Gotta love the good review. Latest for Don't Look Back.

Casey, I think you're my new favorite reader! Hope you don't mind that I posted your review here. :)

Thanks,
Lynette

Oh. My. Goodness.
Talk about a wild ride! Breathless does not even begin to describe this book!
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started DON'T LOOK BACK, I certainly did not expect to be up late and awake early, hungry for the next turn and high stakes drama. This has to be hands down the fastest paced, nerve wracking and can't-put-it-down suspense book I think I have ever read.

Jamie Cash is being stalked. What ensues is not a story for the faint of heart. I must admit I was a bit surprised at the physical description of some of the crime scenes, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was gory, just very gripping!

Chilling is definitely a word I would use to describe this book. What a villain! I felt every single emotion Jamie went through. My blood ran cold and my heart beat stilled. The anguish, the high stakes that constantly got higher, I admit there were times I wanted it all to slow down! I literally could not put this book down. It is a masterful romantic suspense. A satisfying story from beginning to end, I HIGHLY recommend it. THIS is what romantic suspense is all about. A must read!

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.
Available October 2010 from Revell, a division of Baker publishers.

The Novelist Retreat

So, I'm getting ready to go to Black Mountain, NC where I'll teach some classes on writing. I can't wait. Do you know how gorgeous the mountains are this time of year? I'll try to post some pictures. Plus I get to hang out with Deborah Raney, Yvonne Lehman, Ray Blackston, Dennis Hensley, Angela Hunt and lots of other neat people. Check back soon for the pictures.

July New Releases

1. A Shore Thing; Otter Bay, Book 2 by Julie Carobini-- A Romance from B&H. A fiery, eco-friendly young woman leads the fight against a large development in her beachfront hometown while falling for the architect assigned to the job.

2. Back on Murder; A Roland March Mystery, Book 1 by J. Mark Bertrand -- A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Bethany House. Homicide cop Roland March attempts a comeback as corruption and a high profile case threaten to sink him.

3. Beautiful Bandit; The Lone Star Legends Series by Loree Lough -- An Historical from Whitaker House. When rancher Josh Neville rescues a terrified woman who calls herself Dinah, she unwittingly leads notorious killers to his door, putting him and everyone at the Lazy N in jeopardy.

4. Beyond Summer; Blue Sky Hills Series, Book 3 by Lisa Wingate -- Women's Fiction from Peguin Group/NAL. Tam Williams discovers the blessings of community when her father is jailed, and the family moves to downscale Blue Sky Hill where her new friend, Shasta might lose her home to her father's shady mortgage company.

5. Bride in Training; Man's Best Friend Series by Gail Gaymer Martin -- A Romance from Love Inspired. Troubled lives lead to loneliness, Emily and Martin learn, until the Lord teaches them he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.

6. Cattleman's Courtship by Carolyn Aarsen -- A Romance from Love Inspired. Cara Morrison has to fix the past before she can face the future.

7. Doctor in Petticoats; Sophie's Daughters Series, Book #1 by Mary Connealy -- A Romance from Barbour. A burned out doctor is called in because he's a man, while the town's lady doctor does all the work and keeps the doctor from cracking up.

8. Driftwood Lane; 3rd in Series of Stand Alones by Denise Hunter -- A Romance from Thomas Nelson. A love story set on Nantucket Island.

9. Firestorm by Kelly Ann Riley -- A Romance from Steeple Hill. A firefighter falls in love while trying to find her father's killer.

10. Flash Point; Emerald Coast 911 by Stephanie Newtonr -- A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Love Inspired Suspense. Courage Under Fire.


11. Heart of a Cowboy; 2nd book in the Helping Hands Homeschooling by Margaret Daley -- A Romance from Love Inspired. Zachary Rutgers is perfectly happy with being a loner until he discovers he has a son and must deal with buried feelings concerning Jordan Masterson.

12. Love Finds You in Calico, California by Elizabeth Ludwig -- An Historical from Summerside Press. A young seamstress struggling to survive in a booming mining town is pressed into a marriage of convenience with the local livery owner.

13. Minnesota Moonlight 3-in-1 Collection by Becky Melby & Cathy Wienke -- Romance from Barbour. An ex-con, a storm chaser, and a footloose musician˜three unlikely heroes for three women learning to trust God...and the men He's brought into their lives.

14. Nightshade; Book #1 of the Discarded Heroes series by Ronie Kendig -- A Suspense/Mystery/Thriller from Barbour. This Former Navy SEAL is fighting a new battle--the home front!

15. Prodigal Patriot; Vermont #1 by Darlene Franklin -- A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. How can Sally and Josiah battle through the barriers separating Tory and Patriot to find love and forgiveness?

16. Ransome's Crossing; The Ransome Trilogy, Book 2 by Kaye Dacus -- A Romance from Harvest House. Disguising herself as a midshipman to get to her secret fiance, Charlotte Ransome faces danger--and love--crossing the Atlantic.

17. Rodeo Redemption; The Rodeo Royalty Series, Book 1 by Teri Wilson -- A Romance from White Rose Publishing. Josie Turner would rather forget she was ever crowned Rodeo Queen. Can former rodeo cowboy Luke Anderson mend Josie's heart and can one rodeo weekend help them both find redemption?

18. Seeds of Summer; Seasons of the Tallgrass - Book #2 by Deborah Vogts -- A Romance from Zondervan. When a former Miss Rodeo Kansas queen returns home after her father's death to care for the family ranch and her two younger siblings, what follows is a summer full of change, life-lessons and an unexpected romance with the new minister in Diamond Falls.

19. So Over It; Book 3 in The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series by Stephanie Morrill -- General Fiction from Revell. Senior year is over and Skylar Hoyt is ready to forgive and forget. Or at least forget.

20. Song of Solomon by Kendra Norman Bellamy -- A Romance from Urban Books. How can he convince her that she's his God-given mate when she's already wearing a wedding ring?

21. Stars in the Night by Cara Putman -- An Historical from Summerside Press. Step back to 1942 Hollywood as Audra Schaeffer tries to find her sister and a killer before it is too late.

22. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis -- An Historical from Summerside Press. When Emma's father is murdered, she's hired to do the job he could have had--helping track them down by breaking their ciphers.

23. The Engineered Engagement; Book Three in the Kennebrae Brides Series by Erica Vetsch -- An Historical from Barbour Heartsong. Sparks fly when a shipbuilder finds himself engaged to the wrong girl.

24. The Seeker; The Shaker Series # 3 by Ann H. Gabhart -- An Historical from Revell. The story brings alive the strikingly different worlds of the Southern gentry, the simple Shakers and the ravages of war in 1860s Kentucky.

25. The Way to a Man's Heart; The Miller Family Series, Book 3 by Mary Ellis -- A Romance from Harvest House. When all the men beat a path to Leah's diner, her parents don't breathe a sigh of relief until she narrows her suitors from half a dozen down to one.

26. Where the Dogwoods Bloom by Myra Johnson -- A Romance from Barbour Heartsong. Jilly Gardner left Blossom Hills ten years ago, determined never to return, but when Cam Lane calls to ask for her help, she finds she can't say no.

Christy Award Winners!

Christy Award Winners!
Congratulations to all of the winners! You guys rock! I can't wait to buy the winning books. And now, without further ado, here are the winners:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Breach of Trust by DiAnn Mills • Tyndale House Publishers

CONTEMPORARY SERIES
Who Do I Talk To? by Neta Jackson • Thomas Nelson

CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE
The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson • Thomas Nelson

FIRST NOVEL
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent • Tyndale House Publishers

HISTORICAL
Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin • Bethany House Publishers: a
Division of Baker Publishing Group

HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen • Bethany House Publishers: a
Division of Baker Publishing Group

SUSPENSE
Lost Mission by Athol Dickson • Howard Books: a Division of Simon &
Schuster

VISIONARY
By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson • Marcher Lord Press

YOUNG ADULT
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson • WaterBrook Multnomah
Publishing Group

Congratulations!

The Gideon Film Festival

Are you coming?

Welcome to the Gideon...

where cutting-edge media arts are combined with one of the most unique Christian conferences and Christian film festivals in the country.

LifeWay Conference Center, Ridgecrest, NC

KEYNOTE ON OPENING NIGHT

Producer and Director, David Nixon will open the Gideon on Thursday night with a keynote address before he shows his newest film, Letters to God. You may know Nixon through his work with Sherwood Pictures, like Facing the Giants and Fireproof. To learn more about David, check out his bio on the Faculty page.

AND...

ACTOR MUSE WATSON TO DELIVER BANQUET SPEECH

Character actor and veteran of over 40 films and numerous television shows, Muse Watson will deliver the Gideon Media Arts Conference & Film Festival banquet keynote address. Watson, who just completed the Trost Moving Pictures' film, A Christmas Snow, is known for his roles as Charles Westmoreland in Fox's Prison Break and retired federal agent, Mike Franks in CBS' NCIS.

Muse Watson is an actor whose passion and excitement for his craft is evident. Whether he is performing for stage, screen, or television, each role is meticulously studied until the character comes to life. With characters this real, it is amazing to see the variety in his body of work.

The Gideon banquet is scheduled for 6 PM on June 6, 2010 in the Johnson Spring Convention Center.

AND Last, but definitely not least...
My very own hubby is going to be there...

Jack has also written numerous songs, his latest recorded by Newsong which is on their Rescue album. He's also the lead singer of the band Jupiter Wind and is working with Dale Oliver (Nashville) who is the producer for Casting Crowns and other top name groups. Recently, Christianity Today gave their three song CD a 4 star review. Jupiter Wind and Dale Oliver recently had a new CD released and their song He's Alive was chosen to be one of the tracks for the new movie called 33HOPE (www.33hope.com), the "sequel" to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. 33HOPE picks up where the Passion left off (the resurrection) and goes through the ascension. You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDA9izY94Tw&feature=player_embedded

Beauty and the Beast

Spring has sprung along with the beauty of the flowers, the warmth of the sunshine on my face-and pollen in my nose. Achoo! How in the world can something that's supposed to be so wonderful cause absolute misery for some? Send us into hibernation mode at the first sight of the dreaded yellow stuff?

When God created the world, it was perfect. Then man came along and messed it up. So, now, we take the good with the bad. Because God loved us so much that when sin entered the world bringing all the bad stuff with it, God still left the good stuff. His beauty, his marvelous creation.

After this Easter weekend, it just hit home how much I long for the Creator's triumphant return. And when I picture heaven, I see it as a place of deep breaths, no coughing, no sneezing, and no need for inhalers! Along with much, much more! A perfect place with no tears, beautiful music-and a loving father who is waiting for me to run into His outstretched arms.

Seriously, I'm so thankful for the beautiful God who loved me enough to die for me, to take my place on a cross so long ago. And conquered that beast we call sin and death.

I love you, Jesus. Thank you for loving me in spite of me.

ACFW New releases for January!

1. A Stray Drop of Blood, by Roseanna M. White from Whitefire Publishing. Born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds, Abigail never knows freedom until she feels the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter.

2. A Deadly Wilderness, by Kelly Irvin from Five Star/Gale/Cengage. A family that will stop at nothing to protect its secrets and a drug cartel hit man are just two of the pieces to the puzzle Homicide Detective Ray Johnson must solve to find a murderer—and save his own life.

3. Becoming Lucy - The Winds Across the Prairie Series, by Martha Rogers from Realms Division of Strang Communications. An alleged murderer reclaims his life, but can he reclaim his beloved?

4. Burn, by Erin Healy and Ted Dekker from Thomas Nelson. A supernatural thriller about a woman who gets an unwanted chance to extinguish her fiery past.

5. First Impressions , by Michelle Sutton from Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. Playing the role of a saloon girl taught her how to flirt, but it makes a lousy first impression on the man whose heart she longs to win.

6. Jenna's Cowboy- Callahans of Texas, 1, by Sharon Gillenwater from Baker/Revell. Will Jenna's love enable Nate to put the horrors of war behind him and become the man she deserves?

7. Never Far from Home- 2nd in the Miller Family Series, by Mary Ellis from Harvest House Publishers. Emma's rebellious Rumschpringe may lead to her banishment as friendship turns to love with the English sheepfarmer.

8. Plain Jane, by Hillary Manton Lodge from Harvest House Publishers. Girl reporter Jayne Tate finds more than she bargained for when she goes to Amish Country to research a story.

9. Sworn to Protect, by Diann Mills from Tyndale. Danika Morales has sworn to protect our nation's borders. But that oath has come with a price.

10. The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth - All About Us #6, by Shelley Adina from Hatchette FaithWords. At exclusive Spencer Academy, Lissa Mansfield gains popularity when she replaces her nemesis, Vanessa, on the senior Cotillion committee, but graduation and major decisions about the future loom.

11. The Choice - Lancaster County Secrets, Book 1, by Suzanne Woods Fisher from Revell. A tender story of love and forgiveness, "The Choice" uncovers the sweet simplicity of the Amish world--and shows it's never too late to find your way back to God.

12. The Husband Tree - Montana Marriages, by Mary Connealy from Barbour. A tough lady rancher drags a reluctant cowhand on a cattledrive, along with her four daughters.