Another Fun Review!

Lauren McAfee, book reviewer for Deseret News Faith has written a review on Clairvoyance.  She is also an assistant librarian in beautiful Cedar City. Thank you Lauren!
Read the review here.

Changing Worlds by Amy Martinsen, Review, Author Interview, and Book Giveaway!

I'm giving away a gently read copy of Changing Worlds to a lucky reader. Leave a comment below or on Facebook under my post linking to this page, and you will be entered into the drawing! Deadline Sept 1st.

How does a nice Mormon girl get mixed up with the mafia? Easy—she falls in love with a gorgeous Italian hunk.

BYU student Anna Bennett takes a job with Kamp Keepers at Boughlynch, a girls camp in Kentucky, only to discover the camp is owned by a family of rednecks whose ways are strange and oppressive. She meets Daniel Santini, also a Kamp Keeper and a recent convert to the Church, who is from a powerful mafia family, but has repented of his past and is “laying low.”

After Anna escapes near death at the hand of the rednecks, Daniel takes her to meet his family in Chicago. Once again, she finds herself in an uncomfortable situation when his family not-so-subtly tries to get rid of her.

With great side characters such as Miss Ally, Fina, and of course the Boughlynches and staff, Changing Worlds is an enjoyable read full of romance and an overabundance of tender kisses. Anna and Daniel come from two different worlds, and this story will keep you guessing if their relationship can survive.

                 ***

I'm happy to have author Amy Martinsen featured on my blog today. She so graciously answered these few questions:

How did a nice girl like you get mixed up with the Mafia? (or why did you choose to write about this Mafia family?)

Amy: I’ve always been fascinated by the Mafia and the Amish… not together, of course. We did all see that movie, right? [Witness] I have a fascination with very controlling families and lifestyles. 

Author Amy Martinsen

I’m also in awe at dramatic conversion stories: people who leave everything they know to join the church. This type of courageous faith is so inspiring to me…led me right to the Mafia’s front door.

What extent of research did you do to be able to write about the Mafia?

 Amy: I guess I’ve been doing research my whole life [reference answer above….ha!] I wanted to write from a place that made sense to the reader and didn’t want any “God Fathers” standing over my shoulder correcting me. So after reading several things that were true but didn’t make much sense—and were extremely frightening, I decided to go it alone.

 I had a powerful experience while writing the scene where Daniel leaves The Family. You don’t need much research to know you don’t just “leave” the Mafia; they kill you. I spent several weeks thinking about how Daniel would leave and finally wrote what made sense to me. A few days after I wrote this scene, I chanced upon Mario Facione’s book Mafia to Mormon.  Wondering how close I’d come to the truth, I stayed up late that night reading. About one in the morning I sat up in bed and screamed. Rick, my husband, about had a heart attack! 

The process that Facione went through to leave his Family was almost the same process Daniel went through. I still shake my head when I think about it.

What was your inspiration for Changing Worlds?

 Amy: I started writing CW while completing my Masters in English. At the time, I was so tired of writing academic papers and felt I needed a creative outlet. My daughter and her friend challenged me to write a book, so I took them up on it! In my mind I thought, “How hard can this be?” Little did I know it would be ten times harder than anything I’ve done academically. It’s one thing to pump out a twenty page paper where you’ve masked your voice behind a load of parenthetical documentations, but to take the mask off and write from your heart. That takes some guts.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Amy:  I don’t know if I ever really thought about being a writer. I’ve always worked very hard in school and have received a great deal of encouragement from professors, but it wasn’t until I actually sat down to create something from my imagination that I understood what it was to write and see myself as a writer.

What is your favorite part about being published?

Amy: Oh, hands down, walking into Deseret Book and seeing MY BOOK on the shelf! It is still very surreal to me.

Did you go to summer camp as a teen or have you ever been a camp counselor?

Amy: As a young girl I loved going to girl’s camp at Camp LoMia in Pine, Arizona. As an adult I’ve gone back to this same camp as a Young Women’s leader/counselor/cook… I’ve loved every minute of it! And those who are familiar with Camp LoMia will know that it was the inspiration for the girl’s camp in CW.

(Joan's note: I love Camp LoMia and went there to girls camp too!)

What is your next novel about? A sequel?

Amy: Many people have asked me if there will be a sequel to CW. I would love to write one and find out what would happen when Daniel and Anna start their family… and The Family finds out.

Right now, though, I’m working on a humorous novel that answers the question: What if obituaries told the truth?

If you could travel to anywhere in the world, or any period of time past, where would you choose?

Amy: It’s enticing to see 18^th Century Scotland or Revolutionary New England or the Antebellum South… but my first choice would be to go to a small farm in west Texas and see my Great-Grandmother Johnson. 

I want to know her and understand some things about her. She had a passion for beautiful clothes. In the middle of miles and miles of dirt she always looked great. How did she pull that off? She made up a recipe for chocolate applesauce cake that is one of my favorites today. I want to be in her kitchen the day she decided to make a cake and didn’t have any eggs and came up with this gem. Who taught her to shoot a shot gun so well she could shoot the head off of a rattlesnake while hanging her laundry on the clothesline? 

And her husband, my Great-Grandfather Thomas Jefferson Johnson, was a train robber in his younger days. Did she know this when she married him? I would forego all my history travels to get to the bottom of this.

What is something most people don't know about you that you wouldn't mind sharing?

Amy: Well, there’s that whole “Mafia/Amish” thing I mentioned earlier…ha!

Thank you Amy for the interview. Your great-grandparents sound like an interesting couple--maybe the subject of another great novel! 

Read more about Amy Martinsen at her blog, Go Away I'm Reading

Buy Changing Worlds on Amazon and at Deseret Book

Thank you for visiting! Remember to leave a comment using your gmail account to be entered into the drawing to win a gently read copy of Changing Worlds! Deadline Sept 1st.

Reviews on Bridges of the Heart

It is always a happy time to get good reviews on your latest novel! Here are some posted on Amazon.

I like this first one better than the back-of-the-book blurb. Thank you Susan!

"Bridges of the Heart" ...takes the reader from the present to post-Revolutionary America where Rachel, who is running from the confusion of her own life, manages to become immediately tangled in events from her family history. From her awkward arrival when she offends a grieving widow to the time she finds herself arrested by the sheriff who looks exactly like the man she loves back in her own time, it begins to seem like nothing will ever work out for Rachel without creating a time paradox. (Like becoming the name sake for the child who will later become Rachel's name sake. yep.) "Bridges" tells the story of family that connects through generations, intertwining their adventures and heartaches. It will be enjoyed by those who feel a connection to the past or would like to reshape the future.

-Susan Daley, Author of Cold Pursuit, Hot Pursuit, and Redemption

Bridges of the Heart was a pleasure to read. Characters were well developed, the style flowed nicely, and the story line was engrossing. Plus, it was not marred by the ubiquitous grammar and punctuation errors that plague new books, making them herky-jerky to read. This was lovingly developed. My only complaint---I was enjoying reading it, then it was over, with a neat and tidy ending, but I wanted it to go on. . More please!! I really enjoyed this one, and look forward to more from the same author.

By Kindle Customer 

Thank you, Kindle Customer!

Kindle if you must, but "Bridges of the Heart" is one of those rare books you will want to hold in your hand, share with your family and friends, and keep on your "favorites" shelf to read again and again. (I finished it yesterday for the third -- or may 6th -- time and still cried when it was over.) Gifted author Joan Sowards has written several amazing books, but this one, I think, is her very best!

-Kerry Blair, author of The Heart Has Its Reasons, This Just In, Mummy's the Word, Digging up the Past

Bridges of the Heart by Joan Sowards provides the reader an intriguing contemporary romance as well as unique perspective of early the 19th century South. I've read this book three times and enjoyed it more each time.

-Rachel Anderson author of the Meet Your Match series and many more.

Sunrise Over Scipio by H. Linn Murphy

Sunrise Over Scipio by H. Linn Murphy is an inspiring story of a brave woman’s journey to overcome obstacles. Gorgeous cover, isn't it?

Tamsin Tucker’s successful career as a barrel racer comes to an abrupt end in a fluke rodeo accident. She loses everything including her prized horse, her unfaithful husband, her self-esteem, and eventually the leg that was crushed in the accident. Sent to Scipio, Utah to recuperate, Tamsin finds herself in the care of Dr. Travis Mayfield—handsome, caring, and a transplant from the east—and his nurse Sarah.

After Tamsin’s accident, she is left with nothing but memories, divorce papers, and no will to live. Surrounded by new found friends, Tamsin gathers courage and finds faith in God and the key to her own self worth.

I enjoyed H. Linn Murphy’s delightful writing style. Her words play like a fresh spring breeze. I enjoyed the details about barrel racing and rodeos, and about the process of learning to use prosthesis. Reading the novel took me back to Scipio and was as spending a few refreshing days in the country.

 Sunrise Over Scipio is not an action-packed tale. There is much contemplation, gospel discussion, and dialogue, but it all makes Tamsin’s spiritual growth and conversion believable.

Though Scipio, Utah is on the map, the town Murphy portrays is fictional--with traffic light, library, restaurant, and no ties to Fillmore—not the real life Scipio I know. This is all good due to literary license and story fit, but the author was too kind not to play up the unique quirks of a small antique Mormon town.

Overall, I enjoyed Sunrise Over Scipio, its romance, and the satisfying, crowning ending to this motivational story of courage to overcome.

Visit H. Linn Murphy at her blog. Buy Sunrise Over Scipio at LDS Bookstores and Amazon

Announcing My Upcoming Novel--Bridges of the Heart

Bridges of the Heart is about the power of love and forgiveness, and the eternal natures of families, and will debut this spring in LDS bookstores!  

Rachel's life falls apart when her mother becomes ill and passes away. To add to her confusion, Maxson proposes marriage on the evening of the funeral. Rachel escapes to Utah to think and take time off from the relationship. She tells Maxson by phone to date while she is away, and that she is not ready for an engagement. After returning to Arizona, Rachel finds Maxson in a relationship with Paige—Rachel’s rival throughout high school. 

With time, she convinces herself she is over Maxson, but a strange Southern visitor named Jonathan tells her that in the eternal scheme, she was meant to marry Maxson. He insists it is her responsibility to apologize to Maxson and set things straight, since she broke up the relationship. But she refuses. 

Because of Rachel’s stubbornness, she is whirled back in time to 1820 to learn that families are eternal—not only through time forward, but also the past. 

Latter-day Saint women of all ages will enjoy Bridges of the Heart. Through this unique perspective of early 19th century American South, this heartwarming tale will remind readers that family bonds reach through all time.

Identity by Betsy Love

I admit I was thankful for a cold this week. Why? It gave me a good excuse to hibernate and read Betsy Love's fun debut novel, Identity. Betsy is the one who helped me get started on the path to publication by inviting me to join ANWA, a writers group for LDS women. Thank you Betsy and ANWA for all your help!

After vacationing in Mexico, in the same town and the same resort, two similar-looking young women board a flight to Phoenix. One is a wealthy heiress and the other is a Mormon girl planning to serve a mission.

The plane goes down near Nogales, leaving several dead. One girl survives, but with all memory lost of who she is or any past experiences. After a lengthy stay in the hospital, she goes home with a loving Mormon family who has no doubt she is their sister. Savannah remembers nothing of the gospel and must relearn everything from Joseph Smith and the first vision, to Mormon lingo.

Amelia's fiancé Brent will not believe she died in the plane accident. After his ex-wife turns up murdered in Mexico, he is the prime suspect. He jumps bail and heads to Phoenix in search of Amelia, only to be detained by disasters and the police at every turn. One barrier after another keeps him from her, including desperate criminals who would do anything to keep Amelia from returning to her past life.

Identity is a fun read. I enjoyed the Freeman family for being a good Mormon family--not perfect, but good. Savannah's best friend was overweight and sensitive, the villains turned out very villainy, and the love interest was believable and fall-in-love-with-able.

Congrats to Betsy Love for an enjoyable novel of suspense and adventure!

Visit Betsy Love at her blog.

Buy Identity at Deseret Book.

Haunts Haven--a fun ghost story

Halloween is coming! If your looking for a good ghost story for Halloween, or like reading mysteries in the Fall, may I recommend Haunts Haven, an LDS ghost story. All right, I admit I wrote it, and I admit I really like it, too.

Haunts Haven is in hardback and on Kindle and can be purchased at some LDS bookstores and Amazon.

Happy Halloween!

Two More Fun Novels by Marie Higgins

In my last post, I interviewed novelist Marie Higgins and reviewed her LDS romance, Winning Mr. Wrong. She gives some fun answers to the interview questions that you will want to scroll down and read. Marie and I share the same publisher, Walnut Springs Press. Today, I am reviewing her two novels Hearts Through Time and Heart of a Hero. Look for her next novel soon to be released, Secrets After Dark.

HEARTS THROUGH TIME

A love story that transcends time . . .

The first day Nick Marshal opens his new law office, a mysterious woman, Abigail Carlisle, appears and asks for help solving a murder--her own!

"Mr. Marshal, the reason I know you're the man who can help is because you––you can . . ." She cleared her throat. "You can actually see me."

Nick stifled a chuckle. "Of course I can see you. You're sitting right in front of me."

"True, but your lady friend could not . . . . You don't understand. The reason she could not see me is because, well . . ." Miss Carlisle's green eyes locked on his with something akin to fear shadowing their depths. "I'm a ghost."

Of course he doesn't believe she's a ghost until he tries to touch her. The further Nick investigates Abigail's life and the circumstances around her death, the deeper he falls for this gorgeous ghost.

Abigail's grandmother and Nick's mother both had foretold Nick and Abigail's unusual meeting through advice in earlier years. As Nick and Abigail put the pieces together, they realize it is their fate to stay together. The more time she spends with him, she becomes real to the point that Nick can finally touch her.

Through a one-hundred year-old artifact given to him by a 118 year-old woman, they are whisked back in time to 1912 to face Abigail's murderer.

Hearts Through Time is a beautiful, well told love story. Romance readers (and paranormal junkies :-) would love this timeless read.

HEART OF A HERO

Summer Bennett, a tomboy sent to her aunt's finishing school for refining, returns to her hometown of Richfield, Utah to find that Jesse Slade, her childhood rival, has grown up and is now her sister's fiance.

"That does it." Jesse picked her up and carried her to the horse, then put her feet on the ground... "You may be as bullheaded as you've always been, but you ain't walkin', not on my watch."

She slapped at his hand. "I'm not going into town with you."

"You listen to me, Miss Persnickety." He paused, his heated gaze boring into hers. "I don't care what you like or don't like, I'm takin' you to town."

"I--don't--like''you." She grinded her teeth with each word.

"Too--bad--darlin'," he mocked. "You have two choices. You can get on that horse willin'ly, or I'll hog-tie you and put you there myself."

Her mouth dropped open and her mind scrambled frantically for several seconds.

He smiled annoyingly. "Time's up."

This nineteen year-old girl hasn't reformed much. Summer still thinks she's invincible, wears men's britches when it's to her advantage, and takes on capturing a band of bank robbers single-handedly, hoping to get reward money that would pay for her father's surgery and allow him to walk again.

Falling back into childhood habits, Jesse and Summer clash throughout the entire story--while falling in love. Neither understand what is happening. One argument after another and several misunderstandings later, they manage

to finally confess their love. It is a relief when everyone ends up with the right sweetheart in the end.

The Heart of a Hero is a romping read that will take you back to old west Utah, and one any romance reader would enjoy.

Buy Heart of a Hero at Deseret Book.

Buy Hearts Through Time here.

Winning Mr. Wrong by Marie Higgins

Marie Higgin's novel, Winning Mr. Wrong, is a fun read, and as you can see, it has a beautiful cover. I seldom laugh out loud while reading, but I couldn't help a smirk or two at Charley's innocent blunders, one right after another.

Here is the synopsis from the back cover.

Whoever said the quest for love wasn't comical never met Charlene Randall. Charley is looking

for a man who wants to start a family, a man who will take her to the temple. Problem is, she has never dated a man for longer than three months. When she reads an internet article called "Ten Ways to Win Your Man," she decides to try it on her new coworker, Maxwell Harrington. Max was her crush in high school, but the superstar sports anchorman doesn't even remember her.

Enter ladies' man Damien Giovianni, Charley's handsome neighbor, who agrees to help her win Max over. What follows is a hilarious tale of mishaps and misunderstandings where Charley learns that what she really needs may be right in front of her.

I loved the list on how to catch a man. And my favorite line from the book is on page 84 where Charley blotches a great opportunity to talk to Max. She has just fallen and banged her head, so she's a little confused. Max comes to her rescue and she remembers one item from the list.

Give him compliments. Tell him he looks nice. His hair looks good.

"Thanks Max." She paused, trying to think of a compliment. "Um, did I ever tell you I think your butt has an intoxicating smile?"

That didn't sound right. Why weren't her mouth and mind cooperating tonight?

That second line, (with a slight variance on the b-word,) is now often quoted in our house.

I loved Higgin's characters. Though Charley is thirty years-old, she acts nineteen under the spells of her two suitors. Damien starts out as an overbearing, shun-worthy lady's man, but the more I got to know him, he changed, (maybe too quickly) into the kind of guy every girl wants to catch.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes fun, light, clean romance quick reads. I'm looking forward to reading Marie's other novels, Hearts Through Time. and Heart of a Hero.

Read the first chapter of Winning Mr Wrong here.

Watch the book trailer.

****

And now for my own interview with Marie Higgins!

Hi, Marie! Thank you for the interview.

First question: Of all the heroines in your novels, which one do you relate to the most?

Well…as funny as it sounds, I do relate to Charlene Randall (Charley in “Winning Mr. Wrong”) the most. I love to make people laugh – just like Charley. Although Charley is a little more clumsy than I am…but still, we like to laugh.

Who is your favorite male love interest in your novels? With which one would you like to ride off into the sunset?
What a loaded question! lol I love all my heroes. Damien (“Winning Mr. Wrong”) because he makes my knees weak. Jesse Slade (“Heart of a Hero”) because he’s rugged and he loves to tease the heroine. And Nick (“Heart’s Through Time”) because he’s soooo dreamy!! I think I add something to all my heroes that will make me want to ‘ride off into the sunset’ with them.

For which novel did you do the most research?
I did more research with my ghost story. I had to make sure the streets nowadays were named the same streets back in 1912. I had to make sure there was still a mansion-style house in California that would have been built before 1912. I looked up websites that talked about how newspapers were run (machines, etc) in that era. I even checked the first newspapers to report the sinking of the Titanic – and sure enough, the first newspaper to report the ship’s sinking stated that all passengers survived. I really had fun with this story!

Considering writing style, which of your novels represents your best?
"Heart of A Hero”. It’s historical, it has humor, action and adventure, twists…and romance. Those are the type of stories I love writing. I also love to write a little mystery into my stories, so "Hearts Through Time" has an excellent mystery, I think.


Will there be another novel by Marie Higgins coming out in the future?
You betcha! At least one, hopefully more. My publisher, Walnut Springs Press, will start work on book #4 any day now – my historical paranormal, “Secrets After Dark”. (so far this title hasn’t changed…) This story is a little different than my others. There’s hardly any humor, but a ton of mystery and…you got it…paranormal! Witches, curses, werewolves…oh my! heehee This story is about a man who is cursed by a witch to shift into a werewolf when he has certain desires for a woman. Needless to say, I've tortured my poor hero! lol Anyway, hero is hiding himself away in the east wing of the family manor so he doesn't get close to any woman. The heroine comes to the manor to find answers about her father's death. She's a very curious woman, and so sneaks into the east wing even though she's been warned not to.
My publisher promised they'd have this story out by October. I can't wait to see the cover!!

Thank you for the interview, Marie.