by Crystal Caudill | Jan 8, 2019 | ACFW Releases
January 2019 New Releases
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.
Amish Romance:
Seasons of an Amish Garden by Amy Clipston — Enjoy a year of beautiful seasons in this new story collection, as young Amish couples manage a community garden and harvest friendships and love along the way. (Amish Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
Courting Her Prodigal Heart by Mary Davis — Pregnant and alone, Dori Bontrager is sure her Amish kin won’t welcome her—or the child she’s carrying—into the community. And she’s determined that her return won’t be permanent. As soon as she finds work, she’ll leave again. But with her childhood friend Eli Hochstetler insisting she and her baby belong here, will Dori’s path lead back to the Englisher world…or into Eli’s arms? (Amish Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
Contemporary Romance:
Her Hope Discovered by Cynthia Herron — Charla Winthrop, a savvy business woman seeking a permanent lifestyle change in small-town Ruby, Missouri, learns that things aren’t always what they appear when she takes up residence in a house steeped in charm and a hint of mystery. Rumor has it that Sam Packard the town carpenter is her go-to guy for home remodeling, but can Charla convince him to help her—with no strings attached, of course? Alone far too long, Sam’s prayed that God would send him a wife and a mother for his daughters. However, the new Ruby resident is hardly what he imagined. A new place to call “home,” the possibility of what might be, and the answer to someone’s prayers unite this unlikely pair with the help of the town’s residents. (Contemporary Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)
Cozy Mystery:
Murderous Heart by Lynne Waite Chapman — Freelance writer, Lauren Halloren pens popular magazine articles extoling the comfort and security of small town America. And Evelynton, Indiana treasures its wholesome small town values. Ask anyone. Streets are safe to walk. People look out for one another. Marriage vows are treasured. Murders are solved. In this third volume of the Evelynton Murder series, Lauren, along with friends, Clair and Anita stumble over another body. The partially mummified remains turn out to be an Evelynton resident. But how, in this close knit community, could a woman be deceased for over six months without being missed? (Cozy Mystery from Winged Publications)
Historical Romance:
My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge: Laurel’s Dream by Pepper Basham — Journey into the Blue Ridge Mountains of 1918 where Laurel McAdams endures the challenges of a hard life while dreaming things can eventually improve. But trouble arrives in the form of an outsider. Having failed his British father again, Jonathan Taylor joins is uncle’s missionary endeavors as a teacher in a two-room schoolhouse. Laurel feels compelled to protect the tenderhearted teacher from the harsh realities of Appalachian life, even while his stories of life outside the mountains pull at Laurel’s imagination. Faced with angry parents over teaching methods, Laurel’s father’s drunken rages, and bad news from England, will Jonathan leave and never return, or will he stay and let love bloom? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
The Homeward Journey by Misty M. Beller — Finally free from her dead husband’s addicted lifestyle, Rachel Gray and her young son set out for a new life in the wilderness of the Canadian territories. She is reluctant to accept help from another man, but after a bear threatens her son’s life, she agrees to accompany two God-fearing brothers who are traveling to the same area. Slowly, she begins to trust the one named Seth. Despite Rachel’s best efforts, she can’t seem to fight her attraction to Seth—until a secret from his past proves he had more in common with her husband than she thought. When a new peril threatens her son’s life, she must choose between trusting in what she can control, or the man who her heart says is trustworthy, no matter his previous sins. The path she chooses just may determine whether she can step into the new life God has in store for them all. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
Stepping into the Light by Candee Fick — With war looming and a madwoman in their midst, the only hope for a peaceful future may lie in a marriage alliance between a disfigured recluse of the Gunn clan and the overlooked second son of Clan Sinclair. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)
Under the Midnight Sun by Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse — Tayler Hale is ahead of her time as one of the first women naturalists. She has always loved adventure and the great outdoors, and her remote job location also helps keep her away from the clutches of the man to whom she once made a foolish promise. It seems she must keep running, however, and in secret, her boss from Yellowstone arranges for a new job . . . in Alaska. The popular Curry Hotel continues to thrive in 1929 as more visitors come to Alaska and venture into the massive national park surrounding Denali. Recent graduate Thomas Smith has returned to the hotel and the people he considers family. But when a woman naturalist comes to fill the open position and he must work with her, everything becomes complicated. The summer brings unexpected guests and trouble to Curry. With his reputation at stake, will Thomas be able to protect Tayler from the danger that follows? (Historical Romance from Bethany House [Baker])
Devotion by Olivia Rae — Injured and unable to make his living by the sword, Sir Theo de Born needs to secure his keep by becoming an educated man. As he finds himself falling for his reluctant teacher, he learns of her plan to leave England before the winter sets in. How can he convince her to stay and fulfill her promise while protecting his heart? Denied her true love and sent away to a convent, Lady Rose de Payne has no choice but to accept to become Sir Theo’s teacher. However, she has a plan to escape the confines of her new prison and start fresh in a different country. As the chilly winds blow, her resolve begins to waver. Will she abandon Sir Theo to a miserable fate or will she give up her dreams to make his come true? (Historical Romance from HopeKnight Press)
by Crystal Caudill | Dec 4, 2018 | ACFW Releases
With the decline of physical stores to browse through, and even those having shrinking Christian Fiction sections, we’ve come to my favorite way to learn about new authors, new releases, and what needs to go on my growing TBR pile. What from this list are you adding to your pile?
December 2018 New Releases
More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.
Amish Romance:
The Amish Sweet Shop by Laura Bradford, Mary Ellis, and Emma Miller — It’s almost Valentine’s Day at Beechy’s Sweets, where the Amish gifts of love and faith are even sweeter than the home-made candy. In The Sweetest Courtship by Emma Miller, bachelor Jacob Beechy is a master candy maker whose mother longs for grandchildren, so she sets out to find him an assistant confectioner during the Valentine’s holiday—and a wife. In The Sweetest Truth by Laura Bradford, Sadie Fischer can’t see beyond her scars from a barn fire, but there’s a young man who sees only sweetness when he looks at her, and he’s sending her Beechy’s chocolate and mysterious gifts leading up to Valentine’s Day. In Nothing Tastes So Sweet by Mary Ellis, Pregnant widow Hannah wants to buy her English employer’s hardware store, but ends up following a clue from Beechy’s to clear a man’s name—and finds a partnership in work, faith, and love. (Amish Romance from Kensington)
Amish Christmas Memories by Vannetta Chapman — When a young Amish woman collapses in the snow shortly before Christmas, Caleb Wittmer rushes to her aid. Only, “Rachel” remembers nothing of who she is. Now his family has taken in the pretty stranger, disrupting Caleb’s ordered world. He’s determined to find out where she belongs…even if Rachel’s departure means saying goodbye to his old-fashioned heart forever. (Amish Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])
A Quilt for Jenna (Apple Creek Dreams #1) by Patrick E. Craig — On her way to win a quilting competition—and a ticket out of Amish life, Jerusha finds her God, her missing husband, and a lost little girl in the heart of the Storm of The Century. (Amish Romance from P & J Publishing)
The Road Home (Apple Creek Dreams #2) by Patrick E. Craig — Adopted into an Amish family as a child, local historian Jenny Springer is looking for the parents she never knew. When Jenny meets Jonathan Hershberger, a drifter from San Francisco who lands in Apple Creek fleeing a drug deal gone wrong, she is intrigued by this Englischer with an Amish name, and offers to help him discover his Amish roots. While Jonathan discovers his need for home, family, and a relationship with God, Jenny finds more than she hoped for—truth and love and the knowledge that you can go home again. (Amish Romance from P & J Publishing)
Jenny’s Choice (Apple Creek Dreams #3) by Patrick E. Craig — When Jenny’s husband disappears in a terrible boating accident, she returns home to Apple Creek, Ohio and her adoptive parents. Working through her grief, she pursues newfound writing dreams and is presented with a possible romance with a handsome young publisher, until the elders of her church confront her consideration of going outside her faith to pursue her dreams. At the same a faint hope that her husband might someday be found alive holds her heart in the past. (Amish Romance from P & J Publishing)
Minding the Amish Baby by Carrie Lighte — Amish store clerk Tessa Fisher isn’t ready for marriage or a family—until a baby girl is abandoned on her doorstep. Now Tessa and her gruffly handsome landlord, Turner King, must mind the baby together. And soon Turner and the sweet-cheeked kind are burrowing into Tessa’s heart. But with secrets between them, can the temporary family find a way to stay together forever? (Amish Romance from P & J Publishing)
Contemporary Romance:
Who I Am with You by Robin Lee Hatcher — Jessica was pregnant and facing divorce when her husband and daughter were killed in a car accident. Withdrawing from friends and family, she feels far away from God. Then months later she receives her great-grandfather’s Bible at her grandmother’s funeral. Ridley has suffered his own loss. Bitter over disgrace at his job, an ended career, and subsequent breakup with is girlfriend, he retreats to a vacation property owned by his parents to lick his wounds and hide from the press. Thumbing through the Bible later, Jessica journeys through the aged margin notes, back to faith and wholeness. And the broken roads they have followed bring Jessica and Ridley to each other as well. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing)
Historical:
Three Christmas Novellas by Mary Connealy — Three Christmas Novellas in one volume: Long Horn Christmas, The Sweetest Gift and The Christmas Candle. (Historical, Independently Published)
The Making of Mrs. Hale by Carolyn Miller — Can a runaway marriage ever be redeemed? Julia Hale ran off to be married in Gretna Green, following romance instead of common sense. But her tale isn’t turning into a happily ever after. Her new husband is gone and she doesn’t know where—or if he’s ever coming back. Julia has no option but to head home to the family she betrayed by eloping and to hope they’ll forgive her.Along the way she will learn how relationship with God can bring restoration and hope, and find the answers she needs both for her husband and her future. (Historical, Kregel Publications)
Child of Light by Annette O’Hare — While praying for her own Christmas miracle after five years in a childless marriage, Margaret offers aide to a destitute and expectant young woman during the holidays. She is condemned for her decision to help a woman of ill repute and must face the consequences of doing what is right. Will Margaret’s prayers for a child of her own be answered this Christmas or does God have something else in store? (Historical from Harbourlight Books [Pelican])
The Plum Blooms in Winter by Linda Thompson — Inspired by a Gripping True Story from World War II’s Daring Doolittle Raid–Japan, 1948: A prostitute seeks her revenge; a war hero finds his true mission. (Historical from Mountain Brook Ink)
Historical Romance:
The MissAdventure Brides Collection by Mary Davis, Cynthia Hickey, Kathleen E. Kovach, Debby Lee, Donna Schlachter, Marjorie Vawter, and Kimberley Woodhouse — Seven daring damsels refuse to let the cultural norms of their eras hold them back! Follow along as they trek the wilderness as a fur trapper; teach in the backwoods; campaign for women’s rights; breed llamas; drive cross-country; become a hotel tour guide; and pursue art. Will they meet men who admire their bravery and determination? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)
Kiss Me Once Again by Gail Kittleson — When Glenora Carson’s first love perishes along with the crew of the U.S.S. Arizona on December 7, 1941, she locks away her heart and her dreams of attending college on scholarship, instead choosing to hold down the home front by helping out the family business – Carson’s Garage. The grease-stained overalls don’t do much to compliment her female figure, but they cover her female heart well enough. That is, until Hank Anderson, a wounded warrior back from battle, walks into the garage and into Glenora’s life. Is an old maid’s future Glenora’s fate, or will Cupid throw a wrench in her plans? (Historical Romance from WordCrafts Press)
Stagecoach to Liberty by Janalyn Voigt — Can a desperate young woman trust the handsome Irish stranger who wants to free her from her captors? (Historical Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)
by Crystal Caudill | Jun 26, 2018 | Author Interviews
Hello, friends! I am so excited to introduce to you one my dear friends and critique partners, Kelly Goshorn. She is an amazing, generous, loving woman who I am so blessed to know. This month her debut novel, A Love Restored, releases and let me tell you, it is a sweet read… but more on that next week. Allow me to introduce you to Kelly.
Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith, and family set in 19th century America. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Kelly has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 28 years. Together they have raised three children, four cats, two dogs, a turtle, a guinea pig, a gecko, and countless hamsters. Thankfully, not all at the same time. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys spending time with her young adult children, scrapbooking with friends, board gaming with her husband, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi. Her debut novel, A Love Restored, releases June 29th from Pelican Book Group.
Sweet or Unsweet Tea?
Kelly: Unsweet
Crystal: I’m with you there.
Beach Vacation or Mountain Getaway?
Kelly: Definitely mountains
Crystal: And yours are beautiful to drive through in the fall!
Homebody or Love to Travel?
Kelly: Travel
Crystal: Road trips all the way!
Morning Person or Night Owl?
Kelly: Morning person—VERY early morning. Alarm usually goes off around 4:30 or 4:45.
Crystal: Ugh! I admire you, lady.
Bookmark or Dog-ear Pages?
Kelly: Dog Ear. I write in books and highlight lines I love! Is that sacrilege?
Crystal: Yes, it is, but we forgive you. 😉
Kelly Goshhorn – The Person
What do you like to do when you aren’t reading or writing?
Kelly: I enjoy scrapbooking and cardmaking, though I don’t do that as often as I’d like. Hubby and I enjoy watching movies and BBC programs together as well as going to the theater and playing board games. Living in Virginia, I’m blessed to be within a short driving distance to many historical landmarks. I love planning day trips to battlefields, historical sites, museums, etc. I also enjoy walking my dog several times a day and I’m hoping to begin hiking on some of the nearby mountain trails.
Crystal: I knew there was a reason we were friends. 🙂 We must plan a history trip together.
What has God taught you along your publication journey?
Kelly: My writing journey began with a simple prayer for the Lord to give me a passion. I’d grown weary of childcare and knew it was time to step out into something new but really had no direction. I NEVER saw the writing 
thing coming. I merely began tinkering with a story in my free time, mimicking my son who loved to write and has the goal of being a published author. It was something to fill time while I was waiting on the Lord. Or so I thought. The more I fiddled with the words, the more I enjoyed the process. It didn’t take long for my hidden hobby to become a God-given passion and the answer to our prayers.
But the journey that lay ahead would not only prove to be challenging from a craft point of view, it would require me to face my biggest personal and spiritual obstacle—the fear of failure. In true God fashion, He led me where I needed to be, not necessarily where I wanted to be. Over the next few years, I would be repeatedly plagued with crippling self-doubt and the fear of rejection. What if I mastered the craft, stepped out in faith, and there was no contract? What would that mean for my writing? For my faith?
Conviction set in. I had to pour out my heart and confess to God that I believed He would meet others needs but not necessarily my own. I repented for believing that the finishing work of the cross wasn’t enough. That I didn’t trust He was faithful to do what He said He would do—for me.
The result has been liberating. What I discovered is that God sees not only who we are, but who we can be when we place our trust in Him. He calls us to tackle our biggest obstacles so that we can rest in total dependence on Him.
Crystal: What a beautiful testimony. It truly brings tears to my eyes. God loves us so much.
As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
Kelly: As long as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. I remember playing school very intensely with name cards for each of the ten students in my class set out on cardboard boxes in the basement. My friend and I would spend hours planning lessons and making worksheets with carbon paper (man, does that ever date me). We would fill them out, grade them and record the grades in our homemade gradebooks.
Crystal: I love this picture of you! I had no idea. (And carbon paper… sigh, I’m with you there. When did we get so old?)
A Love Restored
You once said this story parallels your own love story. Can you share a little bit about that?
Kelly: You’re right, Crystal. A Love Restored is based on the true-life romance between my husband and myself, with all its ups and downs, including our tumultuous break-up. (no more about that here, you’ll have to read the story if you want to know the details). I set the story in the 1870s because I’m a history geek. Like my fuller-figured heroine, I’ve struggled with weight issues my entire life and that struggle plays an important part in our story. My own journey to self-acceptance and what a loving God will do to grab a stubborn woman’s attention is pivotal to the storyline.
But A Love Restored is not only a story of love, romance, heartache and restoration, but also a story about the power of words over our lives. It is a story about the struggle each of us faces to take our thoughts captive to the truth of Scripture so we may experience the fullness of God’s unequivocal love for us. As my husband and I discovered, it is only then that we are truly able to give and receive love, unconditionally.
Crystal: I love how God uses our stories and struggles to reach out to others with such a powerful message. This will be a powerful story that will touch many lives.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Kelly: The blank page. I would much rather edit, tweak and polish than fill an empty page. I can usually get the first six or seven chapters out without much trouble but since I’m a panster, sometimes it’s a real slugfest.
Crystal: I getcha! Sometimes I’ll fill a whole page with random letters or cut and paste old work in just so I am not looking at a blank page. (Oops, did I just admit that?)
What did you edit out of this book?
Kelly: My first draft was 116,000 words! Needless to say, A Love Restored was put on a diet and is now a much trimmer 92,000 words. I had several chapters where Ben and Ruth Ann traveled to Pennsylvania to meet his parents. This led to some comical moments because she was raised with household help and Benjamin teaches her how to milk a cow and gather the eggs. I also had a great deal of unnecessary backstory about Benjamin’s life in Texas before he came to Virginia and several flashbacks to his service in the Union Army.
Crystal: An important slimming, but I will miss getting to see some of that information.
And of course, no Write Call Interview is complete without our fun question!
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot? Why?
Kelly: What a great question! Although many would assume I’d choose a corgi because I’m more than a little obsessed with my dog, I think I’d have to say a turtle. I’m the slowest writer to ever grace the planet earth. But like the turtle, I keep plodding along “slow and steady” until I type “The End.” Team turtle for the win!
Crystal: I LOVE turtles! Especially of the Teenage Mutant Ninja variety. (Tee hee hee. You know I had to sneak that in.)
Thank you so much for sacrificing time from your busy schedule to complete this interview. I am so proud of you and excited for your release.
Friends, keep reading below to find out more about A Love Restored, connect with Kelly, and a chance to enter to win an e-copy of A Love Restored.
Connect with Kelly Goshorn
Her website: http://kellygoshorn.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.j.goshorn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyGoshorn
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KellyGoshorn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjgoshorn/
A Love Restored
She was nothing like the woman he’d envisioned for his bride, but he was everything she’d ever dreamed of—until a promise from his past threatened their future.
Twenty-year old Ruth Ann Sutton doesn’t measure up to society’s vision of a perfect lady. She would rather read Jules Verne or teach Negro children to read and write than join the Women’s Benevolent Aid Society or practice her voice lessons. Her pert opinions and less than perfect figure keep many suitors away. When Ruth Ann accepts a position teaching at the new Freedman’s School, it threatens the only marriage offer she is likely to receive. Should she risk life as a lonely spinster or reinvent herself to accept a proposal from a man she does not love?
Determined to rise above his meager beginnings, Benjamin Coulter’s reputation as a fast learner and hard worker earn him the opportunity to apprentice with a surveyor for the railroad—a position that will garner the respect of other men. All he needs now is a woman to share his promising future. When Benjamin has a chance encounter with Ruth Ann Sutton, he is smitten with her pretty face, quick wit, and feisty personality. When others ridicule his choice, Benjamin must decide whether he will listen to his heart or put ambition first.
Purchase Links:
Amazon Barnes and Noble
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Here it is! The time you all have been waiting for. Enter for your chance to win an e-copy of A Love Restored. Just comment below AND use the Rafflecopter link below to enter. Entries are open Tuesday 12 AM (EST) 6/26/2018 and close on Monday, 7/3/2108, at 11:59 PM (EST). Winner will be announced on the A Love Restored Review.
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by Crystal Caudill | Jan 4, 2018 | Writer's Life
The first week of January is already almost behind us. How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? I have moved away from making resolutions and have instead taken up the One Word idea (choosing one word to be my focus for this year). But that doesn’t mean I haven’t made goals for the New Year. My friend, KyLee Woodley, wrote a fantastic post about New Year’s goals which you can read here.
This year I have made several goals split by category: Writing, Reading, and Personal. I’ll give a glimpse of my writing and personal at the end, but what I wanted to really focus on was Reading Resolutions.
READING RESOLUTIONS
Are you are on GoodReads? I have been on it for years, but this is the first year that I am actually going to participate in the GoodReads Reading Challenge. I’d love for you to join me in the challenge and if you so desire, you can add me onto your friend’s list: Crystal Caudill.
My reading goal this year? Read and review 24 books.
I am struggling to make my list. There are so many great books, but here are the ones already there (in no particular order):
- A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano
Too Far Down by Mary Connealy
A Spy’s Devotion by Malanie Dickerson- A Viscount’s Proposal by Melanie Dickerson
- A Dangerous Engagement by Melanie Dickerson
- Plots and Pans by Kelly Eileen Hake
- The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz
- The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenback by Bethany Turner
- Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
-
Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer
Whither Shall I Go? by Gina Holder- Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson
- The Innkeepers Daughter by Michelle Griep
- 12 Days at Bleakly Manor by Michelle Griep
What books do you recommend I add to my list? Do you have any reading goals? Please share them below! Facebook has made interacting with people more difficult on my author page, so I hope to be able to interact better with you here.
WRITING GOALS
1. Finish editing WIP by the end of January. 2. Plot out the two following books. 3. Begin a new WIP in March and have it finished by December.
PERSONAL GOALS
1. Repaint the basement and upstairs main room. 2. Be more present with my kids, friends, and other family members. 3. Balance my responsibilities and still remain sane.
What about you? Did you make any goals or resolutions? Share them and/or your book recommendations below! I am so thankful for anyone who takes the time to read these posts. The internet is a hard world to be in. Bless you and have a great day!
