CALL TO SUBMIT! Christian New Adult Imprint, Pure Amore from Pelican Book Group

Recently a lot of discussion has taken place on the reader/writer loops to which I belong concerning the genre of "New Adult" books.

In mainstream terms, New Adult books deal with twenty-somethings coming of age in their careers, their lives and their loves. Many of us who write Christian romance and fiction have been intrigued by the concept, but wondered how we could bring New Adult stories to life from a Christian world view.

I'm thrilled to say, my publisher Pelican Book Group, is leading the charge to fill that need with a brand new imprint, coming soon, called PURE AMORE.

Following are all the details if you're interested in submitting - and if you can't wait to read these stories, I assure you, you're not alone!!!

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

Pelican Pure Amore™
Sweet Romance, Pure Enjoyment ™

Pelican Pure Amore™ romances are sweet in tone and in conflict. These stories are the emotionally-driven tales of youthful Christians who are striving to live their faith in a world where Christ-centered choices may not fully be understood.

Plots should not contain overly hard-hitting or controversial subjects but should be hope-filled, enjoyable reads that don’t come with a lot of excess baggage. Stories should be written in an active, engaging style that leaves the reader satisfied and smiling. Plots should focus on the love between a man and a woman who both hold God at the center of their lives and who have never been married. The hero and heroine will exhibit traditional Christian values but also should be three-dimensional and therefore exhibit flaws as well as virtues.

•    Neither the hero nor heroine can have been married before. No divorced, separated, or widowed protagonists

•    Both Hero and Heroine should be Christians throughout. While Pure Amore™ may feature subplots that include the hero or heroine rediscovering or growing to a deeper faith, these are not stories centered on conversion. Therefore, both Hero and Heroine must be Christian at the onset.

•    Either the hero or heroine, or both, must be a virgin. That means they must be physical virgin as opposed to being a “rededicated” virgin, and this fact must be addressed naturally within the context of the story.

•    These are stories of Christians living Christian lives. Characters should adhere to mainline Christianity, but should not be preachy or didactic. The Christian element and/or lesson should be inherent to the characterizations and so should come through in the protagonists’ natural actions/reactions to events and people around them.

•    Heroes and heroines must be between the ages of 21 and 33, inclusive.

•    ALL titles must be between 40,000 and 45,000 words. No exceptions.

Pure Amore™ romances emphasize the beauty in chastity, so physical interactions such as kissing or hugging should focus on the characters’ emotions rather than heightened sexual desire, and any scenes of physical intimacy should be absolutely integral to the plot and/or emotional development of the character or relationship.

At this time, we are interested in finished manuscripts only. Please do not query unless your manuscript is complete. Please visit our web site for the access to the submission form: http://pelink.us/write4pbg

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

Doesn't this sound awesome?? Blessings to you all - happy reading, and happy writing!

Marianne

From the Staff of Clash of the Titles...

Please enjoy this sampling of New Releases from the staff at
Clash of the Titles 

The Last Detail
by Lisa Lickel
Hope, love, and loss meld two polar opposite personalities. How long can they keep passion for their ministry and each other after the wedding? Merit ushers in new life; Amalia ushers it out. Love? Obviously. Marriage? Check. Dealing with the family closet? Step back…When tragedy strikes, they must learn to rely on each other in ways they couldn’t have prepared for.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH LISA




Lea's Gift
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A victim of a house fire during infancy, Lea Dale’s severe facial disfigurement pales in comparison to the scars Laren Meadows carries inside...and his painful secret could destroy their chance at true love. For the first time ever, an emotional Lea questions her special connections with Heaven even as she investigates cruel pranks
at her father’s ranch for disfigured teens and tries to deal with her roller coaster heart.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA




A Cowboy Christmas
by Delia Latham (& Tanya Stowe)
A mom on the run; a special child and her “imaginary” friend; a cowboy; and God. Shy horseman Dex Beckett longs to help lovely Layne Mabrey and her daughter, but Layne's lack of faith and stubborn refusal to relinquish her distrustful heart could get in the way of even Heart's Haven's heavenly residents.
PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH DELIA







  Stopped Cold 

by Gail Pallotta

Margaret McWhorter lives in tranquil Mistville, North Carolina, but there’s no peace in her life since her brother, Sean, took a steroid and nearly died. Margaret and Sean’s father demands excellence in sports, but Sean fell short. Margaret’s still hustling to win at swim meets at Meriwether Christian High, where Sean was the number one quarterback for the football team. In quiet moments she asks God to heal Sean. She’s angry at her father for pushing Sean, but hate for the drug dealers drives her to find them. A clue overheard at a teen hangout sends Margaret and two friends to the edge of this dangerous sub-culture.   

PURCHASE
CONNECT WITH GAIL

Clash of the Titles First 2014 Winner!

It is my great pleasure to announce the winner of this month's clash...

Redneck Debutante 

by Jenny Hammerle

Congratulations, Jenny!

Your book will be automatically entered for a chance to win a Laurel Award later this year!

And a big thank-you to ALL our participating authors!

Lacey Williams with Return of the Cowboy Doctor,

Norma Downing with A Promise Made,

and Anne Greene with Marriage byArrangement

Here are a few of the comments left by our voters:

• Jenny Hammerle is a talented author who knows how to connect with girls through an engaging story where the reader can gain valuable life lessons along the way!:-)
• I have spent some time in Fruitville and I Love this place. Many great memories there. I must read your book, I am sure it is wonderful, as are the People of Fruitville. Thank You for taking time to write this book.
• Redneck Debutante is a great title! The cover is spectacular and really catches your eye. I have read this book and it is a very good, fast-paced read.
• Great story and character development! Loved Redneck Debutante and am loving the second book Cowgirl Down!

And a couple Amazon Reviews:

• "Jenny Hammerle's Redneck Debutante is a breath of fresh air that you don't want to miss. Her characters will engage you and keep you involved just as if you knew them personally. Whether you are an adult reader or a young adult, you will be captivated by this book and find it hard to put down. I enjoyed this first book in the series immensely and I can't wait for more of the story! Write faster Jenny!"
• "If you or the teen girl in your life is tired of sparkly vampires, witches and werewolves this is a wonderful book about the real issues teen girls deal with. It is wonderfully written and will keep you engaged all the way through. Can't wait for the second book!!"

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight of the rugged cowboy.
Green eyes, dark-brown hair, tall, tanned, nicely muscled.
And there she was, standing in the creek in only her underwear.

West Palm, Florida

Fifteen-year-old Rachael Harte has everything she could want—plenty of money, hang-out time with friends at the beach, and Colten, the hot boyfriend every girl in her prep school drools over.

But just as she receives her long-awaited debutante invitation, scandal strikes her family. Now Rachael has to go to public high school and live with her Aunt Margaret in a place called Fruitville. How much more redneck could it get? The first day, as she’s cooling off from the heat, she hears a soft “ahem” and looks up into the eyes of Travis Baxter, the most handsome cowboy she’s ever seen. His smirk is bad enough. Worse, they’re now neighbors and will attend the same school.

As Rachael plunges into redneck life in rural Florida, she’s charmed by a quirky new group of friends, including Travis’s twin, Maysie, but still misses her friends back home. Can Rachael and Colten survive on once-a-month visits? Or will Travis’s cowboy charms win her over? What she learns as a Redneck Debutante will teach her more about love and life than she could ever have dreamed.

The REDNECK DEBUTANTE Series®
Romance that’s a little bit city, a little bit country.

**********

Book Two, Cowgirl Down, is also available!

And guess what? Extra congrats are in order because Redneck Debutante recently won the ACFW Book Club Poll and will be one of three books for the Spring reading list. What fantastic news!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

On my father’s side we are sixth generation Floridians- cattle and citrus mostly. I grew up on a working cattle ranch. My dad still manages ranches in twelve Florida counties.

I have been bucked off more than a few times- I survived and lived to write about it. That is why you will find that some of my writing revolves around rural Florida and ranch life. My favorite place to be is at the hunt camp sitting around the campfire listening to, or in some cases, telling funny stories! I love to work cows in the cow pens- branding, tagging, marking, legging and parting out calves to keep or sell is always a good time!

I currently stay home with our two wonderful little boys. I can be found coaching a group of middle school cheerleaders which serves my writing well by keeping me in touch with the youth of today and their slang, drama and texting practices!

Storytelling is something that comes naturally to most cowboys and cowgirls. If you join us on any workday, around a campfire or in the cow pens you can experience the true nature of the cowboy storyteller and see that it is a living, breathing verbal tradition still being shared today. This storytelling tradition comes alive in the texture of my writing!

You can find Jenny Hammerle on her website or on her Facebook page

Congratulations, Jenny! We can't wait to watch your story unfold.

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

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

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

Website

Blog

Facebook

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! 

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:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Electio Publishing

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

Stone of Destiny - COTT Champ!

A hearty congratulations to Mary Ball, author of Stone of Destiny!

And a special thank-you to these authors for entering their great new releases:

Bonnie Doran, author of Dark Biology
Laura V. Hilton, author of Awakened Love
Maddy Lederman, author of Edna in the Desert
Julie Cantrell, author of When Mountains Move

About Stone of Destiny:

Taylor has given up on everything but her work. After becoming the youngest CEO of Mugful’s Beverage Company, she believes life is complete--until her grandmother asks her to oversee the renovations of the family home, in addition to searching for a missing heirloom.
Her first contact with what she believes is an insignificant ring, lost for fifty years, sends her life spinning. Taylor experiences strange. Unexpected feelings surface that she doesn't understand. Thoughts that should remain unspoken are voiced. Taylor’s emotional journey begins, testing a heart as cold as the ring itself and forcing her to question everything she believes. Is this a fairytale, or simply her soul reaching out for a different world--a life she can only find through faith and a divine trust in God?

What Voters Had to Say:

Mary L. Ball, I am looking forward to reading Stone of Destiny! The story sounds amazing.

Mary, your title sounds interesting. I like the idea of following the trail of an heirloom.
Stone of Destiny is one I look forward to reading.

Mary does such great work. What a mind ! I have been looking forward to her new book ever since I first heard about the storyline.

Mary Ball's Stone of Destiny excerpt takes a Christian believer out of the box.

Mary Ball is an excellent author. I am looking forward to her next book.

Stone of Destiny is good reading. You'll love it.

To to a wonderful beautiful lady Mary L. Ball keep on writing you are the best and your books are wonderful

About the author, Mary Ball:

She is a member of ACFW and lives in North Carolina between the wondrous mountains and beautiful beaches. When she’s not writing, Mary enjoys supporting her husband’s ministry,singing, fishing, and reading a good novel.
For more about Mary visit her at http://MaryLouwrites.weebly.com
Find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/inspires4mary <https://twitter.com/inspires4mary
and facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspirational-author-Mary-L-Ball/

Reviews for Stone of Destiny

Stone of Destiny by Mary L. Ball is a wonderful story of romance and one finding their way back to God through faith and trust. Taylor Harrison is the youngest CEO at the Mugful Beverage Company and she feels that her life is complete. With great trepidation she agrees to oversee the renovation of her grandmother's family home. Fifty years earlier, a sapphire ring was lost in the house and Granny Kay wants Taylor to search for the ring as the renovations are being made. After finding the ring, Taylor begins to have strange dreams and she is even making phone calls in her sleep at night.

Brent Roberts is the nephew of Granny Kay's best friend and he has been hired to do the renovations to the house. When he and Taylor meet, she is definitely not impressed even though she thinks he is the most handsome man she has ever seen. Brent is very much in tune with what God wants him to do with his life. His faith and the way he shares his knowledge of God cause Taylor to start questioning some of her beliefs. She soon realizes that she can only find happiness through a true faith in God.

The development of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, and the description of all the scenes were done in an excellent manner. The characters were so real that at times I wanted to shake Taylor and would not have minded if Brent gave me a hug. Granny Kay is the kind of grandma that everyone would love to have and her love for Taylor was a very important part of the story. All the action taking place in the book was so well done that in my mind I was struggling right along with Taylor as she worked to make her decisions and I was pulling for Brent to win Taylor's heart. I really appreciate the way that the author handled the romance in the story and how Taylor regained her faith in God and finally trusted Him with her life. Searching for the missing ring added a little suspense to the story.

Would she find the ring or would it be lost forever?

I highly recommend this book. If you like a wonderful story with lots of romance, a little bit of suspense, and a story in which faith in God plays a big part, then this is the book for you.

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

Mary Ball has written a book that people must read. I have watched a lot of Nicholas Sparks movies and this book ranks up to the top of a Nicholas Sparks love story.

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

This is the second book by Mary Ball that I have read. The first one was a mystery/suspense that had me guessing all the way to the end. This one had me intrigued and wondering all the way to the end what path Taylor was going to choose. This story starts out with a bang, literally, and I was wondering how I was going to put this book down to sleep that night. I love decorating and watching HGTV so I was especially interested in Mary's description of how this old house was being renovated by our very special hero. This book also takes place over a period of time so it is not an insta-love, but one that grows. Though sometimes I did get aggravated with Taylor for some of the choices she was making that would have resulted in a very lonely life.

Brent, our hero, was very patient, knew what he wanted, and pursued Taylor by not be overbearing or controlling. The dreams Taylor would have added an air of mystery to the whole plot and kept me turning the pages just to find out with Taylor why she was having them and what they meant. This book was provided to me by the author and the opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks
Prism Book Group

Meet Karla Akins ~ The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots

This week I'm spotlighting a 'new-to-the-family' author at Pelican Book Group, Karla Akins. You're sure to love her, and her writing. Her book The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots has just released so I wanted to shine the spotlight on this gifted author! Leave a comment along with your contact info and you're entered to win a digital copy, so read on, and share the love!! Winner announced on Monday!!!


ABOUT KARLA AKINS

Karla Akins is a pastor's wife who rides her own motorcycle. She is the mother of four boys and one step-daughter, and grandmother of five. She lives in North Manchester with her husband who is the pastor of Christian Fellowship Church, her twin teenage boys with autism, mother-in-law with Alzheimer's and three rambunctious dogs. Karla and her husband have been in ministry together for 30 years. You can contact Karla for speaking engagements via her website at KarlaAkins.com

A CHAT WITH MARIANNE


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My earliest memory is writing on my chalkboard with either hand. I was ambidextrous and didn’t choose a hand until 1st grade when I chose my left for writing. (I still use my right for other things.) But my fifth grade teacher discovered some poems I wrote and to keep me from being so naughty (I was a notorious talker and liked to “help” teach) encouraged me to make booklets of them. She supplied me with construction paper to make covers. I was self-publishing before anyone knew what self-publishing was!

What books have most influenced you?
The Bible of course. But the fiction books that had the greatest influence were Christy by Catherine Marshall, and Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott. My mother read Tom Sawyer to me when I was very, very young and I loved that story, too. But I think Christy influenced me to do what I do today. I don’t think I’d have considered marrying a minister had I not read that book. Little Women spoke to the writer in me. I love that story and the character of Jo. The book, Little Men by Alcott meant a lot to me as the mother of four boys and one daughter. And I love stories set in the south, so Tom Sawyer is one of my all-time favorites. There are tons of books I’m fond of, though, not just these.

What book(s) are you reading now?
Colleen Coble’s Rosemary Cottage, Brad Thor’s Hidden Order, Dan Brown’s Inferno, Tom Threadgill’s not-yet-published, Hollow Target and a few nonfiction for research. I’m always reading more than one book at once. It’s weird that I love reading political thrillers but I have no interest, really, in writing them. Maybe someday, but I think you have to be immensely clever to pull them off well.

What are your current projects?
I’m finishing up my full-length historical, River Moon Don’t Cry about a Melungeon girl whose father gambles her off to a sex-trafficking, gambling steamboat. (Very different from Biker Boots. But don’t worry, there’s still some humor in it.) Also Marco Polo for my Brave Explorers Every Child Should Know series and a couple of others. I think it helps me to have more than one project going. I panic less if I get a little stuck on one of them. I’m also a full-time college student pursuing my degrees in Special Education.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Everything! I’m fairly new to writing novels so I’m constantly learning how to do it well. I’d like to get better at choreographing fight scenes. Even though I raised four boys, I’m just not that familiar with the mechanics of how guys fight. So I have to read a lot on that.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I’d like readers to come away with the message that we’re all valuable, we all have a purpose, and no matter our background and others’ backgrounds, Jesus died for all. As Christians we should embrace those who are different. Different doesn’t mean wrong, it just means different.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned that God is in control, and that His purpose prevails. This is my very first full-length novel, so I also learned how to discipline myself, how to take criticism (from my crit partners who are lovely) and how to persevere.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?
Mainly the challenges were that I knew very little about the mechanics of novel writing, so I had a lot to learn. I had a good story idea, but didn’t know how to pull it off in a way that was marketable. I never could have sold it had I not had a critique group or attended writer’s conferences. As far as logistical, so much happened in my family during that time so I had to learn to keep writing through pain and chaos.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope they’ll enjoy the book and have a great ride while reading it. I’d love to hear from them! I love communicating with my readers. I’m fascinated by their thoughts and opinions. And I hope that they will be encouraged as Christians in this human race.


THE PASTOR'S WIFE WEAR'S BIKER BOOTS 

Pastor’s wife, Kirstie Donovan, lives life in a fishbowl, so when she hops on the back of a bright pink motorcycle, tongues start to wag at the conservative, century-old First Independent Christian Community Church of Eels Falls.

Kirstie loves roaring down a road less traveled by most women over forty, but she’s not just riding her bike for the fun of it. Kirstie has a ministry. However, certain church members have secrets to hide, and when God uses Kirstie’s ministry to fill the pews with leather-clad, tattooed bikers, those secrets could be exposed…and some will stop at nothing to hide the truth.

Join Kirstie and her motorcycle “gang”—two church matrons and a mouthy, gum-smacking non-church member—as they discover that road-toughened bikers are quite capable of ministering to others, and faith is fortified in the most unexpected ways.

Purchase Link: Pelican Book Group ~ Purchase Link: Amazon.Com ~ Purchase Link: Barnes & Noble




Good luck in the drawing, gang! Now, go forth and enjoy the ride!

Until next time ~ Blessings!