Two for you

As promised, here are two great, new titles from two dear friends, both wonderful writers who love a love story.

Rachel Hauck's newest, Love Starts With Elle (gotta love that title) is about finidng beauty in the ashes. Here's the story in a nutshell: Elle is the last of five sisters to find true love. So when Elle Garvey's wide receiver-turned-pastor boyfriend, Jeremiah Franklin, proposes, she answers an enthusiastic, 'Yes.' That is, intil she discovers the engagement comes with unexpected sacrifices.But every relationship requires compromise, and as Jeremiah takes on a large Dallas pastorate, Elle’s life purpose and calling is challenged. As she stays behind in Beaufort, South Carolina to plan the wedding and sell her beloved art gallery, doubt shadows her engagement decision. Meanwhile, New York lawyer Heath McCord needs a change of scenery and moves with his young daughter to the low-country with dreams starting over and writing a novel.As Heath renews his hope and heart, Elle's life begins to unravel. Crushed when Jeremiah ends their engagement, she heals morning by morning, praying in a dilapidated chapel, searching for passion and purpose. In the midst of crisis, God shows up and love blooms.


Romantic Times gave it a big thumbs up with 4.5 stars and a Top Pick rating: "Hauck is quickly making a name for herself as an insightful and thoughtfulauthor. It's great to catch up with characters from previous novels as wellas meet new ones. Elle is vulnerable, yet wise, and the romantic angle will leave you sighing with delight."


Of Elle, Rachel says: "Elle is a reflection of society today - very artsy and romantic, feeling oriented, living by intuition more than thought and reason. If you study the Romantic Era of the 1800's, the landscape of society today is very much the same. We're in a Renaissance of that time. . . Having her go on a journey of prayer really fit her emotional palette."


Rachel Hauck is the author of 10, going on 11 novels. She lives in Florida with her hubby of sixteen years, two dogs and one ornery cat, Rachel is a graduate of Ohio State University and a huge Buckeye football fan. One day she hopes to stand on the sidelines next to Coach Tressel as a famed, acclaimed OSU alumni, beloved for her work in literature and letters. (She’s written at least a couple hundred letters in her life time.)



The third title in Susan May Warren's Noble Legacy series is now on the shelves: Finding Stefanie is another great story written by Christy-nominated Susie-Q who has a flair for romantic suspense. Here's the nutshell version: When she put her dreams on hold to help run the family ranch, she never imagined they would slip out of sight. Luckily for Stefanie, those dreams are about to come knocking at her door. Lincoln Cash has gained fame and fortune on the big screen, but a crippling secret leaves him one last chance to make his mark on the movie industry. With dreams of hosting a new film festival, Lincoln intends to remodel a sprawling ranch in eastern Montana to make it the new Hollywood hot spot. Unfortunately, a house fire threatens his plans. So does opposition from his new neighbor Stefanie Noble, who's not thrilled about his Tinseltown changes. What Lincoln and Stefanie don't know is that the fire won't be the last disaster to threaten Lincoln or his future. Someone is out for revenge... but who? And who is the real target?

You can read the first chapter here:

Susan May Warren is the award-winning novelist of over twenty novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, and have been Rita or Christy award finalists. Her compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She loves to write and help other writers find their voice through her www.MyBookTherapy.com boutique editing blog and services. A former missionary to Russia, Susan May Warren and her husband of 20 years, and four children, now live in a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where they are active in their local church.

On Friday, Edglings, I hope to be able to post to you from the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Meissners are going to take in some altitude. Hope there's Internet access somewhere in the timberline. If not, you'll know I was thinking of you.

Ciao for now.

Late, but oh, the delight

I am painfully aware of the many days that have passed since my last post. I have a string of excuses at my disposal and I am not afraid to use them. The truth is, though, "life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans." I had to plans to post last Friday and again this past Monday. On Friday I was in Orlando at a writers retreat, which led to ICRS (the International Christian Retailrs Show) where The Shape of Mercy was introduced to a very nice crowd of book retailers.

I truly thought I'd be able to sneak in some blogging time during those busy days. It just didn't happen. And I really did have some wonderful news to share, which I will share with you now.

Early last week I learned The Shape of Mercy, which hits bookstore shelves on Sept. 16, was reviewed in Publishers Weekly. I nervously headed over to its online home to read the review. This was the book's first review and first introduction to the pubilc. PW is a discriminating general marketplace mag and I'd had yet to own the pleasure of fully impressing its staff of readers.

I clicked on the link to my review and scrolled down until I saw my name.

And there, much to my everlasting surprise, was a little red star.

Whoa.

I scrolled back up to the top of the webpage to make sure I had the correct URL and that I really was looking at a review of this book by Publishers Weekly. Yikes. I was.

With a shaking hand, I scrolled back down and just drank in the look and lustre of that little red star.

A starred review.

In Publishers Weekly.

They liked it.

Here's what they said:
"Meissner's newest novel is potentially life-changing, the kind of inspirational fiction that prompts readers to call up old friends, lost loves or fallen-away family members to tell them that all is forgiven and that life is too short for holding grudges. Achingly romantic, the novel features the legacy of Mercy Hayworth—a young woman convicted during the Salem witch trials—whose words reach out from the past to forever transform the lives of two present-day women. These book lovers—Abigail Boyles, elderly, bitter and frail, and Lauren “Lars” Durough, wealthy, earnest and young—become unlikely friends, drawn together over the untimely death of Mercy, whose precious diary is all that remains of her too short life. And what a diary! Mercy's words not only beguile but help Abigail and Lars together face life's hardest struggles about where true meaning is found, which dreams are worth chasing and which only lead to emptiness, and why faith and hope are essential on life's difficult path. Meissner's prose is exquisite and she is a stunning storyteller. This is a novel to be shared with friends. (Sept. 16)"

Hey, it's always nice to hear when you've done something right. I know someone else might read The Shape of Mercy and not like it at all. I know with a deadline looming and an unfinished manuscript calling me at every spare moment that this is no time to rest on laurels or pillows or anything else.

But affirmation goes a long way with me. It empowers me to keep at the craft, keep reaching for new depths and new possibilities. And the little red star? Hope it doesn't sound sacrilegious, but that felt like a kiss from God. Like maybe He really likes this one, too.

Thanks for hanging around to hear this. I will endeavor not to leave you dangling on the Edge in future days.

On Monday, some great new titles from some awesome friends of mine. . . See you then.

Up close to From a Distance

My good friend Tamera Alexander is stopping by the Edge today to talk about her new book, From a Distance.

Here's the teaser from the back cover: "Determined to become one of the country’s premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career, and her life. Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he’ll do anything to protect his land and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger, Daniel is called upon to repay a debt. He’s a man of his word, but repaying that debt will bring secrets from his past to light.
Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met . . . from a distance."

Edge: Your character Elizabeth Westbrook is a proponent of women’s rights – a suffragette and a woman aspiring to be the first photographer/journalist for the Washington Daily Chronicle. However, you chose to afflict her with a lung disorder that reminds her often of her true weakness and mortality. Where did the idea come from?
Tamera: While the dichotomy grew out of Elizabeth’s developing character, it was also a conscious choice on my part. I just didn’t know at the outset what her physical weakness would be. When I first started “getting to know” Elizabeth Westbrook, I quickly discovered she was a strong-minded woman. Not a current day feminist, per se, but she was determined to achieve her goals, wanting above all to be the woman God wanted her to be. And yet, even in that earnest and honest desire, her perspective was skewed. Part of her journey in From a Distance is learning what it means to give God her dreams, to surrender her aspirations for His.

Edge: What drew you to freed slaves and the Civil War as issues to set alongside the infant feminine movement?
Tamera: Being born and raised in Atlanta, I’ve long held an appreciation for Southern history, and for the Civil War in particular. I’ve looked forward to writing a book where I could blend the rugged backdrop of the Colorado Territory with that of the antebellum South. I’ve read numerous accounts and diaries from men and women of that era and have a deep respect and appreciation for what they endured, and for their contribution to this country’s rich and diverse heritage. Josiah’s story is truly one of mercy and grace in a person’s life. He tells Elizabeth, “Knowin’ Jesus has already sifted through what’s comin’ before it gets to me…Well, I reckon that ought to be enough.” This is not an easy lesson for anyone to learn.

Edge: Do you think this is the key to understanding why people have to endure suffering?
Tamera: I truly believe that a faith like Josiah’s has to be refined by fire, as it says in I Peter 1:7. By trials. I know that, personally, I grow closer to God in the hard times more so than the easy times. Writing Revealed (my second book) was a healing journey from sexual abuse for me that I hadn’t anticipated. But God knew. I believe that when I first created Annabelle Grayson’s secondary character in Rekindled, God knew I’d write Revealed, and He was already waiting for me in that moment a year later as I wrote Annabelle’s story, even as He was with me in that current moment when her character first “stepped onto the page.”
And something more… I believe that years ago—even as a man lured a little six-year-old girl into a bedroom and sinned against her—God was already setting into motion a plan for her healing. And that He knew I’d someday answer His call to be a writer, and that His glory would be made known through the story of a prostitute who was abused at a tender age. I never could have written Revealed, I never could have gone to those dark places in the human heart, had I not experienced such pain. And then later…such amazing joy.

Edge: Daniel, Elizabeth and Josiah all reach a point where they either choose to share or are forced to share the truth about their circumstances. How important was this to their story?
Tamera: It’s hard to take off the mask and let people see who we really are—warts and all, as the saying goes—because it makes us vulnerable. And when we’re vulnerable, we can get hurt. All over again. And who wants to intentionally open yourself to more hurt? And yet, when we’re vulnerable, we’re real. (Writing this makes me want to run grab my copy of The Velveteen Rabbit and read it all over again!) Being real, being authentic, is such an attractive quality in a person. As I get older, I see God most through these difficult times in my life, and yet my seeing Him, sensing and witnessing His presence, doesn’t always help me to understand the “why” behind something He allows. I’ve long ago surrendered the quest to figure out why God does something. Searching for the answer to a “why” has never led to a deeper faith step in my life. Choosing to trust Him despite not knowing the reason why something happened, choosing to trust (in the words of Job) “though He slay me”….does.

Cool. Tamera is a finalist for this year's Christy Awards (for Remembered), and the winners will be announced this coming weekend in Orlando. I'll be there to cheer on many good friends who are among the ranks of finalists this year.

So, if I am late in posting on Friday, you'll know why. But I have something very exciting to share with you so I sure hope the hotel room has wireless. . .

See you then. . .