Jessica Ferguson

Author, Writing Coach, Speaker

CFBA Introduces Until I Found You by Victoria Bylin

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Until I Found You is the third book I’ve read for CFBA this month. I have one word to say: AMAZING! And to think I almost didn’t order it because the blurb sounded so cliché. The reason I did order it is because of the hero–he’s a travel writer. Often, editors don’t want characters who write or paint or play sports. Artists and writers are a big draw for me. How about you?
 
While I liked the hero and heroine, the grandmother truly fascinated me. I wish there was a prequel. I would love to read her story.
 
Another thing I found fascinating is that the hero was a new Christian, but the heroine isn’t a Christian at all until later in the book. I was curious to see how the author handled it. I was somewhat bothered that neither of them referred to the Bible, yet the heroine talked about how one gets to know God. He wasn’t real to her… she felt alone. I kept waiting for the hero to share his favorite scriptures, for her to pick up a Bible but she didn’t. I wasn’t really satisfied with her conversion but to each his own, huh?
 
You’re probably wondering why I thought this book was so amazing. It’s not just one thing. It’s how everything played together. I wouldn’t like this heroine at all, without this particular hero and his own vulnerabilities, though I have to say, I’d probably like this hero anywhere, in any book. What tied it all together for me–what really made it amazing–was grandma, her problems, her memories, and her relationship with the California condors.
 
What is a California condor? A scavenger that eats large amounts of rotting animal flesh. It’s one of the world’s longest-living birds, with a lifespan of up to 60 years. This author created a romance around what we here in the South call a buzzard. Interesting?
 
This is my first Victoria Bylin book. I like her writing style. Her characters are realistic. I plan to see what else this author has to offer me, and I’ll look deeper than the blurb.
 

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Until I Found You
Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)
by
Victoria Bylin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:A word from the Author:

This may sound crazy, but I was driven to write romance by giant bugs and killer rabbits. I just couldn’t take it anymore. My husband and two sons would be camped in front of the television watching a movie about spiders the size of bowling balls, and I’d be wondering when the handsome scientist would get around to kissing the spunky woman with the bug spray. When it didn’t happen, I decided to write my own happy endings–without the giant bugs…

Known for her realistic, likable characters and vivid writing, Victoria Bylin writes both western and contemporary inspirational romance. Her books have finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards, the Rita Awards and RT Magazine’s Reviewers’ Choice Awards. She and her husband currently live in Lexington, Kentucky and have two grown sons.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finding each other was only the beginning . . .

When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life.

It’s Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate’s rescue. Nick is handsome and confident, and he seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She’s not planning to get involved with one of the locals.

Nick is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn’t expect to be swept off his feet by the car’s occupant. He’s made a vow–no dating for a year–but keeping that vow is going to be a lot more difficult now that he’s met Kate Darby. . . .

If you’d like to read the first chapter of Until I Found You, go HERE.

CFBA introduces Gathering Shadows by Nancy Mehl

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Last week was the first time I’ve participated in the CFBA Blog tours in a couple of years. When I took a look at the May books, three sounded interesting but I was scared I couldn’t read them in a month’s time (I’m slow these days) or worse, that they wouldn’t be as good as they sound. Sometimes the blurbs are better than the books. Still, I decided to take a chance and order all three. If you read last week’s post, you know I thoroughly enjoyed Rise and Shine by Sandra D. Bricker. Gathering Shadows was excellent too. There have been times I’ve thought Christian fiction had a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I might be changing my mind. I’ve read three excellent books during the past month, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to any of you. I wonder … is Christian fiction changing or am I?  Maybe a little of both.

Check out Gathering Shadows by Nancy Mehl. I’m looking forward to her next book in this new series.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Gathering Shadows
Bethany House Publishers (May 6, 2014)
by
Nancy Mehl

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas with her husband Norman and their dog, Watson. She’s authored thirteen books and is currently at work on her newest series for Bethany House Publishing.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “It’s a part of me and of everything I think or do. God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan especially for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

She and her husband attend Believer’s Tabernacle in Wichita.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Wynter Evans is a promising young reporter for a television station in St. Louis, but even a bright future doesn’t take away her pain over the disappearance of her brother nine years ago. So when she stumbles across a photograph of a boy with an eerie resemblance to him, she can’t pass up the chance to track him down. With research for work as her cover, she sets out with one of the station’s photogs for the place where the picture was taken: the town of Sanctuary. Almost as soon as she arrives, she meets the town’s handsome young mayor, Rueben King, and together they begin to uncover long held secrets that could tear the small town apart and change everything Wynter thought she knew about her life. As the truth of her family’s past hides in the shadows, it’s clear someone will stop at nothing to keep the answers she’s searching for hidden forever–even if the cost is Wynter’s very life. If you’d like to read the first chapter of Gathering Shadows, go HERE.

CFBA Introduces Maybelle In Stitches

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I haven’t posted in so long, I’ve almost forgotten how to maneuver around my own blog. I have a lot going on, as you know from my last post. I don’t know why I thought I’d get a lot of writing done during this home renovation project. Fortunately, I have been able to read. Last week I finished Maybelle In Stitches. I chose this particular novel because I wanted to get a taste of the time period, the WWII era. Playing around with genealogy and reading some of the journals of my late father-in-law has whetted my appetite for … something different.
 
The heroine in Maybelle in Stitches is a likable young woman who doesn’t know a lot about much of anything. I sort of identified with Maybelle. Her mother did everything for her so no wonder she couldn’t do things … especially sew. My mother didn’t do everything for me, she just found it easier to do it herself. That way, she could do it HER way and do it fast. When I tackled a sewing project for my home economics class, I had the same experience Maybelle had. She sewed a zipper in the neck of her dress. I sewed the skirt of my dress together. As much as I’d love to learn how, I still can’t sew.
 
Maybelle In Stitches was a pretty fast read. Learn more about it below:

 

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Maybelle In Stitches
Abingdon Press (March 18, 2014)
by
Joyce Magnin

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from the Author:

I am the author of seven novels. Five adult novels and two middle grade readers. I never wanted to do anything else but write and every day I wake up astonished that I get to do what I always dreamed about. My days are filled with words and images along with the usual family stuff. I have three children, Rebekah who is married to Joshua. They have three of the most adorable boys on the planet, Lemuel, Cedar and Soren. My daughter Emily Kate is a lovely young woman anthropologist and my son Adam is fourteen and a student–he’s a genius who loves frogs and lizards and fish and plants. He amazes me.

I have never eaten a scallop. I love cream soda. Drink way too much coffee. I do not like elevators but I do enjoy needle arts and of course books. I prefer jazz over country (no offense), milk chocolate over dark, but not roller coasters although my life has often resembled a roller coaster ride.

One of my life’s desires is to meet Amy Grant so I can tell her she saved my life.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Maybelle can’t sew. But when she finds an unfinished quilt in the attic of her mother’s house, she gets the crazy idea to complete it. At first, it’s just a way to fill the lonely nights while her husband, staff sergeant Holden Kanzinzki, is away fighting in World War II.

Yet when Maybelle discovers that the quilt is made from scraps of material that can be traced back through her family heritage, the project is suddenly much more important. Then word comes that Holden is missing in action, and with little else to do, Maybelle clings to the quilt as much as to the hope that her husband is still alive. As neighborhood friends gather around Maybelle to help her through the unknown days and nights ahead, it is the quilt that becomes a symbol of her unflagging belief that Holden will return—to her, to their home, and to their quilt-covered bed.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Maybelle In Stitches, go HERE.

Thanks to Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Abingdon Press for my copy of Maybelle In Stitches. I received my copy free in return for an honest review and/or comments.

Beyond The Storm by Carolyn Zane

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I don’t read books that deal with natural disasters. No hurricane books. No crashing hotel books. No books about epidemics that ravage a country. I don’t read about airplane crashes either. I was a little surprised at myself for requesting this book–especially now that I’m living in Oklahoma where tornados are common. Of course, the only reason I did is because I’ve read Carolyn Zane. She’s an excellent storyteller. In fact, I challenge you to find a bad Zane book. Carolyn did an excellent job building tension. Every page I turned increased my anxiety. I read, I laughed, I cried, I constantly battled a heavy chest and a knot in my throat. Read more about her at the Christian Fiction Writers Magazine.

There was only one scene in the book that caused me concern. I thought, “Oh, how convenient was that!” SPOILER ALERT! Zane used a homeless man who happens to be a doctor to deliver a baby. I have to admit, when I bring Beyond The Storm back to mind–as I often do–I’ve grumbled at this particular scene, but guess what: It’s not too much of a stretch after all.  Take a look at this article.

By the time you finish Beyond The Storm, you’ll be wishing you knew these people. I can promise, you’ll yearn to be part of Selma’s make-shift family, sitting at her dining table, listening to her words of love and wisdom. And you’ll definitely want to learn to quilt!

____________________

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Beyond the Storm
Abingdon Press (October 2012)
by
Carolyn Zane

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author of 35 books, wife, mother and yes…hot (flasher) lives with her fabulous husband, Matt and their 5 children and 3 dogs in the scenic Willamette Valley in Oregon. When asked to describe her family, Carolyn likens her crowd to the Brangelia Bunch saying modestly, “Only we’re better looking.” Right now,Carolyn is back in the saddle with her new title: Beyond The Storm, coming out in October 2012! In the mean time, be sure to catch her on the critically acclaimed TOOHOTMAMAS Blog where Carolyn and Wendy tackle Marriage, motherhood and menopause: How to do all three and stay out of prison! They are hilarious! You’ll wet yourself, guaranteed! Visit them at: www.toohotmamas.wordpress.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

After a tornado rips through her town, store owner Abigail comes across a piece of fabric from a wedding dress among the devastation. Abigail is moved to start collecting other swatches of fabric she finds – her neighbor’s kitchen curtains, a man’s necktie, a dog’s bed – which she stashes in shopping bags. As she pursues her seemingly absurd quest, horrible realities spark the question, “What kind of a God would allow such tragedy?”

As she struggles to reconcile her right to happiness amidst the destruction, Abigail begins piecing together a patchwork quilt from the salvaged fabric in hopes it will bring some peace. But a new relationship with Justin, a contractor, may require too much of her fragile heart. Will her pain and questions of faith give way to the courage to love?

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

BLOG TOUR: Ruby Dawn by Raquel Byrnes

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I got a late start with this book so can’t give a review. For some reason the book came later than we originally thought which threw my schedule off when it came to actually reading it. I started it  a day or two ago, and it yanked me right into the story. That’s a good thing: you know how I complain when a book doesn’t grab me.  Remember the video I posted a few days ago? Didn’t it talk about a 9 second attention span? From reading the first few chapters, I don’t think my attention span will be a problem. I fell for the hero immediately.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Ruby Dawn
White Rose Publishing (January 27, 2012)
by
Raquel Byrnes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Raquel married her college sweetheart seventeen years ago and you can still find them spending time together chatting over a cup of coffee like when they were first dating.

Her husband is her biggest fan and most ardent supporter. He encourages her to take time for writing as often as he can. He regularly gives her gift cards to her favorite coffee house so that she can go there to write and relax.
He has been known to whip up his famous chicken quesadillas complete with guacamole and brownies for dessert.

Raquel has written books for more than a decade. She loves to do research and has taken private detective courses, gun classes, and underground tours to get every detail right for her novels. She writes romantic suspense with an edge-of-your-seat pace. Stories filled with faith, love, and adventure.

In 2009 she signed with agent, Terry Burns, at Hartline Literary. Terry worked to get her Shades of Hope series sold and in 2010, White Rose Publishing purchased the three-book series.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A painful past. A love returns A desperate plan.

Former street kid, Ruby now reaches out to runaways through her medical clinic in the worst part of the city, but her escalating battle with a gang leader puts that in jeopardy.

Cavalier, a risk-taker, charming… Ruby’s first love is now on the right side of the law and the center of a dangerous DEA sting involving her clinic. Tom’s disappearance ten years ago broke her heart and rattled her faith. As their romance relights, memories of what it costs to love him flood her with fear.

Ruby’s battle with the gang ignites a firestorm of danger, and a pattern of lies from within her own camp emerges. With Tom’s life in the balance and her world cast in shadows, can Ruby trust God as she once did…or has she strayed too far, for too long to ever return?

Watch the book video:

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

Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings

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I  chose Sixty Acres and a Bride because we’re moving to Oklahoma–Regina Jennings territory. She’s the author, and this is her debut novel. I don’t read or review a lot of historicals. Honestly, I feel intimidated by the amount of research historical authors do so I feel guilty if I don’t fully appreciate their hard work. Can I be honest and say how much I dreaded the day Sixty Acres and a Bride showed up in my mail box? I was so worried: Would I like it? Could I finish it? Would the author have a style I could read with ease? If her first page didn’t yank me in, could I force myself to keep reading? I have a short attention span and I don’t finish books I don’t like. Time is just too precious and short for that.

The first page yanked so hard, I don’t think I put the book down all day. In a rush, I read and then I slowed my reading because I didn’t want to leave those characters. I wanted to savor their delicious predicaments. I liked Rosa, the main character. A lot. I read with a pen in hand so I could underline some of her beautiful thoughts and innocent wisdom: You can sit around and wait for gifts to fall off the tree into your lap, or you can climb the tree and get your gifts yourself. Overtime you’ll find God leaves most of His gifts in the tree.
Rosa doesn’t believe in sitting and waiting. She’s a do-er.
And this: Rosa didn’t mind the anonymity. She’d rather have gold in her pocket than praise in her ears.

And Weston, the hero with his over-active feelings of responsibility–and guilt–came across real, not a wish-crafted hero. I adored how he looked at Rosa, amazed at some of her observations; taken aback by the way she stood up to him.

New author Regina Jennings is already at the top of her game. Her writing is excellent. Her plotting and characterization are the best I’ve read in a long time. Her pacing is comfortable. It dawned on me while reading Sixty Acres and a Bride by Regina Jennings that this is what we wannabes should aspire to.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Sixty Acres and a Bride
Bethany House (February 1, 2012)
by
Regina Jennings
A Word from Regina:
See me laughing. That’s what I do when someone calls me an author. Yes, it’s always been my dream, but I still can’t keep from giggling over it.
Other things I am – a Christ-follower, a wife, a homeschooling mother of four, a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, and a voracious reader.

Getting reading time isn’t easy. Seems like my family does more than our share of traveling. My husband is an insurance adjuster (I know, save the hate mail) and travels with the catastrophe team often. That’s allowed us to see a lot of the United States. True many times it’s in the middle of a hurricane or blizzard, but after spending three weeks in a hotel room with six people, you’ll brave anything to get out and see the sights – no matter how damaged they might be.

We also serve on the Missions Team at an amazing church, so we break out the passports frequently. Highlights include singing at a leper colony in India, holding church inside a Mexican prison and showing the Jesus film to a tribe in Senegal who’d never heard the gospel.

But I don’t have to go far away for unusual. My family provides plenty of colorful material with their love for practical jokes, pithy observations and strong agricultural roots. Because of the family business, a significant chunk of my life has been spent at sale barns and auctions – often behind the scales where I weigh pigs. I like to think of myself as a “redneck bluestocking” but I brought an entire marketing team’s discussion to a screeching halt when I said those words, so you didn’t hear it from me.

When I have spare time I love to talk books and quirky characters (real and fictional).

ABOUT THE BOOK   

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to Texas and the family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have only three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa can’t keep herself from falling in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. Learning the American customs is not easy, however, and this beautiful young widow can’t help but catch wandering eyes. Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, to what lengths will Rosa go to save her future?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Sixty Acres and a Bride, go HERE.