by Jason Joyner | Sep 19, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, fiction, links
Ok, those pesky pirates from earlier today (ARRRR) have finally left me alone to catch up with all the action for this month’s CSFF blog tour. It seems several of us didn’t read and review The Return because it is the third of a series and we hadn’t started it. This is always a bummer with a blog tour. But the buzz from those who have read the series seem to consistently give the book high marks. For true science fiction, it seems to really nail things. So I have poured through my tourmates to discover the best posts to read. Some have posted the back cover or author info, which helps support the books, but these following have put a little more out there for you. Of course, don’t miss out on Austin Boyd’s personal site.
Grace Bridges gives a good review.
Valerie Comer has some interesting discussion regarding the series.
Marcus Goodyear is applying his editorial kung-fu on the book – see if it holds its own!
Christopher Hopper is a fellow author who gives praise to Mr. Boyd.
Karen managed to read this book in one night – see how she did it.
Rebecca LuElla Miller discusses book 2 (The Proof) and book 3 (The Return).
John W. Otte has hands down the deepest discussion of the Mars Hill Classified trilogy, from 9/17-9/19.
Deena Peterson has an interview with Austin Boyd and further discussion of the books.
Chawna Schroeder does an in-depth review on all 3 books, from 9/7, 9/14, and 9/18.
James Somers has a nice in-a-nutshell review.
Speculative Faith promotes these books as must read sci-fi.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 6, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing Sushi for One?
(Zondervan, September 1, 2007)
by CAMY TANG
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Camy Tang is a member of CFBA and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.
Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One) is her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) comes out in February 2008!
To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, she’s got a huge contest going on. Camy is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today.
For more information about the contest, visit her website.
Contest ends October 31, 2007!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Lex Sakai’s family, big, nosy, and marriage-minded, is ruled by a crafty grandmother. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the OLDEST SINGLE COUSIN in the clan, a loathed position by all single female family members.
Lex has not dated for years.
Grandma homes in on this fact and demands, bribes, and threatens Lex to bring a boyfriend (not just a date) to her cousin’s wedding.
Lex does not want to date … not since that terrible incident a few years back … but, Grandma doesn’t give her that choice.
Lex’s options are slim because she has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the PERFECT man (and the more she dates, the more she adds to the list).
The one man she keeps running into (and is completely attracted to) doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex loses control and lets God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 6, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing Sushi for One?
(Zondervan, September 1, 2007)
by CAMY TANG
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Camy Tang is a member of CFBA and is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.
Sushi for One? (Sushi Series, Book One) is her first novel. Her second, Only Uni (Sushi Series, Book Two) comes out in February 2008!
To celebrate the launch of her debut novel, she’s got a huge contest going on. Camy is giving away baskets of Christian novels and an iPod Nano! Only her newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today.
For more information about the contest, visit her website.
Contest ends October 31, 2007!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Lex Sakai’s family, big, nosy, and marriage-minded, is ruled by a crafty grandmother. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the OLDEST SINGLE COUSIN in the clan, a loathed position by all single female family members.
Lex has not dated for years.
Grandma homes in on this fact and demands, bribes, and threatens Lex to bring a boyfriend (not just a date) to her cousin’s wedding.
Lex does not want to date … not since that terrible incident a few years back … but, Grandma doesn’t give her that choice.
Lex’s options are slim because she has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the PERFECT man (and the more she dates, the more she adds to the list).
The one man she keeps running into (and is completely attracted to) doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex loses control and lets God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 4, 2007 | Blog, fiction, reviews, sweet tea, writing craft
As promised, I finished John Aubrey Anderson’s latest book, And If I Die. I missed the last blog tour, but since I’ve blogged extensively about his first two books, Abiding Darkness (August, 2006), and Wedgewood Grey (February, 2007), I thought a continuation was in order. Plus, it’s my blog, so I can do what I want.
Anderson continues the story of the battle between light and darkness that weaves in and out of generations in the South. The first book focused on the young white girl Missy Parker, and how she survived several encounters with demonic forces. The second book shows her black “almost daddy” Mose Washington provide protection for a young boy named Bill who loses his mother tragically and how Mose becomes his “Pap” to protect him from the same demonic forces.
The story shifts in a large part to Pilot Hill Texas, where Mose and Bill are in hiding while Bill attends college and works on his new passion of bull riding. They are only 15 miles from Missy Parker Patterson and her philosophy professor husband. This eclectic family knows that Bill has a special calling, but his resistance to all things spiritual frustrate their efforts to keep him safe from a powerful evil looking for revenge.
Missy has always been a stubborn girl, and growing into a beautiful woman has not really tempered her at all. When she hears a voice calling her to “Be ready,” her stubborn refusal threatens a generation of work.
(It gets harder to write a good synopsis for a series without giving away a lot for prior books!)
And If I Die continues this touching and well-written story. Anderson has a real talent for bringing out the color of Mississippi and Texas, drawing the reader into a world that resonates with authenticity. I think my single most favorite line out of a book this year is the following exchange as a California kid tries Missy’s iced tea:
When everyone had a glass, Griffin took a sip and exclaimed, “It’s sweet!”
“Oops, sorry,” Missy laughed. “It’s a Miss’ippi thing, an’ I forgot to warn you. Would you rather have something else?”
He took another sip, licked his lips, and pronounced, “Never again. I can’t believe I wasted my youth on unsweetened tea.”
As the series progresses, Anderson works to keep the inevitable patterns from becoming too predictable. We learn more background information of one of the major characters, still in a entertaining way that serve the story. He also continues to bring spiritual truth into the story in pretty natural ways.
Finally, the characters are attractive and draw you in to investing in what happens to them. Missy was missing to a degree in Wedgewood Grey, but she carries more of the load in the new book. She still is the most engaging character to me, although as an adult she has less of the learning curve she initially did. Anderson still has a hard time sticking to one viewpoint in a section, which can occasionally be confusing concerning who is thinking or speaking, but for the most part it is easy enough to discern.
Being third in the series, And If I Die rests on too much background to be read as a stand alone. My recommendation is to buy all three and enjoy a great read in a fascinating world. Even though his website only lists three books, my understanding is that it is a 6 book arc. I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment. I’m pretty confident he can maintain the tension and interest for that many books, but time will tell.
by Jason Joyner | Sep 4, 2007 | Blog, fiction, reviews, sweet tea, writing craft
As promised, I finished John Aubrey Anderson’s latest book, And If I Die. I missed the last blog tour, but since I’ve blogged extensively about his first two books, Abiding Darkness (August, 2006), and Wedgewood Grey (February, 2007), I thought a continuation was in order. Plus, it’s my blog, so I can do what I want.
Anderson continues the story of the battle between light and darkness that weaves in and out of generations in the South. The first book focused on the young white girl Missy Parker, and how she survived several encounters with demonic forces. The second book shows her black “almost daddy” Mose Washington provide protection for a young boy named Bill who loses his mother tragically and how Mose becomes his “Pap” to protect him from the same demonic forces.
The story shifts in a large part to Pilot Hill Texas, where Mose and Bill are in hiding while Bill attends college and works on his new passion of bull riding. They are only 15 miles from Missy Parker Patterson and her philosophy professor husband. This eclectic family knows that Bill has a special calling, but his resistance to all things spiritual frustrate their efforts to keep him safe from a powerful evil looking for revenge.
Missy has always been a stubborn girl, and growing into a beautiful woman has not really tempered her at all. When she hears a voice calling her to “Be ready,” her stubborn refusal threatens a generation of work.
(It gets harder to write a good synopsis for a series without giving away a lot for prior books!)
And If I Die continues this touching and well-written story. Anderson has a real talent for bringing out the color of Mississippi and Texas, drawing the reader into a world that resonates with authenticity. I think my single most favorite line out of a book this year is the following exchange as a California kid tries Missy’s iced tea:
When everyone had a glass, Griffin took a sip and exclaimed, “It’s sweet!”
“Oops, sorry,” Missy laughed. “It’s a Miss’ippi thing, an’ I forgot to warn you. Would you rather have something else?”
He took another sip, licked his lips, and pronounced, “Never again. I can’t believe I wasted my youth on unsweetened tea.”
As the series progresses, Anderson works to keep the inevitable patterns from becoming too predictable. We learn more background information of one of the major characters, still in a entertaining way that serve the story. He also continues to bring spiritual truth into the story in pretty natural ways.
Finally, the characters are attractive and draw you in to investing in what happens to them. Missy was missing to a degree in Wedgewood Grey, but she carries more of the load in the new book. She still is the most engaging character to me, although as an adult she has less of the learning curve she initially did. Anderson still has a hard time sticking to one viewpoint in a section, which can occasionally be confusing concerning who is thinking or speaking, but for the most part it is easy enough to discern.
Being third in the series, And If I Die rests on too much background to be read as a stand alone. My recommendation is to buy all three and enjoy a great read in a fascinating world. Even though his website only lists three books, my understanding is that it is a 6 book arc. I’m eagerly waiting for the next installment. I’m pretty confident he can maintain the tension and interest for that many books, but time will tell.
by Jason Joyner | Aug 31, 2007 | Blog, CFBA, fiction
I’ve posted some teasers about this book previously (Join the Shadows…). I goofed when it came time to request this book for this blog tour, so I haven’t read it yet. This is a “Must Read” on my list, and I encourage you to check it out if you like suspense or Dean Koontz type of books. When I read it I’ll post my personal review. Now for the CFBA promo:
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing THE DEAD WHISPER ON (Bethany House July 1, 2007) by T. L. Hines
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tony is the author of the acclaimed Waking Lazarus. He has been an advertising agency owner/principal, a trade amgazine editor, and now a novelist.
He has been a professional writer for more than 15 years with articles appearing in publications as varied as Log Homes, Conservative Theological Journal, and Travel & Leisure. He is also Creative Director at Montana’s largest advertising agency.
His long list of past odd jobs includes trimming Christmas trees, sorting seed potatoes, working the graveyard shift at a convenience store, and cleaning cadaver storage rooms.
As a teen he was undefeated in air guitar competitions in which he performed songs by ZZ Top.
He lives in Montana with his wife and daughter,
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Would You Run Into A Burning Building?
Candace “Canada Mac” MacHugh lives a ghost of her former life.
Once a proud Butte, Montana, miner who daily risked her life setting explosives, she’s now a garbage collector in her dying hometown.
Her beloves father is dead and she doesn’t speak to her mom. More than anything, Candace Mac misses her father. He promised to contact her from the “other side” if he could…but it’s been eleven long years. And now even her beloved city of Butte, Montana, seems to be dying off.
Candace Mac is alone. Longing for the past. Dreaming of making a difference.
Until one night when her father’s voice speaks to her from the shadows. Bud MacHugh’s trademark growl. The dead, it seems, have messages they hunger to share with the world…warnings of impending disasters and grave danger. Of cities doomed to burn.
But they need Canada’s help.
T.L. Hines’ first novel, Waking Lazarus was named one of the Library Journal’s Top 25 Genre novels of 2006. Now he’s back with a gripping suspense that brings to light our fears and asks us if we still have the courage to fight for those around us. if we have the guts to be one of those who run into burning buildings.
“Chilling!” Publishers Weekly
“…a well-paced suspense populated by dynamic characters.” Kirkus Discoveries
