ACFW November New Releases!

ACFW November New Releases:

1. A SILENT PURSUIT, by Lynette Eason from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Gina Santino has something someone desperately wants. Now, she's on the hunt to find it. Her deceased fiance's best friend, US Ranger, Ian Masterson is her only hope of staying alive while they race to be the first to discover the treasure her fiance left behind.

2. Chasing Shadows, by Terri Reed from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. An heiress turns to her former love, a cop, for help when she fears for her grandmother's life.

3. Close to Home, by Carolyn Aarsen from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. A reunion of old lovers brings up the shadows of past tragedy.

4. Fit To Be Tied, The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs, Book #2, by Robin Lee Hatcher from Zondervan. Who says a woman can't do a man's job?

5. I'm So Sure, A Charmed Life, Book 2, by Jenny B. Jones from Thomas Nelson. Its prom time and someone is trying to sabotage the queen contest. Can Bella solve the mystery in time AND keep it together as her life goes public on a wrestling reality show?

6. The Bartered Bride, by Erica Vetsch from Barbour Heartsong Presents. Tempests rage, in the board room, the ball room, and on treacherous Lake Superior as two hearts set sail on a collision course.

7. Together for the Holidays, Fostered by Love series-book 5, by Margaret Daley from Love Inspired. Can the true meaning of Christmas bring two loners together?

October New Releases

1. A Star Curiously Singing, The DarkTrench Saga, Book 1, by Kerry Nietz from Marcher Lord Press. An augmented human programmer is sent to space to solve the mystery of a bot’s destruction.

2. Double Take, by Jenness Walker from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. When a stalker becomes obsessed with a woman, the key to stopping him lies in a best-selling thriller…until he stops going by the book.

3. Dreaming of Home, by Glenna Kaye from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Two wounded hearts must learn to trust that God's dreams for them far exceed any they may have for themselves.

4. Eternity Falls - A Rick Macey Cyberthriller, Book 1 of the Rick Macey Cyberthriller series, by Kirk Outerbridge from Marcher Lord Press. A cyber-enhanced detective must stop a religious zealot from destroying a serum for eternal life.

5. Gripped By Fear, Chicago Warrior Thriller Series, 2nd book, by John M. Wills from Total Recall. Chgo Detectives hunt a serial rapist in the mean streets of Chicago in the midst of personal struggles.

6. Leaving Yesterday, by Kathryn Cushman from Bethany House. A mother rejoices at the return of her prodigal, but is faced with an impossible decision as evidence from his past refuses to stay buried.

7. Loves Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, by Lauralee Bliss from Summerside Press. Set in the Guilded Age within the beauty of New
Hampshire's White Mountains, successful artist Tom Haskins and penniless Sara McGee discover through their circumstances that the most precious gifts of life and love don't always come as they're expected.

8. Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska, by Loree Lough from Summerside Press. A story that's sure to warm your heart, despite the icy Alaskan setting!

9. Love is a Battlefield, Book One in the Walk in the Park series, by Annalisa Daughety from Barbour Publishing. War rages again at Shiloh, but this time it’s a battle of the heart.

10. Seaside Letters, by Denise Hunter from Thomas Nelson. Sabrina Kincaid didn't intend to fall for Nantucket native Tucker McCabe, the man she serves coffee to every morning-a man tied deeply to a past she
deeply regrets. But she has. And she's fallen hard. But she's kept this a secret from her handsome customer. And now Tucker wants to hire Sabrina to help locate his friend "Sweetpea"-the mysterious woman he's falling in love with online. Sabrina is not inclined to help, but if Tucker hires someone else, it could spell disaster. Because if someone else sifts through the emails and figures out the truth-then Tucker will discover that the person he's trying to find is . . . her.


11. Soldier Daddy, Wings of Refuge Series-book 5-all standalones, by Cheryl Wyatt from Steeple Hill. A USAF Pararescue Jumper searches for a nanny for his twins and instead finds a future with a woman harboring a secret tied to his past.

12. The Case of the Mystified M.D., Book 2, Bouncing Grandma Mysteries, by A.K. Arenz from Sheaf House. First a foot, now a hand--what body part is next?

13. The Christmas Journey, by Winnie Griggs from Steeple Hill Love Inspired.

14. The Jewel of his Heart, Heart of the West Series, by Maggie Brendan from Revell. Discover the classic struggle between the world's wealth and the lure of eternal love in this Western story of elegance and survival.

15. The Matchmaking Pact, After the Storm #4 , by Carolyn Aarsen from Steeple Hill Love Inspired. A single father and a single mother have to deal with matchmaking children.

16. Thirsty, by Tracey Bateman from Waterbrook. “Deep, cutting, an intoxicating blend of human and supernatural, of characters scarred by the past, drained by life. This is the book I’ve waited for.”

17. Trial By Fire, by Cara Putman from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. When an arsonist targets her family, Tricia has to find him before harm is done without losing her heart to a fireman.

September ACFW New Releases

1. A Blue and Gray Christmas, by Carrie Turansky, Vickie McDonough, Lauralee Bliss Tamela Hancock Murray from Barbour Publishing. A Blue and Gray Christmas highlights the faith and courage of four couples who remained true to their convictions and found lasting love despite the hardships of the Civil War.

2. A Man of His Word, Book 1 in the Hearts of Middlefield Series, by Kathleen Fuller from Thomas Nelson. Moriah's heart will only be safe with a man of his word.

3. A Passion Redeemed , by Julie Lessman from Revell. Depth of beauty ... shallow of heart, Charity O'Connor is a woman who gets what she wants. She sets her sights on a man who wants nothing to do with her. Although the sparks are there, he refuses to fan the coals of a potential relationship with a woman who ruined his life. Charity burned him once, destroying his engagement to the only woman he ever truly loved. He won't play with matches again. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat, hoping to ignite the heart of the man she loves. And she always gets what she wants-one way or another.

4. A Silent Fury, by Lynette Eason from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Detective Catelyn Clark and her ex-boyfriend, FBI agent Joseph Santino, must overcome their rocky past while working to solve the murder of a deaf student and find the friend who's still missing.

5. Always Ready, Book 1, by Susan Page Davis from Heartsong. Two Coast Guard officers find danger and romance in the hostile seas of Alaska.

6. An Amish Christmas, by Kathleen Fuller, , Beth Wiseman, from Thomas Nelson. Follow the lives of three Amish families through the Christmas season.

7. Beautiful Ugly, by Shelia Lipsey from Kensington Publishing Corp. Three friends need plenty of faith in God and support from each other to see their real beauty lies within.

8. Christmas at Lake Tahoe, by Jeanie Smith Cash, Lena Nelson Dooley, Jean Kincaid from Barbour Publishing. Will four young women fresh out of college, find love at Christmas as they persue their careers at a new ski lodge at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village?

9. Cowboy Christmas, by Mary Connealy from Barbour. A secretive singer with trouble following her, and a cowboy who hates liars, especially female liars, need a Christmas miracle to take a chance on love.

10. Fields of Grace, by Kim Vogel Sawyer from Bethany House. A Russian Mennonite family fights to survive and maintain their faith in a new land.

11. Finally Home and Finally Found, by Lyn Cote from Heartsong Presents. Two stories in one book. Finally Home-After her wedding that wasn't, Hannah Kirkland hides in her parent's small WI town But hiding is hard in a house that's under construction! As friendship with carpenter Guthrie Thomas, Hannah learns how to build a home--and love--of her own. In Finally Found-Ten years ago Marco da Palma left Spring Kirkland behind. What did a poor scholarship student have to offer her anyway? But when Marco, now a successful doctor, finds Spring again, the pair have a second chance. If only Marco can release his fears, and see the happiness that has been waiting all along...

12. Hearts and Harvest, by Amber Stockton from Heartsong Presents. A destitute young man fights society's mores to win the hand of his privileged sweetheart.

13. It's Not about Him, Second Glance Series, Book #2, by Michelle Sutton from Sheaf House. Two young Christians with an unplanned pregnancy where she wants to place her child in a good home but he wants to marry her so she'll keep her child even though it's not his.

14. Just Between You and Me, by Jenny B. Jones from Thomas Nelson. A family emergency pulls Maggie Montgomery back home to a town full of painful secrets and people she left behind. Sometimes the only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.

15. Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio, by Annalisa Daughety from Summerside Press. A summer in Charm, Ohio, gives Emma Miller the chance to decide once and for all what she wants from life--but soon finds herself pulled between two worlds.

16. One Imperfect Christmas, by Myra Johnson from Abingdon Press. Christmas is the season of miracles, but when blame and guilt keep people apart, a miracle needs a helping hand.

17. Painted Desert, by Nancy Farrier from Barbour. As modern life takes unexpected turns, love comes knocking on the doors of three Arizona women's lives.

18. Protector's Honor, by Kit Wilkinson from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense. Rory Farrell searches for the link between Tabitha Beaumont and his ongoing murder investigation, but to protect her, he'll have to her trust as well.

19. Raising Rain, by Debbie Fuller Thomas from Moody Publishers. A single woman desperate for a child and the 3 college roommates who raised her meet her terminally ill mother on a stormy weekend and confront the past.

20. The Familiar Stranger, by Christina Berry from Moody Publishers. Secrets from Craig Littleton's past threaten to undue his troubled marriage, but if he literally can't remember the damage he's done, can he ever be trusted?

21. The Transformation, Project Restoration Series Book 3, by Terri Kraus from David C. Cook. Can a good, hard-working Christian man disregard his cultural and religious admonitions--as well as his mother's plans for his life--for the love of a woman and an historic church building?

22. The Unfinished Gift, by Dan Walsh from Revell, Division of Baker Publishing Group. Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift is an engaging story of reconciliation between a father and son, and how God uses an unexpected gift from the past to mend this broken family.

23. Tidings of Great Boys, All About Us #5, by Shelley Adina from Hatchette FaithWords. Lady Lindsay (Mac) MacPhail invites her classmates home to her castle in Scotland for an unforgettable Christmas.

24. Wild West Christmas, by Lena Nelson Dooley, Kathleen Y'Barbo, Vickie McDonough, Darlene Franklin from Barbour. Christmas courtships corral four sisters in Texas.

Lyn Cote is here with me today talking characterization

Characterization in the Inspirational Romance
By Lyn Cote

Characterization is the basic building block of all fiction and especially for romance, which concentrates so heavily on emotion. So in preparing for this article, I polled other Christian authors for their insight. Gail Martin who writes for Love Inspired and also her 2008 release Writing the Inspirational Romance offered this:
"Characterization begins with backstory, digging deep into the past and pulling out the hurts, sorrows, guilts, shames, successes, failures, experiences, education, family morals and values. The backstory triggers the elements of personality, actions/reactions, present values and morals of the character. All of these elements create character…."

As useful and basic as that information is, I realized that any writing teacher would say that about characterization in any type of fiction. So how does characterization in inspirational novels differ from in secular ones?
Cheryl Wolverton, a past RWA Rita finalist, who has written over twenty books replied: "Characterization in Inspirational Romance is no different than in any other book or genre. It has to be strong [and] well developed, [but] the author must develop the characters' spiritual elements as well as everything else."
Ah, the spiritual element—yes, that's the difference. The Christian novel must have a strong spiritual aspect reflected in the characters.

Lenora Worth made this clear: "Characters need depth in order to make the faith journey that is required in our books. That added journey allows for compelling, multi-layered characters, who really do go through emotional struggles as they fall in love and resolve their life issues."

The faith journey is an integral part of the inspirational romance. The hero and heroine can't merely fall in love in spite of themselves (internal conflict) and cope with their circumstances (external conflict). Each also has a spiritual journey. They are not only in conflict with each other, but also with themselves about their relationship to others and to God. Over the course of the novel, the hero and heroine must come to a point of decision about this.

It is common misconception that in every novel of faith, someone must search for and find God. Most publishers don’t want a "conversion" scene in every romance. Tyndale House, for example, tells aspiring authors that they don't want either the hero or heroine to be in the process of finding faith. They don't want a romance to hinge on a person finding God—as if that would solve all the character's problems and they would become perfect. So what is a faith journey if it's not that?

Every person of faith must work out what she believes and why. She also must integrate that belief into her real life, her everyday life. Thus, there are an endless variety of spiritual quests.

In my own romances, the hero and heroine often are at the opposite ends of the same spiritual struggle. This adds another layer of conflict to the novel. In my romantic suspense, Autumn’s Shadow, (Tyndale), the spiritual theme is "Am I my brother's keeper?" My heroine's spiritual conflict centers on her continual efforts to help her teen-aged brother who has been over-indulged by their parents. This comes to a head when her parents transfer the boy to the school where she is the principal. The parents reason that with their daughter as principal, the son will be sure to graduate. Then they can send him off to college and get on with their lives. But the boy is a danger to himself and finally, to others. My heroine is at her wit’s end and about to give up trying to help her brother.

At the same time, the hero is also struggling with family ties. After years of distancing himself from his family, he becomes guardian to his troubled nephew who attends the same school. As the heroine is ready to cut family ties, the hero is trying to reconnect with his nephew. In the end, both the hero and heroine, as people of faith, must accept that they can only do so much for those they love. God can change hearts; they can't. And they finally realize they have a right to a life and love of their own.

That is a sample of a faith plot, which is a requirement in each inspirational romance. Because plot derives from character, inspirational characters must have unfinished business in their lives with God. That faith journey sets the inspirational romance apart from the secular.

Deborah Raney, RITA winner 2002 for Beneath a Southern Sky, summed it up this way: "In the inspirational novel, the main characters generally come from one of two places. Either they are already people of faith and the story is a showcase for how their faith enables them to overcome the conflict and dilemma of the plot, or they have not yet come to faith and the novel is the story of their journey from unbelief to faith, darkness into light.”

This discussion is for the romance writer, so the faith journey will end with victory: the hero and heroine will overcome the conflict, just as the hero and heroine will find committed love at the end of the romance. Seeking and finding spiritual wholeness is part of the necessary satisfying ending to the inspirational romance.

The trick to including the spiritual dimension in characterization is to ensure that the romance doesn't turn into a "sermon in dialogue." Show the conflict; don't tell it. Again, all plot derives from character. The inspirational romance succeeds when it focuses on first creating realistic and compelling characters, and then on letting the spiritual dimension flow from the depth and substance of these multi-faceted characters. Not vice versa.

Lyn Cote's first novel, Never Alone, was published in 1998. Her seventeenth, Blessed Bouquets, and her eighteenth Chloe, the first in her "Women of Ivy Manor" series were released in June 2005. The second in her newest series which is “Texas Star of Destiny” is Her Inheritance Forever. She's written articles on the inspirational market and does an annual update. The 2009 market update, including an agent list link is on her site now. She has also had numerous articles on the craft of writing published. An award winning author and speaker, Lyn writes both historical and contemporary fiction.

Visit her at www.LynCote.net and her contributors:

Gail Martin-www.gailmartin.com
Deborah Raney- www.deborahraney.com
Cheryl Wolverton- www.cherylwolverton.com
Lenora Worth- www.lenoraworth.com
Copyright 2005 Lyn Cote




More Lyn Cote books:

2009 Releases—Lyn Cote
February 2009
Historical Romance
The Desires of Her Heart
1st Texas Star of Destiny series
Avon Inspire
ISBN#:978-0061373411
Blurb:
In 1821, Dorritt Mott is a woman ahead of her time. When her family is forced to leave New Orleans, she meets Quinn. The New Orleans lady and the half-breed scout, become unlikely allies on the trek to the Austin settlement in Texas. Two armies, marauding Comanche and a traitor in their midst stand between them and their destination. All Dorritt thinks she wants is her own independence, but is it possible that she will gain the unrecognized desires of her heart? And teach Quinn to enlarge his vision also?

August 2009
Historical Romance
Her Inheritance Forever
2nd in Texas Star of Destiny series
Avon Inspire
ISBN # 9780061373435
Blurb: In 1836 Texas, Alandra Sandoval is the lady of Rancho Sandoval, determined to prove to a doubting world that a woman alone can run a ranch as well as any man. But when Comanches attack her ranch and kidnap her, Alandra must admit she needs protection. A top hand at a nearby ranch, Scully Falconer, is chosen for the task and though Alandra tries to pretend she doesn't need his help, he quietly stays by her side.
Though they believe their paths to be worlds apart, the rugged American cowboy with a troubled past and the proud lady of Mexican descent are united when Alandra's greedy relatives burst into their lives. And when General Santa Anna's army crosses the Rio Grande—marching toward a rendezvous with destiny at the Alamo—Alandra and Scully are swept up together in the tide of history...and their world will never be the same.

One sentence blurb: Forced from her vast ranch into the heart of the Texas Revolution, will this proud senorita find the faith to withstand these troubling times?


September 2009
Contemporary Romance
Finally Home/Finally Found
Love Inspired Classic (reissue)
ISBN: 978-0373651320
Blurb: After their mother develops leukemia, three sisters decide that they must discover their mother's birth parents so that they will have another pool for bone marrow transplants if it reoccurs. In the meantime, one falls in love with a carpenter in WI while the other falls in love with a Latino MD in FL. Both stories are filled with tears and laughter.

December 2009
Historical Romance
Her Patchwork Family
2nd in Gabriel Sisters series
Love Inspired Historical
ISBN 978-0373828258
Blurb: In spite of opposition from the rich and influential, can Felicity Gabriel establish a home for children orphaned by the Civil War and heal two wounded hearts?

Thanks for joining us today, Lyn!

August New Releases from ACFW

1. All That Glitters, Scenarios for Girls, book 2, by Nicole O’Dell from Barbour Publishing. The reader will decide if Drew Daniels does the right thing when sudden popularity causes her to forget about things that were once important to her.

2. Forgiven, Sisters of the Heart Series, Book 3, by Shelley Shepard Gray from Avon Inspire, a division of Harper Collins Publishing. Tragedy strikes when a brother and sister find themselves facing two difficult situations.

3. Surrender the Wind, by Rita Gerlach from Abingdon Press. When a patriot of the American Revolution inherits his grandfather's estate in England, he inherits more than a crumbling manor house.

4. Sweet Waters, Otter Bay Series Book 1, by Julie Carobini from B&H Publishing Group. Sweet Waters is the story of a newly-jilted woman who talks her sisters into moving back to their hometown only to discover family secrets that threaten the fairy tale image she'd always had.

5. The Blue Enchantress, the Charles Towne Belles Series book 2, by MaryLu Tyndall from Barbour. An adventure-seeking woman and a security-minded captain are shipwrecked together.

6. The Last Woman Standing, by Tia McCollors from Moody. A man, his woman, and his ex-wife search for love again.

7. Truth or Dare, Senarios for Girls Book 1, by Nicole O’Dell from Barbour. Peer pressure threatens to drive Lindsay Martin to doing something she doesn't want to do; the reader will decide.

8. Under the Tulip Poplar, by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver from Heartsong Presents. When Rebekah Taylor and Asher Landon struggle to find their ways to the other, will they allow God to direct bring their separate dreams together as one?

9. You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, Book #1 in the VA VA VA BOOM series, by Allison Bottke from David C. Cook. When life is a dance and Disco is a state of mind, it’s Mamma Mia goes Vegas!

Two more books sold to Steeple Hill

Hi all, just wanted to let you know that I got the call from my agent today informing me that Steeple Hill is purchasing the two books I proposed a couple of weeks ago. I'm really excited about this as I'm continuing to use characters from the latest series that's been releasing.

Just to refresh your memory, A Silent Terror released in March, 2009.


A Silent Fury releases September 2009:



And A Silent Pursuit will release November 2009.















I'm giving away the first two. Leave me a comment and I'll send you a copy of A Silent Terror and A Silent Fury.

Also, do you have any writing questions you'd like answered? Leave those and I'll answer as well as I can.

Thanks!

Maggie Contest Finalist!

I got a phone call yesterday! Okay, usually I just ignore numbers I don't recognize, but for some reason I answered this one. The 770 area code threw me because normally the 888 or 8-- numbers that are telemarketer stuff...and yes, I listed my number with www.donotcall.gov and still get those stupid phone calls. Anyhow, I answered this one. Thank goodness!

It was a very nice lady calling to tell me I'd finalled in the Maggie Contest! Whoo hoo! My first contest to final in. I'm so excited. So, Snoopy dance with me and then check back on October 4th to see if I win the whole thing or not.

Happy Friday!