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Follow my journey toward publication. Laugh, cry, point and stare-- it's all good. I'll leave a trail so that you, my fellow author, may have a straighter path to finding your own elusive publishing contract. Adventure awaits. Let's travel together...



Friday, December 18, 2015

COTT's Oct/Nov 2015 Champion!


Thank you to our viewers, fans, and voters—this was a near record-setting post view for our five authors. Congratulations to all of your and thank you for participating. Some of the comments you received include:

  • Thank you for producing such amazing Christian fiction!
  • All of them are beautiful covers.
  • The world of writing may be hard, but you all have already done more than many people dream of doing by finishing and publishing a book. Keep writing, and best of luck.
  • Keep on writing and telling your stories!
  • Keep writing! Keep believing!
  • Love these covers, all!
  • All look like great books, but the cover of Sound of Silver really grabs me the most.
  • Voted for After! A lovely book inside and out.
  • Love the covers of "After" and "Love's Christmas Past" but am most excited to read "Sofia's Tune" first. Who doesn't love a good secret? Excited!
  • LOVE your work, Rachelle!
  • Good for you, Janet Sketchley, for having your book included here.


Certainly all wonderful, but...there


                          Can

                                    Be

                                           Only

                                                      One



Congratulations to this month’s Champion, Cindy Thomson, and Sofia’s Tune!


Released November 1, 2015
Ebook - $4.99
Print: $14.99


In Sofia’s Tune, we meet Sofia Falcone, a young woman who has been living in New York only a short time when she is stunned to discover a family secret, one that soon sends her beloved mother into a mental institution. Scrambling to keep her job and care for her mother, Sofia is convinced confronting the past will heal all wounds, but her old world Italian family wants to keep the past in the past.


During this time, she encounters Antonio, a Vaudeville pianist with a street-smart dog, seeking to discover why his father was mysteriously killed. Their crossed paths uncover a frightening underworld in Little Italy. Bringing the truth to light may cost Sofia’s mother’s sanity, Antonio’s career, and the livelihoods of countless immigrants. Change is on the horizon, but it may not bring what they expect.





Q & A With Cindy

·       Sofia’s Tune has a musical theme. What can you tell us about the meaning of “tune” in this story?

Antonio is a vaudeville pianist who dreams of becoming an accomplished concert musician. His dog resembles Nipper of the “His Master’s Voice” advertisement for gramophones. There is plenty of music in this story, but the title refers to changing your tune, finding a different path for your life, as both Sofia and Antonio must do.

·       Tell us about the dog on the cover.

Luigi is Antonio’s faithful companion who keeps reminding people of the dog listening to his master’s voice on the recording, as I mentioned. He’s well trained and a good judge of character. I really enjoyed adding a canine character to the story. Dogs are such an important part of many people’s lives. He is Antonio’s dog, but he really likes Sofia, as you can see on the cover!

·       What’s next?

Sofia’s Tune is the final novel in the series. However, I am planning on a novella, a sort of  prequel, which will tell Mrs. Hawkins’s story. Mrs. Hawkins runs a boarding house for immigrant girls. Her story is told very briefly in Annie’s Stories. This novella will be free exclusively for my newsletter subscribers. (You can sign up on my web site.)
Next summer I will be releasing the sequel to my first novel, Brigid of Ireland. The stories are set in 5th century Ireland, and weave in a bit of fantasy and adventure. They are somewhat different from the Ellis Island series, but are still representative of our ancestors’ stories that should be passed down for us to carry on their legacy of endurance, faithfulness, and wisdom.

And speaking of wisdom, Sofia’s name means wisdom, and I hope readers will be inspired by the music in the book trailer, written by my friend from Northern Ireland, singer/songwriter Andy Rogers.




Cindy Thomson is the author of seven books, including her newest novel, Sofia’s Tune, the third book in her Ellis Island series. She also writes genealogy articles for Internet Genealogy and Your Genealogy Today magazines, and short stories for Clubhouse Magazine. Most everything she writes reflects her mission of “Writing the stories of our inheritance." Visit her at www.cindyswriting.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cindyswriting and on Twitter: @cindyswriting

Monday, November 9, 2015

And The COTT Winner Is...


Congratulations to


A Noble Masquerade
by Kristi Ann Hunter!

Book Blurb:
Lady Miranda Hawthorne may long to break free of her ladylike expectations as he approaches spinsterhood, but finding herself intrigued by her brother's new valet is more rebellion than she planned. When she accidentally begins exchanging letters with a long-lost duke, things become even more complicated. Especially when hidden state secrets and dangerous encounters prove everything isn't exactly as it seems.

Reviews:
4 1/2 stars and Top Pick! from RT
Debut author Hunter pens a fantastic Regency romance. The characters are endearing and their motivations are not always what they might seem on the surface. This air of mystery adds depth to the tale. The romance portrayed is top notch and will cause readers to sigh with delight in the end.

A few words from our voters:
  • Kristi Ann Hunter is a fantastic author!
  • Go, go, go Kristi! Love the cover and the title!
  • Kristi Ann Hunter, i loved this book. great characters and wonderful story line.
  • Kristi Ann Hunter, you rock and your book is awesome! :D



Kristi shared the below information with us, too!

Book News:
An Elegant Facade, the sequel to A Noble Masquerade, is available for paperback pre-order on Amazon.

Book club prize packs are still available for book clubs that select A Noble Masquerade.
http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!bookclubs/c1gbn


Ongoing Contests:
12 Books, 12 Winners Christian Historical Romance contest. A Noble Masquerade is one of the books that will be given away.
http://dawncrandall.blogspot.com/2015/11/win-one-of-twelve-new-paperback-releases.html?m=0

Caught You Reading Contest where you could win a sneak peek at my next novel.
http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!contests/calh

Buy Links Available here: http://www.kristiannhunter.com/#!a-noble-masquerade/c190y 


Author Bio:
Kristi Ann Hunter graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Computer Science but always knew she wanted to write. Kristi is an RWA Golden Heart contest winner, an ACFW Genesis contest winner, and a Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Award for Excellence winner. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Georgia. Find her online at www.kristiannhunter.com

Saturday, October 31, 2015

COTT's September Release Clash


Welcome back to our arena! We have six authors stepping onto our sands, ready to wield their mighty pens. Please look at each of their covers and descriptions and choose which one looks most appealing to you. Which would go on the top of your to-be-read pile? Be sure to make your choice in the actual survey, as those in the comments section alone won't be calculated into the results.

Let the game... BEGIN!
~~~

A Tide Worth Turning by Beth Wiseman:
In her newest novella, A Tide Worth Turning, author Beth Wiseman dives deep into the heart of a woman who is bound by what she believes to be true, and how she reacts when these false beliefs are brought to light.  The book is a fast read, with many dimensions of secrets and a love story that is pure and heartfelt giving readers a glimpse of how deep God's love is for us,  that forgiveness is a choice and how letting go of the past can set you free to love unconditionally.


Beyond the Cherokee Trail by Lisa Carter:
When Linden Birchfield arrives in the Snowbird Cherokee community to organize the 180th commemoration of the Trail of Tears, she runs head on—literally—into arrogant former army sniper Walker Crowe. A descendant of the Cherokee who evaded deportation by hiding in the rugged Snowbird Mountains, Walker believes no good can result from stirring up the animosity with the white Appalachian residents whose ancestors looted the tribal lands so long ago.


When Love Returns by Kim Vogel Sawyer:
Riddled with doubt, will Suzanne find strength in God to send her precious daughter on a search for her roots? And will lingering regrets rob Paul and Suzanne of a second chance at love?




The Isaac Project by Sarah Monzon:
With commitment their only foundation, and love constantly thwarted, can an arranged marriage find happiness in the twenty-first century?






The Lost Heiress by Roseanna M. White:
When Brook discovers she is an English heiress, it seems all her dreams of belonging have come true. That is, until a threat from her family's past resurfaces, jeopardizing her future--and her very life.





A Noble Masquerade by Kristi Ann Hunter:
Lady Miranda Hawthorne may long to break free of her ladylike expectations as she approaches spinsterhood, but finding herself intrigued by her brother's new valet is more rebellion than she planned. When she accidentally begins exchanging letters with a long-lost duke, things become even more complicated. Especially when hidden state secrets and dangerous encounters prove everything isn't exactly as it seems.

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Saturday, October 17, 2015

COTT's 2015 Laurel Award Winner


2015
LAUREL AWARD WINNER!

On September 2, 2015, The Bound Heart took home Clash of the Titles's fifth annual Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel's first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined The Bound Heart to be the worthiest to receive the 
2015 Laurel Award.
Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author Dawn Crandall for her exemplary writing. We wish God's richest blessings on her future work. 

About The Bound Heart:
One accidental kiss. That was all it took to throw Meredyth Summercourt’s world upside-down. Determined to marry the ever-elusive Vance Everstone, she simply doesn’t have the time or the desire to fall for her friend Lawry Hampton. However, with Vance out of the country and Lawry constantly at her side, Meredyth can’t help but wonder if what’s holding her to Vance is nothing more than a desire to redeem herself from their unfortunate past.


When Vance comes home to stake his claim on Meredyth, will she be strong enough to break free from the tangled web she’s convinced she deserves? Or will she find the strength to accept that God’s plan for her life could include redemption... and quite possibly the love of her best-friend?


About Dawn:

A graduate of Taylor University with a degree in Christian Education, and a former bookseller at Barnes & Noble, Dawn Crandall didn’t begin writing until 2010. That is the year she shared with her husband her long-time dream of writing books. He encouraged her to quit her job and to pursue her passion to write stories. Apart from writing books, Dawn also recently became a mother—she and her husband were blessed with a baby boy in March 2014. She also serves with her husband in a premarriage mentor program at their local church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.


Connect with Dawn online:

www.dawncrandall.blogspot.com
www.FaceBook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst
www.twitter.com/dawnwritesfirst
www.APassionforPages.blogspot.com
www.pinterest.com/dawnwritesfirst
dawncrandallwritesfirst@gmail.com