Vote for your favorite SUMMER READ!

Welcome to summer!

Scroll through these FIVE new reads and vote below for which you'd pick up first to take to the poolside. It'll be a tough choice! But somebody's gotta do it. May as well be you!

Finders Keepers by Sarah Monzon

Summer Arnet will go anywhere to capture the perfect shot that will get her marine photography noticed by the prestigious nature magazine, Our World—even diving in waters haunted by great white sharks. When a treasure hunter with a ladies’-man reputation approaches her about a sunken ship at one of her dive locations, it may be the chance she’s been looking for to launch her career…if his charming smile doesn’t derail her first.

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Resilience by L.R. Burkard

In this spell-binding sequel to the post-apocalyptic thriller PULSE, L.R.Burkard takes readers into a landscape where teens shoulder rifles instead of school books, and where survival might mean becoming your own worst enemy.

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A Matter of Courage by Wendy Holley

Abused by her famous husband, Irene Brennan is forced to flee to a small town in Montana, leaving everything behind. Trent is used to protecting wild animals from careless hunters, but can he protect Irene from her crazy husband?

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Astray (Ariboslia Book 1) by J. F. Rogers

Troubled-teen, Fallon finds hope and family through an unwanted prophecy. In her travels, she learns about the One True God and how desperately she needs Him. Perhaps, with His help, she’ll find the way to fulfill her destiny.

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Her One and Only by Becky Wade

When NFL super star Gray Fowler is threatened by a stalker, his team hires a professional bodyguard to ensure his safety. But when Gray's "protection" turns out to be a woman half his size, he's indignant. Will Dru Porter--a former Marine and expert markswoman--prove herself worthy of the job? And meanwhile, who's going to guard Gray's heart?

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Love Is Series: Breaking Barriers by Gail Pallotta

When I was in college I used to run into an atheist in the small cafe where we gathered for Coca-Colas, hamburgers and French fries after class. I tried to avoid him, because he always hopped over to my table and started an argument about my faith.

Perhaps he comes to mind on the release day of Breaking Barriers for several reasons. One, he was angry at me because I am a Christian. Even though today I can’t recall which verses he used, he’d take passages from the Bible and try to make me say they weren’t true. When I wouldn’t, he’d retort with a scientific argument and claim it had to be right.

The second reason he comes to mind—it was the mention of God’s love that finally silenced him. One day I grew so frustrated I asked, “If there’s no God, where does love come from? Why don’t you mix me up a little bowl of it? If scientists could do it, they would, because they could sell a ton of it for lots of money.”

His mouth gaped.

He never trotted to my table again.

Since then I’ve read that we have chemicals in the brain that produce love. I’ve often wondered if he came up with that theory. Even if that were true, the chemicals in the brain came from somewhere, and that would still lead back to God. I hope it wasn’t him. I hope he thought about God’s great love for us and decided to read the Bible.

Check out Gail’s contribution to Prism Book Group’s new Love Is series…

Breaking Barriers

“…love is not easily angered …” 

1 Corinthians: 13:5

Gunshots ring out as Ann Jones enters the church. She hides in the bathroom until they stop, then stumbles into the sanctuary. The congregation lies dead in pools of blood. To rebuild the church, she starts True Light Guardians. At the first meeting, she’s attacked by a terrorist, but rescued by James Crawford. He melts her heart, cold from her father’s abuse, and they fall for each other. She’s afraid to commit to love that might grow angry later, like the type she knew as a child. James yearns to stop other attempts on Ann’s life, but can’t. Tormented by her constant risks, he breaks up with her. When an assault sends her to the hospital, an unlikely ally shares Ann’s plight with James, but he reveals a lead that puts all three of them in even more danger.

www.prismbookgroup.com

Featured Novel: Bitterroot Bride by Angela Breidenbach

A beautifully spun story about the power of second chances. ~ Amazon Reviewer

I loved The Bitterroot Bride! The part where she compares church 

to riding a trot made me laugh out loud.  ~A. Chatman

About the book:

No one knows the real Emmalee Warren, just what they want from the infamous prostitute. Men are coming out of the woodwork to stake a claim on the miner's widow. They wanted her body before. Now they want her money. Hiring a lawyer, Richard Lewis, to save her from financial ruin might let her start over where no one knows Miss Ellie. Becoming an unknown is the only way to freedom…or is it? Can she leave her past and build a new future?

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Chat with Angela:

Ques: We heard there was something special that happened to you while writing your fourth book in the historical romance series, Montana Beginnings. What was special about the Bitterroot Bride heroine for you?

 

Angela: Writing Miss Emmie learning to read became an amazing experience. Though I’d learned to read at four, I didn’t understand how to connect and read people until well into my adulthood. So while Miss Emmie became proficient in reading, I became proficient in relationships. She’d eat up every book she could get her hands on and studied with intensity. I did the same thing, but about relational topics.

Ques: When did you realize the parallel character arc had so much in common with your real life?

Angela: About halfway through the first draft an epiphany happened. I stopped, took a day or so to really think about my personal experience, then began an intentional focus on writing the emotional parallel.

Ques: What do you hope Bitterroot Bride does for readers?

Angela: I hope this story is both entertaining and encouraging. I’d like readers to absorb the idea that like Miss Emmie and me, if you have the desire to learn something then you can. Age doesn’t matter.

Ques: Can you tell us the titles and a little about the Montana Beginnings series?

Angela: All four titles are set in Helena, MT from 1889 – 1895. It’s right when we became a state, but mining couldn’t support us forever. The Debutante Queen introduces us to Calista who steals an orphan off the street to protect her from a cruel master. Eleven Pipers Piping brings forward the newsies, newspaper boys and orphan train leftovers, into Mirielle’s classroom. Then in Taking the Plunge, Delphina takes us back to the iconic Broadwater Natatorium as a swim instructress. Then Emmalee enters the scene as we find out how Montana chose her state flower. Each of these lovely Victorian ladies finds her true love while carving out a meaningful life in Montana’s frontier. 

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About Angela:

Angela Breidenbach is a bestselling author and host of Grace Under Pressure Radio on iTunes. Angela is the Christian Author Network's president. And yes, she's half of the comedy duo, Muse and Writer, on social media.

Connect:

Website

Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest: @AngBreidenbach

Facebook 

ITunes 

Writing Tips: June Foster

June Foster, Author

As an English student in college and later an ESL teacher, I thought I had a handle on the use of the written word. Grammar, check. Sentence structure, no problem. Vocabulary, always improving. But writing fiction? I knew nothing about the "rules." I've learned a lot in the six years I've been writing inspirational fiction. I'd love to share. Shh, don't tell, but these are my weaknesses I still struggle with on occasion.

Since I'm a female, I've had to learn how men think in order to write from my hero's point of view. Most men are happy to tell you how they'd react given a certain situation. My husband is a great help. I asked him to envision that he and his girlfriend had an argument and broke up. (Before he married me, of course!) How would he react or what would he do? He said he'd go to the gym and work out or get angry. Totally opposite of the way I'd respond—having a good cry. Another step I took was to go online and read articles on the subject then apply these ways of thinking to my hero's struggles. For example, I learned that men think behind every conversation is a problem to solve. Women see it as an opportunity to share feelings. A woman might notice the color of a man's shirt, but a man will notice how tight a woman's skirt fits. Women stand in close proximity and maintain eye contact while communicating where men hold their distance and rarely establish eye contact. These are only a fraction of the differences.

Delivering the action in a story. When I first started writing, I thought I had to describe every move my characters made. Ryan held the car door open for Sandy. After she swung her legs into the front passenger seat, he closed the door and ambled around the front of the car to the other side. Opening the driver's door, he sat down in the seat and pulled his keys out of his pocket. The car key fit perfectly into the ignition and when he turned it, the motor rumbled to a start. You get the idea. My wonderful critique partners pointed out that the reader can and does "fill in the blanks" for the action you leave out. Describing every detail makes for tedious reading and a distraction for your reader.

Since I was an elementary teacher for many years, I find the need to explain and explain again. I have a tendency to infer something and in the next paragraph reiterate the same thing only in different words. I've learned to give the reader credit to "get it" the first time.

Villains. Sometimes I see life as either all black or all white. I tend to create bad guys with no redeeming qualities. The reader doesn't want to read about a character who's completely evil. And in real life, everyone has both negative and positive traits. So I've figured out how to make my villains somewhat likeable even though most of the time they misbehave.

Lastly I like to give my polished chapters a final check-up. I look for: 1. content. Does every paragraph move the story forward? 2. Is sentence structure varied and are action beats used wisely? 3. Do a find/replace and check for pet words such as that, just, still, back, and an over abundance of pronouns. 4. Run a spelling/grammar check, and 5. Read final chapters aloud. You'd be amazed at the flaws you'll find.

And most important, have your story proofread by a good freelance editor and frequently read the work of established authors.


About What God Knew:

Neonatal specialist Dr. Michael Clark is passionate about saving the lives of premature babies. But the pediatrics department at El Camino General can't provide the care many of his preemies require. Now he wants to build a specialty hospital where he can better care for his young patients.

Tammy Crawford is an accomplished geriatrics RN who wants nothing to do with her sister Joella's religious beliefs. She's independent and doesn't need anyone, including God in pursuing a new job as a nurse practitioner.
When she falls in love with the intriguing Michael Clark, she must reconsider her resolve to devote herself completely to her career and not be distracted by a romantic relationship. Now the obstacles are insurmountable. She's in love with a man from another culture and a different race.

Michael acknowledges his growing affection for the beautiful nurse yet can't ignore his brother's deep racial prejudices.

Can two people who are as different as night and day find a life together?


About June Foster:

An award-winning author, June Foster's novels include Give Us This Day, As We Forgive, Deliver Us, Hometown Fourth of July, Ryan's Father, Red and the Wolf, For All Eternity, Echoes From the Past, What God Knew and Misty Hollow. Find June online at http://junefoster.com.

Featured Novel: The Babel Conspiracy by Sylvia Bambola

The Babel Conspiracy by Sylvia Bambola, was the first book I've read from this author. It will not be my last… it is very well written and at times, you won't want to put it down. Looking forward to reading more of this talented author! 

~P. McGuire

The Babel Conspiracy 

by Sylvia Bambola

About the Book:

The Babel Conspiracy is a tale of intrigue and love. Two women engineers struggle to develop the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft amid ever intensifying global terrorism and muddled personal lives. Trisha Callahan has an abiding faith in God, and “those roots of middy blouses and pleated skirts, prayer books and incense-filled churches went deep.” This faith is tested when she finds herself in love with a married man. Audra Shields sees herself as a modern Lady Chatterley, “liberated but not forsaking breeding, intellect, or femininity.” When she becomes involved with a dangerous stranger, she begins to question her lifestyle. 

Both women try sorting out their personal problems while racing the clock to finish a project fraught with sabotage and murder. And who’s behind it all? When the Department of Homeland Security and the Mossad finally figure it out, the answer surprises everyone.

PURCHASE

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What readers are saying:

“It has been quite a long time since I have read a book such as this one, one so pertinent to today's landscape of life. The author has written an excellent novel that could have been pulled from tomorrow's headlines - from both political and scientific advancement points of view. . . . I highly recommend this book for those who love intrigue, suspense, fiction, and a little bit of romance. The book is well paced, has plenty of action, and good character development.” Rachel Helms

“The Babel Conspiracy by Sylvia Bambola is a very thought provoking novel about the way that things could be in the U.S. in the near future. We need to humble ourselves before the Lord and pray for America in these perilous times. The characters were well developed and the story shows God's love and redemption.” Linda Rainey

About Sylvia Bambola:

Sylvia Bambola is the award winning author of eight novels, including Rebekah’s Treasure (2015 CSPA Book of the Year/Christian Historical Fiction) and The Salt Covenants (2015 Reader’s Favorite

Bronze Medal Winner/Christian Historical Fiction). A resident of Florida, she teaches women’s Bible studies and has two grown children.

Where to find Sylvia:

Website

Goodreads 

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