Tag Archives: Christian fiction

Meet Joey Hill

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Joey Hill is an ordinary-looking guy with a wispy moustache and a wide smile. He jokes that people expect him to be bigger, to fit his nose.

Joey was a popular radio personality on Canada’s West Coast until a very public disgrace cost him his job, his relationships and his freedom. He’d tell you the one good thing about losing everything is that he found Jesus. Or Jesus found him.

Now he’s starting over in a new city, hosting a late-night all-request oldies radio show. And lucky to have a job in the field he loves. The hours are terrible, the pay is worse.

Next to the music, his callers are the best part of the job. Mostly they chat about sports scores, movies, singers and songs. But something about the faceless contact with a friendly voice lets some of the regulars open up to him. That’s when Joey feels they cross the divide from acquaintances to friends—even if he’d never recognize them on the sidewalk.

Those calls are where he tries to make a difference, by his words or with a listening ear, and with a little prayer after he says goodbye.

He’s never felt driven to actually meet a radio friend before, but there’s this one woman, Carol. Joey can’t get her out of his mind. From the little she’s shared, he knows there’s a lot of pain in her past.

She sounds like she could use a friend. Carol’s very private, though, almost paranoid. She’d never agree to meet him in person.

When an opportunity to meet her drops into Joey’s lap, he takes it. Just to be a friend. Until he figures out how to do life as a man of faith, he doesn’t dare complicate it with a relationship. The protective surge he gets when he’s talking to her? Friends are protective. That’s all it is. Really.

Ron stretched out his palm for the car keys. "Do yourself a favour, Joe, don't do anything stupid." Joey snorted. "That's my new motto for life."

Meet Paul Daniels

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Keeping secrets? Just a few.

Paul Daniels is sixteen years old and living a double life. If his mother knew he was playing in a band, she’d freak. So she won’t find out.

Paul needs the music like he needs to breathe. It’s something he inherited from his father. The only plus about Mom dragging him half-way across the country to start a new life is the chance to take guitar lessons from Mr. Morelli. Paul works after school at the music store to pay for lessons. And he’s in a new band with some friends.

It’s hard fitting school work into his schedule, so Paul asked one of the class brains to help with his math. Bonus for him, she’s kind of cute. But he wouldn’t dare try adding a relationship into his jam-packed life.

He could never make it with Tara-Lynn anyway. He’s hiding too much. She’d be sympathetic about how his younger brother died of a drug overdose, but the anonymous caller who’s threatening his mom would scare her away. If that didn’t do it, hearing about his convict uncle would.

Is a sixteen-year-old even allowed to exchange letters with a dangerous offender? But Paul wants to know if his Uncle Harry has really changed. Now it sounds like Mom may have to write to the man, and Harry knows about the band. It all comes down to whether a convicted killer can keep a secret.

Sex and drugs and rock-n-roll--playing in a band is the least dangerous of the three. It's all Paul Daniels needs, but if his mom finds out, he's toast.

Meet Carol Daniels

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If you’ve read Heaven’s Prey, you may remember that Harry Silver has a sister, Carol Silver Daniels. Secrets and Lies is Carol’s story, and it takes place chronologically between the final chapter of Heaven’s Prey and the epilogue.

Heaven’s Prey is psychological suspense, and pretty intense in places. Secrets and Lies has a lighter tone, and it’s romantic suspense. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

With Secrets and Lies releasing next month, I want to introduce some of my fictional friends. So… meet Carol Daniels.

Carol is a 30-something single mom, starting over in Toronto after an anonymous creep threatened her son, Paul. She didn’t tell Paul that’s why they left Calgary—why she dyed her dark hair honey ash and cut it short, why she started wearing glasses with non-corrective lenses. Why she’s so “controlling,” to use her son’s word for it.

Paul is sixteen and pushing the limits she sets. He’s a good kid, does well enough in school, but she can’t stop worrying that he’ll end up like his father: a loser musician who loved the spotlight—and the female fans—more than he loved his wife and sons.

I say “sons” because Carol and Skip had two, both from teen pregnancy. Carol would tell you life got easier once Skip died in a car wreck, but losing her other son nearly killed her. Keith was only twelve when he died of a drug overdose. If she hadn’t still had Paul to care for, and Keith’s dog, she’d never have kept her sanity.

No wonder a threat on Paul’s life sent her fleeing half-way across the country.

Why would someone threaten an innocent teen? Technically, the guy threatened them both, but he did suggest that her son was an easier target. As for why? Carol’s estranged brother is a dangerous offender: Harry Silver. You may have read about him in Heaven’s Prey. Harry’s enemies can’t touch him directly, but his family are walking around unprotected.

That’s what the note said, and that’s why Carol and Paul relocated with no forwarding address.

These days Carol works at the Sticky Fingers Café, baking desserts and waiting tables. She’s trying to keep anonymous in this new city, and outside of work she hasn’t met many people. Is it sad that speed dial #1 on her phone is the late-night deejay on the local oldies station? And #2 is a friend in Calgary?

Carol loves to bake, especially with chocolate. When the nightmares wake her, she’ll often whip up a pan of brownies or a batch of cookies. She’ll make herself a cup of tea—peppermint is her favourite—and ask for a Billy Joel song on the all-request oldies show. The deejay, Joey, is easy to talk to. And he doesn’t know who—or where—she is, so she’s safe.

What else do I need to tell you about Carol? She’s not as safe as she thinks she is. What’s coming is more than she can handle on her own. And she won’t pray for help, not after what happened the last time she tried prayer.

Carol quote

You can meet Carol, Paul, Joey and a few others this November in Secrets and Lies, Redemption’s Edge Book 2.

 

My Fiction: Update

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I’ve been busy lately with final edits and formatting for Secrets and Lies, Redemption’s Edge book 2, which will release November 1. Soon I’ll be able to share the cover art with you… I can’t wait to see it. Christina Fuselli, who designed the cover of Heaven’s Prey, is on the job, so I know it’ll be great.

cover art: Heaven's Prey by Janet SketchleySpeaking of Heaven’s Prey, I’m giving away a copy over at Everyone’s Story (ends Oct. 3). Just pop over and leave a comment to be entered to win. I encourage you to stop by anyway and check out my guest post. It’s the story of my writing dream, and how God brought it back to life. Click to read: Making Daydreams Real.

If you’ve wanted to read Heaven’s Prey before the next novel comes out, time’s growing short. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet and don’t win one through Everyone’s Story, a few public libraries have copies. It’s also available in multiple ebook formats, and Amazon is processing the revised print version now. See my Heaven’s Prey book page for links.

Back to Secrets and Lies: Each Friday in October, I’ll introduce you to a character from the novel, with a special surprise for the final Friday in the month. This novel’s less intense than Heaven’s Prey, and it’s romantic suspense.

Review: Wind and Shadow, by Kathy Tyers

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Wind and Shadow, by Kathy TyersWind and Shadow, by Kathy Tyers (Marcher Lord Press [now Enclave Publishing], 2011)

Prophetic hope, ancient evil, and the struggle to live a life of faith when temptation masks as truth and danger is all around…

Fans of Kathy Tyers’ Firebird trilogy waited a long time for the story to continue. Wind and  Shadow begins the tale of the next generation of the Caldwells, a Sentinel family prophesied to produce a messiah-type hero.

The Sentinels are humans with psionic power, feared but needed by the other humans. And the enemies they faced in the original series aren’t as vanquished as readers had hoped.

Wind and Shadow features twins Kiel and Kinnor Caldwell, one a priest and one a soldier, and Wind Haworth, a young woman divided between two cultures and welcomed by none.

Is Kiel the Promised One? The evil being that captures him schemes to turn him from the Path. Kinnor and Wind are unlikely allies to rescue him … or die trying. And more lives are at stake than they know.

You don’t have to read the Firebird trilogy first, although it’s a strong series and now available in a single volume with the author’s annotations. Wind and Shadow refers to past characters and events as needed and new readers will have no trouble starting here. Since it introduces an unfamiliar planet with new characters, all readers need to orient themselves at the beginning.

It’s a compelling and satisfying story (complete with danger, romance, fast ships and explosions). The planet, culture and technology come to life, as do the internal conflicts of the key characters. I appreciate how those of faith struggle to apply that faith in crisis, and how their choices are not always straightforward – or even right.

You can learn more about NYT bestselling author Kathy Tyers at her website. Daystar, the conclusion to the Firebird saga, released in April 2012.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Dangerous Passage, by Lisa Harris

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Dangerous Passage, by Lisa Harris (Revell, 2013)Dangerous Passage, by Lisa Harris

When a second Jane Doe is found dead in Atlanta, Georgia, Detective Avery North fears she’s dealing with a serial killer. Can she find—and stop—him before another young woman dies?

As a single mom, Avery’s life is filled with work and family. She barely has time for a pedicure, so how could she add a relationship with the handsome medical examiner, Jackson Bryant? Or is she simply afraid to let herself love again?

The hunt for a serial killer uncovers a twisted net of illegal arms shipments and human trafficking. And the killer’s mind games threaten Avery’s stability. Especially when it looks like there’s a connection with the unsolved murder of her brother, an undercover officer killed in the line of duty.

I enjoyed the mystery and the action in this novel, as well as the glimpses of how Avery learns to balance work, family, faith and personal breathing space. We’re not all detectives, but most of us have more to do in our days than time to do it, and it’s good to see how other people handle this struggle.

Forgiveness is another key theme in the novel. Avery and family have lost her brother, Michael, and she blames another member of the force. There’s no proof—yet. But she can’t stop digging. Michael’s case isn’t solved in this novel, and I expect to see more of it in the next book in the Southern Crimes series.

Lisa Harris is an award-winning author of inspirational romance and suspense. She and her husband are serving as missionaries in Mozambique. For more about the author, check out her website: lisaharriswrites.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Other Side of the River, by Janice L. Dick

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Other Side of the River, by Janice L. DickOther Side of the River, by Janice L. Dick (Helping Hands Press, 2014)

It’s been too long since we had new historical fiction from Janice L. Dick. Once again she immerses readers in the world of Russian Mennonites, a persecuted people wherever they try to settle in the Soviet regime of 1926.

Despite the growing turmoil in their village, Luise Letkemann is eager to marry her beloved Daniel Martens. Her family wants to move somewhere safer: to Canada, or at least farther east towards China. But will anywhere be safe from vindictive officials out to break her people’s hope?

As the story opens, Luise is determined to remain optimistic and to see the bright side in everything, but sorrow brings change. Elderly Tante Manya has some of the best lines, wisdom-wise in the story. Here’s my favourite:

Manya: The purpose of prayer is not to get what we want, Luise, but to lay hold of God Himself. He seeks always to reveal Himself to us. Once we begin to see Him as He is, we can relinquish our tight hold on our will and trust Him for His. Do you understand?

Luise: Sometimes I don’t understand anything, Tante. [Kindle Location 3725]

In some ways this was a heavy book because of the people’s struggles, but the way they dig deeper into faith and find the resources they need to carry on in the face of oppression is an example and an encouragement to readers today in whatever stresses we find ourselves.

It’s not a traumatic read. These are resilient people and although some break, the community bond is strong and supportive. Luise, her gentle father Abram, her acidic stepmother Anna, Luise’s step-brother and step-sister, Tante Manya and Daniel are all real characters with individual struggles, weaknesses and strengths.

Other Side of the River originally released as a ebook series. This review is of the complete series in one volume. If you’re looking online, be sure to get the full novel and not just a piece that leaves you wanting more. Sadly, Amazon.ca does not yet offer the print version although the US and UK Amazons do.

Janice L. Dick is a Canadian author of Mennonite heritage. Her Storm series (Calm Before the Storm, Eye of the Storm and Out of the Storm) also traces the lives of Russian Mennonites. I hope we’ll see another novel to follow Other Side of the River. You can find Janice, and more about her books, at her website: janicedick.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Catherine West, Author of Yesterday’s Tomorrow

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Catherine West

Catherine West writes stories that connect with readers’ imaginations and with their hearts. Her novel, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, released in 2011 from OakTara Press, and she’s re-releasing it now as an independent author.

Because I loved the story, and because I’m also a newly independent author re-releasing a traditionally-published book, I asked Cathy if we could chat.

Janet: Welcome, Cathy, and thanks for taking time to join us. Congratulations on this second edition of Yesterday’s Tomorrow. Fantastic new cover, which we’ll talk about in a bit. For now, tell us about the story itself.

Cathy: Vietnam, 1967.

Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother’s wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he’s hiding something.

Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they’re forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.

Janet: Yesterday’s Tomorrow is written from a Christian worldview, yet it’s gritty and real. Not the sweet sort of story many associate with the genre. I’m glad there’s room for stories like this. What’s the takeaway it offers to readers?

Cathy: I think readers can really take as much or as little from this story as they wish. The main theme that runs throughout is forgiveness. Both Luke and Kristin make life-changing mistakes they must come to terms with and grieve in their own way, but to truly move past those dark moments they must learn to forgive themselves and each other. I also like the theme of redemption that is ever present. God truly can take any situation and redeem it for good, sometimes when we least expect it.

Janet: Since it’s set during the Vietnam War, you didn’t have to update to match current technology, but did you make any changes for this edition?

Cathy: I worked with freelance editor Mick Silva, on this edition. Outside of one big change, the real magic was in the telling of the story, tightening tension, polishing the prose, and making the plot even more intriguing and motives more believable. I think at the end of it we have an even better offering. I hope readers will agree.

Janet: Do you have a favourite character in Yesterday’s Tomorrow?

Cathy: Ah. Of course. Luke Maddox will forever hold a place in my heart no matter how many books I write. He’s the type of guy you love to hate at the beginning, but by the first half of the book you realize just how wonderful he is and you can’t wait for Kristin to finally wake up and see that too. 🙂
Yesterday's Tomorrow, by Catherine West

Janet: The original cover was striking, but I think the new one is more so. And I like how it reflects both the war and the romance elements. What goes into designing a great cover?

Cathy: I love this cover so much. Dineen Miller did an amazing job! She had read the story, so she knew what I was looking for right off the bat. While still giving some hint of the era and the war backdrop, we really wanted to play up the romance, and I think the images we finally agreed on do that very well.

Janet: When did you decide to get your publication rights back and go indie? Was it a long process?

Cathy: It usually takes about six months for the process to be completed. My agent and I made the decision back in January.

Janet: There’s a lot for an independent author to learn, but more and more people are choosing this route. Do you have a few favourite resources to share?

Cathy: I don’t have a whole lot of experience going this route yet. I’ve joined a few Indie author groups on Facebook and I’m learning a lot from the folks there. I’m reading a lot of books on self-publishing and marketing, but I don’t know enough to make any recommendations yet.

Janet: What’s the most exciting thing for you as an indie author?

Cathy: I like having control over my books, I guess. It’s all so new that I’m not really sure yet. 🙂 It’s nice to know that if I want to do a free or 99 cent day offering, I can do that.

Janet: What’s the biggest challenge?

Cathy: I was fortunate to be able to work with my agency Books & Such, on this Indie venture, so they dealt with Amazon and all the formatting etc… I imagine that would be very difficult and I was glad not to have to do that! The biggest challenge, I think, will be marketing and making sure the book gets the best exposure. But that’s the same with traditional publishing as well.

Janet: Do you have any advice for beginning writers, especially those considering the independent route?

Cathy: Independent publishing is a viable option nowadays, but you really want to make sure you’re putting your best work out there. I highly recommend working with a freelance editor on any project, even something you’re planning to submit to an agent or publisher. It’s really hard to pick up mistakes, grammar or spelling, when you’ve read something over a hundred times! And objective, professional eye – an editor with experience – is worth the investment. There are many to choose from so ask around, get recommendations from authors you trust, and really make sure that you find someone you believe you can work well with, especially if you want a substantive edit rather than just a line edit.

Janet: Are you planning to re-release your second novel, Hidden in the Heart, as well?

Cathy: Yes, that is in process.

Janet: What other projects do you have in the works?

Cathy: I have four completed novels making the rounds at the moment, so we’ll see what comes next with those.

Janet: Life is more than writing. Tell us something you appreciate about living in Bermuda.

Cathy: I love the beauty of this island. The sparkling blue waters, pink sands, green hedges and colourful flowers everywhere, no matter the time of the year. I’m not a city person nor do I enjoy winter, so island living suits me fine. There’s also a slower place here, which I like. Nobody’s ever really in a hurry.

Janet: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Cathy: Hmm. Neither really. I used to be a night owl, I worked well after midnight and still got up and functioned fine the next morning. Not so much anymore. I like to be in bed by 11pm at the latest. I’m definitely not a morning person though. I need my coffee and a couple hours silence before I’m ready to interact with the world.

Janet: What’s your favourite food?

Cathy: I would say chocolate pudding cake, but it’s a migraine trigger for me, so I have to stay away from it. Chilled lobster with hot garlic butter sauce is definitely up there on the list!

Janet: Sounds good to me! Thanks so much for visiting today, Cathy, and all the best with your new ventures. I hope many new readers discover and appreciate your fiction.

===

Yesterday’s Tomorrow, second edition, is now available in ebook and print formats through your favourite retailers. (The first edition is still available too, with the original cover, so be sure you get the new one.) There have been a few changes for this new edition, but the basic story is the same. You can read my review of the first edition here. I look forward to reading the new version soon.

Review: The Taste of Many Mountains, by Bruce Wydick

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The Taste of Many Mountains, by Bruce WydickThe Taste of Many Mountains, by Bruce Wydick (Thomas Nelson, 2014)

A team of graduate students from California travel to Guatemala to trace coffee beans from site of origin to final destination, identifying the profit at each stage. Their questions: Does globalization make things better or worse? Does Fair Trade actually help the farmers? What about organic certification? And if the coffee industry is booming, why are the farmers living at subsistence level—or below it?

Their findings might surprise you.

This book is fiction, but it’s based on an actual assignment given by the author to some of his students. Many of their experiences made it into the novel. The author’s stated purpose is to share the findings of this study in a more engaging manner than a dry report. To that end, he succeeds.

It’s very fact-heavy, and although those facts come out in the sort of natural dialogue that graduate students would have about such things, this average reader confesses to skimming some of those sections. There’s far more information than a casual reader is ready to process. As such, the novel might be best suited to entry-level students in the areas of international trade and development, economics or global studies.

Angela and Alex and their teammates are engaging, original characters, although somewhat overshadowed by the novel’s focus. The reading level is often higher than fiction readers expect, for example, “Governments at peace with their people are much alike, but genocidal governments are each maleficent in their own way.” [p. 1] Personally, this language level is a pleasing stretch for me until it hits the details of areas of study.

There’s some fine description, though: “The sun rose in the sky and as the shadows grew shorter, the line of sweat down the middle of Fernando’s back grew longer, reaching down toward his belt.” [p. 49] And the author includes just enough Spanish to flavour the dialogue without losing non-Spanish speakers like me.

A few of the characters are Christian, and faith occasionally comes into their discussions, but in a natural, non-preachy way.

I love the cover of this book. It suits the story perfectly, down to the burlap background  reminiscent of the bags that transport so many coffee beans. I learned from my reading that high-end beans are now shipped in vacuum-sealed plastic, but that wouldn’t make for such a good visual. Plus, the beans likely still leave the coffee farmer in the traditional burlap.

The Author’s Note proves that Bruce Wydick is a fine and engaging writer of non-fiction. He has created interesting characters and a plot with nicely-interwoven subplots. As many novelists do, he wrestles with complex truths that the wider world needs to hear. I think this book was a great idea, but what it needed was a co-writer to make the fiction shine (and a willingness to go much lighter on the facts so that readers could absorb the ones highlighted).

Author Bruce Wydick is a professor at the University of San Francisco (economics and international studies).

[A review copy was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.]

Review: My Brother’s Keeper, by N. J. Lindquist

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My Brother's Keeper, by NJ LindquistMy Brother’s Keeper, by N. J. Lindquist (That’s Life! Communications, revised edition, 2014 — formerly titled In Time of Trouble)

Shane Donahue is 18 years old and he hates his life. And his super-perfect twin brother, Scott. They’re identical twins, but they’ve turned into polar opposites. Scott excels at everything, while Shane… well he’s ordinary at best.

He’s been dumped from the basketball team, fired from his job, he’s failing at school, and even in the party crowd he can’t rise to the top. Oh, and his dad took his car away after the latest speeding ticket.

The characters are real, complex, and Shane will capture your heart in the opening pages even while you’ll be shaking your head at his attitude. His frustration, his sense of hopelessness to be good at anything, are feelings we know too well. He doesn’t really know who he is—just who he’s trying to project himself to be.

Favourite quote: Shane describes one of his friends, Ethan, as “kind of comfortable to be around. Like an old pair of sweat pants. He’s maybe the only person who’s never tried to change me.” [Kindle location 495]

As Shane’s world falls apart and his family life gets more turbulent, he figures he’s far enough gone that he might as well check out this God stuff Ethan’s been spouting. It’s either that or kill himself and get it over with.

Shane doesn’t expect what he hears to make so much sense, or to realize he wants God in his life. He also doesn’t expect life to then get harder! His father is more angry about God-talk than he was about Shane’s plummeting grades, and the party crowd is downright hostile about the change in him.

You don’t have to be an 18-year-old boy to appreciate My Brother’s Keeper. It’s for everyone who’s ever felt like a loser, ever felt too far gone to change, or ever felt too ordinary to be any use to God.

N.J. Lindquist is a Canadian author and speaker who has played key roles in The Word Guild and in the Hot Apple Cider anthologies. As well as writing YA fiction under her own name, she writes cozy mysteries as J.A. Menzies. For more about the author and her writing, visit her website: njlindquist.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]