Congratulations Anne Patrick - Latest COTT Champion!

The next Clash of the Titles literary champion is Anne Patrick! Her her novel A Familiar Evil won the vote for Author’s Choice.


Here’s a blip of her COTT winning excerpt (excerpt B):

“Excuse me. I’m looking for Chief Russell.”

Jordan’s stomach did a nosedive at the familiar voice of her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

“You found her,” Frank answered.

Jordan looked up just as Sam smiled. “Indeed I have.” He started toward her desk.

Colleen barged through the opened door. “Chief, there’s an Agent Russell here to see…oh, I guess you found her.”

“Agent Russell,” Frank repeated. He turned back to Jordan, “Isn’t Russell your married name?” He then shifted his gaze back to Sam, “That must mean you’re her husband.”

“Not for much longer.” Jordan hurried around her desk and ushered Frank out the door. “You’ll be hearing from me.” She closed the door and looked at Sam. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here at your request.”


Read the full excerpt here.


A few reader comments:

* I'm hooked! Loved the tension between Jordan and Sam.

* Both were really good! I Liked Excerpt B because of the rather humorous exchange between husband and wife. :-) Definitely a book I'd want to get and read!

* Love tension in Excerpt B. And there's promise of lots more!!

After reading Anne’s tension-filled excerpt, we wanted to know how she came up with such great stories. Her answer? She writes on the fly.

“I’m a Pantser,” Anne said. “I never plan anything. As a matter of fact I didn’t know who the killer was in A Familiar Evil until toward the end of the book when he sprang out at me and said, ‘I’m your man.’ Of course I had suspected he was the one but I wasn’t for sure. There are several possibilities.”

Her plot ideas come to her just as unexpectedly. “Often times when I'm researching one book, ideas for another start to sprout,” Anne said. “Reading the paper is another good source for me. Life is truly stranger than fiction.

Read the full interview here.

What Anne had to say about her time on Clash:

"Thanks for having me here at COTT. You ladies are awesome!"


Want to join the fun? Hop on over to Clash of the Titles now to vote for our next literary champion and be entered into our drawing for a free book! And don’t forget to stop by Clash of the Titles Book Club to join our cyber-chat. We’re devouring Delia Latham’s Destiny’s Dream.


*Jennifer Slattery, author of this post, is the marketing manager for Clash of the Titles. She writes for Christ to the World Ministries, the Christian Pulse, and Samie Sisters. She’s also written for numerous other publications and websites including the Breakthrough Intercessor, Bloom!, Afictionado, the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, and Granola Bar Devotions. She has a short piece in Bethany House’s Love is a Flame (under a pen name) forwarded by Gary Chapman, another piece in Cathy Messecar’s A Still and Quiet Soul, and a third piece scheduled to appear in Majesty House’s Popcorn Miracles. You can find out more about her and her writing at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and you can catch some great writing tips at her writing blog, Words That Keep.

Writers on Writing - and Clash of the Titles

As you can see by my brand new shiny button to the right, Hearts Crossing won a Clash of the Titles face-off for 'Most Gut-Wrenching Scene.' I'm thrilled to be joining these talented group of authors and fans of Christian Fiction as part of the COTT Blog Alliance.

Today's post comes to you courtesy of April Gardner, and the topic is: Writers discussing writers...read on, and enjoy! I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Ever wonder what a writer thinks about other genres, authors, and books? Let's find out! I put together some fun questions for our Clash of the Titles authors, as well as our current anonymous Clashing authors. Some of their answer surprised me. Others made me chuckle, or made me think about my own motives.

Here they are!

If you had to choose...
...to do only one of these for the rest of your life, which would it be? Read or write?

Amanda Flower-- Read- I write because I was reader first.

Lisa Lickel-- I’ve written twenty-five novels so far, published five of them and hope that’s not it, and it’s not like I feel I’ve written everything I wanted to...but between Kindle and my p-tbr-pile, there’s well over a hundred books just calling to be read.

Jennifer Slattery- Write, definitely, because that's when I feel God's presence strongest. I also process through my writing, whether penning articles, devos, blog posts or novels. So I imagine if I quit writing, I'd have horrendous therapy bills!

Gail Pallotta-- It would be extremely hard not to read, but I'd write because I feel that God can use my writing, even if it's in a small way.

Michelle Massaro-- mmm, read. That's why I write and it's also a whole lot easier! Lol

...only one genre to read for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Amanda Flower-- Mystery- I'm a huge mystery fan.

Lisa Lickel-- Ouch! Hit a girl where it hurts. Fantasy.

Author of Excerpt A-- History. I love science fiction, but I have a passion for history.

Jennifer Slattery-- Women's fiction. I love reading about characters ultra dependent on God's grace

Gail Pallotta-- I would read classic books that get at some truth about humanity.

Author of Excerpt B—Romantic Suspense

...only one author to read for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Amanda Flower-- Nevada Barr- Her description of the nationals parks is amazing.

Lisa Lickel-- Hmmm...besides you, of course...um...Mary Stewart.

Author of Excerpt A-- Jack London. He wrote a lot of man vs. nature kind of stories, which I enjoy a lot.

Jennifer Slattery-- Hm...I'll give three. I love CJ Darlington and the real-life issues she writes about, but I also loved Diana Prusik's debut novel, Delivery. Then there's Athol Dickson. Wow, that fella can write

Michelle Massaro-- C.S. Lewis. He has such a variety of books to read and they all contain such spiritual truths. Screwtape Letters, Chronicals of Narnia, Space Trilogy, Mere Christianity, I'd be all set.

Author of Excerpt B-- Tough one! I'll go with Mary Higgins Clark

....only one book (in addition to the Bible) to read for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Gail Pallotta-- Other than the Bible, I rarely read a book more than once, but My all-time
favorite book is An American Tragedy.

Author of Excerpt A-- Drat, you took away my answer. Since I can't pick the Bible, I would say Homer's, The Illiad.

Michelle Massaro-- Could I choose the whole set of Narnia books? If not, I'd have to go with Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. (hehe, is this answer a cheat?)

Author of Excerpt B-- The one that comes to mind first is Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson.

What about you COTT reader? What would your answers be to these same questions? Pay a visit to the COTT website at: http://www.clashofthetitles.com!


At the Clash of the Title Book Club this month, we're discussing COTT champ Delia Latham's novel, Destiny's Dream. Head over there and see what all the hype is about!

~ April Gardner is the Sr. Editor of COTT, and best-selling author of Wounded Spirits

Please Welcome Joanne Troppello!

Hi, Joanne, and welcome to A Minute With Marianne! I’m so glad to have you here today! I just finished reading Mr. Shipley’s Governess and straight away, I want to give you a huge compliment on the tone and flow of this story. The courtly, old-word-style of romantic fiction you depict in the pages of this book is so wonderfully unique. What cultivated your 'voice' as an author?

I love the classics and some of my favorite classic romances are from Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte. I wanted to try my hand at writing a contemporary novel with a classic feel. As I wrote, I tried to adjust my writing voice to sort of “modernizing” a classic novel. I am so happy that you got the point of my voice in this novel. I’ve heard from other readers as well and they’ve told me they felt a similar impression to my novel. My next two novels are very different and completely contemporary.

Wow! What a shift that will be. I can’t wait to read them! What inspired you to write Mr. Shipley's Governess? What prompted the plotline and characters?

Jane Austen is my favorite author of classic literature and I really enjoy reading all of her works—especially, Emma and Sense & Sensibility. My most loved hero from her novels is Mr. Knightley and he is the model for my character of Sebastian Shipley. Sophie Baird is a compilation of some of Austen’s heroines—Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor & Marianne Dashwood and Anne Elliot

You blend the aspects of those characters, as well as the modern to the “old-world” just beautifully, Joanne. Tell me a bit more about those works in progress you mentioned earlier!

I just finished writing, Bella Lucia, a romantic suspense novel in the women’s fiction genre. I really enjoyed writing this story and am hoping to find a home for it soon with a new publisher. In the meantime, I am currently working on final edits for Island Honeymoon, a romantic suspense novel taking place in Hawaii. This is the first book in a series.

I’ve been to Hawaii three times, and it gets better with each and every visit. It truly lives up to its reputation. Can’t wait to read them both! For fun, tell us three of your favorite things to do when you're not writing.

I love to read almost as much as I love to write. My husband and I also workout at the gym together three days a week; we’re active and like to talk walks and hikes. I enjoy watching movies and am fortunate that my husband does too, so we have another pastime we both enjoy.

Sounds pretty wonderful to me! How can readers get in touch with you on the web?

Blog: http://joannetroppello.weebly.com/blog.html
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JoanneTroppello
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joannetroppellooppello

Now, here’s a bit about Mr. Shipley’s Governess, as well as my review. Enjoy!!


Sophie Baird is looking for a way to escape the painful reality of her parents' deaths. Unable to live in their home any longer, she takes a job as a live-in tutor to Anastasia Shipley to remove herself from her painful memories and the feeling that God has abandoned her.

Anastasia has an illness that has prevented her from ever attending school and makes her father, Sebastian, over protective.

When Sophie first meets Sebastian, she cannot deny the intense attraction she feels toward him. When an unexpected romance begins between them, she starts to rebuild her relationship with God, with the help of a certain little girl.

Marianne’s Review:

Mr. Shipley’s Governess features old-world romance told in a unique, courtly voice. The setting and circumstances surrounding the love story of Sebastian Shipley and Sophie Baird are thoroughly modern, but the author’s style of description and the evolution of the plot are very reminiscent of the classics we’ve all grown to love and treasure: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Emma to name but a few.

Ms. Troppello packs drama and emotion into the pages of this novel, telling a captivating story of love lost and found. Sebastian Shipley is a widower. Sophie Baird lost her parents to a tragic accident. Their story begins as Sophie is hired as teacher and governess to Sebastian’s charming little girl, Anastasia.

The references to faith and God are powerful. Though circumstances conspire against them in the form of wounded hearts beginning to heal, Anastasia’s fragile health, terrifying accidents and would-be romantic entanglements from the direction of a socialite with an eye on Sebastian , the references to faith and holding fast to God’s hand are powerful for both the hero and heroine and make the book a warmhearted pleasure to read.

Mr. Shipley’s Governess is a must for fans of classic-style romance. Kudos, Ms. Troppello, on a book well written and lovingly created! Five-Stars.

The author provided this reviewer with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Mary Manners is in the House!

Mary Manners, I'm tickled to welcome you back to A Minute With Marianne!

Mary has a new release with White Rose Publishing titled Starfire - and my first question to her was, naturally: What inspired you to write the story?

Here's her heart-touching reply:

I was inspired to write Starfire because I have a nephew who is autistic (my brother's son) and I also work with a boy who has Asbergers who really has a special place in my heart.

These kids have so much love to give, and a great deal of ability, if it's nurtured with patience. I have a background in special education and have also worked extensively with special-needs kids and also kids who come from fractured families, and I think I'm just beginning to realize God's purpose in all the years I have spent teaching and loving them.

It seems their likeness keeps showing up in the stories I write, and I guess I hope to give them a voice and perhaps garner a greater understanding for the many capabilities they possess.

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Mary, what a lovely objective, and you're so right - all of God's creation is precious and of deep value. God bless you in both your teaching and writing ministries - it sounds to me like God uses your gifts abundantly, and with great success.

For those of you who don't know, Mary is a finalist in the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award sponsored each year by the Faith Hope and Love Chapter of Romance Writers of America. It's a tremendous honor and I'm delighted for her.

Here's a glimpse at Starfire - and then - my review!

Austin McGill has one goal: to satisfy the conditions of his estranged father's will. After living on Starfire Ranch for three months, he'll sell the property and leave East Tennessee and its heartbreaking memories...forever. At least, that's his plan until Samantha Lakin comes along.

Samantha Lakin has one goal: to save Starfire and its summer camp for special-needs kids like her foster daughter, Jenny. To succeed, Sam will have to soften Austin's stone-cold heart. Not an easy task, especially when she realizes the ranch isn't the only thing that needs saving.

Can Sam's devotion and the love of a little girl teach Austin to let go of the past and to trust God for the future before the ranch and any chance at a happily-ever-after are lost?

Marianne's Review:

The dictates of the will are clear:

‘Live on Starfire Ranch and maintain the property to the present standards, including the summer riding camp, and if you’re not satisfied to remain after three months, you can sell the land and retire a rich man.’

Austin McGill is the heir, a Chicago businessman looking to save his struggling company with an influx of cash once he gets rid of Starfire Ranch—his childhood home and the residence of his estranged father who just passed away.

Samantha—Sam—Lakin oversees Starfire Ranch and its horse camp for special needs children. There could be no more precious example of the benefits of this camp than Sam’s foster-child, Jenny. Jenny is a charming seven-year-old with Asbergers, a slight form of autism which makes it difficult to communicate or cope with new situations.

Jenny helps Austin realize how important this camp is. Sam helps Austin realize how important it is to pay attention to matters of the heart.

In Starfire Mary Manners has once again captured the heart with a wonderful sense of both character and setting. Austin, Sam and Jenny live and breathe in these pages. Manners also demonstrates her deft hand at descriptions and setting, painting a lovely picture of life in the Smoky Mountains. Overriding all else, however is the emergence of Austin’s heart as he opens himself to Sam and Jenny and the blessings that abound on Starfire Ranch.

Do yourself a favor, and pick up a copy of this wonderful White Rose Publishing short story. No edition by Mary Manners should ever be missed, but this one especially is top notch and definitely earns each and every one of my five stars! It’s another Mary Manners winner!

Purchase Starfire right here: STARFIRE BY MARY MANNERS

Welcome Debut Author Raquel Byrnes!

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Raquel Byrnes to A Minute with Marianne. It's a very special day for her - it marks the release of her debut novel with White Rose Publishing, Purple Knot! Over the past several months I've gotten to know Raquel, and she's a delight.

Raquel Byrnes lives in Southern, California with her husband of sixteen years and their six children. She considers inspirational fiction a wonderful way to minister to others. She writes romantic suspense with an edge-your-seat pace. Her first book the Shades of Hope Series, Purple Knot, released from White Rose Publishing.com on June 3rd. You can visit her at her website: www.raquelbyrnes.com and her writing blog, Edge of Your Seat Romance.

Here's a tickler about Purple Knot:

“Rain, you have to decide what kind of person you’re going to be. I have to know.”

“What are you saying, Jimmy?” Confused I looked at him.

“I’m saying that you’re racing towards a crossroads, and I want to know what path you’re
planning to take.”

“Now is not the time for this conversation, Jimmy. We’re chasing a suspect!”

“Now is exactly the time, Rain. I need to know, right now because anything you do out of anger or grief will directly affect me, too!” Jimmy said loudly.

Dread bubbled up into my chest. I tried to answer calmly but I felt control slipping. My throat ached with the words I wanted to shout at him. “Don’t make me do this, Jimmy. Not now.”

“Yes, now, Rain.”

“What do you want me to say?” I shouted. “What do you want to hear?”

“I want to hear that you won’t put your anger ahead of our future. I want to hear that you can walk away from the possibility of revenge.”

“Why…why would I do that?” I looked at Jimmy with wonder.

“Because you’ll destroy us in the process, Rain.” Jimmy reached out and caught the hem of my sweater in his fingers. He looked worried.

“Are you asking me to choose between nailing Parker and loving you?” Anger and confusion
whipped through me like a cold wind.

“No. I’m asking you to choose between the hatred boiling in your veins and the grace hanging over your head.”

*****************

Wow! Great excerpt, Raquel! I'm dying to know more about this book, and how it came to be -- perhaps five things none of us knew about Purple Knot?

Here is the inside scoop on some of those little known facts, Marianne:

• There is a hacker that helps the main character with the online name, Nitewriter6. That is actually my real online screen name. Those who follow my blog will see it.

• I started writing the idea of Purple Knot during my own time spent in a hospital dealing with a friend in trouble. I’d go down to the garage or write in stairwells. My favorite part was people watching in the cafeteria.

• I visited Seattle for research. My brother lives there and he showed me a lot of the cool places I use in my book. The Columbia tower indeed does have windows in the bathroom stalls and yes…I have tested them.

• I did a private detective course for my research into Purple Knot’s main character, Reyna Cruz. She had to speak the jargon and know how to track down a skip-trace so I did too. I even took a gun class and learned to target shoot.

• The title of the book is a clue to the mystery. See if you can solve it before Reyna does.

I love an author who so authentically embraces the world of their characters - I think it makes for such strong writing. This sounds like such a fantastic release, Raquel, and I can't wait to read it!

Thanks for stopping by the blog, and I wish you every success with Purple Knot! I know it will be a huge hit!

Delia Latham Completes a Blog Visit Trifecta!

Welcome back--for a magical third time--to my friend and fellow White Rose author, Delia Latham! She's such a favorite! :-)

Born and raised in a place called Weedpatch, Delia Latham moved from California to Oklahoma in 2008, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her simple country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. The author enjoys multiple roles as Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her through her website or send an e-mail to delia AT delialatham DOT net.

Delia, I can't wait to talk about Kylie's Kiss! Kylie's Kiss is book 2 of the acclaimed Solomon's Gate series and Delia's latest release. It's amazing - and my review follows!

On a dare, Kylie Matthews lands smack in the middle of Solomon’s Gate—Castle Creek’s new Christian dating agency—and she finds herself revealing exactly what she’s waiting for in a relationship: “The kiss that steals my breath away.”

What she doesn’t reveal is her lack of self-esteem or her irrational reaction to facial disfigurement. Neither is applicable to her quest to find the perfect match. But that seemingly superficial malady becomes all-important when her first agency-arranged date is Rick Dale—a man who is everything Kylie is searching for. He’s handsome, smart, fun. Rick has it all…including an angelic six-year-old daughter with severe scarring on one side of her face.

Hard at work founding a therapy camp for young female victims of deformity or disfigurement, Rick wants Kylie to be a part of those plans. She’d love to say yes…but how can she, when every contact with the facility’s guests—and Rick’s own daughter—will make her violently ill?

Kylie is ready to admit their relationship doesn’t stand a chance, but she’s forgotten that God makes a way where there seems no way.

Sounds fantastic, eh? Well here are my thoughts on this wonderful romance!

We are all beautifully made. That biblical truth forms the heart of Kylie’s Kiss, book two of the Solomon’s Gate Series. The story reaches deep and wins the heart by virtue of Delia Latham’s solid characterization, sparkling humor, and tender-hearted skill as an author. The romance is affecting, but beyond that, Latham does an outstanding job of developing a story that layers forgiveness within a family torn apart by the idea of physical image and outward appearances.

Kylie Matthews is the daughter of a beauty queen, and the sister of a world-famous actress. She’s spent a lifetime feeling frowzy and unworthy to a degree that leaves her physically ill when confronted by physical imperfection. The longing for a mystical, magical, transcending kiss from the man God intends just for her leads her to Solomon’s Gate, a Christian dating agency we were first introduced to in Destiny’s Dream, book one of the series.

Rick Dale becomes her assigned date – this following a serendipitous car accident between the two. (Think God has plans afoot here?) Rick is the father of a sweet little girl named Lea, who suffers from a facial disfigurement that has made her wise and mature beyond her years. Lea has inspired Rick to create Looking Glass Ranch, a place for kids like Lea to make friends, have fun, and escape social pressures and stigmas.

Rick and Kylie for a noble unit, they’re people you fall in love with and root for from page one. Latham crafts each ladder step of this book’s plot with precision – cuing the reader in with just enough information and plot development to keep the pages flying whole at the same time creating a love story between two struggling, beautiful souls finding their way to one another in a pathway that could only come from God.

The angel Solomon provides an appealing whisper of angelic intervention, and it’s wonderful to see Destiny and Clay, from Destiny’s Dream, in their new and happy lives, but you don’t need to have read Destiny’s Dream in order to enjoy Kylie’s Kiss. (I have a strong feeling you’ll want to snap it up, though!)

With her trademark gentility and tenderness, Latham urges us all to embrace love, and ‘fix each other’s scars together.’ As Kylie’s Kiss so aptly portrays, the worst of these scars aren’t physical, they reside in our hearts and God’s touch is there, waiting, to help smooth it away, and bring us to love everlasting.

Please, grab a copy and enjoy Kylie’s Kiss!

Contact Delia at the following locations:

Web: http://www.delialatham.net/
Blog: http://www.my-book-bag.blogspot.com/
Newsletter: http://www.bookshelfnewsletter.blogspot.com/

Delia, thanks so much for your visit and God bless!!

JoAnn Carter, and Explorations of a Paradox

Welcome to A Minute With Marianne, JoAnn Carter!

JoAnn is a woman I've been blessed to call friend ever since I first heard about White Rose Publishing. She's a multi-published author of inspirational Christian romance, and she has a new release out with Desert Breeze Publishing called Paradox. I can't wait to read it!

For now, though, let me sit back and sip my java while I give you all a chance to meet this lovely lady, and hear even more about her work and where to find her!

JoAnn, the floor is all yours!

This morning while I was lying in bed in the early pre-dawn I heard a bird singing out a beautiful melody. Normally, this would make my heart happy, but then I'd just turn over and try to catch a few more moments of rest. But not today. Today was extra special. Why? Because crazy as this may sound, this little birdie was lifting it's sweet praises in the midst of a thunderstorm. Amazing! God used two rather "ordinary" things to create and extraordinary experience for me—God showed me something awesome and real—a perfect picture of peace.

Thunderclouds rolled in, lighting flashed across the dark gray sky, and rain teamed down the windowpane yet this bird was secure. In fact, it was more than secure, it was full of joy, willing and wanting to sing.

This sends Goosebumps up my spine as I think about it. It's a paradox and truly a God thing. Especially since this word, paradox, has been near and dear to my heart. In fact, I kid you not; this is the very title of the book that I wanted to share with you today. Yet, perhaps paradox is not a word you're familiar with, so let me explain. Paradox is flowers on snow, joy in the midst of trials, compassion for others as your own heart breaks. It's what many of us just celebrated, Easter-- Jesus laying down his life for me, someone sinful and undeserving. It's victory and life born out of death and suffering.

Through this experience, God reminded me that He delights in using those ordinary things to accomplish His marvelous purposes. And that's super news! If He can use Fishermen, tax collectors, birds, and thunderstorms, I know He can use me—a very average, ordinary person to do extraordinary things for Him. Perhaps you're feeling "ordinary" today. Take heart, it's through that very thing that God can show His creativity, His power, and even His love just like He did for me in the midst of this early mornings storm.

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A CONTEST TO HELP CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF PARADOX:

Win a gift box filled with goodies! (A paperback copy of Teacher's Plans, a gift certificate, a mug filled with a package of Green Mountain Coffee, pen and a Tee-shirt.)

How? Help JoAnn spread the word about Paradox by sharing the link to this post on your FB, Twitter, blog, etc. then e-mail where you posted it to joannwrites@gmail.com with "Blog Blitz" in the subject line. A winner will be drawn 5/26/11.

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JoAnn Carter writes stories that will encourage your faith through inspirational fiction novels and novellas. She resides in Vermont with her wonderful husband and four children.

JoAnn is available for speaking engagements to book clubs, reader groups, library groups, women's ministries events, school events, and church retreats.

Find her here:

Visit JoAnn's Web site

Connect with JoAnn on Facebook

JoAnn's Blog

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JoAnn, thanks so much for your visit today - it's been a treat!!

Be sure to pick up a copy of Paradox today @ http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-168/JoAnne-Carter-Paradox/Detail.bok

Watch the trailer here ~ http://youtu.be/mnOQeNeQuUE