Thursday, December 12, 2013

When Mountains Move, a novel of tragedy and triumph


"If you haven't yet read Julie Cantrell's best-selling debut novel, Into the Free, you should probably get after that. If you're wondering why, check out [this] review or [this] interview with this stunning new literary talent. Done? OK. If you haven't gone over to your favorite retailer and "clicked to purchase" Into the Free yet, I'll give you a sec."We good? OK, now go ahead and let When Mountains Move drop into your shopping cart; you won't be disappointed!" --USA Today


About the book:
It is the spring of 1943. With a wedding and a cross-country move, Millie’s world is about to change forever.

If only her past could change with it.

Soon after the break of day, Bump will become Millie’s husband. And then, if all goes as planned, they will leave the rain-soaked fields of Mississippi and head for the wilds of the Colorado Rockies. As Millie tries to forget a dark secret, she hasn’t yet realized how drastically those past experiences will impact the coming days.

For most of Millie’s life, being free felt about as unlikely as the mountains moving. But she’s about to discover that sometimes in life, we are given second chances, and that the only thing bigger than her past … is her future.

PURCHASE

About the author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Cantrell has served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and is a recipient of the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Fellowship. She is the author of two children’s books as well as Into the Free, which received Christy Awards for Best Debut Novel and Book of the Year 2013 as well as the Mississippi Library Association’s Fiction Award. Cantrell and her family live in Mississippi where they operate Valley House Farm. Her second novel, When Mountains Move, released September 2013.
CONNECT WITH JULIE
WHAT CLASH OF THE TITLES VOTERS HAD TO SAY:
--Julie Cantrell, you know you are the best! Such a talented writer and dear soul!
--Julie!! Keep writing books that touch our hearts!
--Love Julie Cantrell's work.
--When Mountains Move is fabulous! Kept me turning pages into the late night. Interesting, complex characters!
--I voted for When Mountains Move because of the line "the only thing bigger than her past is her future." What happened in the past? I need to know! lol


Find more hot, new titles at Clash of the Titles.com

Monday, December 2, 2013

Youth Fiction With a Timely Message

To my mind, there's nothing more important than touching the minds and spirits of young adults.
Consider the world they encounter each day--the cultural elements that battle for the hearts--and souls.
This week's CLASH OF THE TITLES post deals with just that.
 
Enjoy!
 

For all those who need to unplug from our high tech world, Clash of the Titles presents a novel about reconnecting with those dearest to us, about turning off the cellphone and living in reality. Although written from the perspective of a new teen, Edna in the Desert applies to all ages.

About Edna in the Desert:
Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna's determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?

PURCHASE:
What readers have to say:
*  "Maddy Lederman is a 21 st Century Judy Blume"
* "The author displays literary maturity in her subtle, nuanced and patient treatment of Edna's movement from self-centered to other-centered.I recommend this book to all - not just the YA group & I hope to read other books from this author."
* "Loved this book, brought up so many things I think about in terms of kids, technology and our materialistic society."

About the author: 
Maddy Lederman's writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times and The Sun
Runner, a magazine about California deserts. Maddy has an MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. After school she discovered what it's like to wait around at auditions all day, and so she did not pursue an acting career. Edna In The Desert is Maddy's first novel.

Q&A with Maddy:
What has drawn you to writing for the YA market?
I wanted to write a warm, amusing story about how a modern teenager would react to being totally unplugged. Some of my friends’ kids don’t even look up from their phones to say hello, and I wonder where this is taking our culture. My character, Edna, is thirteen, so the YA market was naturally drawn to my book, but I wasn’t drawn to a particular market. I’ve found that adults enjoy Edna In the Desert as much as teens.

What is the quirkiest thing you have ever done?
I’ve done many quirky things, a lot of them in the desert! I took a “sound bath” at The Integratron. I hiked up a mountain in 110 degrees on a first date and eventually married the guy. My job in film and TV creates endless quirky opportunities, for example, covering Adam West, TV’s Batman, in creamed corn. We met years later in Palm Springs and laughed about it.

How can readers find you on the Internet?
On Facebook and my website, MaddyLederman.com.

Visit Clash of the Titles for the latest in Christian fiction!

*taken from Amazon reviews