• Connect with Russ on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Russ at Goodreads.
• Visit Russ’ blog.
• More books by Russ.
• Contact Russ.

As a Busy Mom Thinks: Review of Grace of Gratitude Journal by Deborah Perdue

It's been a while since I've been able to write a review. Life is hectic. Time is short. I had a chance to sit down lately with this lovely journal I received from Deborah Perdue, though, and it brightened my day.

This beautifully designed journal has glossy pages to help remind you what you are grateful for. Stunning artwork from Tara Thelen blends nicely with Perdue's inspiring text to create a lovely journal you will enjoy picking up over and again. The pages you can write on have a date line and plenty of space for you to jot down what you are grateful for on any given day. What a wonderful way to count your blessings. 

Though the copy I received had its spiral-bound cover placed on backwards and upside down, I will definitely enjoy penning my thoughts on its pages. 

Currently in stock at Amazon.

I received a copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Wordless Wednesday

CFBA: Justified by Varina Denman

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingJustifiedDavid C. Cook (June 1, 2015)
byVarina Denman



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

An avid reader and blogger, Varina Denman enjoys writing fiction about Christian women and the unique struggles they face. She seems to have a knack for describing small town life, and is currently working on the three-book Mended Heart Series. The first book in the series, Jaded, won the 2013 ACFW Genesis contest for romance.

Varina attended three Texas universities over a span of five years, majoring in four subjects and earning zero degrees. However, she can now boast sixteen years as a home educator, volunteering in the local cooperative where she has taught numerous subjects including creative writing and literature.

Even though Varina has spoken at ladies’ retreats and taught women’s Bible classes, she finds the greatest fulfillment facilitating prayer groups. She lives in Burleson, Texas, where she helps with Family Ministry in her home congregation. Varina is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and North Texas Christian Writers.




ABOUT THE BOOK

In a small Texas town ruled by gossip, Fawn Blaylock believes others are justified in condemning her untimely pregnancy. Stifled by guilt, she yearns for grace while the local football coach treats her with gentle respect.

Justified perfectly captures the rhythm and romance of life in a small town, telling the unforgettable story of a woman searching for renewal, a man looking beyond what others see, and a community torn between judgment and love. It is the unforgettable story of broken dreams, second chances, and relentless hope.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Justified, go HERE.

Bargain E-Book: Kerry's Calling by Susan C. Foy

Kerry is charmed by the beautiful South Pacific island as she arrives for her first long-awaited missionary assignment. Even though it's a less than glamorous secretarial position, she is enthusiastic about contributing to the work.

She soon develops friendships with the other missionaries, especially with a young Bible translator who becomes her closest confidante. But as she gets to know them better, she is dismayed to find that many are struggling with frustrations and disappointments which make their lives and relationships stressful.

She had prepared herself for a life of privation and sacrifice, but hadn’t expected the challenges that she faces in her teammates. At times it appears that they are more likely to be defeated by themselves than by any outside enemy. Can God accomplish his purposes in spite of all their failings?

File Size: 1096 KB
Print Length: 308 pages
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00UNE9A5O


Purchase at Amazon for only 99 cents!

Mailbox Monday - June 1

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Oh, what a crazy life I live. Work is keeping me so busy, I rarely have time for anything else--even reading. That said, I read my favorite authors as often as I can.

Recently, I received two copies of Jermone Charyn's Bitter Bronx short story collection. I became familiar with Charyn's work in The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson and Joe DiMaggio: The Long Vigil. Since then, I've read several of his titles.

Brooklyn is dead. Long live the Bronx! In Bitter Bronx, Jerome Charyn returns to his roots and leads the literary renaissance of an oft-overlooked borough in this surprising new collection.

In Bitter Bronx, one of our most gifted and original novelists depicts a world before and after modern urban renewal destroyed the gritty sanctity of a land made famous by Ruth, Gehrig, and Joltin' Joe.

Bitter Bronx is suffused with the texture and nostalgia of a lost time and place, combining a keen eye for detail with Jerome Charyn's lived experience. These stories are informed by a childhood growing up near that middle-class mecca, the Grand Concourse; falling in love with three voluptuous librarians at a public library in the Lower Depths of the South Bronx; and eating at Mafia-owned restaurants along Arthur Avenue's restaurant row, amid a "land of deprivation…where fathers trundled home…with a monumental sadness on their shoulders."

In "Lorelei," a lonely hearts grifter returns home and finds his childhood sweetheart still living in the same apartment house on the Concourse; in "Archy and Mehitabel" a high school romance blossoms around a newspaper comic strip; in "Major Leaguer" a former New York Yankee confronts both a gang of drug dealers and the wreckage that Robert Moses wrought in his old neighborhood; and in three interconnected stories—"Silk & Silk," "Little Sister," and "Marla"—Marla Silk, a successful Manhattan attorney, discovers her father's past in the Bronx and a mysterious younger sister who was hidden from her, kept in a fancy rest home near the Botanical Garden. In these stories and others, the past and present tumble together in Charyn's singular and distinctly "New York prose, street-smart, sly, and full of lurches" (John Leonard, New York Times).

Throughout it all looms the "master builder" Robert Moses, a man who believed he could "save" the Bronx by building a highway through it, dynamiting whole neighborhoods in the process. Bitter Bronx stands as both a fictional eulogy for the people and places paved over by Moses' expressway and an affirmation of Charyn's "brilliant imagination" (Elizabeth Taylor, Chicago Tribune).

Endorsements and Reviews:

“[Jerome Charyn] is to the Bronx what Saul Bellow, early in his career, was to Upper Broadway—bard, celebrant, mythologizer.” — Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post

“Sharp-edged short stories…Charyn’s narrative sleight of hand is wonderfully at play…. Despite the hard edges, and there are many, a rich sweetness flows just below the surface of Bitter Bronx.” — Wendell Jamieson, New York Times Book Review

“It is no small achievement to be the Babel of the Bronx.” — Leslie Epstein, New York Times Book Review

“Jerome Charyn is one of the most important writers in American literature.” — Michael Chabon

“Jerome Charyn is merely one of our finest writers, with a polymorphous imagination and crack comic timing. Whatever milieu he chooses to inhabit, his characters sizzle with life, and his sentences are pure vernacular music, his voice unmistakable.” — Jonathan Lethem

“Charyn, like Nabokov, is that most fiendish sort of writer—so seductive as to beg imitation, so singular as to make imitation impossible.” — Tom Bissell

“Jerome Charyn''s Bronx is a landscape of magic and passion. With…American yearning and a stage full of unforgettable characters.” — BookPage

“Grifters, gangs, vamps, and lost souls pursue gritty lives in ‘the brick wilderness of the Bronx’ in this collection of tales by a veteran storyteller and native of the New York borough…. Charyn''s staccato style is full of jolts, surprising observations, and turns of phrase. It works well with the rough struggle for survival and success….” — Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“Tough on the outside but tender at heart, the 13 stories in this volume serve as a nostalgic elegy to the Bronx of the past…. Mixing equal parts grit and charm, there’s no need to have set foot in the Bronx to enjoy these stories.” — Publishers Weekly

Look for a June 19 review of this book at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/

What did you receive in your mailbox?