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I’ve had 2 requests (one from Kelly here, and one on my eharlequin blog) for more information about the Love Inspired series by Jillian Hart: The McKaslin Clan. On Jillian Hart’s website at http://www.jillianhart.net/mckaslin.html you can see the complete series with book covers and blurbs but here’s a break down for you: Series One - The original McKaslin sisters with the setting of Manhattan, Montana 1 – Jul 02 – His Hometown Girl – Karen 2 – Mar 04 – The Sweetest Gift – Kirby 3 – May 04 – Heart and Soul – Michelle 4 – Jul 04 – Almost heaven – Kendra 5 – Oct 04 – Holiday Homecoming – Kristin I liked this series because although these sisters had their own lives and troubles, they put a high priority on family time and regularly got together for a girl’s only night out for a rousing game of Monopoly and catching up. Add that to the author’s ability to convey heart-wrenching emotion and I was eager to read the next series. ------------------------------ Series Two - Paternal cousins...

Precious Blessings (The McKaslin Clan) by Jillian Hart Love Inspired 383 - Feb 07 This author has such a fantastic imagination for her characters and this great book certainly didn’t disappoint me. Yes, we’ve all heard and read the other McKaslin Clan books and this is another branch of the family in another Montana town, but that’s where the similarities end. I really like the way the author used Jack and Katherine’s pseudo perfect lives to get to the heart of the matter – ‘perfection is in the eye of the beholder’. State Trooper Jack Munroe works hard to provide a stable home environment for his teenage daughter. That’s why he’s ticked when Katherine McKaslin runs after his SUV and accuses his daughter of shoplifting. Obviously, the woman’s got the wrong kid. But soon, Jack must face the fact it was indeed his daughter who stole from the Christian bookstore owned by Katherine’s family. Once Jack acknowledges his daughter’s wayward behavior, he’s then ticked at himself for being attra...

The Borrowed Bride by Elizabeth Lane Harlequin Historical #920 Nov 08 This is a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I like being near people of integrity because they make me want to rise above myself and the two main characters in this book oozed with honor as well as tension. I wanted to read the next page...the next chapter...to find out if Quint, the younger brother, was going to come back and the emotional explosion it would entail. Hannah Gustavson grew up alongside Judd Seavers’ younger brother, Quint. Being a decade older, Hannah didn’t really know Judd and in fact, ran from his forbidding countenance. Hannah had always loved Quint, but Quint had wanderlust. He just wasn’t ready to settle down yet. Hannah had kept Quint’s ‘roving hands’ under control but somehow, the day before he left to satisfy his wanderlust, she gave in to his male urge. It was a decision she regretted immediately after – before she even realized the full implication of the deed But Quint left the n...

The Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest is short inspirational entries. Are you an aspiring, unpubbed or pre-pubbed writer? Do you want to see if you have what it takes to get published? Entering the contests is an excellent way to receive constructive criticism from industry professionals. Check here for more info: http://www.southernmagic.org/lindahowardcontest.html They've extended the deadline twice now so this is it. New deadline is Nov 29th. -

I was reading Kelly Marstad’s blog the other day and I had an epiphany of sorts. Her blog post http://kellymarstad.blogspot.com/2008/11/fatten-up-your-baby.html is about having to add to your manuscript after you’ve decided it’s complete. I don’t like revisions. And I could never figure out why. But, somewhere during her post, I realized something: I don’t like making sewing alterations, either. So what has that got to do with it, eh? Well, when I sew, I take a length of fabric, a pattern, and all the trimmings and I create something new. Same as with my writing. I love to start a manuscript, get my creative juices flowing, and work until it’s done to my satisfaction. Then, I send my ms, one chapter at a time, to my CP’s and see what they say. When their critiques come back, it’s time for revisions. In sewing, you take the completed article and change it either to fit someone or to repair it – like a broken zipper. But, I don’t like doing sewing alterations. It’s not creative enough....

My NaNo meter hasn’t moved for the past 2 ½ wks because I tried to do too many writing projects at the same time. I had to postpone my NaNo project because it was low on my priority list. I really miss NaNo, though. Before I get to start a new project, I need to complete my current ones . I need to write this across my desk in big letters. At the ACFW conference, I rec’d 2 requests for partials for different manuscripts. I’ve since mailed them out but need to work on revising the rest of the ms with what I’ve learned at the conference, just in case the respective editors request to see the full. This is my main priority. I’d like to say it’s my 1st priority but I have the church blog to update and a local newsletter to get out. At the moment, being the editor of the newsletter is the only job where I get paid to use my writing skills. I’m also working on a contest entry. The contest needs inspirational entries, so I wanted to enter something. We want to keep the inspy categories in the...

So about 10 days ago, Margaret Daley http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com/ tagged me – again. But with a twist this time, so I guess it’s allowed. First I have to post the rules. Here: Now I get to tell you 7 random things about me and books: 1. I love books. I love way they feel. I love the way they smell. I love the way you can enter an entirely different world when you open the cover. 2. I have written 5 books. None of which have been published. Yet. 3. My all time favourite book is a Little Golden Book called The Pokey Little Puppy. 4. I used to gauge how much I liked a book by how fast I read it. Until I read A Soldier’s Family by Cheryl Wyatt. I took days to read it because I wanted the story to go on forever. 5. I find inspiration in the Bible – not only for as encouragement for also for story ideas. Have you read some of them? Ai-yi-yi! 6. I’ve read 107 books since Jan 08 (I’m 4 reviews behind). These books count towards the Harlequin 100,000 Book Challenge for Literacy. 7. I sta...

Falling for Mr. Dark & Dangerous by Donna Alward Harlequin Romance 4044 - Aug 08 I loved this book. I don't know if it was the ‘US marshal undercover cop' thing or the ‘I have a secret and I'm not telling' thing or the ‘we're out in the woods all alone and no one will ever know' thing, but I delved into this book with my heart and mind. It was a cathartic experience and I'm adding it to my 2008 Top 10 list. If you've read my reviews on the first 2 related books, you know that I enjoy Ms Alward's writing. I believe this to be her best book so far. It reminded me of 2 people - aching to touch - their hands pressed together - with an invisible but solid wall of glass between them. There's actually nothing to stop either one from breaking the pane and surging forward...except the aftermath of heartache. Single mother Maggie Taylor wants one thing in life - to give her daughter the best start in life she can. The girl's already had one tangle ...

Marriage at Circle M by Donna Alward Harlequin Romance 3978 - Sep 07 I really liked this book. I could feel the tension between Mike and Grace from the very first line. A great opener and I was hooked. And, I stayed hooked til the end. It's actually a premise I've thought about many times: what would happen if the hero or heroine admitted they were attracted to someone while ‘under the influence'. And they didn't tell just anyone - they told the person they were attracted to. How would they feel the next day when they were feeling more like themself? That's what happened to Grace Lundquist. She used to date this guy, Mike and had a real crush on him but one day he just left town. Walked away without a word. She was devastated to the point where she went and did something that negatively affected her whole life. Now, she's back in town with her secret and she's working like 3 jobs trying to make ends meet. She's too busy living to have a life. And then on...

Hired by the Cowboy by Donna Alward Harlequin Romance 3954 - May 07 This is the first book I've read from this author and it certainly won't be my last. Her characters could be my neighbors - real down-to-earth people who care for others as well as the land. People who try to live the life they're dealt while holding onto their dignity and self-respect. People who don't flash their money in your face just because they have it and you don't. She uses Alberta, land of cowboys, mountains and wealth to weave a marriage of convenience story that starts with despair and ends in rapture. Ride along with me while I give the low-down on this poignant story: Alexis Grayson is pregnant and alone. She's strong and penniless. She's a victim of circumstance, yet a survivor. She knows what she wants but isn't sure how to get it... Until Connor Madsen walks into her life and asks her to share his. Connor needs a temporary wife. Alexis needs a temporary home. All they ha...

The Italian Count's Baby by Amy Andrews HP Extra: Mediterranean Doctors Oct 08 This book made me cry. Sure, it's a steamy romance, but it's so much more. The author didn't just have the characters move forward in their relationship, she gave them rich yet painful histories that impacted every step they took in their journey. It wasn't just emotional baggage. She compounded the problems in the heroine's past until I, as a reader, wondered how Katya could ever have turned out as well as she did. Oh wait--that explains why she...no, I'd better not say that... What would you do if you got pregnant from a one-night stand yet had a past so disturbing you couldn't imagine bringing another child into it in case history repeated itself? And even though you love the life growing inside you more than you love living, you'd rather leave your baby with its father than bring it home and tempt fate. What if your baby's father, Count Benedetto Medici, had wealt...

My next post will be my 100th book review. Wow. If someone had told me I could read 100 books in a year, I would have said, ‘No way!’ I mean, I know I read a lot of books, but I’ve never actually counted how many before and, 100 seems like this plateau up there, you know? So, then the question became: Which book should I give this distinction? Since it’s almost mid-Nov already, there’s no way I’ll reach 200 by the end of the year, so this will be a one-time opportunity to show favouritism to an author. Who should it be? I could pick one of the authors who sent me an advance copy of a book to review. I could pick one of the books I won from leaving a comment on a blog post or for winning a writing contest. And, of course, I could even pick a book I bought for myself or borrowed from the library. But there’s one author whom I have a soft spot for because she sent me a book just because she heard I had never read a Harlequin Medical. You see, last year on the http://www.eharlequin.com/ O...

The Journey Home (Depression series) by Linda Ford - Love Inspired Historical #14 - Aug 08 This is a great book! I really enjoyed reading it. Now, the first thing someone might say is that the heroine wasn't strong--that she sat and waited instead of taking charge of her life--but I loved watching her blossom...to come to the realization that she could step out...that she could be assertive...that she could be and deserved to be happy in her own right. You see, for her entire life, Charlotte Porter had been told to be quiet, unobtrusive, never complain and she'd have a nice, warm house to live in. The reason behind this reasoning was because when her mother died, she had to live with her older brother who really didn't want her. So, if she did what she was told and kept her mouth shut, at least she'd have sanctuary. But one day, her brother and his family just up and left her in an unfurnished house, on dry land (not even water in the well), in the middle of the dust bo...

So, are you wondering with the blue insignia is on the right? That’s what I’m spending this month doing. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The briefest way to explain it is – you type as fast as your little fingers can go and punch out a complete 50,000 word novel in a month. Wow. Who can write that fast, right? Well, it’s not supposed to be perfect. In fact, you should shut off your internal editor for this month. “ November is for writing. December is for editing .” I’ve heard that often in reference to NaNoWriMo. That means, that even if you change your mind and decide not to use the last 3 pages of a scene – don’t delete it. You might change your mind later on and then wish you still had it. Some writers cut and paste it onto another document. I do when I’m not doing NaNo. I call it my ‘deleted lines’ document. During NaNo, however, I just put a box around it so it’ll still register in the daily word count. Because, after you’ve spent a couple hours writing a scene...

River of Secrets by Lynette Eason Love Inspired Suspense #114 - Aug 08 I enjoyed reading this book. I had my guesses who the ‘bad guy' was but the author threw enough red herrings to dilute my reasoning so I didn't positively identify him until the end when the truth was revealed. Based in the Amazon, the descriptions of local flora and fauna enhanced the reading. It felt like I was there in the story. If I could say anything bothered me about the book, it'd be that Amy, the heroine, grew up with Micah, the hero, because his sister was her best friend. So, the fact she didn't recognize him until saw his birthmark was a bit hard to digest. However, she hadn't seen him in a few years, he was supposed to be dead, and I know grief has a way of blocking off those parts of our brain that could be detrimental to our health. And, in Amy's case, she always had this ‘thing' for Micah, so it is conceivable he triggered a memory but her consciousness pushed it away. So,...

Beach Dreams by Trish Perry - Harvest House 2008 This novel is a romantic comedy—enough humour to keep me laughing in between the poignant parts. Miss Perry introduces wonderfully real characters from the hero and heroine to the friends and family who surround them. It’s the story of new believer, Tiffany LeBoueuf, who is trying to outrun her old reputation of a spoiled brat. She used to be a party girl but now, as she struggles to find herself on the narrow path, she hasn’t got a social life. Nothing. Zip. And then, she meets a good looking guy who buzzes her attraction meter. Too bad he already has a girlfriend. It shows how much she’s changed when she doesn’t go after Jeremy knowing he has a girlfriend – a fact that wouldn’t have stopped her before... Jeremy is the kind of guy with staying power. He’s loyal. It doesn’t matter what happens with his girlfriend, he’s going to stick with her because he’s a loyal guy. When he meets Tiffany, he remembers her as a person who belittled a fr...

Last night I was going through the blog list I have listed on the right side of this screen and Inspirational writer, Kelly Marstad’s blog Writing by Faith...One Book at a Time intrigued me. Kelly’s post on Oct 30th talks about becoming a book reviewer for the publisher Thomas Nelson. Apparently, Thomas Nelson has realized the power of personal reviews and personal blogs. To this effect, they are inviting a limited number of readers to become Book Review Bloggers (BRB). The benefits of becoming a BRB is that you receive free books to review and you get a link to your blog on the Thomas Nelson website. The requirements are simple: Read the book, write a review and post the review on: - Your personal blog - The Thomas Nelson Book Review Blog - Any commercial website (from Amazon to Walmart and others in between) Report to Thomas Nelson when your review has been posted so they can update your account, and then pick another book to review. Now this seemed too easy to me. I already write bo...