Monthly Archives: June 2018

FQP News!

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New Logo smallMore FQP projects are on the horizon!

Final Julia's Gifts Front rev

Julia’s Gifts is being narrated as an audio-book and should be completed by the end of summer.

Julia’s Gifts is also being translated into Italian and should be available in paperback and ebook by the middle of July.

Stealing Jenny

Stealing Jenny is being translated into Spanish and will be available via paperback and ebook by the end of the summer.  (It’s already available in English and Portuguese. Special thanks to the remarkable and easy-to-work-with translator,  Ramon Vitor da Costa)

Stealing Jenny is also being translated into Italian and will be available via paperback and ebook by the end of the summer.

 

 

Charlotte’s Honor Cover Reveal

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Charlotte's Honour Front Cover sm

Coming in November!  Charlotte’s Honor: Great War Great Love #2

Synopsis: After her brother is killed in action during the Great War, 21-year-old Charlotte Zielinski enlists as a medical volunteer. She eventually begins working in the death ward of the field hospital near Soissons, France, holding dying men’s hands and singing them into eternity.

Dr. Paul Kilgallen is a Canadian surgeon working at the field hospital. During a siege by the enemy, everyone evacuates except for Paul and Charlotte, who volunteer to remain in the basement of the chateau to care for the critically ill soldiers.

During those three days, Charlotte sees a side of Paul that very few have seen and finds herself falling in love with him. Just before Paul leaves for the front, he abruptly tells her that he cannot love her, and it would be best to “forget him.”

Just when Charlotte seems to be losing hope, the war is coming to a close, and two astonishing events will change her life forever.

A World Such as Heaven Intended

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AWSAHI 2016RGB A World Such as Heaven Intended by Amanda Lauer, won the 2016 CALA award in YA Fiction. The sequel, A Life Such as Heaven Intended, is available at this link.

In A World Such as Heaven Intended, Amara McKirnan and Nathan Simmons share a devotion to their Catholic faith but their loyalties lie on opposite sides of the conflict. Dedicated to the Confederate cause, Amara offers to help out at her uncle’s makeshift hospital in Atlanta. Fate brought Nathan to their doorstep and into Amara’s life. Little does Amara know that the wounded soldier she cares for harbors a secret that will not only jeopardize his life but hers as well.

Follow Amara and Nathan’s story from the heart of war-torn Atlanta to the Northern Georgia battlefields to the plains of East Texas as their lives become intertwined in a way that shatters the separate worlds they once knew.

Reviews:
“Amanda Lauer brings history to life in this fast-paced, emotionally charged, splendid tale. Extremely enjoyable.”
May McGoldrick, International Bestselling Author of The Thistle and Rose, Secret Vows and the Highland Treasure Trilogy

“The South of 1864 springs to life in ‘A World Such as Heaven Intended.’ Rich in details of language, setting and social mores, Lauer takes readers on the journey of her protagonist, Amara McKirnan, a strong woman ahead of her time who wrestles with her blended family and the horrors of the Civil War to find the peace and happiness she is convinced awaits her.”
Marni Graff, Author, The Nora Tierney Mysteries

“‘A World Such as Heaven Intended’ is a fast-moving historical romance which will keep you turning pages until the very end! An excellent read.”
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur, Author, The Catholic Baby Name Book

“A charming romance with well-drawn characters and clear imagery, offering the reader a chance to slip away to another era and come home refreshed.”
A.K. Frailey, Author, The Deliverance Trilogy

The print edition is available at this link. Download your Kindle copy at this link.

Catholic Writers Conference Live 2018

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CWCL image
The Catholic Writers Guild is hosting Catholic Writers Conference Live (CWCL) July 31 – August 2, 2018 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN) Tradeshow.

The CWCL, celebrating its 10th anniversary, provides writers, artists, editors, and illustrators opportunities for networking; workshops on writing, publishing, and marketing; pitch sessions; critique sessions; and more.

Information about registration, accommodations, and the conference schedule are available online at https://catholicwritersguild.org/live-conference.

The event, which will be held at the Lancaster Convention Center, welcomes CWG members and nonmembers alike. Clergy and religious attend for free.

Open Book – June 2018

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Open Book

I’m joining with Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book.

Here’s what I’ve been reading during the past month!

 

Mercy

The Name of God is Mercy – Pope Francis

Synopsis: This book is a conversation between Pope Francis and a Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli about mercy and forgiveness.

My review:  I enjoyed this book very much. Although Pope Francis has said some things off the cuff over the years that I have not necessarily agreed with, this book (which he had the opportunity to review before publication) is a beautiful book on the mercy and forgiveness of Our Creator.

Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman – Harper Lee

Amazon Synopsis:  Twenty-six-year-old Jean Louise Finch—“Scout”—returns home to Maycomb, Alabama from New York City to visit her aging father, Atticus. Set against the backdrop of the civil rights tensions and political turmoil that were transforming the South, Jean Louise’s homecoming turns bittersweet when she learns disturbing truths about her close-knit family, the town, and the people dearest to her. Memories from her childhood flood back, and her values and assumptions are thrown into doubt. Featuring many of the iconic characters from To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman perfectly captures a young woman, and a world, in painful yet necessary transition out of the illusions of the past—a journey that can only be guided by one’s own conscience.

Written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman imparts a fuller, richer understanding and appreciation of the late Harper Lee. Here is an unforgettable novel of wisdom, humanity, passion, humor, and effortless precision—a profoundly affecting work of art that is both wonderfully evocative of another era and relevant to our own times. It not only confirms the enduring brilliance of To Kill a Mockingbird, but also serves as its essential companion, adding depth, context, and new meaning to an American classic.

My review: Like most of the other reviewers, I was disappointed in the writing and the characters.  Without giving too much away, the writing is clearly not as polished as To Kill a Mockingbird.  It definitely reads like a first novel, although I found it interesting how Jean Louise interacts with her father and beau, who do not seem to be on the same page as her regarding important life issues.  I got this on the Bargain shelf of my local bookstore and couldn’t resist buying the hardcover for $8. I recommend it for those who are interested in finding out what sort of person Jean Louise grows up to be.

Bess Armstrong

The Shattered Tree: A Bess Armstrong Mystery by Charles Todd

Amazon Synopsis:  World War I battlefield nurse Bess Crawford goes to dangerous lengths to investigate a wounded soldier’s background—and uncover his true loyalties—in this thrilling and atmospheric entry in the bestselling “vivid period mystery series” (New York Times Book Review).

At the foot of a tree shattered by shelling and gunfire, stretcher-bearers find an exhausted officer, shivering with cold and a loss of blood from several wounds. The soldier is brought to battlefield nurse Bess Crawford’s aid station, where she stabilizes him and treats his injuries before he is sent to a rear hospital. The odd thing is, the officer isn’t British—he’s French. But in a moment of anger and stress, he shouts at Bess in German.

When the French officer disappears in Paris, it’s up to Bess—a soldier’s daughter as well as a nurse—to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.

My review: I’m currently reading this book, and I’m enjoying it immensely. I’ve read most of the Bess Armstrong Mysteries by Charles Todd and his mother, Caroline.  They’re an excellent, polished writing team and usually come up with some intriguing plot lines. And for me, the cover is absolutely stunning!

Face of the Earth

The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

Amazon Synopsis: When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife sets off for home after a conference, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised that Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.” Hours later, Jill still hasn’t returned, and Mitch’s irritation turns to dread.

When the police come up empty, Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, to help search. As hours turn into days and days into weeks, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer—and decidedly more complicated. Every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.

My review: On my To-Read shelf.