Check Out the Web Site!

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At long last, my Web site has been updated. Still waiting for a cover design on The Word Fulfilled to post, but there's now a home page that links to separate pages for each book--including Katia.
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Especially check out the Katia page. There's a synopsis of the story and a photo gallery of pictures in Berlin before, during, and after the Wall fell.
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Witness, by E.G. Lewis (Cape Arago Press)

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(Click cover for more information).

"An Old Story told in a New Way--" goes the tagline on the back cover of E.G. Lewis's Witness. The only thing that description leaves out is "--and told really well." I had the pleasure of reading the manuscript of Witness during its development. I then had the pleasure then of reading the final product. The Law of Diminshing Returns suspended itself in this case. The second read was as enjoyable--if not more so--than the first.

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Ed Lewis has crafted an wonderfully entertaining, thought-provoking, and deeply informative novel of a young Jewish shepherdess, Rikvah, who witnesses the angelic announcement of Christ's birth. As the only female among the shepherds who go to see "this which has happened, which the Lord has told us about," she becomes the first human being after Mary and Joseph to cuddle the Infant. This would not be the last event Rikvah witnesses in the life of the Christ.

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Witness follows Rikvah's life in the years following the Incarnation, and that of Shemuel, a childhood friend and, she hopes, someday her betrothed. A catastrophe at the Temple yanks Shemuel from Rikvah's life, but not from her heart. What follows is a poignant tale of faith, loyalty, and finally redemption in more ways than just one.

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A friend once told me, "When I read historical fiction, I want to learn something." If you share that viewpoint, this is the book for you. Witness immerses you in Judean village life in the 1st-century AD where you learn everything from spinning yarn and making cheese to coming of age under the yoke of Roman oppression. But the storyline never disappears behind the education. Mr. Lewis weaves the lore seamlessly into the adventure, blending meticulous research and practiced storytelling into a delightfully statisfying tale that you won't soon forget.

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Great read, Ed! Thanks.

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Storm Surge, by Rene Gutteridge (Tyndale House)

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(Click cover for more information)

If the name 'Rene Gutteridge' does not appear on your list of reading credits, your literary dossier is woefully incomplete.

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Ms. Gutteridge's veteran pen has once again produced a superbly entertaining work with a wonderful balance of humor, poignancy and mystery. Storm Surge, the third in the "Storm" series, follows FBI Special Agent Mick Kline in a race against the death-row clock. The condemned prisoner, Sammy Earle, has been incarcerated for a crime in which Agent Kline himself was once implicated. Only now doubts begin to surface as to Sammy's guilt, and Mick personally takes on the case against everyone's advice, including his own.

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The web of intrigue began to weave itself in steamy jungles of Vietnam with the murder and disappearance of two American soldiers. In the intervening years, it expands and stretches taut, ensnaring more hapless victims who stumble--or are pushed--into it. It finally snaps amid a Category 4 hurricane on the Texas coast, where it threatens not only Mick, but the woman he loves. The action is intense, the drama poignant, and the characters multidimensional. Having said that, my next comment may seem a little odd: it was really funny. By that I mean Ms. Gutteridge has mastered the tricky art of diffusing tension at just the right points with appropriate humor. How? By knowing how to write.

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I've commented on an author's writing voice in a few of my posts, with notables going to Liz Curtis Higgs and Sibella Giorello. Put Rene Gutteridge right alongside them. I rarely laugh out loud when I read a crime novel, but my uninhibited reaction to Ms. Gutteridge's subtly witty narrative style and glib repartee between characters drew more than one raised eyebrow from my wife, who was lying next to me trying to concentrate on her own book. I kept saying, "Listen, you've got to hear this passage! You'll crack up!" I guess I said that too many times, as she finally exhorted me to stop before I read her the whole book. (Sorry, Jeannie, but just wait until you read it . . . )
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I had the pleasure of sitting through a couple of Ms. Gutteridge's seminars at an ACW writers' conference two years ago. If I had taken better notes, perhaps I could write as well as she does . . . in a few years . . . or longer . . . maybe. (Sigh!)

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There's Movement...again!

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Heard from my editor today! The Word Fulfilled is scheduled to start the production process next week. Won't speculate on an exact release data yet, but once the process starts, it usually flies.

Thanks to all who have been asking about the book. Apologies in advance for the spam you're going to get from me. :-)
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My Portion Forever, by Karen Roth (Eagle Rock)

(Click cover for more information)

Now here's a book that has it all: trucks blowing up for guys, romance for women, and inspiration for everyone--not to mention a great story line and excellent writing. What more could we ask for?

My Portion Forever follows Sana Toledo, an Algerian-born American girl living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sana, destined to suffocate in servitude to her uncle in his tiny grocery store, runs away after high school, becomes a nurse, and ends up choking on the dusty grit of the North African desert attending the "boys" fighting Rommel's tanks in the early days of World War II. Surrounded by a colorful cast of unforgettable characters, Lt. Toledo endures the horrors of war, the exhaustion and frustration of front-line hospital life, and her own personal struggle with a beckoning faith she doesn't understand. Her path criss-crosses that of Ranger Lt. Joe Vesely, a high-school friend who becomes more than just a friend, from their training in the rainy cold of England, through the first taste of combat on the beachhead at Arzew, and culminating in the bloody battle of Kasserine.

Reminiscent of Jack Cavanaugh's Dear Enemy, My Portion Forever provides a seldom-seen look at the hope and heartache, perseverence and peril, of the medical corps' doctors and nurses as they fought to save the lives of young soldiers maimed in a war thousands of miles from home. You'll be fascinated by the initiative the medical troops took, the innovativeness they displayed when proper medical supplies and facilities dwindled or were altogether lacking--like beer bottles for IV containers and human hair for sutures. Ms. Roth doesn't shy away from the devastation and gore of battle and its carnage; however, neither does she cross the line into gratuitously bloody descriptions for shock value. Meticulously researched and skillfully delivered, My Portion Forever rounds out the story of The Greatest Generation from the viewpoint of those who fought so hard to preserve it.

Finally, as an author, I was struck by how Karen Roth can immerse love, honor and faith in so much grit, blood and tears and still have them shine through unblemished. It's both inspiring and intimidating. Readers, take heart; writers, take a lesson.

Great book. I can't recommend it highly enough.
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The Sleeping Matchbook by Patricia Stebelton (OakTara)

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(Click cover for more information)
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In The Sleeping Matchbook, Patricia Stebelton pens a wild and witty mystery young readers of all interests will enjoy. Secrets abound in this inspirational tale of two girls setting out to solve a cold case--but not so cold that it doesn't heat up in a hurry the moment they start poking around.

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Samantha "Sam" Westbrook" lost a best friend when her neighbor and 'big sister,' Amanda Griffen, left for a birthday party--and never came back. Her boyfriend was found the next morning behind the wheel of his Mustang, shot to death. Amanda hasn't been seen since. What's really strange, is that the school jacket Amanda was wearing that night mysteriously reappears in her closet bearing the only clue as to what might have happened: a single matchbook lodged in the lining beneath a pocket.

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It's now four years later. Going through Amanda's closet with her mother, seventeen-year old Sam finds the coat and the matchbook, a discovery that sparks a quest to discover just what happened that night. She enlists the help of her new friend, Tracy, and together they face danger and the threat of violence as their sleuthing breaks open old wounds and creates waves that ripple all the way into the highest levels of the police department itself.

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Physical, emotional and spiritual challenges dog their steps along the way and provide the most meaningful lessons of all for both Sam and Tracy. The Sleeping Matchbook accelerates and explodes in a dynamic ending that neither of the girls expect. You won't either.

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Good read for the tweenager and teenager, and parents won't have to worry about this one. The moral and spiritual lessons come through loud and clear, but not so loud that they drown out the story. Nice job, Patricia!

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Saving Cicadas, by Nicole Seitz (Thomas Nelson)

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(Click cover for more information)

I want to describe Saving Cicadas as deceptively imaginative, but ‘deceptive’ could cast a negative shade over the story and I don’t mean it in any negative way. Still, it’s true, so I’m sticking with it.

Saving Cicadas is deceptively imaginative.

Nicole Seitz has woven a subtly explosive tale of redemption, hope and fantastical intrigue set in the flatlands of the South. It seemed harmless enough. When the theme began to emerge from the plot, I sat back, comfortable in my certainty with where the tale was going. I assumed the journey would be the focus as the destination was obvious. And then something happened. I straightened in my chair, narrowed my eyes, and read on. After a couple more chapters, all became clear again, and, lulled into a second brief period of smug satisfaction, I turned the page—and stepped right into another curve ball. Then came a fast ball. Then a slider. My gosh, Nicole! What are you doing here? What she was doing was incredible.

Delivered in the first-person perspective mostly through the eyes of 8½ year-old Janie Doe Macy (who might not be who she thinks she is), and Grandma Mona (who might not be who you think she is), Saving Cicadas both celebrates and struggles with the miracle of life—all life; from bugs, to roses, to children, and a whole lot in between. But there's more to it than that. The true delight of the first-person voice is experiencing the story through the eyes of a character directly involved in it. If done well, it creates the effect of involving you in it, too. Nicole captures Janie’s mind and vernacular so well, you don’t experience the story with Janie, you become Janie. If you don’t, either you’ve never been eight years old, or you have no pulse.

Saving Cicadas is a journey of discovery, but you won’t really know where it’s leading until Ms. Seitz decides it’s okay for you to know. She sets you up with a straightforward thematic thrust, putting you comfortably off guard, then keeps you off balance with simplistically complex plot. Multi-dimensional characters challenge your inclination to develop first impressions and stick with them for any meaningful length of time. Her colorful writing voice paints a warm and unpretentious backdrop—which is ‘deceptive’ in its own right. Then, when you least expect it, the story picks up speed and passes the point of safe ejection before you have a chance to react. So, get yourself two cups of tea and unplug the telephone, ‘cuz you’re not going anywhere for awhile.

I guess you’ve probably noticed that I enjoyed this book. Please get it. If, when you’ve finished it, you don’t agree with this review, I’ll refund you the cover price. Seriously.

One last bit of advice: Don’t ever sit down at a poker table with Nicole Seitz. You haven’t got a chance.

(Disclaimer: Saving Cicadas was provided free of charge by Thomas Nelson for review; however, my comments would have been no different had I spent twice the cover price.)
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