Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Ripple Effect by Paul McCusker



It's the 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!





and his book:





Zondervan (October 1, 2008)







ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Paul McCusker is the author of The Mill House, Epiphany, The Faded Flower and several Adventures in Odyssey programs. Winner of the Peabody Award for his radio drama on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer for Focus on the Family, he lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and two children.

Product Details

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310714362
ISBN-13: 978-0310714361


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


“I’m running away,” Elizabeth announced defiantly. She chomped a french fry in half.

Jeff looked up at her. He’d been absentmindedly swirling his straw in his malted milkshake while she complained about her parents, which she had been doing for the past half hour. “You’re what?”

“You weren’t listening, were you?”

“I was too.”

“Then what did I say?” Elizabeth tucked a loose strand of her long brown hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t fall into the puddle of ketchup next to her fries.

“You were complaining about how your mom and dad drive you crazy because your dad embarrassed you last night while you and Melissa Morgan were doing your history homework. And your dad lectured you for twenty minutes about . . . about . . .” He was stumped.

“Chris-tian symbolism in the King Arthur legends,” Elizabeth said.

“Yeah, except that you and Melissa were supposed to be studying the . . . um — ”

“French Revolution.”

“Right, and Melissa finally made up an excuse to go home, and you were embarrassed and mad at your dad — ”

“As usual,” she said and savaged another french fry.

Jeff gave a sigh of relief. Elizabeth’s pop quizzes were a lot tougher than anything they gave him at school. But it was hard for him to listen when she griped about her parents. Not having any parents of his own, Jeff didn’t connect when Elizabeth went on and on about hers.

“Then what did I say?” she asked.

He was mid-suck on his straw and nearly blew the contents back into the glass. “Huh?”

“What did I say after that?”

“You said . . . uh . . .” He coughed, then glanced around the Fawlt Line Diner, hoping for inspiration or a way to change the subject. His eye was dazzled by the endless chrome, beveled mirrors, worn red upholstery, and checkered floor tiles. And it boasted Alice Dempsey, the world’s oldest living waitress, dressed in her paper cap and red-striped uniform with white apron.

She had seen Jeff look up and now hustled over to their booth. She arrived smelling like burnt hamburgers and chewed her gum loudly. “You kids want anything else?”

Rescued, Jeff thought. “No, thank you,” he said.

She cracked an internal bubble on her gum and dropped the check on the edge of the table. “See you tomorrow,” Alice said.

“No, you won’t,” Elizabeth said under her breath. “I won’t be here.”

As she walked off, Alice shot a curious look back at Elizabeth. She was old, but she wasn’t deaf.

“Take it easy,” Jeff said to Elizabeth.

“I’m going to run away,” she said, heavy rebuke in her tone. “If you’d been listening — ”

“Aw, c’mon, Bits — ” Jeff began. He’d called her “Bits” for as long as either of them could remember, all the way back to first grade. “It’s not that bad.”

“You try living with my mom and dad, and tell me it’s not that bad.”

“I know your folks,” Jeff said. “They’re a little quirky, that’s all.”

“Quirky! They’re just plain weird. They’re clueless about life in the real world. Did you know that my dad went to church last Sunday with his shirt on inside out?”

“It happens.”

“And wearing his bedroom slippers?”

Jeff smiled. Yeah, that’s Alan Forde, all right, he thought.

“Don’t you dare smile,” Elizabeth threatened, pointing a french fry at him. “It’s not funny. His slippers are grass stained. Do you know why?”

“Because he does his gardening in his bedroom slippers.”

Elizabeth threw up her hands. “That’s right! He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how he looks, what -people think of him, or anything! And my mom doesn’t even have the decency to be embarrassed for him. She thinks he’s adorable! They’re weird.”

“They’re just . . . themselves. They’re — ”

Elizabeth threw herself against the back of the red vinyl bench and groaned. “You don’t understand.”

“Sure I do!” Jeff said. “Your parents are no worse than Malcolm.” Malcolm Dubbs was Jeff’s father’s cousin, on the English side of the family, and had been Jeff’s guardian since his parents had died five years ago in a plane crash. As the last adult of the Dubbs family line, he came from England to take over the family fortune and estate. “He’s quirky.”

“But that’s different. Malcolm is nice and sensitive and has that wonderful English accent,” Elizabeth said, nearly swooning. Jeff’s cousin was a heartthrob among some of the girls.

“Don’t get yourself all worked up,” Jeff said.

“My parents just go on and on about things I don’t care about,” she continued. “And if I hear the life-can’t-be-taken-too-seriously-because-it’s-just-a-small-part-of-a-bigger-picture lecture one more time, I’ll go out of my mind.”

Again Jeff restrained his smile. He knew that lecture well. Except his cousin Malcolm summarized the same idea in the phrase “the eternal perspective.” All it meant was that there was a lot more to life than what we can see or experience with our senses. This world is a temporary stop on a journey to a truer, more real reality, he’d say — an eternal reality. “Look, your parents see things differently from most -people. That’s all,” Jeff said, determined not to turn this gripe session into an Olympic event.

“They’re from another planet,” Elizabeth said. “Sometimes I think this whole town is. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“I like Fawlt Line,” Jeff said softly, afraid Elizabeth’s complaints might offend some of the other regulars at the diner.

“Everybody’s so . . . so oblivious! Nobody even seems to notice how strange this place is.”

Jeff shrugged. “It’s just a town, Bits. Every town has its quirks.”

“Is that your word of the day?” Elizabeth snapped. “These aren’t just quirks, Jeffrey.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. When she resorted to calling him Jeffrey, there was no reasoning with her. He rubbed the side of his face and absentmindedly pushed his fingers through his wavy black hair.

“What about Helen?” Elizabeth challenged him.

“Which Helen? You mean the volunteer at the information booth in the mall? That Helen?”

“I mean Helen the volunteer at the information booth in the mall who thinks she’s psychic. That’s who I mean.” Elizabeth leaned over the Formica tabletop. Jeff moved her plate of fries and ketchup to one side. “She won’t let you speak until she guesses what you’re going to ask. And she’s never right!”

Jeff shrugged.

“Our only life insurance agent has been dead for six years.”

“Yeah, but — ”

“And there’s Walter Keenan. He’s a professional proofreader for park bench ads! He wanders around, making -people move out of the way so he can do his job.” Her voice was a shrill whisper.

“Ben Hearn only pays him to do that because he feels sorry for him. You know old Walter hasn’t been the same since that shaving accident.”

“But I heard he just got a job doing the same thing at a tattoo parlor!”

“I’m sure tattooists want to make sure their spelling is correct.”

Elizabeth groaned and shook her head. “It’s like Mayberry trapped in the Twilight Zone. I thought you’d understand. I thought you knew how nuts this town is.” Elizabeth locked her gaze onto Jeff’s.

He gazed back at her and, suddenly, the image of her large brown eyes, the faint freckles on her upturned nose, her full lips, made him want to kiss her. He wasn’t sure why — they’d been friends for so long that she’d probably laugh at him if he ever actually did it — but the urge was still there.

“It’s not such a bad place,” he managed to say.

“I’ve had enough of this town,” she said. “Of my parents. Of all the weirdness. I’m fifteen years old and I wanna be a normal kid with normal problems. Are you coming with me or not?”

Jeff cocked an eyebrow. “To where?”

“To wherever I run away to,” she replied. “I’m serious about this, Jeff. I’m getting all my money together and going somewhere normal. We can take your Volkswagen and — ”

“Listen, Bits,” Jeff interrupted, “I know how you feel. But we can’t just run away. Where would we go? What would we do?”

“And who are you all of a sudden: Mr. Responsibility? You never know where you’re going or what you’re doing. You’re our very own Huck Finn.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Not according to Mr. Vidler.”

“Mr. Vidler said that?” Jeff asked defensively, wondering why their English teacher would be talking about him to Elizabeth.

“He says it’s because you don’t have parents, and Malcolm doesn’t care what you do.”

Jeff grunted. He didn’t like the idea of Mr. Vidler discussing him like that. And Malcolm certainly cared a great deal about what he did.

Elizabeth continued. “So why should you care where we go or what we do? Let’s just get out of here.”

“But, Bits, it’s stupid and — ”

“No! I’m not listening to you,” Elizabeth shouted and hit the tabletop with the palms of her hands. Silence washed over the diner like a wave as everyone turned to look.

“Keep it down, will you?” Jeff whispered fiercely.

“Either you go with me, or stay here and rot in this town. It’s up to you.”

Jeff looked away. It was unusual for them to argue. And when they did, it was usually Jeff who gave in. Like now. “I don’t know,” he said quietly.

Elizabeth also softened her tone. “If you’re going, then meet me at the Old Saw Mill by the edge of the river tonight at ten.” She paused, then added, “I’m going whether you come with me or not.”



I don't know if he'll appreciate the comparison, but Paul's writing reminded me of an episode of Alfred Hitchcock's Twilight Zone. Hitchcock would be proud! This was a quick read, mostly for the fact that I couldn't put it down. I think teens, especially boys, will really like this series. The chapters are short and Paul gets a lot done in those chapters. Paul's writing is fast paced, and he doesn't skip a beat.

Elizabeth, is a girl most teens can relate to. She thinks her parents are a complete embarrassment. Jeff, her best friend, is trying to help her though this crazy time. Elizabeth's solution is to run away. Well, she gets her wish in quite the unique way!

For the life of me as I began reading this book, I couldn't figure out how Jeff would be able to figure out where Elizabeth had gone. Paul brought the story full circle in a fictional "believeable" way. It certainly makes you think about what could be.

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, head over to a new teen blog Triple R . This is my daughter's best friend's blog. Thanks for visiting! ~Mimi

Monday, October 20, 2008

Eternity's Edge by Bryan Davis



It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!





Today's Wild Card author is:


and the book:


Eternity's Edge

Zondervan (October 1, 2008)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Bryan Davis and his wife, Susie, have seven children and live in western Tennessee, where he continues to cook up his imaginative blend of fantasy and inspiration.

Besides the Echoes from the Edge Series that begins with Beyond the Reflection's Edge, Bryan Davis is the author of the Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire series, contemporary/fantasy books for young adults. The first book, Raising Dragons , was released in July of 2004, followed by Candlestone , The Circles of Seven, and Tears of a Dragon . Eye of the Oraclelaunched the Oracles of Fire series and hit number one on the CBA Young Adult best-seller list in January of 2007. Book number two, Enoch's Ghost , came out in July and will be followed by Last of the Nephilim in the spring of 2008.


Visit him at his website.

Product Details:

List Price: $ 12.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (October 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310715555
ISBN-13: 978-0310715559

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:


A Stalker


Nathan strode down the hospital hallway, his brain focused on a single thought—finding his parents. Once mutilated and dead in matching coffins, now they were alive. He had touched his father’s chain-bound arms through the dimensional mirror and felt his loving strength. He had heard his mother’s voice and once again bathed in the majesty of her matchless violin.

Yet, the beautiful duet they had played at the funeral had once again become a solo. He had failed. The dimensional portal collapsed, and there was no word from Earth Blue as to whether or not his parents might still be in the bedroom where they had sought rescue from their captivity.

He sat down on a coffee-stained sofa in the waiting area and clenched his fist. His parents were real. They were alive. And now he had to move heaven and earth, maybe even three earths, to find them.

Staring into the hall, he mentally reentered Kelly’s room and saw her lying on the bed, beaten and bruised from their ordeal, her shoulder lacerated and her eyes half blind. The words he spoke to her just moments ago came back to him. We’ll search for them together. But how could she help? With all the dangers ahead, how could a blinded, wounded girl help him find his parents?

A sharp, matronly voice shook him from his meditative trance. “Ah! There you are!”

Nathan shot to his feet. Clara marched toward him, her heels clacking on the tile floor as she pushed back her windblown gray hair. Walking stride for stride next to the tall lady, Dr. Gordon stared at a cell phone, his face as grim as ever.

As they entered the waiting area, Nathan nodded toward the hallway. “Tony’s with Kelly. Thought I’d let them have some daddy-daughter time.”

While Dr. Gordon punched his cell phone keys, apparently typing out a text message, Clara lowered her voice. “Dr. Gordon received a cryptic email from Simon Blue. Solomon and Francesca aren’t there in your Earth Blue bedroom, but apparently something very unusual is going on, and we’re trying to get details.”

“So that’s our next destination,” Nathan said.

“Yes. We have already alerted my counterpart on Earth Blue. She and Daryl will be ready to pick you up at the observatory and take you to Kelly Blue’s house.”

“Good. Even if Mom and Dad aren’t there, it’s the logical place to start looking for them.”

“Are you going to break the news to Kelly?”

“I guess I’ll have to. She’s in no shape to come with me, but convincing her of that won’t be easy.”

Dr. Gordon closed his phone and slid it into his pocket. Turning toward Nathan, he spoke in his usual formal manner. “There are no further details available. We should proceed to the observatory at once. With Mictar’s associates gone, there should be no trouble gaining access. I have dismissed the guards, with the exception of one whom I trust, so we should not run into any unexpected company.”

“Okay,” Nathan said. “Let me talk to Kelly. I’ll be right back.”

As he walked down the hall, he wondered about Dr. Gordon’s words. It was true that Mictar’s goons were gone, giving him free access to the dimensional transport mirror on the observatory ceiling, but what about Mictar himself? He had disappeared into the mirror with Jack riding on top of him, but where could he have gone? And what could have become of Jack? Even if he escaped, he would be lost, especially after his recent brush with death in the Earth Yellow airline disaster and his subsequent discovery of his own burial site. Since Jack’s dimension lagged Earth Red’s by about thirty years, he would feel like a time-traveling visitor from the past.

A man in scrubs caught up and passed Nathan, pushing a lab tray stuffed with glass bottles and tubes. With lanky pale arms protruding from his short green sleeves, he kept his head low as he hurried. He slowed down in front of Kelly’s door, but when it opened, he resumed his pace and turned into a side corridor, his head still low.

Nathan could barely breathe. Could that have been Mictar? Would he be bold enough to come into the hospital? And why would he be so persistent in trying to get to Kelly? What value was she to him?

As Nathan neared the room, Tony came out. Bending his tall frame, he released the latch gently and walked away on tiptoes. When he spied Nathan, he jerked up and smiled, his booming voice contradicting his earlier attempts to be quiet. “Hey! What brings you back so soon?”

Nathan kept his eyes on the side hallway. No sign of the technician. “Some news for Kelly. I have to head back to the scene of the crime.”

Tony shook his finger. “Better not. She was so tired, she fell asleep in mid-bite. And if she’s too tired for pizza, she’s too tired for company.”

“You let her eat it? She’s only supposed to have—”

“Hey,” Tony said, pointing at himself, “I didn’t know about her diet until after I brought the pizza. But if you want to tell her what she should and shouldn’t eat, be my guest.”

“I know what you mean.” Nathan glanced between the door and the other hallway. “Okay if I sneak in and leave her a note?”

He grinned, his eyes bugging out even more than usual. “Just don’t get any ideas, Romeo.”

Nathan returned the smile, though he chaffed at the comment. Tony was joking, of course, but sometimes he blurted out the dumbest things. He wouldn’t dream of touching her inappropriately, not in a million years. His father had drilled that into his head a long time ago—never intimately touch a woman who is not your wife.

“I’ll behave myself.” He reached for the knob and nodded toward the other hallway. “Mind checking something out for me? I saw someone suspicious, a guy in scrubs, head that way. It looked like he was going into Kelly’s room, but when you came out, he took off.”

“You got it.” Tony crept toward the other hall, pointing. “That way?”

“Yeah. Just a few seconds ago.”

“I’m on it.” When he reached the corridor, he looked back, his muscular arms flexing. “Time to take out the trash.”

Nathan opened the door a crack, eased in, and closed it behind him. Walking slowly as his eyes adjusted, he quietly drew the partitioning curtain to the side and focused on Kelly’s head resting on a pillow, her shoulder-length brown hair splashed across the white linen. He stopped at her bedside, unable to draw his stare away from her lovely face.

Black scorch marks on her brow and cheeks and a thick bandage on her shoulder bore witness to her recent battle with Mictar. Her closed lids concealed wounded eyes, maybe the worst of all her injuries, the result of Mictar’s efforts to burn through to her brain and steal her life. So far, no corrective lenses seemed to help at all. If anything, they made her vision worse. Still, even in such a battle-torn condition, she was beautiful to behold, a true warrior wrapped in the sleeping shell of a petite, yet athletic, young lady.

He searched her side table for a pen and paper. A portable radio next to a flower vase played soft music, a piano concerto—elegant, but unfamiliar. He spotted a pen and pad and pushed the radio out of the way, but it knocked against the vase, making a clinking noise. He cringed and swiveled toward Kelly.

Her chest heaved. Her hands clenched the side rails. She scanned the room with glassy eyes, panting as she cried out. “Who’s there?”

Nathan grasped her wrist. “It’s just me,” he said softly.

Her eyes locked on his, wide and terrified. “Mictar is here!”

Making a shushing sound, he lowered the bed rail and pried her fingers loose. “You were just dreaming.”

“No!” She wagged her head hard. “I saw him! In the hospital!”

“Do you know where?”

She turned her head slowly toward the door. As a shaft of light split the darkness, her voice lowered to a whisper. “He’s here.”

A shadowy form stretched an arm into the room, then a body, movement so painstakingly deliberate, the intruder obviously didn’t want anyone to hear him.

Nathan grabbed the vase and dumped the flowers into a basin. Wielding it like a club, he crept toward the door, glancing between Kelly and the emerging figure. She yanked out her IV tube, swung her bare legs to the side, and dropped to the floor, blood dripping behind her.

The shadow, now fully in the room, halted. Nathan clenched his teeth. Kelly scooted to his side, tying her hospital gown closed in the back.

As the door swung shut, darkening the room, a low voice emanated from the black figure. “If it is a fight you seek, son of Solomon, I am more than capable of delivering it. In my current form, a glass vase will be a pitifully inadequate weapon. I suggest you give me what I want, and I will leave you in peace.”

Nathan tightened his grip on the vase. Should he ask what he wanted? Even replying to a simple remark seemed like giving in. Mictar was baiting him, and he didn’t want to bite. “Just get out, Mictar. It’s two against one. It only took a violin upside your head to beat you before, and you couldn’t even take on Jack by yourself at the funeral.”

Mictar’s voice rose in a mock lament. “Alas! Poor Jack. He was a formidable foe … may he rest in peace.” His tone lowered to a growl. “You can’t take me by surprise this time, you fool. Your base use of that instrument proves that you have no respect for its true power. And now you have neither a violin nor a Quattro mirror to provide a coward’s escape.”

Nathan peered at Mictar’s glowing eyes. The scarlet beacons seemed powerful and filled with malice. Yet, if he had as much power as he boasted, why hadn’t he attacked? Nathan set his feet and lifted the vase higher. Maybe it would be okay to find out what this demon wanted. “Why are you here?”

“To finish my meal. I have enough energy left to fight for what I want, but I would prefer not to expend it. If you will turn the girl over to me freely, I will consume what I merely tasted at the funeral and be on my way. In exchange, I will leave you with two precious gifts. I will tell you how to find your parents, and I will relieve you of that handicapped little harlot.”

Nathan flinched. Kelly gasped and backed away a step.

“Ah, yes,” Mictar continued, his dark shape slowly expanding. “That word is profane in your ears, yet I wager that it rings true in your mind. Kelly Clark is not the paragon of virtue your father would want for your bride. She clings to you like a leech, because she is soiled by—”

“Just shut up!” Nathan shouted. “I don’t want to hear it!”

The humanlike shadow swelled to twice its original size. “Oh, yes, you do. You want to know every lurid detail. She is your dark shadow, and you will never find your parents while you entertain a harlot at your side.”

“No!” Nathan slung the vase at Mictar. When it came within inches of his dark head, it stopped in midair. Nathan tried to reach for Kelly, but his arm locked in place. His head wouldn’t even swivel. Everything in the room had frozen … except for Mictar.

The shadow continued to grow. His dark hands drew closer and closer. “I saved the last bit of my energy,” Mictar said, “to perform one of my brother’s favorite tricks, motor suspension of everything within my sight. Now I will take yours and the harlot’s eyes, and I will need no more to fill Lucifer’s engine.”

A knock sounded at the door. “Nathan? Is everything okay?”

Tony’s voice! Nathan tried to answer, but his jaw wouldn’t move. His tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth. A dark hand wrapped around his neck and clamped down, throttling his windpipe.

Another knock sounded, louder this time. “Nathan, the nurse says it’s time for vitals.”

Another hand draped his face. Sparks of electricity shot out, stinging his eyes.

“I’m coming in!” Light flashed around Mictar’s hand, but Nathan still couldn’t budge. Pain jolted his senses. His legs shook wildly as if he had been lifted off the floor and rattled like a baby’s toy.

Suddenly, the darkness flew away. Mictar’s body, a black human form with no face or clothes, zoomed past the nurse and crashed against the back wall. “Stay right there,” Tony shouted, “or I’ll introduce your face to the other wall.”

Like a streaking shadow, Mictar pounced on Tony, wrenched his arm behind him until it snapped, and slung him against the wall. Tony staggered for a moment, then slumped to the floor, dazed.

Mictar grabbed the nurse from behind. As she kicked and screamed, he laid a fingerless hand over her eyes and pressed down. Sparks flew, and Mictar’s body lightened to a dark gray, details tracing across his gaunt pale face and bony hands. His white hair materialized, slick and tied back in a ponytail. The lines of a silk shirt and denim trousers etched across the edges of his frame, completing the full-body portrait of the evil stalker.

Nathan tried to help, but his feet seemed stuck in clay. He slid one ahead, but the other stayed planted. Kelly hobbled toward the melee and helped her father to his feet. While she cradled his broken arm, Mictar’s body continued to clarify. The nurse sagged in his clutches, but he held on, light still pouring into his body from hers.

His legs finally loosening, Nathan stumbled ahead and thrust his arms forward. He rammed into Mictar, but, as if repelled by a force field, he bounced back and slammed against the floor. New jolts sizzled across his skin, painful, but short-lived. He looked up at the stalker’s pulsing form, now complete and radiant.

Mictar dropped the nurse into a heap of limp arms and legs and kicked her body to the side. Tony crouched as if ready to pounce again, but his movements had slowed. Wincing, he picked up an IV stand and drew it back, ready to strike.

Mictar tilted his head up and opened his mouth, but instead of speaking, he began to sing. His voice, a brilliant tenor, grew in volume, crooning a single note that seemed to thicken the air.

Dropping the IV stand, Tony fell to his knees. Kelly stumbled back and pressed her body against the wall. A vase exploded, sending sharp bits of glass flying, and a long crack etched its way from one corner of the outer window to the other.

Fighting the piercing agony, Nathan rolled up to his knees and climbed to his feet, but the latest shock had stiffened his legs, and the noise seemed to be cracking his bones in half. He could barely move at all.

Mictar took a breath and sang again. This time, he belted out what seemed to be a tune, but it carried no real melody, just a hodgepodge of unrelated notes that further thickened the air. Red mist formed along the floor, an inch deep and swirling. As Mictar sang on, the fog rose to Nathan’s shins, churning like a cauldron of blood. With the door partially open, the dense mist poured out, but it wasn’t enough to keep the flood from rising.

A security guard yanked the door wide open. With a pistol drawn, he waded into the knee-high wall of red. Dr. Gordon and Clara followed, but when the sonic waves blasted across their bodies, the guard dropped his gun, and all three covered their ears, their faces wrinkling in pain.

The window shattered. Mist crawled up the wall and streamed through the jagged opening. The floor trembled. Cracking sounds popped all around. The entire room seemed to spin in a slow rotation, like the beginning of a carousel ride.

“Nathan!” Dr. Gordon shouted. “He’s creating a dimensional hole! He’ll take us all to his domain!”

“How can he? There’s no mirror!”

“He can stretch one of the wounds that already exists.”

The spin accelerated, drawing Nathan toward the window. “How do we stop him? He’s electrified!”

Dr. Gordon staggered toward Nathan, fighting the centrifugal force, but he managed only two steps. “Neutralize his song!”

Nathan leaned toward the center of the room but kept sliding away. “I don’t have my violin!”

The outer wall collapsed. Fog rolled out and tumbled into the expanse, six stories above the ground. The floor buckled and pitched, knocking everyone to their seats. While Nathan pushed to keep from being spun out of the room, the nurse’s body slid across the tile and plunged over the edge with the river of red mist.

Too weak to fight, Nathan slipped toward the precipice. He latched on to the partitioning curtain and hung on with all his strength.

Mictar took a quick breath and sang on.

The bed’s side table bumped against Nathan’s body. The pen fell, bounced off his shoulder, and disappeared in the fog. Still hanging on to the curtain with one hand, he looked up at the wobbling table. The radio! With his free hand, he shook the supporting leg and caught the radio as it fell. With a quick twist, he turned the volume to maximum.

Now playing a Dvořák symphony, the radio blasted measure after measure of deep cellos and kettle drums. Trumpets blared. Cymbals crashed. Violins joined in and created a tsunami of music that swept through the room.

As if squeezed toward him, the mist swirled around Mictar’s body. His song weakened. He coughed and gasped, but he managed to spew a string of obscenities before finally shouting, “You haven’t seen the last of me, son of Solomon!”

The mist covered his head and continued to coil around him until he looked like a tightly wound scarlet cocoon. The room’s spin slowed, and the cocoon seemed to absorb the momentum. Mictar transformed into a red tornado and shrank as if slurped into an invisible void.

Seconds later, he vanished. Everything stopped shaking. Nathan turned off the radio and crawled up the sloping floor to where everyone else crouched. Dr. Gordon latched on to Nathan’s wrist and heaved him up the rest of the way. His voice stayed calm and low. “Well done, Nathan.”

Kelly threw her arms around Nathan from one side and Clara did the same from the other. “Don’t ever leave me alone again,” Kelly said, “not for a single minute.”

Sirens wailed. An amplified voice barked from somewhere below, but Nathan paid no attention to the words. He just pulled his friends closer and enjoyed their embraces.

Tony, sitting on his haunches in front of Nathan, clenched his fist. “Now that’s what I call taking out the trash!”

I haven't had a chance to read this book, as it just came out. I WILL be reading it though. Bryan's first book in the series, Beyond the Reflection's Edge was a fanastic book! I plan on getting my hands on this book asap. If you haven't read any of Bryan's books, I would highly suggest you finding a copy and finding a cozy place to sit. This book is actually a Young Adult (YA) book, but I didn't find the first book in any way "only" for youth! I was drawn in by the premise and the adventure pulled me along.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back by Josh Hamilton and Giveaway





It is time to play a Wild Card! Every now and then, a book that I have chosen to read is going to pop up as a FIRST Wild Card Tour. Get dealt into the game! (Just click the button!) Wild Card Tours feature an author and his/her book's FIRST chapter!



You never know when I might play a wild card on you!



Today's Wild Card author is:



Josh Hamilton



and the book:


Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back
FaithWords (October 13, 2008)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:








Josh Hamilton is currently the 27-year-old Center Fielder for the Texas Rangers. In the offseason he lives in North Carolina with his wife Katie and their two daughters



Visit the author's website.


Product Details:

List Price: $23.99

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: FaithWords (October 13, 2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1599951614

ISBN-13: 978-1599951614



AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:





THE MAN WATCHED silently, his arms crossed. He sat directly behind home plate, halfway up the concrete bleachers, a lone figure in the West Raleigh Exchange ballpark. I didn't know who he was, or why he was there, but occasionally I'd catch my daddy glancing up at him from his spot on the field. They'd exchange polite nods like two men sharing a secret language.



I was practicing with my brother Jason's team, like I always did. The team, made up of eleven- and twelveyear- olds, was coached by our father, Tony Hamilton. I was six at the time, almost seven. I ran around shagging balls and getting to hit at the end of practice. Jason — whom I always called "Bro" — was always encouraging to me when he probably could have told me to stay home or at least stay out of the way.



The day the man sat in the stands, I made a diving catch in the outfield that nobody could believe. I was running from right- center toward center field and diving till my body was parallel to the ground as I caught a ball about six inches off the ground.



I was six years younger than most of the players on Jason's team, but I could do things on the field they couldn't do. I lived to play ball, and I had precocious ability from the time I picked up a ball. Bro and I would play in the yard or across the street at the cemetery, and I refused to accept our age difference as a valid reason for his superiority. I couldn't beat him — he's four years older than I am, and four years is a huge age difference for a long, long time — but I always thought I could. Whatever we played, whether it was basketball or wiffle ball, I went into every game convinced this was going to be the day.



The time I spent practicing with Jason's team was my favorite time of the week. My team, at the coach- pitch level, was not a challenge. When the season started, I was the typical little boy, thrilled to put on his baseball clothes and get to the season's first practice. Once I got there, though, I was disappointed that my teammates couldn't keep up.



My daddy coached my team, too, and my momma always came to our practices. After the second or third practice of my coach- pitch team, once we were in the car and nobody could hear, they told me they could tell I was easing up on my throws and maybe not swinging as hard as I could when I was taking batting practice.



"I don't want to hurt anybody," I told them.



They shook their heads. "You play the way you know how to play," Daddy said. "Those other boys need to get used to catching balls that are thrown hard, and if you start trying to hit the ball so it won't hurt anybody, you're going to get into bad habits that'll be hard to break. You need to be a leader and they'll catch up."



When I thought about it, I realized that Jason didn't let up on me when we were playing together, and he was four years older. These guys were my age, so maybe they would get better and learn to react the way I did.



The next practice I threw as hard as I could, and it resulted in some missed throws and some tears. I got up there and hit the way I would if I was playing in the cemetery with Bro, and my teammates kept moving back till there was nobody in the infield. The parents watching shook their heads and started talking and laughing among themselves. They'd never seen such a little person do the things I could do.



As we got closer to the start of the coach- pitch season, the parents started to wonder whether I could be moved up to a more advanced level. There was nothing malicious about their concern; a move would help everybody involved. They were equal parts amazed and afraid — amazed at the speed at which I could throw the ball and the power with which I could hit it, afraid that their lessadvanced sons might find themselves unprepared and in the way of one of my throws or hits.



I could hear them up there, telling grandparents and friends, "That kid's going to hurt somebody." By the time I was six, I could throw the ball about 50 mph, probably twice as fast as most of the kids my age. The parents' concerns were legitimate, and they were never malicious or angry. In fact, they were very supportive of my quest to leave the team sponsored by Hamilton Machine — a business owned by my dad's cousin — and move up to play with my brother. The sooner the better, as far as they were concerned, since they believed it was just a matter of time before one of their boys lost a few teeth or got a concussion.



Their fears became real in our first game, when I fielded a ball at shortstop and threw it across the infield as hard as I could to get the runner. There was a problem, though — the first baseman either never saw the ball or didn't react fast enough to catch it. He stood there with his glove turned the wrong way as the ball smacked into his chest. He went down like a sniper got him, and I think he started crying before he hit the ground. I felt terrible.



* * *



The mystery man in the concrete bleachers stayed till the end of practice. Afterward, he came down and talked to my daddy. They walked off to where no one could hear them and spoke for a few minutes. There was some talk among the older kids in the dugout that he was there to see me, but I couldn't tell whether they were fooling with me.



When the discussion was over, my daddy and the man shook hands and the man walked to his car. We carried the equipment to the truck and waited. When Daddy climbed into the cab he looked straight ahead and said, "Well, Josh, that man I was talking to is the president of the whole Tar Heel League. He drove all the way from Charlotte to watch you play. He heard about you and needed to see for himself. And, well, you're on Jason's team now."



I guess you could say that was the first time I'd been scouted. I was six years old, closing in on seven, and Bro was eleven. In the Tar Heel League, his team was the equivalent of majors in Little League, and everyone on Bro's team was somewhere between fifth and seventh grade.



Until I showed up. When that happened, the team had acquired a first- grader.



I later learned the Tar Heel League had never done something like this before. The local board couldn't decide to do something that drastic, and the parents' complaints had traveled all the way to the top. The president decided he needed to see me before he made a ruling, and his decision made everyone in our pickup truck happy. I got to play on the same team with my Bro, and my daddy had to coach only one team.



I think it made everyone on my old Hamilton Machine team happy, too. They thought it was cool someone from their team got moved up, and they didn't have to worry about catching one in the teeth.



It wasn't all perfect, as my daddy found out soon enough. At our first game, after the lineup was posted in the dugout, I had a question.



"Daddy, why you battin' me last?" I asked in my sixyear- old southern accent.



"'Cuz you're the youngest one, that's why."



I didn't like that answer, and every game I said something when I saw my name in the ninth spot in the order. "Come on, Daddy, what are you batting me last for?" He never budged, though. That nine spot always had the same name: J. Hamilton.



In my mind, the team's worst hitter hits last, and I wasn't the worst hitter on the team. I turned seven in May and two weeks later, I hit my first real home run. A twelve-year-old named Larry Trantham was pitching, and he threw me a fat one over the middle of the plate. The ball hit the bat square, right on the sweet spot of the barrel, and I drove it over the fence in left- center. It's hard to explain, but on contact, I felt nothing. It's one of the best feelings in the world.



* * *



Life in the Hamilton household revolved around family and baseball. You couldn't tell where one started and the other stopped — not on a dare.



I wasn't a bad student, but given the choice between playing ball and memorizing parts of speech, I wanted the ball.



It was a family tradition. My parents, Linda and Tony, met at a ballpark. My daddy was warming up for a softball game on one diamond while my momma was playing a game on a field next to him. He looked over once and saw her hit a ball about fifty feet beyond the left-field fence, and everyone on his team just shook their heads and pointed to the spot where the ball landed. The next time up, the same thing happened, except the ball went even farther.



At this point, my daddy had seen enough. He walked over to her field and told someone, "I've got to meet that girl." He did, and within weeks they were dating and before long they were married.



My father grew up on his family's hog and chicken farm in Oxford, North Carolina, about forty miles north of our house in a rural area west of Raleigh. Momma grew up in the house next door to us, on the same piece of property about fifty yards away from our front door.



Like everyone in this part of the world, we were surrounded by pine forests. To this day, I know I'm home more by the smell of those trees than anything else. Across the street there's an old, small cemetery where we used to run around and hit baseballs or golf balls, maybe shoot our BB guns. Five or six years ago someone was buried in an old family plot, but when I was growing up there wasn't much action there. Down the road a huge piece of land is owned by North Carolina State University, and our favorite fishing hole was on it, not more than a threeminute walk from the house.



We were never more than a mile from a good fishing hole.



It was a good childhood. We weren't rich, but I don't think we knew that. I don't think Jason and I knew what rich was. We played ball and went to school and pretty much had the run of the place. We hung out as a family and didn't see much need to go out, even as we reached high school age. We were pretty content in our little corner of the world. We had everything we needed.



My grandmother on my mother's side lived right next door to us, in the same house my momma grew up in. This was the place Bro and I went to be spoiled with cookies and ice cream and grilled- cheese sandwiches. Mary Holt is an old- fashioned southern lady, more of a friend than an authority figure. My nickname from the time I started playing baseball was "Hambone" and I called Granny "Grambone." If we got in trouble at home, we'd always find our way over to Granny's house to escape. Whatever we had done to get in trouble didn't seem like such a big deal to her. She was the safe haven, and it was a role she enjoyed. I think she had a soft spot for me because I was the youngest and I shared her name — Joshua Holt Hamilton.



Granny never missed a ballgame. We didn't make a conscious effort to invite her to the games; it was just understood that she would be ready to come with us when it was time to go. My games, Jason's games — it didn't matter. She was there. Before every game, for good luck, I would walk over to where Granny and my momma were sitting and give each of them a kiss on the cheek.



From the time we started playing baseball, one of the major lessons we learned in our family was to respect the game. And a big part of respecting the game was respecting the people you play with and against. My daddy went out of his way to make sure he wasn't favoring his sons on the baseball field, and since I always wanted to please him and my teammates, I usually packed up all the gear after practices and cleaned the dugout after games.



My ability drew more attention to me, but I always put pressure on myself to go beyond people's expectations. I didn't want to be treated differently because I was a good player; I loved to play the game, but it didn't mean anything beyond that.



My parents taught us to be humble. My mom was an awesome slow- pitch softball player, one of the best in the area. She played first base and pitched, and the tales of her hitting exploits are repeated to this day. People around Raleigh who watched her play swear she could hit a softball four hundred feet.



Our parents raised us on the idea that a ballfield was the best place to be. They believed that sports keep kids out of trouble and headed in the right direction, whether they pick up a ball after high school or not. My daddy loved sports and played baseball, but he grew up in a family that felt it was much more important to work on the farm than to do something frivolous like playing ball. The demands of work limited his opportunities to play sports, but he played whatever he could whenever he could — baseball, softball, football, martial arts.



My daddy is big and strong, country strong, with forearms like pillars and shoulders wide as a doorway. He never had any formal strength training, but he set the unofficial YMCA bench press record in Raleigh with a lift of 540 pounds.



His limited opportunity to play sports made him determined to make sure we were able to take advantage of every possible opportunity.



My daddy coached Jason and me until we got to high school, and he wasn't the type of dad/coach who let us do whatever we wanted. His teams were disciplined. He made us keep our shirts tucked in, and he preached accountability, making sure we never left our bats or any other equipment for someone else to pick up.



We rarely crossed him, but once when I was eleven I didn't run hard enough to first base on a popup and he got all over me. We were playing some kind of championship game, and he told me I embarrassed him on the field. He never stayed mad, but I knew better than to do it again. From then on, I ran out every ground ball and every popup like my hair was on fire.



I was never pressured to play ball. The perception of my parents as hard-driving stage parents was never accurate. I played because I loved to play, and because I was good at it. If I had told my parents that I didn't want to play baseball, I honestly think they would have been fine with that. They would have been surprised, but they would have thrown themselves into whatever activity I chose to replace it.



They made sacrifices for us. Jason and I knew it at the time, but I don't think we completely understood the level of sacrifice until we got older. Daddy was, and is, a hard worker who got up early in the morning to go to his job as a supervisor for the Wonder Bread factory in town. Momma worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. She washed our clothes after dark, when the utility rates were lowest, so we could save money to spend on gas and food for our baseball trips.



My daddy always made sure he had a flexible enough schedule to work around my baseball games. To do this, sometimes he had to go to work at some ungodly hour so he could get his work finished in time to leave for the game. I would hear him leaving the house at three or four in the morning during the summer after we had gotten home after midnight from an AAU baseball tournament somewhere in the state. His bosses, in general, were understanding and appreciated his devotion to both his job and his family.



He got a new boss when I was twelve, the summer after I finished playing in the Tar Heel League and started playing traveling AAU ball in the summer for a team in Raleigh. One Friday my daddy did what he always did when the schedule got tight: He got to work at 2:00 a.m. so he could leave by noon and drive me three hours to a game.



As he walked to the time clock to clock out for the day, this boss stopped him.



"Tony, where are you going?"



"Got a ballgame," my daddy said. "I'm done for the day."



"You know, I need you here this afternoon. You need to stick around."



My daddy explained the arrangement he had with the bosses at the factory. As long as he completed his work for the day and it didn't cause any disruption — and it wouldn't have in this case — then he was free to go. He was a dedicated worker and went out of his way not to cheat anybody.



The new boss wouldn't hear any of it. He repeated his desire to have my daddy stick around for the rest of the afternoon. At this point, my daddy felt he was being tested, challenged just to see how he would react. This was not always a smart move for the person doing the challenging. My daddy just stood there with his timecard in his hand, waiting for his boss to make the next move.



"Tony, I've got a question for you: What's more important, the ballgame or your job?"



My daddy didn't hesitate at all. He didn't answer him directly, but he looked this new boss right in the eye and slid his timecard into the clock until it clicked. He put the card back in the slot, calmly walked out of the factory and never worked another day for Wonder Bread.



* * *



We went to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, one year for an all-star tournament, and I pitched the first game. Early in the game I threw a pitch behind a little kid on the other team. When it was his turn to hit the next time through the batting order, he dragged his bat to the batter's box with tears running down his cheeks. He stood outside the box, crying and looking at the third- base coach to see if he might spare him this moment and send him back to the dugout.



Instead, the third- base coach walked toward him and said, "It's okay, get up there and hit. He's not going to hit you. Be a big boy."



He looked at the coach and sobbed, "It's too fast." By now everyone in the stands was trying not to laugh at this poor kid, who probably should have been allowed to walk back to the dugout and put his bat down rather than be scarred for life by his behavior in a Tar Heel League game.



Finally, he agreed to get in the box. Everyone cheered and told him he could do it. He stood as far from the plate as possible and looked ready to bail at any moment. He held his bat on his shoulder, showing no intention of even thinking of swinging.



And so I wound up, and threw.



I was eleven years old, and I threw the ball about seventy miles per hour. The problem was, I didn't always have any idea where it was going. Pinpoint control was not part of my game. I don't know whether hearing the coach promise that I wasn't going to hit him messed with my head, but I wound up and threw a fastball that thumped into the kid's back, right between his shoulder blades.



I felt terrible. This was the last thing I wanted to do, and maybe I tried so hard not to do it that I guaranteed that I would. I don't know, but if you thought he was crying before he got into the box, you can't imagine what he was doing now.



He was lying there perfectly still and screaming at the top of his lungs. "He hit me! He hit me!" It was like the ball stunned him or something, hit him right in the spine. The coaches and the umpire ran out to him, trying to convince him to get up and take his base, and he kept screaming: "I can't move! I can't move!" The only body part undamaged, it seemed, was his mouth.



In the course of all this screaming and crying, someone decided it would be a good idea to call an ambulance. I stayed on the mound, flipping the ball to myself repeatedly. It was a habit I had, part of my inability to be still, and also something I did when I was nervous or embarrassed. I didn't go down to the plate and get involved with the kid, though, because I was always taught to just throw the ball and not worry about hitting someone. I felt bad for him, but at the same time, it was his job to get out of the way of a bad pitch.



He stayed on the ground for what seemed like forever, long enough for the ambulance to arrive and the paramedics to get out to the batter's box. When they lifted up his shirt they saw the stitch marks from the baseball on his back. Eventually the paramedics and coaches convinced him that he could stand up and go on living, that he had indeed survived his encounter with this left- handed freak of nature and his wild fastball.



Years later, when I had been out of baseball and somewhat forgotten, my daddy was on a jobsite and he got to talking with some of the men there about baseball. He mentioned that he coached in West Raleigh, and this one guy said, "Do you remember that kid named Josh Hamilton who threw the ball a hundred miles an hour when he was eleven?"



My daddy said, "Yes, I do."



"Is that guy still around?"



"Yeah, he's still around. Somewhere."



"Well, one time I was playing against him and I didn't want to bat but they made me anyway, and he hit me right in the back. That hurt worse than anything in the world. I'll never forget that."



"Nope," my daddy said. "Neither will I."



"What do you mean? You were there?"



"Josh is my son."



The guy started laughing and shaking his head.



"You tell your son I never played past Little League after he hit me. That boy scared me to death."



* * *



There was a game in my last year in the Tar Heel League, when I was twelve years old, that I came to the plate five times and hit five home runs. I think after the third one the coaches and pitchers for the other team kept pitching to me just to see what would happen.



People saw me as different, something special, but they wanted me to succeed. I was always encouraged by other parents and coaches, and I attribute this to the way my parents taught us to behave. I never pimped a home run, not then or now, and I always went out of my way to praise my teammates for their achievements. I understood my talent for what it was — the ability to excel on the baseball field. It didn't deserve special treatment or a different set of rules.



During that summer, when I was twelve, I made my parents a promise. I said, "If I get drafted and get some money, I want you guys to retire. We'll use the money to pay off all your bills and you guys can come with me."



At twelve years old, I was good enough to dream. I could look around at the kids I was playing against and see that it wasn't a ridiculous leap to think that I could someday make money playing this game. My idea — to free my parents from all their hard work and repay them for their devotion — was a fantasy life as expressed by a twelveyear- old. Playing baseball for a living was the greatest thing I could ever imagine. My parents were always happiest when they were watching me play ball, so this seemed like the perfect solution for all three of us.



My parents tried to dismiss my comment.



"That sure is a nice thought, Josh," my momma said. "We'll see about that when the time comes."



I played basketball, too, and some soccer. When I was twelve, I played on a basketball team with Johnny Narron Jr., whose father was a major-league scout and a former minor-league ballplayer. Johnny Narron Sr.'s brother, Jerry, was a former big-league backup catcher who played eight seasons for the Yankees, Mariners, and Angels. At the time I started playing basketball with his nephew, Jerry was the third-base coach for the Texas Rangers.



The Narrons were a famous baseball family from Goldsboro, North

Last week at church, my pastor started talking about a book he had read. I heard the name Josh Hamilton and then "Beyond Belief" and realized he was talking about the book I was about to review. My pastor talked about watching the Home Run Derby with his daughters and how awesome Josh was. I wish I had seen it! It's good to hear Josh's book is making the rounds!
I'm still reading this book, but have enjoyed what I've read. There's so much I don't know about baseball, but I enjoy the sport, especially when I'm watching in person. Next year I'll have to see if I can get to a Twins/Rangers game (if they even play each other). See, I don't know a lot about baseball.
The book starts out with Josh talking about his childhood love of baseball. Those first couple paragraphs from Chapter 1 will blow you away. His gift is apparent at age 6, age SIX! From what he says, he had a wonderful support system in not only his family, but the community. As I read this book, I wondered if my boys will have any of the skills that a pro baseball player should have. We can all dream, right? Josh didn't just dream about it, he seemed to know at a very young age what he would be doing with his life. He makes it very clear he was never pushed by his parents, but it was his love of the game that had him playing ball at every opportunity. I'm at the point in the book where he's been drafted (one-one), and has just finished a Home Run Derby with Jose Canseco.
I would love for my boys to read the first chapter to see Josh's commitment to the game at such a young age. He would stick around to clean up afterwards, he would practice all the time, he was gracious to the other teams and his team members, etc. He had a respect for every area of the game, not just hitting and catching. If my boys end up having a passion for the game, I want them to have the respect Josh obviously had. Heck, I want them to respect everyone regardless if they have a passion for it.
I just realized as I finished the book that Jacob and I went to a Rangers/Twins game this summer. It was our only Twins game this year. I probably saw Josh playing and didn't realize who I was watching. It was a really boring game because it went so fast because no one was getting any hits. Morneau and Mauer were the only ones getting on base. The Rangers won with a homer from a kid's first homer. The ball landed about 4 rows over and 2 rows back from us. So close, yet so far! Wish I had read Josh's book before this game. Now I'm looking for them being here next year and trying to get an autograph from Josh!
Do you know any men that would enjoy winning this book? If so, send them over to the blog to give me a tip on teaching my boys the game of baseball. I'm a single mom, one who's never played the game, and I don't know all the "tricks" to teach my boys. They are 9 and 5. I know, young, but why not start them early? I'm already getting them to switch hit. I've tried explaining how to overrun first base, but not to turn the corner otherwise they could still be called out if tagged. After reading what I've read so far about Josh, I think I want them to try and be in the outfield. Unfortunately, my 9 yr old doesn't have a strong arm. He's a scrawny little dude. We also live in a small town and don't have any of the opportunities a larger town would have. I hear of their cousins playing ball in the fall and it get a bit of community ed envy! I'll have my 9 yr old start with the traveling team next year. Should've done it this year, but as a single mom, I can only be in so many places at once. So, do you have a dad, a brother, an uncle, a best friend, husband, boyfriend, etc? Have them come to my blog, leave me a tip for my boys, and I will enter them into the blog.
I know that getting guys to go to a blog may not be the easiest thing in the world so if I don't get a lot of responses, I'll open it back up to the ladies. Let's say if I don't hear from at least 5 guys I'll open the contest up to the ladies, but I'll hope to get tips from you, too. :) Hey, women can know about sports. As usual, the contest is open to US residents only. The contest will run thru November 17. Sakes alive I can't believe we'll be heading into November in just a couple of weeks. Thanks for visiting!
Because I've been so nuts, I haven't had a chance to get back to my giveaways. I'm going to open this up to ladies for advice for my boys. Sorry if there's any confusion! I'll draw in about a week, when things have quieted down here and hopefully I have a computer that's more cooperative!

My Friend Amy: Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival!

My Friend Amy: Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival

Over at "My Friend Amy"s blog she has created a new Saturday carnival because she wants to, " ...start this new weekly carnival in which we can share our love of the growing, vibrant, and exciting market of Christian fiction." How awesome is that? So, I'm answering the first question below.

Why do you read and review Christian fiction? Do you exclusively read Christian fiction or do you also read general market books?

The reason I read Christian fiction is because of my love of reading. I've loved reading since I was an adolescent. In my teens I read a lot of secular teen romance as well as secular fantasy. Both of those gave me a distorted view of the world. Romance novels set me up for failure because of what I expected of the guys who came into my life. Fantasy encouraged my belief that maybe I could do magic and that everything in the sci-fi world just might exist.

In my early 20's I became a Christian and picked up reading again. My first adult book was Jane Eyre, and I haven't stopped reading since. My first Christian novels were Janette Oke. She even sent me an autographed book. That was back in the early 1990's!

I started reviewing Christian fiction back in the late winter after getting connected to ACFW and their Yahoo group. I was introduced to it by Angie Hunt through her Heavenly Daze Yahoo group, which I've been involved in for almost 6 years! I saw all the authors involved there and wanted to see if I could even blog. I didn't know what my "voice" would be and if my personality would transfer over. I still don't know if it has. I have gotten more comfortable with the written word, mine specifically, but there's still so much to learn.

I read ONLY Christian authors. There are a number of reasons why. First of all, my 4 children. My girls started reading the same books as me several years ago and I wanted to be sure of what they were reading. I also want to be a good example to my kids. How can I tell them not to read stuff from the secular world if I do? As for not reading secular stuff, garbage in, garbage out. Not secular romance, sci-fi, thrillers, etc. Without the God factor, I don't see the point. Is there anything good about reading sex filled romance novels? I'd be embarrassed if anyone from church saw those in my home. The thoughts that are put into our head through secular writing typically isn't from the Lord. I have enough of the world entering my brain, I don't need to receive it from the novels I read. There are even Christian novels that I find to be too sexual. For me, it's very hard to reconcile "crossing the line" in a Christian novel and it being a "Christian" novel. To me, they don't go hand in hand. I think as readers we can fill in the the blanks in our minds. As you can see, I'm very passionate about this topic because I'm concerned that Christian publishing houses could go the direction of being more concerned about their bottom line than staying true to what the Lord has called them to.

Alrighty, off the soap box I go. I could easily go on and on about how I feel regarding this topic and I'd prefer not to alienate everyone reading this or offend anyone. Certainly not my intent, by my humble (yet fierce) opinion. I try to be lighty hearted about most of my posts, but give me a certain topic and I could go gung ho!

I do reviews because I want to promote the authors whose work I believe should be spread everywhere! It's such a blessing to be connected with so many of these wonderful people. They want to reach the world and this is the way God has provided them to do it. This is their ministry. Never in a million years would I be able to purchase these books, and I know that it's true for so many others. Because of that, I try to give away a lot of the books I receive. On top of that, I'm part of a book club at church and I'm able to refer them to the books I've read. It's one more way I can promote these books.

I wonder what Amy's next question will be. Tune in to find out next Saturday. Thank you, Amy, for trying to draw us closer. :o)

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Rook by Steven James

STEVEN JAMES RELEASES ADRENALINE-LACED BLOCKBUSTER

Publishers Weekly Hails “caffeinated plot twists and intriguing characterizations”

The Rook
Steven James
978-0-8007-3269-1
$13.99, tradepaper Revell
Everywhere August 2008

(NASHVILLE, TN) Following up his breakout hit, The Pawn, Steven James gives his fans another story about FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers. And this time, his readers won’t know who to trust.

James offers another intricately plotted thriller in The Rook with his in-depth study of geographic profiling, strategic crime analysis, and environmental criminology methods. Real-life retired FBI agent E. Cleon Glaze says, “Steven James’s ability to use modern, up-to-date investigative techniques to solve his criminal mysteries places him at the forefront of current mystery writers.”

Full of fast-paced action and mind-bending plot twists, The Rook is an adrenaline laced page-turner that will keep readers up all night. Book 2 in The Bowers Files, this riveting look into the darkness that lies in every soul is the perfect follow-up to James’s critically acclaimed bestselling thriller The Pawn.

The description from the back cover of the book:

"While investigating a series of baffling fires in San
Diego, Special Agent Patrick Bowers is drawn into a deadly web of intrigue where
nothing is as it appears to be. With a killer on the loose and one of the
world's most deadly devices missing, Bowers is caught in a race against time to
stop a criminal mastermind's trap before it closes around the people he
loves."

“Sophomore slump? Fuhgeddaboutit. In his second thriller about FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers, James delivers the caffeinated plot twists and intriguing characterizations that made The Pawn a welcome addition to the suspense genre…”

Publishers Weekly (starred review)


“Steven James hooked me with his debut, The Pawn. Now in this explosive sequel he has absolutely blown me away…”
Bookshelf Review.com

WHO IS STEVEN JAMES?



Steven James is one of the nation’s most innovative storytellers and a bestselling author. He has written more than twenty books and is a full-time speaker, having appeared more than 1,500 times throughout North America, Europe and Asia since 1996.


His first mystery thriller, The Pawn, has already hit the bestseller lists and is a finalist for the 2008 Christy Awards. On August 1, 008, his second book, The Rook, joins the high-octane thriller series, the Bowers Files. A third book, The Knight, is set to join the expanding series in Summer 2009.

James has had many outlets for his creativity. He holds a Master of Arts in Storytelling. In 1997, when he completed this degree, he was one of only a hundred people in the world with such a degree.

For years, James has focused on crafting nonfiction books that explore and broaden the connections of story, imagination, and Christian spirituality. He has recently contracted several more titles with Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. His recent nonfiction books include Sailing Between the Stars and the critically acclaimed Story: Recapture the Mystery, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. He has been honored with six national awards for his writing and storytelling, including a nomination for an ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award.

In addition to his books, James has written hundreds of articles and stories that have appeared in over eighty different magazines and publications, including Writer’s Digest and Guideposts for Teens.

James lives and writes in eastern Tennessee near the town of Jonesborough, the heart of the modern storytelling revival. He likes rock climbing and science fiction movies. When he’s not writing or speaking, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.


Glass Road Public Relations, LLC ph (615) 986-9516 fax (615) 986-9517 www.GlassRoadPR.com

Intense suspense. The Rook reminds me of a John Grisham or Michael Crichton novel. I'm terrible when it comes to Suspense novels, whether they're murder mysteries, spy novels, who-done-its, etc. I can NEVER figure them out. Well, that's not completely true. I figured out a Teen mystery recently. Hey, at least I figured it out for a change.

Steven James' novel starts out immediately with the reader trying to figure out the players and how they are all connected or will be at some point. At times while reading this book, I felt like I was watching an episode of CSI or Law & Order. As the reader, we get to see things as they're happening on the bad and good side. There are some seriously bizaar twists, which makes for even better reading, especially if you love suspense.

I haven't had a lot of time to read, but I hope to finish tonight or tomorrow. I'm not typically a fan of this type of reading because my life is intense enough as it is. I mean, the writing and story are fantastic, but it sends my brain into overload. I have a feeling I have to go back and read The Pawn by Steven James since this has been a good read!

If you'd like to win this book, I'm asking you to:

  1. leave a question on here about yourself that someone you know can answer about you.
  2. ask that person to visit my blog and answer the question. :)
  3. Make sure they tell me who's mystery question they're answering so I can give you both credit.

I know, it's an itty bitty mystery that can be solved easily. When the question has been answered, I will enter you 5 times and that person once, if they want to be entered. So, put your thinking cap on, post a question, and have a friend answer it for you. I know this can be simple, but I don't like to have every contest easy or uneventful. :) Contest open to US residents only. Please, please leave me a way to contact you if you win. Thanks for visiting!

Monday, October 13, 2008

Family pictures


Can you tell the girls are thrilled...ah teenagers

I've always wanted fall pictures with the gorgeous orange, yellow, and red leaves all around. I determined yesterday was the day! All of the family was present, for a change. The only thing MIA was the sun. I didn't think that would really matter, because the surroundings were beautiful. I headed outside for some test shots. I'm not a photographer, but I play one on tv. :)

As soon as I knew where I wanted my tri-pod, and had the zoom set, it began to rain. So, back into the house I went and told the kids they had a reprieve until the rain stopped or Brie had to go to work. That meant we had a 1/2 an hour window. It also gave me a chance to touch up my hair that had been sprinkled on.

Ryan with his pumpkin from the Kindergarten field trip

The rain finally stopped and we rushed outside. This year, since we have a dog, I wanted him to be in the picture as well. Too bad he's afraid of the camera. I wanted to take some new test shots to make sure we'd all be in the picture. Rugby wasn't thrilled with being in the photo. I ran into the house and got some treats, wondering if this was how the professionals do it. We got some shots off in front of a small colorful tree. Then we moved to the fire pit and grabbed one of Abby's remaining puppies, Tucker. We're not sure if we're keeping him yet so the boys convinced me to put him in the photo too.
The final photo...not totally thrilled with it, but with the weather, this may be it!
The last picture was pretty much everyone's favorite. I think I may want to try again sometime throughout this week. Maybe there will be a sunny day. I have heard the word "snow" being thrown around, so we may be stuck with what we've got. If we make it out for another photo shoot, I'll update my pictures.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Say Goodbye to Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson



It is October 11th, and FIRST is doing a special tour to 'Say Goodbye to Hollywood Nobody'.




Today's feature author is:




and her book:



Goodbye Hollywood Nobody



NavPress Publishing Group (September 15, 2008)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Samson is the author of twenty books, including the Christy Award-winning Songbird. Apples of Gold was her first novel for teens

These days, she's working on Quaker Summer, volunteering at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, raising children and trying to be supportive of a husband in seminary. (Trying . . . some days she's downright awful. It's a good thing he's such a fabulous cook!) She can tell you one thing, it's never dull around there.

Other Novels by Lisa:

Hollywood Nobody, Finding Hollywood Nobody, Romancing Hollywood Nobody, Straight Up, Club Sandwich, Songbird, Tiger Lillie, The Church Ladies, Women's Intuition: A Novel, Songbird, The Living End

Visit her at her website.

Product Details

List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group (September 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600062229
ISBN-13: 978-1600062223

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Monday, July 11, 6:30 a.m.

I awaken to a tap on my shoulder and open my eye. My right eye. See, these days it could be one of four people: Charley, Dad, Grampie, or Grammie.

“’Morning, dear!”

Grammie.

Oh well, might as well go for broke. I open the other eye.

“Did you sleep well?”

I shake my head and reach for my cat glasses. “Nope. I kept dreaming about Charley in Scotland.” We sent her off with her new beau, the amazing Anthony Harris, two days ago. “I imagined a road full of sheep chasing her down.”

“That would be silly. They would have to know she hates lamb chops.” Grammie sits on my bed. Yes, my bed. In their fabulous house. In my own wonderful room, complete with reproductions of the Barcelona chair and a platform bed of gleaming sanded mahogany. I burrow further into my white down comforter. I sweat like a pig at night, but I don’t care. A real bed, a bona fide comforter, and four pillows. Feather pillows deep enough to sink the Titanic in.

She pats my shoulder, her bangled wrists emitting the music of wooden jewelry. “Up and at ’em, Scotty. Your dad wants to be on the road by seven thirty.”

“I need a shower.”

“Hop to it then.”

Several minutes later, I revel in the glories of a real shower. Not the crazy little stall we have in the TrailMama, which Dad gassed up last night for our trip to Maine. Our trip to find Babette, my mother. Is she dead or alive? That’s what we’re going to find out.

It’s complicated.

The warm water slides over me from the top of my head on down, and I’ve found the coolest shampoo. It smells like limeade. I kid you not. It’s the greatest stuff ever.

Over breakfast, Grampie sits down with us and goes over the map to make certain Dad knows the best route. My father sits patiently, nodding as words like turnpike, bypass, and scenic route roll like a convoy out of Grampie’s mouth.

Poor Grampie. Dad is just the best at navigation and knows everything about getting from point A to point B, but I think Grampie wants to be a part of it. He hinted at us all going in the Beaver Marquis, their Luxury-with-a-capital-L RV, but Dad pretended not to get it.

Later, Dad said to me, “It’s got to be just us, Scotty. I love my mother and father, but some things just aren’t complete-family affairs.”

“I know. I think you’re right. And if it’s bad . . .”

He nods. “I’d just as soon they not be there while we fall apart.”

Right.

So then, I hop up into our RV, affectionately known as the TrailMama, Dad’s black pickup already hitched behind. (Charley’s kitchen trailer is sitting on a lot in storage at a nearby RV dealership, and good riddance. I’m hoping Charley never needs to use that thing again.) “Want me to drive?”

He laughs.

Yep. I still don’t have my license.

Man. But it’s been such a great month or so at the beach. So, okay, I don’t tan much really, but I do have a nice peachy glow.

I’ll take it.

And Grampie grilled a lot, and Grammie helped me sew a couple of vintage-looking skirts, and I’ve learned the basics of my harp.

I jump into the passenger’s seat, buckle in, and look over at my dad. “You really ready for this?” My heart speeds up. This is the final leg of a very long journey, and what’s at the end of the path will determine the rest of our lives.

He looks into my eyes. “Are you?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “But we don’t really have a choice, do we?”

“I can go alone.”

I shake my head. “No, Dad. Whatever we do, whatever happens from here on out, we do it together.”

“Deal.”

Monday, October 6, 2008

Giving away the "kids"

Well, I had no idea how hard it would be to give away the puppies we've been raising for 8 weeks. When I say "raising" what I really mean is making me so crazy I'm about to crack. Last Tuesday I was at my breaking point. Being a single mom means I can't do it all...at once. I certainly try to do it all. :) or :( depending on who you ask.

I got off work and had to get puppy food. The 8 of them were going through 8 cups a day and I can't afford that, so I decided we'd start blending Puppy Chow and Iams. While I'm at the store, I call to check on my 15 yr old, Amber, to see if she's started her tennis match. She hasn't. BUT, they just finished a Parent Appreciation ceremony she neglected to tell me about. Sigh... I get home and I have to feed the puppies, they boys, and get back into town to watch Amber. My friend believes it'll be a while before Amber plays so I start getting food ready for the puppies. A few minute later, I get a call saying she's playing! YIKES. So, I ask my oldest to finish feeding the puppies and give the boys something to eat. Apparently, she doesn't have much time to do it either because she has her fitness class she has to work on before it gets dark outside. I'm torn. Do I stay at home to feed the boys and puppies, or do I go see Amber play. I've only seen Amber play once this season. I decide on the game, since it could be her last one this year.

I'm a mess on the way there because I realize I'm constantly failing someone and many times there's nothing I can do about it. I can't "Mulitplicity" myself. I can't ask someone to be me as a mom and go watch Amber play tennis. It's not even close to being the same. I can't call anyone to come over and feed my children or the puppies. sigh...

So, I've been getting desperate as to what to do with the puppies. I can't continue on the path that we're on with them. Most days I don't feel like I can take one more feeding. The feedings are insane. You know when a flood or typhoon happens and 3rd world countries are having a hard time getting aid. Then once they get the aid, they ambush the trucks? Well, that's what it's like EVERY single time we feed these puppies. They each get their own bowls and are only fed 2-3 at a time. EVERY single time, they run to the bowl, knock it over, and eat like it's quite possibly their last meal. There's nothing calm about it. They eat 4 times a day and altogether get a cup of food. Then outside they go, for potty time and running around time. I send Rugby, our 6 mo old BC out to play Uncle. After they wear themselves out, we let them in for some inside time and then quiet time. It all takes at least an hour to get it all done.

I finally put up signs around our rinky dink little town and on Saturday put up road signs pointing people to our house. Only 2 people came the entire day! Sunday morning I put them on Craigslist. They were on there about an hour when someone on the other side of the lake emailed us, came over and took our Tank. He was the biggest chocolate male. He was also one of our 2 favorites. Another family came to take one of the females. Today, about 2 minutes after I put up a new sign at the end of the street a guy came and took our other favorite, one we were thinking about keeping. I've been a wreck for the past hour questioning my choice to let the guy take him. The man didn't look like he could afford to even buy puppy food. He didn't even have the $25 (only $20) to buy him. My kids are upset we gave Shadow away. My 5 yr old had actually been calling him Licky since he licks ya every time you pick him up. Every time I would sit down, he'd be the first one onto my lap. The guys also said his other 8 yr old lab lives outside. So, I have no doubt Licky will be living outside, which I think at 8 weeks and our super cold overnights just isn't cool. Our puppies have been babied and only go outside to potty. Now our favorite boy will be living in the great, cold outdoors. Again, I'm a mess. Both my boys just asked me why I got rid of Licky. I don't know what to tell them since I don't have a good answer. Sigh...

Now we are down to 3 puppies, ones that I haven't connected with as much as some of the others. I want to turn back the hands of time and go back to having 4 puppies left. The guy lives about an hour from here so there's no way to find him. The 2 females will head to a no-kill shelter tomorrow and we'll have one male left. The shelter only wants the 2 females. I know that we could keep Lightening, but it's not the same. He's not Licky.

This is going to be quite the transition for the family again. Eight weeks ago, we had a relatively quiet house. Ok, we only had cats. Then life was turned upside down. Now the insanity is leaving one puppy at a time. Having 3 puppies here is so amazingly different than having 8. The puppies seem different as well. They aren't as rambuncious. Something doesn't seem "right". My world is off kilter, yet again.

Keep us in prayer as we go from a 10 doggie family down to a 1-2 doggie family. Pray for our emotional transition. I could NEVER do this again. We get too attached! ~Mimi

 
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Woven by Words by Mimi B is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.