Writer of the week

A new author -- new to me, anyway! In fact, I don't know how I've missed out on her for so long.

In the last couple of weeks, I've read two books by Tracy (T. L.) Higley: Pompeii: City on Fire, and Guardian of the Flame. I found both of them to be engrossing and to bring the cultures in which they are set vividly to life.

I enjoyed the Pompeii book more, but that may merely reflect the fact that I prefer the era of the Roman Empire to that of the Egyptians.

I enjoyed poking around her website, too. Perhaps it seemed a bit busy, but then again, it is crammed full of interesting information and links.

Writer of the Week

I wandered into the library the other day just desperate for a good story to take my mind off all the junk going on (as the final days before we have to close on the house purchase tick by and my husband's job is still not totally safe from layoffs!) Unfortunately, our library puts their shelving info at the bottom of the spine, which makes seeing the publisher a challenge. So I wandered around, until a book called The Lightkeeper's Daugher, by Colleen Coble caught my eye. I picked it up, as well as a very different looking book by the same author, called A Cry in the Night.

I can't say that I read exclusively Christian fiction, but I usually prefer it, so I'm always excited when I find a new author, and can say that I enjoyed both books tremendously, even though they're quite different from each other. The Lightkeeper's Daughter is historical romance, and A Cry in the Night is more suspense/thriller. Though they both have a strong suspense theme, I find that encouraging, as I've heard numerous times about the tendency to 'brand' authors so that publishers expect them to stay within one genre. My writing so far includes historical/biblical fiction, Amish romance, a futuristic thriller, and a YA/teen fantasy novel.

I spent some time poking around Colleen's website, and am also intrigued by the way she is exploring the world of e-publishing by offering downloads of her work.

Writer of the Week

I've read a couple of books this week by Cindy Woodsmall and enjoyed both. I noticed both had a copyright of 2009, which makes her (by my definition) a prolific and proficient writer.

The Hope of Refuge has the subtitle An Ada's House Novel, which suggests that it's at least loosely part of a series, the earlier books of which I've not encountered. As I read, I found myself teasing out the clues of what the earlier book(s) may have been about, and I will put them on my future reading list. It was an fascinating juxtaposition of two utterly different worlds: Amish life and the harsh environs of New York City's underbelly.

The second book I read, The Sound of Sleigh Bells, was also a good read, although I found the first more interesting. In both, the plots were sound, the characterizations and settings authentic, and the writer's voice pleasing.

For more information on this author, click here.

Writer of the Week

I enjoyed reading the second in Irene Hannon's Heroes of Quantico series. I like to think that her portrayal of the men who protect our country is accurate, though I don't actually have her personal knowledge.

Just today, my daughter and I heard a quote from a highly placed public official in which it was referenced that he had dropped the 'f-word.' As we were discussing our frustration with the lack of morality in public figures, a police car zoomed past, speeding but with no lights or siren... one assumes, breaking the law because he thought that an officer of the law is above it.

So, I enjoy Hannon's stories, but I appreciate her portrayal of men who should be heroes, as heroes.

Discover more of her books here.

Writer of the Week

I've always been a fan of many genres, so it would be somewhat difficult to choose a favorite, but a top contender would be historical fiction based in Great Britain. The author I've chosen this week is Sandra Worth. Though I've recently discovered her, and only read one of her books, The King's Daughter, it's a sure bet that I'll search out her Rose of York series, too.

The King's Daughter tells the story of Elizabeth, notable for being the first Tudor queen. Worth did a wonderful job of bringing the time period and the characters to life, making the era one I'd like to investigate further.

Her website is here.

Writer of the Week

This week, I've been catching up on Melanie Jeschke's writing. Years ago, I'd read the first two of her Oxford Chronicles. I finally got to read the third, and I'm hoping to read her new book, Jillian Dare, before heading back to Ohio. My parents, who before moving to Albuquerque attended the church Melanie's husband pastors, have all of her books, so I'll read them while I'm here. I tend to like novels set in Great Britian.

Melanie's website is here, but doesn't seem to be entirely up to date.

Writer of the Week

The day before a 3:45 a.m. trip to the airport, I realized I had nothing to read on the plane. After my initial panic, I hurried to the library and grabbed the first 3 or 4 books that looked interesting.. all of them by unfamiliar authors.

One of the books that caught my eye was Leaving Carolina, by Tamara Leigh. I don't usually enjoy books written in the first person, and rarely get beyond the first page of one, but she pulled it off well. I enjoyed the book thoroughly; she brought some delightful characters to life. I'm looking forward to the sequel which will be available in May.

Here's the author's website. It lists some other series which I'll be looking for, also.

Writer of the Week

At the recommendations of both Kathy Fuller, author of the Hearts of Middlefield series, and my mother-in-law, I picked up Plain Perfect, by Beth Wiseman.

I enjoyed the interplay between Amish and English life, and found the story compelling and the characters realistic. I'm looking forward to finding more of her books.

Learn more about Beth here...

Writer of the Week

This week, I'm reading a book by Kim Vogel Sawyer titled A Promise for Spring.It's a historical romance set in Kansas in the late 1800s. This one hasn't grabbed me yet as much as some of her other work. I've also read My Heart Remembers, which I really liked. Some months ago I read at the Sommerfeld Trilogy, three books set in a Mennonite community, with some good characters and a fun story.

Her website is here.

James Scott Bell

I am reading (well, studying is probably a better word for it!) two books by James Scott Bell: The Art of War for Writers, and Plot and Structure. The first consists of lots of short chapters, some encouraging, others more informative about the writing process and becoming an author. The second is a practical how-to book on plotting.

As I finally have time to devote to writing this year, I'm realizing what a juggling act it is. It's not just sitting down to write whatever story has currently taken up residence in my brain! First of all, there are usually multiple stories fighting it out over which one gets to be worked on next... but I also want to spend more time working on my craft (thus the aforementioned books), establishing a web presence (thus my current activity : ) ) and working on finding an agent and getting published.

Wow! And that's without having been published... add in book signings, fan communication, etc. and it must get a little daunting!

Oh, yeah, I don't want to forget the link for James Scott Bell's website!

Writer of the week

I've decided to start making notes of authors I've enjoyed so that next time I step into the library, I won't feel so clueless about where to look!

Recently, I came across Brandilyn Collins, and enjoyed the three books I read, Eyes of Elisha, Dark Pursuit, and Exposure. I'm not normally a huge fan of the paranormal craze -- I get a little uneasy with it sometimes. But she handles it very well, with no sense of pushing the limits of spiritual acceptability.

They've all been a fun read, too!

Here's her website for more info... http://www.brandilyncollins.com/