April 2009

May your April showers be showers of blessings!

Announcements

I’ve decided to have two book winners for March. They are Jo Legat of Sahuarita, Ariozona, and Dana Rich of Zionsville, Indiana. Click on the View Complete Profile link in the right hand column to find a link to my email. Send me your mailing address.

Readers, if you want a chance to win one of my free books, please sign my Guest Book on my website - http://www.lenanelsondooley.com/ . The winners are chosen from those who do. But remember to check back in the next month’s newsletter to see if you won. You can sign up at the top of the right hand column of this blog for Feedblitz. Then the newsletter will feed into your Inbox. I will only post a newsletter once a month.

Want more free books. We also give away a minimum of 12 free books a month on my blog: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/. Most months we give away more than that. This month I’ll be interviewing these authors:

Virginia Smith – Murder at Eagle Summit
Janice Thompson – Spring Creek Brides
Robin Shope – Wildcard
Adam Blumer – Fatal Illusions
Debra Ulrich – Dixie Hearts
Wanda Dyson – Shepherd’s Fall
Christine M. Irvin – Milk Carton Mania
Tamela Hancock Murray – Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina
Paige Dooly – Prairie Hills
Rita Galiah – Fire in the Rock
Debby Mayne – Peachtree Dreams
Terry Burns – Beyond the Smoke
Marcia Gruver – Chasing Charity
Susan Page Davie – Inside Story
Robin Lee Hatcher – A vote of Confidence
Julie Lessman – A Passion Denied
Brandilyn & Amberly Collins – Always Watching
Janet Dean – Courting the Doctor’s Daughter

You can find all kinds of information about my books on my Fan page on Facebook:
http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Lena-Nelson-Dooley/42960748768?ref=ts
I’d love for you to come over and become a fan.

Calendar of Events

April 18, 2009 – Speaker for Madison County Writers Guild, Madisonville, Texas – in the Library annex – Make Setting an Essential Part of Your Story

May 9, 2009 – Speaker for "Gifted for His Glory Seminar" at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church, Dallas, Texas

May 2009 – Release of The Prairie Romance Collection
May 2009 – Release of Wild Prairie Roses

June 13, 2009 – Speaker for DFW Ready Writers – La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant, Colleyville, Texas – Writing the Salvation Scene in Your Novel

July 2009 – Release of Cranberry Hearts

July 18, 2009 – Speaker for CenTex Chapter of ACFW, Austin, Texas

July 31, 2009 – Meet the Christian Author Authors Night, WoodsEdge Community Church, Spring, Texas – 6:30 – 9:00 pm

August 15, 2009 - ACFW East Texas, Scroll Bookstore, 2752 E. 5th Street, Tyler, Texas - 10:00

September 2009 – Release of Wild West Christmas
September 2009 – Release of Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe

September 11-12, 2009 – Speaker at North Texas Christian Writers Conference, Roanoke, Texas – Painting Historicals with Authenticity, and I will take one-on-one appointments.

September 17-20 - American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference - Denver, Colorado

Summer 2010 – Release of Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

Book Reviews

Because of book deadlines and reading for endorsements, I didn’t read as many books to review this month.

The Red Siren
By M L. Tyndall
ISBN 978-1-60260-156-7
Barbour
Historical Romantic Fiction

Back Cover Copy:

Worlds collide when a lady pirate meets a godly naval captain.

Faith Westcott abandoned her shallow faith when a series of tragedies struck her family. To save herself and her sisters from forced marriages, this fiery, born-to-the-manor redhead is a lady by day and a pirate by night. How long can she maintain this dual identity before she's caught red-handed?

God-fearing Dajon Waite, who scours the Carolina coast, expunging it of pirates, is a more-than-capable captian in the British Royal Navy. But when he is asked to take on the guardianship of Faith and her sisters, he's headed for deep water. Having vowed to avoid women, what will he do when he finds himself falling for Faith?

Sir Wilhelm Carteret has always gotten everything he desired, but Faith seems to be unaffected by his charms. When he devises a plot to rid himself of his competition, more than Captain Waite's reputation is at stake as alarming secrets are revealed

Will Faith regain her trust in God only to find herself headed for the gallows? Will Dajon scuttle his good name--and neck--to save her?

My Review:

Shame on you, MaryLu. You kept me up way past my bedtime last night so I could finish this page-turner. And now you're making me wait until the fall to get the next one in the series. I can hardly wait.

The strong external conflict seemed insurmountable. Added to that the internal conflict was equally strong, trying to keep the hero and heroine apart. Then then plot thickened. I loved the characters, even the secondary characters, and look forward to seeing some, or hopefully most, of them in the next two books.

MaryLu takes the reader deep into the world of 1717 in the American colonies. Her attention to detail is subtly woven through the text, adding richness to the story. When talking about this book, I quickly use a lot of superlatives. I highly recommend this wonderful read.


Masked by Moonlight
By Allie Pleiter
ISBN 978-0-373-82789-3
Love Inspired Historical

Back Cover Copy:

The Man behind the Mask

When night fell on the lawless streets of old San Francisco, Matthew Covington--seemingly just another wealthy society idler--became the mysterious crime-fighter known as the Black Bandit. Nothing could tempt him to reveal his secret identity, until the English gentleman met Georgia Waterhouse, whose pseudonymous newspaper accounts had made his daring exploits famous. He was coming to care deeply for this woman, who shared his passionate devotion to justice--and the Lord--but she could never know he was her shadow-shrouded hero. What would become of their growing love if he revealed the truth that lay behind the mask. . .?

My Review:

I fell in love with the book from the cover. I consider it a "Zorro" novel, and I love Zorro.

This book lived up to my expectations. The author did an excellent job of showing the various strata of society in San Francisco in 1890. From the poorest to the highest echelon. Her research wove seamlessly into the story without drawing attention to itself.

And the plot, though familiar, had its own unique twists. I loved so many of the scenes.

The spiritual thread was strong. And the hero's salvation scene did what a good salvation scene should. It showed the event through his personality and his past as a genuine outcome of what he had been facing and learning. Very well done.

And the characters leapt off the page and played out the story in my imagination.

I'm happy to give this book a very good recommendation. I don't think you'll want to miss reading it.


Breach of Trust
By DiAnn Mills
ISBN 978-1-4143-2047-2
Tyndale Fiction
Romantic Suspense

Call of Duty - Book 1

Back Cover Copy:

Paige Rogers survived every CIA operative's worst nightmare.

A covert mission gone terribly wrong.

A betrayal by the one man she thought she could trust.

Forced to disappear to protect the lives of her loved ones, Paige has spent the last several years building a quite life as a small-town librarian. But the day a stranger comes to town and starts asking questions, Paige knows her careful existence has been shattered.

HE is coming after her again. And this time, he intends to silence her for good.

My review:

Fans of DiAnn Mills know that anytime they pick up one of her books, they'll have a very good read. This book is another one in the long list of excellent stories, expertly crafted by this gifted author.

The pacing accelerates from the first page until the satisfying finish. Secrets, lies, betrayal, and characters with the kinds of problems ordinary people face every day. Strong characters with deep internal and external conflicts keep the pages turning. The spiritual journey of the key characters take many of the steps all of us wrestle with, and we can learn from their failings and victories.

I highly recommend this book. I can hardly wait for the next one in the series.


Insight
By Deborah Raney
ISBN 978-0-373-78644-2
Steeple Hill

Contemporary Romantic Women's Fiction

Back Cover Copy:

She's having a baby

It's a blessing that brings comfort to newly widowed Olivia Cline. Yet with no insurance, no job and precious little money, how will Olivia care for herself and her child?

The answer is a handsome and brooding artist seeking an assistant. Reed Vincent has recently regained his eyesight, thanks to a donor. And through his eyes, Olivia begins to see all the possibilities before her. Before them. Until, in a flash of insight, she knows why his signature is so hauntingly familiar. . . .

The revelation could tear the couple apart. . .or open their eyes to a new journey from sorrow to joy.

My Review:

Deborah Raney's name on the cover guarantees a good read for me. This book was no exception. She used an impossible situation to create a gentle story, with complications.

I loved Olivia and felt her pain and discouragement. And Reed's knight-in-shining-armor, even though a little tarnished, is the perfect balance to Olivia. Their road is rocky with many things to overcome, but I loved every step of the way.

Deb has given us another winner. I highly recommend this wonderful read.


Gingham Mountain
By Mary Connealy
ISBN 978-1-60260-141-3
Barbour
Historical Romance
Lassoed in Texas - Book 3

Back Cover Copy:

Young Woman's Need to Protect

A Cowboy's Need to Provide

A Galloping Ride Headed for a Love-Hate Relationship

When Hannah Cartwright meets Grant, a disreputable-looking cowboy, she's determined to keep him from exploiting two more orphans. When she gets the job as schoolmarm, she resolves to keep Grant's adopted children in school to minimize their time spent in hard labor on his ranch. Will she succeed in her plans or lose her heart--and the children--to the man she despises?

Grant already has a Texas ranch full of orphans he's rescued, but still he's determined to take on the two brought in by the orphan train. Can he wrangle his growing brood while resisting his attraction to the meddlesome Hannah and keeping clear of Prudence, a designing dressmaker?

When a couple of con artists discover oil on Grant's land, they'll go to any length to steal his ranch, including forcing him into marriage. Will their plans succeed before the secret of oil spills out?

My Review:

That teaser on the back should be enough to get you to read the book. You won't be sorry you did.

Mary's Lassoed in Texas series is the height of comedies of error. No wonder this book is a finalist for the prestigious Christy award.

Mary takes the reader so deep into the characters and story that when you come up for air, you're not sure where you are. The story won't let you go until the last page, and you'll hope that when you turn it, there's more to come.

A wonderful read that will take you away from the mundane in your own life into a place you won't want to leave. Even the unrealistic Texas blizzard can't keep you from enjoying this story.


April Book Releases

Here are your April New Releases! We have twelve outstanding titles this month. I know you'll enjoy. God Bless!

1. A Claim of Her Own, by Stephanie Whitson from Bethany House. Newly arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota, Mattie O'Keefe must soon decide where true riches lie--and what's worth dying for.

2. A Gift of Grace, Kauffman Amish Bakery Series by Amy Clipston from Zondervan. When Rebecca Kaufman’s older sister, who left the Amish community when she was a teenager, dies in an automobile accident, Rebecca is left custody of her two modern non-Amish teenage nieces, Jessica and Lindsay.

3. Baby Baby, Book One of the Family Heirloom Series by Karen Weisner from Samhain Publishing. A Proverbs 31 wife wonders, does “submissive” mean giving up having anything of her own?

4. By Darkness Hid, book one in The Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson from Marcher Lord Press. Two people discover their ability to speak to, and hear, the minds of others: a squire serving an evil prince, and a maiden masquerading as a boy to avoid marriage.

5. Chef's Deadly Dish, Book three in the Cozy Crumb Series by Lisa Harris from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries. Determined to discover the truth, Pricilla Crumb, an unconventional busybody, follows one lead after another, dishing up laughter and surprises along the way.

6. Copper and Candles, Michigan Brides Book One by Amber Stockton from Heartsong Presents. Charity work brings them together, but their positions in society might drive them apart.

7. Homecoming Blessings, by Merrillee Whren from Steeple Hill. When businessman Peter Dalton has to work with the boss's missionary daughter Ashley Hiatt, he finds a new focus in life as well as love.

8. Peachtree Dreams , by Debby Mayne from Barbour Publishing. Three Georgia women face the challenge to believe in happily-ever-after endings.

9. Shepherd's Fall, Prodigal Recovery Series Book One by Wanda Dyson from Random House/Waterbrook. Nick Shepherd faces the hardest decision of his life--to save his daughter from a convicted killer, he may have to compromise his beliefs.

10. Stealing Home, by Allison Pittman from Multnomah. Four people, each harboring a secret passion, are brought together through providence, tragedy and love.

11. Texas Ranger Dad, Mule Hollow Series by Debra Clopton from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. Rose Vincent has made a life for herself and her son in Mule Hollow Texas but when Texas Ranger, Zane Cantrell comes to town bring her past with him everything she holds dear in life is threatened.

12. The Reluctant Cowgirl, McCord Sisters - Book 1 by Christine Lynxwiler from Barbour Publishing. When Crystal McCord’s New York dream crumbles, she thinks her parents’ Arkansas ranch might be a safe place to hide her heart. . .until she meets the cowboy next door.

Happy Reading!

Musings

Christian Book Expo was a wonderful experience for me. I got to meet the people at Summerside Press, the publishers of my soon-to-be-released, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico.

I love the people in this company. I wanted to sign with them, and my agent Joyce Hart negotiated the contract, but I had no idea just what really nice people they are.

And they produce a quality produce. The Love Finds You series has really taken off. Readers love the books. And they're adding more things to the books all the time.

Another of the unexpected things God brought into my life this year.