Today, I welcome my friend and fellow writer, Amy Blake, back to my blog for a reason that gives me extreme pleasure! The release of another of her books–Colorblind. I’ll let her tell you about it.
I’m excited to share with you about the release of the second book in my On the Brink Christian suspense series, Colorblind. The first book in that series, Whitewashed, released last February. The series follows three homeschooled friends–Patience, Christy, and Natalie–as they step into adulthood. Since each book tells only one girl’s story, the books can be read in any order. You can buy Colorblind and Whitewashed in both e-book and paperback on Amazon. I hope you’ll pick up your copies today!
Here’s a little more about Colorblind:
Eighteen-year-old Christy Kane has always been Daddy’s princess. But on the first day of her music internship at his mega-church, reporters shatter her world with terrible news: Daddy’s had an affair with the church preschool director. Christy feels as betrayed by God as the man she’s always considered Prince Charming.
When Mom sends her to Buckeye Lake to help with Aunt Jo’s School of Music and Dance in the restored Pier Ballroom, Christy’s problems only increase. First, the ballroom sits on Buckeye Lake, making her face her greatest fear—water. Second, she must help lead a handful of semi-talented volunteers, who harbor racial tensions and mysterious underlying antagonisms, in a professional quality performance for the Grand Reopening of the ballroom. The stakes are high—Aunt Jo will lose the place if they fail. Third, Christy discovers a diary written by Lillian, who lived near Buckeye Lake in the 1920s, and becomes intrigued by the stories of thousands coming to play at the amusement parks and dance in the ballrooms. But her interest soon turns to concern as tragic events from the diary happen in Christy’s world, ninety years to the date of their first occurrence.
Between her shattered past, her uncertain future, and her dangerous present, Christy doesn’t know where to turn. Does Daddy’s God really exist? If so, does He care enough to rescue her?
Award-winning author Amy C. Blake is a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mother of four. She has an M.A. in English from Mississippi College. and has written articles, devotionals, and short stories for a number of publications. You can connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter. She’d love for you to visit her website at amycblake.com for tips on homeschooling, advice for the rookie pastor’s wife, and helps for the Christian life. You can also find more information on her website about her novels–Whitewashed, Colorblind, and The Trojan Horse Traitor.
I met Jennifer Slattery at the Atlanta Christian Writer’s Conference. When I heard her tell the story behind her upcoming release, Intertwined, I knew I had to help her publicize the release. Here’s the gist of the story:
Abandoned by her husband for another woman, Tammy Kuhn, an organ procurement coordinator often finds herself in tense and bitter moments. After an altercation with a doctor, she is fighting to keep her job and her sanity when one late night she encounters her old flame Nick. She walks right into his moment of facing an unthinkable tragedy. Because they both have learned to find eternal purposes in every event and encounter, it doesn’t take long to discover that their lives are intertwined but the ICU is no place for romance….or is it? Could this be where life begins again?
Betty: My dad received a donated kidney, so your husband Steve’s story touched me deeply. God used Steve to meet a dire need, and God’s way of bringing it about was nothing short of miraculous. I heard you say your research and preparation for this book helped bring him to this place.
Jennifer: It’s totally a God-thing that I even wrote this story, and I know now that God had much bigger plans than just a novel. He used my book to bring about the events that helped save a young man’s life.
Steve: I would never have thought of donating an organ prior to being baptized and prior to hearing my wife’s discussion with Ami over the book. Coming to Christ gave me a different perspective; changed my attitude a little. Christ has made me more empathetic, compassionate, and considering others.
Betty: That’s so beautiful. I’m reminded that God so loved the world, He gave His only Son. His love in us extends toward others, sometimes at great cost to ourselves. But His grace is sufficient, and at times, even extravagant.
So, Jennifer, how did the idea for the book come about?
Jennifer: One day, a friend who worked as an organ procurement coordinator suggested I write a novel on donation. The idea didn’t appeal to me, so I promptly told her no. But a week later, I awoke with a story about a single mother who worked in the organ donation field and needed to see God’s attentive caring hand. I’d been walking with God long enough to realize, when stories unfold like that, they come from Him. So, I called my friend. I told her I’d write the story on one condition—that she’d help me, a lot, because I had zero medical knowledge and knew such an endeavor would require immense research and understanding.
Betty: And, I know she did agree to help you. Something else came out of this time with her. Can you tell us a little about that?
Jennifer: She agreed, and over the next six months, we met regularly as she taught me the ins and outs of organ donation. Often my husband joined us. He’d eat his lunch, listening, asking questions on occasion, merely curious.
Steve & Jennifer Slattery
Steve: I wanted to be supportive of my wife and her writing. I don’t know if I really thought of anything at that time, but once Sam’s need came up, it made me think, “that’s not so bad—donating a kidney and helping someone else. I think it was the three things together. I don’t think it was just one thing. There was a fellow shop director at work that donated a kidney for his cousin, and I thought that was pretty cool that he would do that. When I heard about Sam’s need, I went and talked to Jeremy and went and asked him about it because I thought it was something I could do. I didn’t know all the particulars and Jeremy helped me understand what I’d be up against if I decided to do it.
The book made me think more about organ donation. Prior to her writing the book, donation had never crossed my mind. It made me start thinking about donation.
Betty: Here’s the instance where God really showed up. You’ve mentioned Sam. Jennifer, how did you first become aware of Sam and his need for a kidney?
Sam
Jennifer: Not long after moving, I connected with a woman who had arrived in the Omaha area the year before. Having two teenage daughters herself, she understood my worries and pain. As a result, we became quick friends. Each morning, we’d walk around a small, man-made lake, praying for our children, for others, sometimes for one another. But one day, our prayers became more serious, more urgent.
“Do you know Kathy?” she asked. “She works at the church.”
I admitted I didn’t.
“Her son has gone into kidney failure and needs a transplant. He’s only seventeen.”
This hit my mama’s heart hard as images of my own child surfaced. I worried when she came down with the flu. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to fear losing her all together. And what must life be like for this poor child, spending three hours a week, four hours at a time, hooked to a dialysis machine? It seemed there was nothing my friend or I could do but pray.
Betty: And this was Sam. You did pray, and you shared this with your family. God had already prepared you and your husband in advance. He’d moved you to Omaha, where you would come into contact with this special friend who would become a prayer partner, and touch your husband’s heart with this great need. So of course, we know your husband was a match and he was able to donate a kidney to Sam.
Sam, Post-Surgery
Jennifer: Yes, he was actually a paired match. It’s been just over a year since that beautiful, miraculous day, and both my husband and the recipient are doing well. Better than well, because through their prayers, they caught a glimpse of God’s ever-faithful heart and tender care.
Betty: What a beautiful testimony! Knowing this, and reading the book’s blurb at the beginning of this post, I really want to read it. Why another book on organ procurement? What message do you and your friend hope to convey through Intertwined?
Jennifer: Although the idea sort of came out of the blue for me, Ami had been wanting to see an accurate novel on organ donation for some time.
From Ami Koelliker: It’s one of the biggest frustrations in the transplant community—seeing novel writers completely misconstrue donation. Often they’ll get the process of determining death, how the recipients are chosen, and how it impacts the family that’s donating, wrong.
Donation is not a romantic concept, and when you turn it into one, it affects people in the wrong way. It causes people to believe in myths and distrust the medical process and community.
Betty: Donation might not be a romantic concept, but it can be a life-changing one, correct?
Ami Koelliker
Ami: People want to see that good came out of someone’s life; that their life mattered, and this is often what they see once they consent to donation. They see their loved one’s legacy through donation. Years later, people look back on that legacy with peace and joy. In the moment when they’re loved one dies, they don’t understand the who, what, why but when they choose donation they can look back three years later and see how God was working.
Jennifer Slattery writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. She also writes for Crosswalk.com, Internet Café Devotions, and the group blog, Faith-filled Friends. When not writing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.
Visit with Jennifer online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte
Intertwined
Abandoned by her husband for another woman, Tammy Kuhn, an organ procurement coordinator often finds herself in tense and bitter moments. After an altercation with a doctor, she is fighting to keep her job and her sanity when one late night she encounters her old flame Nick. She walks right into his moment of facing an unthinkable tragedy. Because they both have learned to find eternal purposes in every event and encounter, it doesn’t take long to discover that their lives are intertwined but the ICU is no place for romance….or is it? Could this be where life begins again?
Intertwined, part of New Hope Publisher’s contemporary fiction line, is a great reminder of how God can turn our greatest tragedies and failures into beautiful acts of love and grace. Readers will fall in love with the realistic characters and enjoy the combination of depth, heart-felt emotion and humor that makes Jennifer’s novels so appealing. Readers will be inspired to find God in every moment and encounter in their own lives!
I am a…I am many things: Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Teacher, Writer. But my favorite and most defining title is Christian, by the grace of God.
You would like me when I’m…You would like me when I’m at Disney World, the happiest place on earth. You would also like me on my back porch, my at-home happy place.
You wouldn’t like me when I’m…I would hope you would always like me, but realistically, you probably wouldn’t like me when I’m stressed, focused, and trying to get things done.
What qualities I like to see in others: I love to be around people who seem comfortable in their own skin, so I guess that could be called self-confidence. I especially like people who have a great sense of humor and don’t take themselves too seriously.
Favorite way to spend an evening: My favorite way to spend an evening is to sit next to my husband and watch something good on television. We go through phases. Right now, we’re really into Columbo re-runs. (It’s even better if my husband rubs my feet)
Who I love to spend an evening with: Oh. I just answered that one. I love spending time with my husband. I like to say he is like still waters that run deep. He is quiet and doesn’t talk my ears off. But when he does say something, it’s usually something good that needs to be said.
Am reading (or want to read): My only reading right now is in the Bible. I’m currently reading through the book of Acts.
If I had a hammer…I’d give it to my husband. LOL But if this is a symbolic reference to what I would hammer out of society, it would be this:
Because I am a teacher, I see the dangers and pitfalls our young people have to face. I would strongly encourage parents to be more aware of the demonic influences attacking our children’s minds through media, movies, and books. Protecting and guarding our children’s minds and hearts should be a priority.
My favorite genre is: For fiction, it would probably be historical fiction. For non-fiction, it would be biographies of great people who inspire me.
My work-in-progress: I am currently working on Freeing Ellie, a contemporary fiction. It is Book 2 of the Redeemed Side of Broken Series, published through Write Integrity Press.
My favorite food is: I’m a southern girl. Really good fried chicken is always my “go-to” favorite.
I’m a collector of: Anything with a yellow butterfly on it. 🙂
My favorite happily-ever-after: My own life. Not only do I get to be “heirs together of the grace of life” with the man I love, but I also get to spend eternity in heaven, paid for by the blood of Christ. “ The Path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” It just gets better and better. And the best part??? It’s true and not a fairy tale. Talk about a happy ending!
Joan Deneve teaches English in a Christian school and has a passion to help young people fall in love with Jesus and equip them to become all God wants them to be. Joan began her walk as a Christian when she accepted Christ as her savior two weeks before her sixteenth birthday. She graduated from Tennessee Temple Bible College in 1975.
Joan and Rene’, her husband of forty-plus years, reside in Prattville, Alabama, a charming city with Southern hospitality. They count their son, daughter, son-in-law, and seven phenomenal grandchildren to be their greatest blessings on earth.
Joan enjoys time well-spent with family and friends, but finds equal joy in quiet moments of solitude on her back porch. There, surrounded by bluebirds and yellow butterflies, she began writing her debut novel, Saving Eric.
An active member of her church, Joan enjoys singing in the choir. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is currently working on the second book in the Redeemed Side of Broken Series. She enjoys chatting with fellow writers and readers. Check out her web page: http://cjdeneve.wix.com/joandeneve
Saving Eric
Eric Templeton’s well-ordered life as a top CIA agent is shattered when a traitor within the agency plots to have him eliminated. Sent on a bogus mission to Africa, Eric is ambushed and critically wounded. A helicopter pilot flies him to a remote mission hospital where Dr. Brock Whitfield and his daughter, Ellie, work to save his life.
If Eric survives, his life may never be the same, and he still has to deal with the traitor who wants him dead. Eric wants justice, but Brock and Ellie know that Eric’s survival is the least of his worries. What he needs most is mercy and truth.
I’m a fan of humor, so when I stumbled across a few posts by Michelle Griep, I was hooked. I liked her Facebook page, I followed her blog, I found her books. Why? Because she’s pleasantly funny in a smart, down-home comfortable kind of way (my favorite). So I’m honored to welcome her to Authorview. I hope you’ll enjoy her answers as much as I did. I’m pretty sure you will want to get to know her better!
I am a…Dreamer. A bubble-blower. A java drinking craze-o-maniac with a penchant for beautiful words and stories that feed my soul.
You would like me when I’m…Super angry . . . at least my kids always do because the most ridiculous things fly out my mouth.
You wouldn’t like me when I’m…Singing. No, really. Think rock badger with a sore throat. And a lisp. And possibly a fatal case of bronchitis.
What qualities I like to see in others: Raw, unadulterated, honesty slathered with a coating of compassion.
Favorite way to spend an evening: A tub of buttered popcorn and a movie that’s so engrossing, I feel like I’m one of the characters. Bonus if Jim Caviezel is in it.
Who I love to spend an evening with: The man who’s been shaking his head at me for the past thirty years.
Am reading (or want to read): Currently enjoying a dystopian binge and am just finishing up the Divergent series.
If I had a hammer…I’d bang a roll of caps on the sidewalk. Love that sulphery smell and the satisfying ear-cracking smack of ignition.
My favorite genre is: Seriously? I can choose only one? Grr. All right then, I’ll go with door number three: historical romance.
My work-in-progress: Ahh! Thought you’d never ask! Here’s a blurb:
Officer ALEXANDER MOORE goes undercover as a rogue gambler to expose a traitorous plot against the crown—and a master he is with his disguise, for JOHANNA LANGLEY believes him to be quite the cad. But when Johanna is swept up in the intrigue, Alex must choose between his mission and reputation as a crack lawman or the woman he’s come to love.
My favorite food is: There is nothing I like better in my mouth than dark chocolate. Wedding cake is next on the list. Yep. I’m the one who elbows grannies out of the way when cake is served and have no shame whatsoever in going up three or four times. Oh? What’s that? You have cake left on your plate? Here, I’ll help you.
I’m a collector of: Happy thoughts, if not quirky ones, tucking them away in the back of my mind for the days that are narrow and bleak.
My favorite happily-ever-after: An eternity becoming one with the One who created me.
Betty:So now, I’m fairly certain you’re going to want to know more about Michelle. I’ve provided you more information right here:
BRENTWOOD’S WARD
There’s none better than NICHOLAS BRENTWOOD at catching the felons who ravage London’s streets, and there’s nothing he loves more than seeing justice carried out—but this time he’s met his match. Beautiful and beguiling EMILY PAYNE is more treacherous than a city full of miscreants and thugs, for she’s a thief of the highest order…she’s stolen his heart.
Available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other fine booksellers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: MICHELLE GRIEP
Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas.She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager.
She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones.
It all started on a Love Boat Cruise to the Caribbean. You might wonder how Mercy Lacewell ended up on a cruise like that with her semi-invalid father…
Well, that’s the kind of thing that happens occasionally, even in real life. It seems like the wrong place, at the wrong time, when it could just be wrong place at the right time. Or right place, wrong time. Anyway, Mercy went on a cruise with her dad. She met a young minister named Brent Teague and something happened to her heart. The almost-romance softened her heart a little and prepared her for what was coming next.
What was coming next–
Back home, Daddy and his assistant, Madeline, decide Mercy needs more life experience. They send her out as acquisitions analyst for Lacewell Limited. Her job: to assess the companies and businesses they find, and decide if the businesses are a good investment for the company. Sounds like fun, right? Except that it’s something Mercy has never done, never thought about doing, never wanted to do. She’s perfectly happy in Denver, taking care of Dad.
First trip out: wouldn’t you know they’d end up in Texas during a freak ice storm? Mercy and Lacewell Limited’s other acquisitions analyst (Dustin Rogers) never actually make it to the destination, but they find something better, and are able to add it to the list. And Dustin gets added to Madeline’s SAM list. What’s a SAM? Single, available male (remember that).
Next stop, Watkins Glen, New York, to check out an inn. This adventure includes snow, sledding, and Landon Gates. Now we’re ready for a warmer climate. How about San Diego, CA? Nice, very nice. And once again, Mercy bumbles through her first meeting with the owner of Montoya Olive Oil–yes, that’s MOO for short. Enrique Miguel Montoya, “Ric” for short–doesn’t seem to mind. He makes her feel very much at home among his clan in their beautiful home. Mercy learns not to bite an olive fresh from the tree, no matter how ripe it looks. Ric is a welcome addition to the SAM list.
Staying with the warmer weather, Mercy is headed to Titusville, Florida, and a gator farm. Yes, you read that right. Adventure. For this one, she takes Uncle Thomas along. I don’t blame her. Mr. Mann welcomes her–Gabe Mann. Great name, huh? After a full assessment and a medical procedure, she says goodbye to Titusville, but Gabe finds a place on the list.
Headed north, Mercy stops in Madison, Alabama for a quick look at Diana’s Burger Bistro. Will this be a good investment? She has a rather unfortunate first meeting with the chef, a surfer-type named Talon Hawthorne. But he makes a nice save by cooking a meal that pleases her palate.
Fourteen Quarters Repertory Company is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. And Douglas “Digger” Grant is the contact. Chemistry! Mercy learns all about small productions and develops a nice friendship with a man named Icky. You’ll need to read the chapter to understand that one.
Chapter Eight takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, where Mercy looks at McBride Mortgage. She feels uncertain about this one and tries her best to talk Uncle Thomas into accompanying her. But…ends up on her own with the formidable Mason McBride, until she meets IT director, Levi Shepherd. Mercy was more than happy to spend quality time getting technical with this guy. Another addition to the SAM list!
Great Barrington, Massachusetts is Mercy’s next stop, to look at a trucking company. Ahhh, New England in the spring. Rob and Steve LeClerc of LeClerc Trucking, at your service. Mercy falls pretty hard for Steve. Or maybe his dog.
All the way back across this wide country of ours, Mercy lands at LAX and hits the road for Santa Monica, CA. She quickly learns there is no avoiding L.A. traffic, but that’s nothing compared to the crankiness of St. Andrew. She ends up trapped in a very small room with Reuben Miller. For three hours. Kind of a crash course, ending with Rube Miller on the SAM list.
So that brings us to the final stop on Mercy’s itinerary–in Lexington, KY–land of blue grass, beautiful horses, and Knight-Link & Associates. After a near head-on collision with someone she believes to be a handyman or plumber, she meets with Philip Knight, the owner of the architectural engineering firm. He introduces her to his nephew Daniel Knight, aka handyman/plumber, who turns out to be a designer of equine habitats. And his cowboy charm wins him a place on the list.
Final chapter, readers’ choice. One of the ten handsome, young fellows you met in the above summary has won the chance to woo Mercy. Our readers voted for their favorite. Who is it? Well, you’ll just have to read the story to find out. Today, and for the rest of the 4th of July holiday weekend, you can download it absolutely free. Don’t have a Kindle? Did you know you can get a free Kindle app on your phone or computer? Just go to Amazon Kindle and check it out.
If you miss out on the free download, Unlikely Merger be available through the remainder of July for just 99 cents.
I’m excited to share with you about the release of the second book in my On the Brink Christian suspense series, Colorblind. The first book in that series, Whitewashed, released last February. The series follows three homeschooled friends–Patience, Christy, and Natalie–as they step into adulthood. Since each book tells only one girl’s story, the books can be read in any order. You can buy Colorblind and Whitewashed in both e-book and paperback on Amazon. I hope you’ll pick up your copies today!
Eighteen-year-old Christy Kane has always been Daddy’s princess. But on the first day of her music internship at his mega-church, reporters shatter her world with terrible news: Daddy’s had an affair with the church preschool director. Christy feels as betrayed by God as the man she’s always considered Prince Charming.
Betty Thomason Owens 