CFBA BLOG TOUR...REMEMBERED BY TAMERA ALEXANDER

This week the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
REMEMBERED

(Fountain Creek Chronicles, Book 3)
(Bethany House, 2007)

by

Tamera Alexander

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Alexander’s books have won multiple awards, including Romance Writers of America’s 2007 RITA® for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller’s Best, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction of 2006.
Her books have received acclaim from Library Journal, True West Magazine and Historical Novels Review, and Rekindled debuted on the CBA fiction bestseller list. She has a professional background in business management and conference coordination. A leader of women's ministries for over twelve years, she is currently active in music ministry, facilitating small groups, and mentoring other women. A graduate of Harding University, Tamera lives with her husband and their two teenagers in Greeley, Colorado.
Her other two books in the Fountain Creek Chronicles are Rekindled (Book 1) and Revealed (Book 2)

To celebrate the release of Remembered, as well as the 3-volume boxed set of Fountain Creek Chronicles (Rekindled, Revealed, and Remembered), Tamera is currently giving away boxed sets in a contest on her website. Check out the contest at http://www.tameraalexander.com/ .

From a Distance, the first book in Tamera’s next historical series (Timber Ridge Reflections) releases in spring 2008.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Though loss is often marked
in a single moment,
letting go of someone you love
can take a lifetime...

The threat of war--and a final request--send Véronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood--her father. Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Véronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers.

His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn't count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman's search will cause havoc with his plans... and his life.

WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING:
"Alexander again delivers a most amazing story. The characters are more than words on the page; they become real people. Though there are French words sprinkled throughout the story, they enhance the emotions rather than distract the reader." --Romantic Times

"...a rich historical romance by possibly the best new writer in this subgenre." --Library Journal

"Alexander has done it again with Remembered, third in the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES. She's fashioned characters that are as rich and deep as the mountains and valleys they explore throughout the pages, coloring the story as adeptly as the heroine does her canvas. I was drawn immediately into the ages-old heartaches of both of the main characters, understanding at once Veronique's reticence to make a place for herself in the unknown wilds of America and Jack's uncompromising love for this land that he’s cut a swath through time and again. They both have a series of mountains to overcome in the search for Veronique’s father, but I enjoyed watching their faith and appreciation grow with each turn of the page. And woven adeptly through it all is the encompassing truth of the Lord's sovereignty—that sometimes He takes away, and sometimes He gives us what we need, not what we're looking for.
Anyone who's read the other Fountain Creek books won't want to miss this one, but it easily stands alone. The characters will take you by the hand and lead you heart-first into their stories, and by the time they release you at the end, you'll feel as though you've taken up residence just across the Creek from them, as surely as they have in your heart." --Roseanna White, christianreviewofbooks.com

"Remembered, the third book in the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES, takes us back to Willow Creek and revisits beloved characters from the previous two books in the series, Rekindled and Revealed. Tamera Alexander has the remarkable ability to create places, and characters who endear themselves to us, even those just briefly mentioned. If I had lived in the late 1800s, I would love to have met these people and would surely have been inspired by the way they lived out their faith.

Remembered is a delightful read, well-researched and well-written. I expect to see great things from this author in the future." --Lindsey Freitas, bookloons.com

"Remembered is an absolutely wonderful continuation of the FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES." --Amanda Schafer, armchairinterviews.com

The book link is: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764201107

Tamera can be reached through the Contact link on her Website

ACFW Conference Recap...friends and connections made!

Okay, so Georgiana mentioned she's waiting for my conference memories post. LOL. Well, here it is. I'll start by saying, I'm not a photo taker, I'm not a scrapbooker, and I'm not one to take note of things. Hmmm, not great for a newspaper correspondent. LOL. Anyway, I don't have photos to share, but I have lots of memories.

The conference started off with a sweet card from my roommate, Cara Putman. She's the most considerate friend. She had a little card on my pillow welcoming me to the conference and just started my day off with a smile. Cara has moved from "writing" friend to just friend over the course of the last year or two and I felt blessed to have her as a roommate.

Thursday evening I met Kaye Dacus. I'd been to the 2005 ACFW conference but never had a chance to meet her so I was pleased to check that off my to do list. :) Waving at Kaye.

The food at the conference was fab! We had so many great entrees and let's not even talk about the dessert. Sheesh, that was good carrot cake.

Friday I had an editor meeting with Krista and an agent meeting with Kelly Mortimer. Both meetings went well. Krista requested I change Rock Bottom to third person--pray for me--but overall she acted like she really liked the concept of Rock Bottom and my romance, Inn For A Penny. Kelly Mortimer started off the meeting grabbing me and hugging me. (which for a non-touchy person, I was a little caught off guard) Her gregarious personality put me right at ease. She's friendly and kind and seemingly really in it to helping the unpublished writer.

I also got to meet one of my favorite authors, Rachel Hauck. I adore her writing and now I even adore her. She's such a doll and she has this really cool vibe. Especially when she's worshipping. When she led worship she was clearly in His presence and therefore took us with her on the journey as you lose yourself in the music. The prayer and worship alone were enough to go to the conference for.

Oh, and I got to meet up with Lynette Sowell. Lynette and I have been email friends for a little while since we both wrote for Carla Raddling on the Scenes and Beans Blog for Brandilyn Collins. It was so fun getting to know her and I feel like I came away with a new friend.

The conference ended with the awards banquet and while I didn't place in my category, I did get some great feedback from one of the judges so all was not lost. I feel like the direction I got will help make the story better so it's all good.

Oh and big congrats to Georgiana for placing second in the Lit category. I think Georgiana is the sweetest thing and I'm so happy for her.

Finally, I came away from the conference feeling a little refreshed and ready to tackle these works in progress. I was starting to feel slightly defeated and ready to take some time off. Now I'm actually looking forward to making the changes to my work and seeing the improvement that comes with learning and growth.

Blessed Assurance by Lyn Cote

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing



BLESSED ASSURANCE

Avon Inspire (October 1, 2007)

by

Lyn Cote

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lyn Cote's journey to becoming a published author was a long one - she started her first book when her daughter was 13 months old and her first novel was published when her daughter was about to enter high school. But Lyn was writing for a market that hadn't taken shape yet - the inspirational fiction market.

In 1996, Lyn Cote's first inspirational historical manuscript was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Contest. This became her first historical novel, Whispers Of Love, in her BLESSED ASSURANCE series.

Most recently, Chloe, the first novel in Lyn's "Women of Ivy Manor" historical series was a 2006 RWA Rita Award finalist for Best Inspirational, as well as a finalist for the Holt Medallion and the National Readers Choice Contest.

Lyn also writes contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She lives in the lovely northwoods of Wisconsin with her husband and three cats. Aside from writing, she also likes to knit, crochet, read, and do lunch with friends.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Now available for the first time in one edition--All three novels from Lyn Cote's beloved Blessed Assurance series

In Whispers of Love, Civil War widow Jessie Wagstaff must fend for herself and her son. When a stranger, Lee Smith, befriends Jessie's son, even though she recognizes nine-year-old Linc's need for a father figure, she's reluctant to let a new man into their life. When the Great Chicago Fire blazes, every heart is pushed to its limits.

In Lost In His Love, Jessie's son Linc, a social activist and reporter, charms his way through the upper class of San Francisco to build much-needed support for his fight against child labor. His main target is Cecilia Jackson, a beautiful heiress who doesn't recognize the crucial part she plays in this dangerous exploitation. As the secrets of her family's dark past are exposed, Cecilia must revive her own wounded spirit and find the strength to lean on the never-failing love of Christ. But when the 1906 earthquake hits, everyone's faith will be put to the test.

In Echoes of Mercy, Meg Wagstaff challenges the racial barriers of 1920s New Orleans in order to prove that her childhood friend did not commit murder. The stubborn lawyer prosecuting the case, Gabriel St. Clair, is an authentic Southern gentleman who makes the mistake of underestimating Meg, both her tenacity and her charm. Despite their many differences, sparks begin to fly. But when Meg discovers the truth, will Gabe be able to protect her from those who can't afford to have justice prevail?

"A beautiful tale of love, forgiveness, and acceptance."

~CBA Marketplace

THE EX FILES BY VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY

CFBA BLOG TOUR TIME ;)

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Ex Files
(Touchstone June 19, 2007)
by
Victoria Christopher Murray
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Christopher Murray always knew she would become an author, even as she was taking quite an unlikely path to that destination. A native of Queens, New York, Victoria first left New York to attend Hampton Institute in Virginia where she majored in Communication Disorders. After graduating from Hampton, Victoria attended New York University where she received her MBA.Victoria spent ten years in Corporate America before she decided to test her entrepreneurial spirit. She opened a Financial Services Agency for Aegon, USA where she managed the number one division for nine consecutive years. However, Victoria never lost the dream to write and when the “bug” hit her again in 1997, she answered the call.Victoria originally self published Temptation. “I wanted to write a book as entertaining and compelling as any of the books on the market, put God in the middle, and have the book still be a page-turner. I wasn’t writing to any particular genre – I didn’t even know Christian fiction existed. I just wanted to write about people I knew and characters I could relate to.”In 2000, Time Warner published Temptation. Temptation made numerous best sellers list across the nation and remained on the Essence bestsellers list for nine consecutive months. In 2001, Temptation was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literature.Since Temptation, Victoria has written four other novels: JOY, Truth Be Told, Grown Folks Business, and A Sin and a Shame. All of her novels have continued to be Essence bestsellers; her last three each reaching #1. In addition, Victoria has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and in 2006, she was awarded the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being the pioneer in African American Christian Fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Ex Files:
A Novel About Four Women and Faith...
There are four ways a woman can handle heartbreak. She can fall apart, seek revenge, turn cold, or move on. The Ex Files is the story of these four women:When Kendall Stewart finds her husband and her sister in bed together, she vows to never let anyone get that close again. But when she is faced with saving the life of the woman who destroyed hers, will she be able to forgive?When an NBA superstar tells his mistress, Asia Ingrum, that he's decided to honor his marriage vows, her shock quickly gives way to revenge...but her decision may come back to haunt their five-year-old daughter.Every night Vanessa Martin wonders why her husband committed suicide. Even worse, she contemplates joining him in eternity. Will Vanessa be able to gather the strength to live again?Sheridan Hart is finally finding her way after a lie destroyed her seventeen-year marriage. Her new love is ready to get married, but will she commit to this younger man or is her ex-husband taking up too much space in her heart?When their pastor asks Kendall, Asia, Vanessa, and Sheridan to meet weekly for prayer, they can't imagine they will have anything in common. But then a devastating tragedy strikes and these strangers are forced to reexamine their choices. Will they find true friendship, or will prayer -- and their union -- fail them?

I can't wait to dive into this book. Once I finish it I'm going to post an author interview and do a book giveaway. . . stay tuned. ;)

DALLAS BOUND...WOOHOO!!!

This time tomorrow I'll be in Dallas. Yeehaw! I'm so excited. I've been looking forward to the ACFW conference for such a long time. I'm eager to sharpen my skills as a writer and learn all kinds of great stuff from writers I admire so much. I'm especially looking forward to Rachel Hauck's continuing session on writing Lits. That should be packed full of valuable information. And I can't wait for Gayle Roper's workshop. She's been one of my favorite authors for years.

The one bummer is that I'm going to miss my husband and son. This is only the second time I've been away from home since I've been married. Sniff Sniff...okay, maybe it's time I cut the strings. LOL.

Anyway, I'll post when I can. (and for my three friends not making it this year, you know who you are, it won't be the same without you)

AHHH...ACFW CONFERENCE IS LESS THAN 6 DAYS AWAY!!!

Let me start by apologizing for not being a responsible Blog hostess. Sigh. I've slipped in my blog responsibilities of late, but I'm not entirely to blame...see I'm trying to finish up my rough draft of Rock Bottom so I can at least say I'm finished with the rough draft when I pitch it at ACFW conference next week.

Something occurred to me yesterday about said book. Since RB is a finalist in the Genesis contest, the editor I had planned to pitch to is also the second round judge for my category. So here's the predicament. I haven't received my comments for the second round yet (we get them a couple weeks after conference, per Camy Tang) so what if I pitch this book to this woman who's read the first three chapters and she's sitting there, familiar with the book, and little do I know... she hated it...what a waste of both of our time not to mention how stupid I'll feel when I get her comments back.

So I think I'm going to pitch something else I'm working on. So if any of you have an opinion...I'd be glad to hear it. Like Georgiana, if you read this, what are you going to do? Are you pitching your finalist entry to Krista or someone else? Or are you pitching it at all? Just curious. ;)

Life, Libby, and the Pursuit of Happiness by Hope Lyda

This week on the CFBA blog tour we're introducing LIFE, LIBBY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
(Harvest House Publishers March 1, 2007) by Hope Lyda

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hope Lyda has always wanted to write. Ever since she was a young tyke with a spiral notebook in hand, she had the urge to fill it. Sadly, Peggy Meets the Midgets did not cause Hope to be deemed a child prodigy, so she continued her path of education. She was grade-obsessed but also truly enjoyed sharing laughs with her circle of creative friends.

Hope attended the University of Oregon and graduated with a double major in Journalism: Advertising and Telecommunications and Film. With aspirations to write screenplays or teleplays, she of course ended up doing public relations for non-profits until she entered the publishing field in which she has worked for 10 years.

Her passions are quiet ones—she loves a good read, an afternoon of free thinking time, writing, journaling, road trips, travel, and pondering life from her back yard pergola. She loiters in bookstores frequently, though has never been arrested for such. Her big hope is to encourage others to embrace their dreams and understand their faith journeys through the practice of journaling and the art of creative living. She hopes to also inspire such things through the themes in her fiction including Hip to Be Square and Altar Call. (There are also visions of a nice Casita with a hammock in Mexico—but one thing at a time.)

When not living in her head, she resides with her husband, Marc, in the Pacific Northwest.


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Libby Hawthorne makes exotic trip itineraries but never leaves Seattle. She’d like to attend church but winds up at a bookstore. She longs for love—but who has the time? Delayed happiness has been worth it, because she’s about to get her dream promotion...

Or not.

So now what?

When a corporate merger leaves her demoted and disillusioned, Libby realizes she needs to start living authentically...and soon. But just as she tries to uncover her purposed life, her cruel and unusual boss, Cecilia, demands that Libby hide Seattle’s most famous homegrown rock star in order to keep her new, bad job. For the first time in years, Libby doesn’t have a step by step plan to guide her. She must trust her faith and her heart. But what is she supposed to do with her growing admiration for Blaine Slater, a new VP from Chicago, or the surprising kindness of the rock star living incognito in her Seattle apartment? Through the humorous twist and turns, Libby uncovers a big life truth—the detours we are afraid of might just be the perfect path to happiness.

After I read this book, I'll post my own review. If you've read any of Hope's books, feel free to leave a comment. ;)

Introducing Sushi for One? By Camy Tang

Hey everybody, here's the book blurb for Sushi for One along with an author interview with Camy Tang. To save space, I'm going to post my review of the book next week. I loved the book and look forward to sharing my opinion of her writing style. Now, 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.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310273986

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!

Now let's meet Camy (as if there's anyone left who doesn't know the most well known blogger on the web...LOL)
Sabrina: Hi, Camy, congratulations on your fab new release, and welcome. Now, a lot of your bloggees and fellow ACFW members know the story about how Brandilyn prayed over you and you realized you were to write about your heritage. But what about your family? How did they perceive the book? Did they laugh with you, cry with you, try to find themselves in the book, etc... LOL.

Camy: It's kind of funny, because I purposefully made an announcement at a family party earlier this year: "NONE OF YOU GUYS ARE IN MY BOOK!" LOL

Seriously, none of my family is in my book. The characters are purely
from my rather scary head.

However, my family is SO proud of me. My mom especially is very proud because she was a high school English teacher and always encouraged me to write. She never once told me, "It's not really very likely you'll actually become published." She always just told me to keep writing,
and she even proofread my first manuscript.

Sabrina: Man, what a great mom. ;) I'm sure she's bursting with pride. Now, without giving too much away, what scene did you have the most fun writing?

Camy: The funnest scene was actually the first one in the Chinese restaurant at the Red Egg and Ginger party. For one, it involved lots of really good Chinese food--always a wonderful thing--and for another, it was so true to life about how a real Red Egg and Ginger party is like:
tables packed in a restaurant, people scrambling for food, waiters sliding in between chairs, the younger folk jammed into the back of the room and fighting for space.

Sabrina: That scene really drew us in right away. You did a great job helping us to see the scene.

Having read your blog, quite often, I know you are actively involved with the youth at your church and very involved in the lives of the kids you mentor. You could tell in the book, you have a handle on the young adult scene and how they live/talk/believe, so what did the girls you mentor think of the book?

Camy: Not many of the girls in my youth group read romance, but the ones who have read the book have liked it a lot. It's a little hard for them to relate to the protagonist, Lex, because she's a lot older than they are and dealing with different issues related to her stage of life, but they like the humor and the scenes with Lex's family, because they mirror their own families to an extent.

Sabrina: Some writers say they never use real life people for the idea of a certain character, I'm not one of those people. LOL. I have all kinds of people I've seen or known in my book, never the same as the real life people, but I know where they got their traits from. All that to ask, is there any Camy in the book? Though I think I might know this answer, I'm curious to see if I'm right. ;)

Camy: I do have a camy-o appearance in the book, it's a volleyball player who's not very good whose name is, incidentally, Camy. She gets beamed by a spiked volleyball and lands flat on her back. That actually happened to me. My volleyball friends call me the ball-magnet.

Sabrina: I thought that was so cute using your name. Now, tell us a little about book two.

Camy: Here's the blurb:

Will Trish Sakai be able to follow her three simple rules and hold out
against two gorgeous guys?

Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior.
And her three cousins are anxious for her to change, too. Trish is
always knocking something over, knocking herself out, and taking hard
knocks in her perpetual confusion about men.

When Trish's ex-boyfriend, Kazuo the artist, keeps popping up at all
the wrong moments, Trish decides to be firm with herself. She creates
three simple rules from First and Second Corinthians and plans to
follow them to the letter. No more looking at men! No more dating
non-Christians! She will persevere in hardship by relying on God.

Except now Kazuo is claiming Trish is his muse, and he can't complete
his major work of art without her. And a gorgeous coworker is
reassigned, bringing him in daily contact with Trish. But her cousins
are determined to hold her accountable to her plan. She thought three
rules would be a cinch, but suddenly Trish's simple rules don't seem
so simple after all.

Sabrina: Man, I can hardly wait. I'm already ready for it...can't you write any faster, woman. ;) Actually that leads into my next question. Now that you have raving fans to think of, what's your writing day like?

Camy: I'm a night owl, so I tend to get up later in the morning and work late into the evening. I try to get some exercise done first thing (although that doesn't always happen) and I also spend time with God. (Right now I'm going through a lectio divina book that's totally fabulous, and I've done the Bible in 90 Days a couple times.) That time with God is the most important part of my day, because if I don't work to develop that relationship with Him, then He won't be in my stories, and if that happens, what's the point of writing?

I spend about 1-3 hours on email--it depends on what I have going on, for instance when the Genesis contest is running, I'll be spending time doing emails for that--and then the rest of the day is writing. Sometimes I'm plotting, sometimes I'm working on character, sometimes
I'm editing, sometimes I'm writing the manuscript. It depends on what
my next deadline is.

Sabrina: How long do your books take from concept to end?

Camy: Six months, although I'm trying to cut that down. That includes several months of planning and plotting, about 6 weeks of writing, a couple weeks for my crit partners to get the manuscript back to me, and a few days to incorporate their suggestions before turning it into
my editor. Then I get macro edits and after that line edits.

Sabrina: You left us wanting more at the end of Sushi. Will we see more of Aiden and Lexi in book two?

Camy: A little. They're minor characters in Only Uni, but they do play a significant role in Trish's story.

Sabrina: What's the take away for this book? What do you want people to feel or know by the end of the book?

Camy: While I hope the story encourages Christians in their spiritual walks, I won't lie--first and foremost, I hope they just enjoy the read.

Sushi for One is the kind of book I like to read--clean, funny, romantic, light, spiritual. It's not Oswald Chambers or Lee Strobel--it's a flirty, fluffy, entertaining novel with a message of
encouragement for women struggling with some of the same issues Lex is struggling with--identity, career, the shadows of her past, her relationship with God.

Sabrina: Thanks, Camy. I appreciate you taking the time to be here, and I look forward to all those fabulous books in your future. ;)

Camy: Thanks, Sabrina! I also want to remind everyone that I have a huge website
contest going on right now where I'm giving away baskets of Christian fiction and an iPod Nano! Only my newsletter YahooGroup subscribers are eligible to enter, so join today! (and mention you heard it here!)

As I Have Loved You, by Nikki Arana

Hey all, I'm sorry I've been MIA lately, I've been trying to get ready for conference and still keep up with the day job along with the freelance job I do. I'm behind on the Love Inspired Wednesday review but I should have one posted for Murder by Mushroom tomorrow at the latest and then Sushi for One by Camy Tang will be up next. ;)

Now for As I Have Loved You. I did the CFBA blog tour when this was one of our chosen books, but I wanted to take the time to do my own post about this book. It was quite interesting and also the first book I've read by Nikki Arana.

Here's the blurb:

Leigh Scott is a widowed, single mother who wants the best for her son Jeff. She would like him to graduate from college, land a secure job, and start a family. However, Jeff, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at a young age, has a God-given compassion for people. And his non-judgemental acceptance of all has unintended consequences.

Jeff starts dating Jessica, a girl with a questionable past and seemingly non-existent future. Soon, Jeff's grades drop as quickly as his sober determination to achieve the goals he's worked toward all his life, and Leigh finds herself caught in a relational tornado

To complicate matters further, Leigh is an author with a looming book deadline, a father battling cancer, and her former boyfriend and first love, a strong Christian Native American, coming back in her life.

Sabrina Here: As I said, this is the first book I've read by this author. I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. Arana does a great job with her characterization by making us really feel for her characters. She makes them human with real flawes and yet showing their redeeming values.

Her character, Jessica, (I won't give too much away) anyway, Jessica has lived a less than stellar life, she's making a mess of Leigh's son's life and to put it honestly, sucking the life out of him and dragging him into a life of despair. What Arana does so well is make us feel for the girl, even though she's a mess, and she never quits being a mess, we still see her redeeming value and find ourselves praying the girl gets the help she deserves.

By the end of the book, Leigh realizes her own flaws as a Christian and sees herself for the judgmental person she's become. How many times in our own walk with God do we find ourselves feeling self-righteous and as much as I hate saying it...better than others? I'll confess it right here, I judge people all the time, only to be convicted by God with that little still voice saying "Sabrina, isn't my grace sufficient for them too?"

I think that's what I loved about this book, it was full of flawed people doing the best they could. Both Christians and non-Christians. And that's real life folks.

If I had to find a fault with the book I'd say they didn't do justice to her cover. There was so many neat things they could have done to incorporate the story line that I admit I might not have picked it up by cover alone if I'd have seen it in the bookstore. If you get the chance, pick up your copy today. And if you go to Nikki's website and find and email me a title of one of Nikki's other books I'll put you in a drawing for a copy of As I Have Loved You. ;)