Wishing You...

A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

@Home for the Holidays by Meredith Efken

The B.O.B.B.: " Tis the Season to be jolly?"
Sitting by the fireside humming carols and knitting mittens...not! For these stay-at-home moms, the weeks before Christmas are anything but mellow. How can you balance housework, home crises and the husband without losing your mind? Plug in your laptop!

Meet Dulcie, Zelia, Jocelyn, Rosalyn, Veronica, and the rest of the women of SAHM I AM. An e-mail loop of stay-at-home moms. They've seen each other through months of domestic
drama: babies who won't come, bills that won't leave, kids who won't listen and
spouses who won't talk Now, as the yuletide approaches, the SAHMs are on hand
once again, bearing gifts of sisterhood, sanity and the real Christmas
spirit.

Since I do not have time for a proper post of the story, I will offer you links to other views.

Camy has a good interview with the the author. Writer Interrupted had this this to say... Enjoy.

Hide and Seek Anyone?

I hid a video game and the first season of Lost and you guessed it...

I. Can't. Find. Them!!!!

I looked everywhere. One year, I didn't remember them at all! After Christmas, I started looking for something else and wham! Surprise, Surprise...Gifts.

Has this happened to anyone else? Argh.

And I just noticed I lost LOST!! :(

Norah's Ark by Judy Baer

The BOBB: Hi, my name is Bentley. I'm a mutt with a dash of pit bull in the soup , and I have issues. I'm not likely to win any beauty pagents, and I'm afraid of cats. But my human, Norah Kent, thinks I'm the greatest despite all my shortcomings.

The problem is Norah won't go ut with anyone who doesn't like me. Norah says she's perfectly happy being single, and that in God's time she'll marry Mr. Right. But I think God's time may be right now, and Mr. Right may be Officer Nick Haley--the one guy who's afraid of a kitten-fearing basket case of a dog like me! I'll do jut about anything to bring Norah and Nick together, even if I have to ...gulp...woof!

Norah Kent is quite content with her life in the idyllic town along side Lake Zachary in Minnesota. She owns a prosperous business aptly named Norah's Ark and a Pet Bed and Breakfast, I wouldn't mind sending my furry friends to, called the Bed and Biscuit. Cute.

She has other shopkeepers as friends, especially, the stlylish Lillie her best friend, Joe who awaits her hand-in-marriage, and the loveable, blunt-speaking, grandmotherly-type Lou.

Unlike many single women her age, Norah is happy with the life she's has and sees no hurry in finding Mr. Right. She relies heavily on her close relationship in the Lord and believes she will hear bells when she meets Mr. Right.

Then everything starts to change. In sails in the weathy Connor Trevain. Lily has eyes for Connor. Connor has eyes for Norah. Ooops.

Then new shopkeepers move in with a brooding, shady teenager. Identity theft and vandalism marr the perfect seaside setting.

But wait. Tall, dark, handsome, and err...scaredy pants of dogs Officer Nick Haley rides into town to save the day. And maybe Norah's heart.

If you've been keeping count, Norah has three suitors. Not a bad problem for a single girl to have.

If you are looking for a funny, small-town, kinda read, Norah's Ark will not dissapoint. If you have trouble with 1st person POV and staying in one person's head for too long, this may irk for a while while the plot slows then develops. All in all, the best characters were of course the dog Bentley, Lou, and Winky the bird. Yes, animals are characters too. Funny how they even move the storyline along. Oh, the teenager was a sweet twist at the end.

I will keep my eye out for this author in the future as I need a huge helping of funny every now and again.

"Humor is an effective vehicle for illuminating the Christian woman's life." --Judy Baer

Christian Fiction Challenge: Angel of Bastogne by Gilbert Morris

The challenge for this month is a holiday-themed book. (see sidebar)

Title: The Angel of Bastogne

Author: Gilbert Morris

Year Published:2005

Why did you get this book? It is one of my book club selections.

B.O.B.B.: Like the fictional character George Bailey, sullen journalist Ben Raines is not a praying man, and he has heard enough talk about Christmas and angels. But the holiday movie, It's a wonderful Life, seems to follow him everywhere.

Ben's aging father even has a "Clarence" story about a wartime angel who saved his life one Christmas on a battlefield in Bastogne.

In tribute to his dad, but also to prove himself right. Ben sets out to track down the other servicemen who would have witnessed the so-called angel. What he finds would make a true believer out of anyone.

Do you like the cover?: The above picture does not do the cover justice. I think the cover is beautiful. Had it not been a book club selection, I would have at least picked it up in the bookstore.

Did you enjoy the book? I did. Ben Raines grew up poor and was ashamed of his father's lack of success in life. His father owning a newsstand made Ben grown up without the material things his friends enjoyed. Through his research he learned his father's life meant more to others than to him. Through the lens of the other Bastogne survivors, Ben begins to see his father and the true meaning of Christian servitude.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again?: Gilbert Morris is a new-to-me author. Over his career he has authored over one hundred books. You think of an genre, he has a book. YA, fantasy, historical romance, etc. A book club member wondered how someone who looked so stuffy could write romance. I took offense. What does romance look like? He's a professor, but does that mean he can't feel and express himself romantically. Just for the comment, I'm going to read one of his other books. There was romance in this book. I felt the attraction among Ben and Charlene just fine. At one point, there was a little romantic tension in the motel scene. I can't remember which one looked the other over and announced they had to leave because they could not trust themselves. LOL.

Are you keeping it or passing it on?: I will keep the book.

CFBA Book Tour: Never Ceese by Sue Dent

It is notable that Sue is one of our CFBA members!

Sue Dent was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi and currently resides in Ridgeland. When not writing, Sue designs websites and works with digital photograpy.Sue loves to hear from her fans through her Website in fact, the push from eager readers has already set the ball rolling, and she's hard at work on Forever Richard, the sequel.

In Never Ceese, Sue sets out to prove that faith and fun can live happily in the same story, and that vampire/werewolf fantasy can have a spiritual message too.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Never Ceese takes religious fantasy to a new level, bringing an entirely new Light to a very dark side of fiction, doing a very admirable job to prove that vampire/werewolf fantasy does not have to be evil to be enjoyed.

The story starts with the classic tale of an English manor owned by Richard, the vampire who righteously is the bain of his neighbor's existence, what with the missing goats and all!

Then enters Cecelia, better known as Ceese, the young werewolf maiden who's arrived via invitation by Richard's aging companion, Penelope.
Ceese and Richard would prefer to tear each other apart, literally, but they are drawn together by their mutual love for Penelope. She is dying and has one request...that the two of them love one another.

This is the overall theme throughout Dent's interesting tale of two who were wronged but learn to work together. Meanwhile they are threatened by an evil stem cell researcher who wants the immortality and power that he thinks their blood will bring him!

Dent's characters do differ from the stock one's we're all accustomed to in a very important way. They are not mindless, brutal killers. Bloodthirsty, yes, but they are constantly resisting the urge to kill, and, thus, curse another human. Feeding on rodents, goats, virtually any warm-blooded animal helps to satiate the never ending thirst for blood, but how long will they be able to resist that most delicious morsel man?

There is a chance that their curses can actually be lifted if they can find the strength within to resist their selfish natures and act selflessly toward another. Will they succeed? That same basic choice lies before us all every day...
A vampire and a werewolf, one determined to, once again, be able to acknowledge what will get her to heaven, the other no so sure he can. A spiritual fantasy designed to spark the imagination, to speak to the heart as well as entertain.

FIRST Tour: Eye of the Oracle by Bryan Davis

It is December 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and their latest book's FIRST chapter!



This month's feature author is: BRYAN DAVIS and his latest book: Eye of the Oracle


Bryan Davis is the author of the four book Dragons in Our Midst series, a contemporary/fantasy blend for young people. The first book, Raising Dragons, was released in July of 2004. The second book, The Candlestone, followed in October. Circles of Seven debuted in April of 2005, followed in November by Tears of a Dragon.

Bryan is the author of several other works including The Image of a Father (AMG) and Spit and Polish for Husbands (AMG), and four books in the Arch Books series: The Story of Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation, The Day Jesus Died, The Story of the Empty Tomb (over 100,000 sold), and Jacob’s Dream. Bryan lives in Winter Park, Florida with his wife, Susie, and their children. Bryan and Susie have homeschooled their four girls and three boys.

To read more about Bryan and his books, visit the Dragons in our Midst Website.

Dragons in our Midst - Prequel
Oracles of Fire - Volume 1

The Seeds of Eden

Angling into a plunging dive, the dragon blasted a fireball at Lilith and Naamah. The two women dropped to the ground just as the flaming sphere sizzled over their heads. Naamah swatted her hair, whipping away stinging sparks that rained down from the fireball’s tail.

With a flurry of wings and a gust of wind, the dragon swooped low. As razor sharp claws jabbed at the women, Naamah lunged to the side, and Lilith rolled through the grass. A single claw caught Lilith’s long black dress, ripping it as the dragon lifted toward the sky.

Naamah jumped to her feet and helped Lilith up. The dragon made a sharp turn in the air, and, with its jagged-toothed maw stretching open, charged back toward them.

Lilith pushed a trembling hand into the pocket of her dress. “Only one hope left,” she said, panting. Pulling out a handful of black powder, she tossed it over her head. “Give me darkness!” she cried.

The powder spread out into a cloud and surrounded the women. Naamah coughed and spat. The noxious fumes blinded her and coated her throat with an acrid film. A hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her down to her knees just as another flaming cannon ball passed over their heads.

“Crawl!” Lilith ordered.

Naamah scooted alongside Lilith as she scuffled over the dry tufts of grass. Sparks from the rain of fire ignited tiny blazes that illuminated their hands as they passed through the veil of darkness.

Naamah gagged but refused to cough. With a guardian dragon hovering somewhere overhead, giving any clue to their whereabouts could be fatal.

After several minutes, Lilith whispered, “I think I found the cave.”

Her hands, barely visible and clutching a small bundle of sticks, crawled over a bed of gravel and then to a rocky floor. When she finally stopped, Naamah sat up and gazed into the dark cloud behind her. She squeezed fractured words through her tingling throat. “Will the dragon follow?”


You can read the rest of the chapter here.