Favorite novel passage

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On a writing e-mail loop I subscribe to, we were asked to share our favorite book passages. I shared this one. When I first read this passage, it choked me up. Books rarely have that effect on me, so I think it tells of the power of these words:

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When David Harmon married my mother, he adopted me and my sister, Helen. I was five and Helen was eight, and if people haven't experienced adoptive love, there was little use trying to explain it to them. Description wouldn't help them recognize the territory, since most people couldn't comprehend the depths and heights and wide-open wilderness that appeared whenever a heart transcended desire for its own kind.

Adoptive love was not natural; it was not manufactured within our DNA. No evidence of its existence showed up in our blood types or facial features or the quaint familial traits that ran through generations, the genetic tendencies toward duty or distraction or drink. In scientific terms, adoption meant people were unrelated. Period.

But in the aftermath of my father's death, I came to realize, once again, that science never fully explained the world's greatest mysteries. Science was a high calling. It was a noble and wonder-filled endeavor. But science had yet to prove satisfactory answers for our most beautiful unknowns---all the things that transcended understanding, the miracles that pervaded individual lives and stretched back to a majesty spoken into existence, to a sacrifice that continued to resonate within our souls thousands of years later. A sacrifice based on adoption: he chose us, he loved us, then he died for the worst within us."

---from The Rivers Run Dry by Sibella Giorello
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How about you? Do you have any favorite passages?

Happy Father's Day!

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Happy Father's Day Dads, and those that love them. In today's society, sometimes dads get lost in the shuffle. Or maybe a father makes the news for being less than one. But there are still many good men out there who are examples for their children. I have a feature piece up on TitleTrakk.com today in which 19 authors share the best piece of wisdom their father shared with them, and I think you'll agree after reading it---dads are pretty special fellows! Read it here.

My Dad is a man who can have a conversation with anyone, anywhere, about anything. He has a great sense of humor, he's a huge reader (gee, wonder where I got it?), not to mention he can fix just about anything. I love him very much and am very thankful to carry his name. Love you, Papa!

Win books and a Kindle tonight!

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Have you heard? The Book Club Network is celebrating their birthday, and YOU'RE invited! You get to unwrap the gifts, too!

To celebrate their anniversary, this cool website is giving away dozens of novels, hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards, and a grand prize of an Amazon Kindle!

The fun has been going on all week, but the real fun happens tonight at 9PM EST. Will you join me in chatting and possibly winning tons of great books? I'll be there. I'm giving away signed copies of my novel Bound by Guilt as well as a $30 gift card to Christianbook.com!

Check it all out tonight at this link.

Why I Want A Kindle... and Why I Don't

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You know e-books are all the rage. Just take a look at this graph, and you won't be able to deny that the electronic publishing revolution has become a war. I've been watching it with interest both as a consumer and as an author. I've even been asked about it in interviews I've given for my traditionally published novels Thicker than Blood and Bound by Guilt. The way I see it, e-books are going to become (well, I guess they already have) just another form of a book. The same way you have a paperback and a hardcover. And like in past years when some books aren't ever released in hardcover and only come out in paper, we're now seeing some being released exclusively to Kindle or Nook and skipping the paper route altogether.

I recently read one of those books. Here Comes the Ride by Lorena McCourtney is a cozy mystery published by the author. It's available for $2.99. Having enjoyed the first novel in McCourtney's Andi McConnell series Your Chariot Awaits I knew I wanted to read the second. But alas, even though it was contracted to be published traditionally by Thomas Nelson, for some reason the contract was canceled, leaving Andi stranded in her limousine. Thus the reason McCourtney took the bull by the horns and went the e-pubbing route.

I don't yet own an e-reader. In order to read this novel (which was fantastic, btw) I had to download a free app for my computer. Easy enough, but it's not the same reading a book off your computer screen. This is why I really want a Kindle. I want to be able to curl up in bed with a cup of tea and read a book like Here Comes the Ride, or James Scott Bell's new writing book Writing Fiction For All You're Worth. I don't like cuddling up with my laptop unless I'm actually working on writing a novel.

For now I am resigned to reading off my computer screen. If the book's good enough, I will do it. But here's my big dilemma. When I finished the last page of Here Comes the Ride, I was satisfied and had the strong urge to close the book and set it up on my shelf. I like collecting books, for crying out loud. How in the world am I going to do that with books released exclusively to Kindle? I want to lend my books to my friends too, but unless I bite the bullet and buy an e-reader, and they do too, this isn't happening.

Thus my "why I want, why I don't" problem. What about you? Where do you weigh in on this dilemma that's going to be with us for quite some time.

New from Sibella Giorello, a favorite author

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Back in 2007, an advance copy of a novel hit my doorstep. For my work with TitleTrakk.com I receive a lot of books. Many I will send on to our wonderful team of writers for review. Others I'll hang onto and review myself. In order for me to do that, a book really has to capture my attention. The Stones Cry Out by Sibella Giorello was one of those books. From the first line it captured my interest. But not only did it pull me in, the story delivered to the last page. I had found a new favorite author.

Since that time I've eagerly awaited each one of Sibella's new books. The Rivers Run Dry is a favorite, and she followed that up with The Clouds Roll Away.

Now Sibella's back with another novel, today's featured book, called The Mountains Bow Down. I gotta tell you, folks. When I opened the package from Thomas Nelson and saw that my long wait was over to read another Giorello novel, you should've seen the smile on my face. I think I even muttered something like, "Yes!!". Trust me. I don't normally do that.

Did Mountains live up to my expectations? You bet. Giorello delved deeper into Raleigh Harmon's character than she has in prior books---her struggles, challenges, and vulnerabilities. She was real before, but this novel has added a depth to her, which makes for a fantastic story. The plot was a page-turner too. Bravo, Ms. Giorello.

Here's the official summary:

Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better...

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.

More fun news:

The aforementioned The Stones Cry Out unfortunately went out of print recently (even after winning a Christy award!). But it's now back and even better than ever with previously cut scenes and a complete rewrite by Sibella. Purchase it today for your Kindle for only $2.99.


Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down with a blog tour, a Cruise prize pack worth over $500 and a Facebook Party! Don't miss a minute of the fun.

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.
• The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

To enter click one of the icons below. Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

About the Facebook Party: Join Sibella and fans of the Raleigh Harmon series on April 5th at 5:00 pm PST (6 MST, 7 CST & 8 EST) for a Facebook Book Club Party. Sibella will be giving away some fun prizes, testing your trivia skills and hosting a book chat about the Raleigh Harmon books. Have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on the Event page.

New from James Scott Bell

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One of my favorite authors has just released his first (and definitely not last) e-book exclusively for Nook & Kindle. Watch Your Back is a collection made up of a novella and three short stories, all for only $2.99! I had the chance to read the novella pre-publication and Jim is on top of his game. It's a cross between his last full length novel Deceived and his popular Ty Buchanan series.

Even if you don't have an e-reader, there are apps you can download for free that will enable you to read right off your computer screen, or even print the book out if you prefer reading off of good ol' paper.

But here's something else Mr. Bell has cooking: a weekend seminar series for writers! As a popular conference teacher and bestselling author of multiple how-to books you'll be sure to get the best of the best instruction one-on-one with James Scott Bell. For more info on that, click here.

Funny cat video

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Sometimes you just need to laugh. This video did it for me!

The Biggest Loser

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It's happened to me twice now, and the solution was the same both times. I was buzzing along in my latest WIP (work in progress), and I started to write an important scene from the perspective of my secondary main character. Everything was going along so so, but I could tell sometimes was missing. It didn't flow right. I couldn't put my finger on it entirely. At first I wondered if maybe I was way off base on the events that unfolded in the scene. But then I asked myself a question I've heard as advice before: "Who has the most to lose in this scene?"

For writers, this is a question to ask ourselves when deciding the POV (point of view) in any scene we write. Usually whoever has the most to lose is who's head we need to be in for that scene. (I'm sure there are exceptions, but this is a general rule of thumb.)

When I applied this maxim to the above mentioned scene, I realized the other character in the scene, the one who the point of view character was talking to was really the one who had the most to lose. So I decided to start over in her POV. Guess what happened? The scene flowed ten times better, and I no longer felt stuck in how it was to unfold. The words came.

So if you're a writer and stuck in a scene, ask yourself who has the most to lose. It just might be a different character than you first imagined.

The GPS of God

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Have you ever gotten to a place in your life where you felt you were completely off track? Like there was no bringing you back and God couldn't use you anymore?

As Christians, I think we inherently believe that God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes we even hear his still small voice give us a picture of what that plan will be---or at least the next step we should take to get us there.

But as is often the case, we mess up. We take a direction contrary to what we know in our hearts we should do. What happens then? Are we too far off the path?

I believe that God has a perfect plan for our lives. That's His ideal for us. But I also believe that if we veer off course He's more than able to bring us back.

It's sort of the way a GPS works. There's a perfect way to get from Point A to Point B, and if we follow the directions the GPS gives, we'll get there. But as often happens, we make a wrong turn somewhere along the way and find ourselves out in the middle of a cornfield wondering where the heck we are. That GPS doesn't give up on us at that point. It recomputes our route and shows us the turns to take that will still get us where we were supposed to end up in the first place. The path might be windier, longer, and crazier, but we still get there.

That's the way God works in our lives too. Sure, it would be ideal for us to never make a mistake, or a wrong turn. But we all do. So rather than bemoan this, we can throw ourselves at the feet of the God who loves us dearly, ask for forgiveness and His help in recomputing our way. He'll give it to us. He's a loving Father.

I had this experience recently in my writing. I had felt for a long time I was to write a fast rough draft in my latest manuscript. I felt like it was God's leading. But I didn't do it. Instead I spent months laboring over my characters, plot and whatnot. Finally I decided to quit the nonsense and just push through and write my story. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd missed God in a big way. I worried that everything I was writing was off track and not what He wanted me to write.

Then I received an e-mail from an author friend that was the answer to my heart's cry. She said some things I'd been needing to hear about writing and following my heart to find the story God gave me. After reading her words I knew the story I needed to write. I began a new draft in the peace I'd desperately craved.

A week or two later God gave me a wonderful gift. It was just a little thought, but I felt it. He told me that right now, I was back to where I would have been if I'd followed those early inclinations I'd had about writing the fast rough draft. He'd re-routed my path. He can do the same for you.

Have fun with Goodreads!

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Calling all readers! If you haven't checked out the site Goodreads.com yet, it's a fun stop on your literary road trip. Users can share what they're currently reading (there are plenty of widgets to add to your blogs and websites too), rate books, write reviews, and more. I'm enjoying the ability it gives me to go back and see what I read this year, and what I thought of those books. Like its counterpart Shelfari, you can add friends and favorite authors. I used to visit Shelfari regularly but was disappointed with their latest website update that made it harder (I thought) to do things quickly. Then I found Goodreads. So if you're curious what I'm reading on any given day, you can visit my author page and then make a page of your own.

What's holding you back?

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At this time of year most of us start thinking about the future---future goals, future pursuits, future dreams. It can be a great time of reflection, or it can bring us down as we think about all the resolutions we made and didn't keep.

But instead of focusing on what we haven't done, I'd like to ask you a question. What's holding you back from pursuing your dreams? Not just dreams of grandeur, but little things too. Maybe a desire to lose ten pounds. Or to spend more time with family. Perhaps you want to write a novel.

What if we didn't worry so much and dove in with abandon? What would our lives look like a year from now if we took a step out of our comfort zone and did one thing that God's dropped in our hearts?

How many years have you said things like, "Someday I want to _____"? I know I have many of those someday thoughts. Are they really that unattainable? Why wait for your kids to grow up or your hair to turn white before you pursue the things of your heart?

I'm not talking about shirking our responsibilities, of course. Our bills still need to be paid, our families taken care of. But I bet there's something we could pursue that would get us closer to reaching our dreams. Small steps are the key.

Let's not allow fear or what others think be our guides in 2011, but let's give our pursuits to the Lord who knows the exact next step we're supposed to take.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. --Psalm 32:8

What's your dream for 2011? What tiny step can you take in the coming weeks to get you closer to it?

Bound by Guilt book trailer

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In case you missed it, here's the official book trailer for my next novel, Bound by Guilt. I wrote most of this novel before my first book, Thicker than Blood, was ever published. There are some recurring characters from TTB, but BBG stands completely by itself too. I'm excited about sharing this story with all of you. It's 20,000 words longer than my first book, and I think my writing style has grown too (I hope at least!).

I've been very blessed and honored to receive some kind endorsements for Bound by Guilt, including Francine Rivers who said: "Great job! You kept me turning the pages." Thanks so much, Francine. More endorsements can be read here.




If you'd like to read the first chapter of the novel, I have it up here at my website.

Tested by Praise

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Today in my Bible reading I came across a Scripture that hit me over the head. You know that type? You're reading along and all of the sudden something pops out? This is what I saw:

Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised. Proverbs 27:21 (New Living)

Usually we think it's the negative reviews and critiques we have to watch out for. Those are the ones that can derail us and set us off into a hole of self-doubt. Right? Sure, we can be impacted by negative reviews, but what about the positive ones?

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't listen to praise from our peers, family and friends. We all need encouragement. But something I was very surprised to find when my first novel got published was the temptation to believe my own press. Not that I got many huge, glowing endorsements or beautiful reviews in prestigious publications. Sometimes my test came just from someone telling me, "After the years you put into it, you deserved to be published." It would be very easy to think, "Yeah, I do deserve this."

The problem with that type of thinking, for me at least, is it can (notice I say can) lead to a wrong attitude about why, as a Christian writer, I'm doing what I'm doing. The truth of the matter is I don't deserve anything more than the next gal.

This same principle can apply to critiques of our as-yet-unpublished writing too. If someone tells us we're the next Jane Austen, and we let ourselves believe it, it could possibly make it harder for us to receive constructive criticism from an editor. After all, we write like Jane Austen. Why would we need to change anything?

You see what I mean?

So the key in all this is not to beat ourselves up and never receive praise but to remember every good thing comes from above. If our writing or our job or our ministry connects with someone, it's because of God's grace and His giftings in our lives. Not because we're better than anyone else. This will help us keep a balanced perspective when the good reviews roll in, but also when the bad ones come (and they will). Neither one should derail us.

A New Venture - FamilyFiction.com!

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I'm excited to let you know about a brand new e-zine called FamilyFiction.com. You may have heard of it, but the goal of the magazine is to "serve the Christian fiction reader with news updates, up-to-date release lists, reviews, interviews, book trailers, and more."

I'm honored to be one of several contributing editors. My focus is on the suspense/mystery genre as well as Christian and family-friendly movies and dvds. This work won't detract from my work at TitleTrakk.com. If anything, it will make me even more aware of what's new and upcoming.

The premier issue of FamilyFiction Magazine is out today! My profiles are on best-selling author Joel Rosenberg and film maker Dallas Jenkins. Check it out here.

Why I've Been Silent

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Hello, friends!

First off, my apologies for the extended leave of absence here on this blog. Things have been super busy what with the upcoming release of my next novel Bound by Guilt, my work with TitleTrakk.com, and my newest venture as a Contributing Editor at FamilyFiction.com. Oh, and did I mention the day job? :)

I've been learning a lot in the past couple weeks about juggling and making everything work together. I started a new novel and was about 50K into the rough draft when I realized I might've been on the wrong track with the story. It's funny. As soon as I set the book aside for a week or two, another story popped into my head, aspects of which I've been thinking about for many years. That seems to be the way things work for me. My better scenes are usually ones I've mulled many, many times.

So there you have it. I'm back, and plan to hear from me more in the future! You decide if that's a good thing or not ... ;)