Tag Archives: Christian fiction

Review: Talking to the Dead, by Bonnie Grove

Book cover: Talking to the Dead, by Bonnie Grove

Talking to the Dead, by Bonnie Grove (David C. Cook, 2009)

I’d expect most novels that start in the aftermath of a funeral to be dull. Not Talking to the Dead. Kate’s grief has left her numb, but it’s not boring-numb. It’s an odd detachment that has her seeing the world in a realistically-offbeat way.

In the first chapter, she reflects, “Funerals exist so we can close doors we’d rather leave open. But where did we get the idea that the best approach to facing death is to eat Bundt cake?” (p. 13)

Kate doesn’t pull me into a shared grief or depression, but she does draw me into her quirky observations of a world from which she’s been abruptly dislocated – and into her quest to get back.

Talking to the Dead is a compelling story of one woman’s struggle to find answers: What belongs in the holes in her memory? Who can help her deal with her grief? And why does her dead husband keep talking to her? (This isn’t a ghost story, by the way.)

As Kate’s world falls apart, readers feel we’re right there with her – except the book’s quirky humour keeps us sane. Kate runs from one type of help to another – books, counsellors, even a toxic preacher – in her search for wholeness. In the end, it’s friends and relationships, basic human kindness, along with Kate’s spiritual pilgrimage, that help her let go of the past and choose to step into a new future.

This is neither a philosophical book nor a slow read. Kate feels like a real person, and the pages practically turn themselves. Bonnie Grove’s writing flows fresh and lively, with splashes of humour and intriguing turns of phrase.

Look at these: “I … looked up into the early June sky. The clouds were an unmade bed.” (p. 15) Can’t you see it? And “Fatigue filled the small spaces between my bones.” (p. 17) At that point I stopped taking notes and settled in to enjoy the story.

Talking to the Dead isn’t a particularly happy story, although it’s not really sad either. It feels like a quest for truth. And the ending satisfies. If you like to read with an eye open for themes, check out Bonnie’s suggested things to look for in the novel.

Canadian author Bonnie Grove is also the author of Your Best You. Talking to the Dead is her first novel.

Bonnie’s tag line is “Life is messy. God is love.”

That sums it up, doesn’t it?

Canadian author Bonnie Grove has a background in psychology, counselling, and theology. She says, “I’m endlessly fascinated by grace. All my writing, short stories, novels, non-fiction – the whole shebang – are explorations of God’s grace at work in the world.” As well as Talking to the Dead, she is the author of Your Best You (non-fiction).

Christian Mystery Novelist Sara Mills

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Sara Mills is the author of two 1940s-era PI mysteries featuring Allie Fortune, a “female Sam Spade” operating in New York City. Sara is a wife, mother, writer, freelance editor and motorcycle racing enthusiast. She loves animals, raises Golden Retrievers, has a house full of hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, puppies and any other stray that makes its way to her door. (from her website — click here to read the rest, or you can read interviews with Sara at Cara Putman’s blog or Novel Journey) And I discovered today that she lives in Canada. I’m always looking for more Christian authors in Canada.

I’ve wanted to read Miss Fortune and Miss Match for some time. Wish I had a happier reason for deciding to order them now, but here it is: Sara’s husband Keith died suddenly last week, and she’s now a widow with three young kids. (For more details, see a recent post at Novel Journey.)

Some of her good friends at American Christian Fiction Writers have organized a blog tour to show their support and love. Her friend Ronie Kendig’s blog explains, “This isn’t an attempt to trivialize Keith’s death–I’d actually think he’d be thrilled to see so many throwing their support behind his beloved wife and the mother of his children.” (You can read the whole blog post at Craving the Supernatural)

Sara, I’m praying for you and your children.

About the books:

Miss Fortune (book one)

They call her the P.I. Princess.

Allie Fortune is the only female private investigator in New York City and she’s one of the best.

When there’s a knock on her office door at four in the morning, Allie’s first inclination is to ignore it. Someone out on the streets in the middle of the night is usually trouble, either causing it, or being chased by it, and Mary Gordon is no exception.

You can read more here or read the first chapter here.

Miss Match (book two)

FBI agent Jack O’Connor receives a letter from Maggie, a woman he used to love, saying she’s in trouble in Berlin. The FBI refuses to get involved, so Jack asks Allie Fortune to help him investigate. Allie and Jack pose as a missionary couple who want to bring orphans back to the United States.

Youcan read more here or read the first chapter here.

Both books should be available in your local bookstore or online at Chapters, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com or Christianbook.com.

A Flickering Light

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Here’s a trailer for Jane Kirkpatrick’s new novel, A Flickering Light, releasing this April from WaterBrook Press. Looks interesting, doesn’t it?

Review: Dawn’s Light, by Terri Blackstock

Interview: Canadian Author Sheila Davidson

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Sheila Davidson is a Canadian author of Hear Heaven, Heaven’s Tears and Heaven Knows, inspirational romances set in medieval times. These are feel-good, heart-warming books, set in a simpler time and in a fictional place where faith (and certain characters’ spiritual gifts) can be an accepted part of daily life.

This is a series where I suggest starting at the beginning – not because you couldn’t understand books two or three without doing so, but because you’d miss out on those stories. I’m rarely a hopeless romantic, but I love the ending to Hear Heaven.

JS: Welcome, Sheila, and thanks for taking time to join us. You’re a Christian, a wife and mother, a court stenographer, and when we get to your creative side you’re a novelist, songwriter, singer, musician and artist. Where do I start? Since I’m a writer and reader, how about you tell us a bit about your books?

SD: You put it very well in your introduction, Janet. The back of my bookmark says: “Come and meet friends and neighbours as they deal with struggles and laughter, life and love, all under the kind eye of the Heavenly Father.”

JS: Your novels are set in a fictional 12^th century village with a distinctly Celtic feel. What kind of research was most helpful in creating the setting?

SD: Movies and other novels set in the same time have given me visual images of the period. I’ve borrowed books from the library on specific topics, like the history of glassmaking, for instance, and then of course the internet is an endless supply of information. My husband and I have been to England three times and there one can stand inside buildings and/or ruins from the 12^th Century – an amazing privilege.

JS: Did you know some of what would happen in Heaven’s Tears and Heaven Knows when you were writing Hear Heaven?

SD: No. Hear Heaven seemed to write itself over a period of three months and I had no idea then that the story would continue.

JS: Do you have a favourite character from the novels?

SD: Braydon Duggan, known as ‘Duggan’, is the lead character’s sidekick in Hear Heaven and he’s funny and wise, a big man with a tender heart. I found him very winning.

JS: I liked Duggan too. Tell us about your new CD, Heart of the Heavens. With its Celtic flavour, can you picture your minstrel from Braydon Village performing the songs?

SD: Heart of the Heavens is a collection of 10 songs of worship and prayer that I wrote over the past ten years or so. Most of them have not been heard by anyone else; I simply enjoyed writing them when inspiration came and then played them on my keyboard and used them for personal worship times. To hear them arranged and produced with other instruments is an absolute thrill. My husband, Tim, did a lovely job recording the disk for me. And yes, I think there are a few melodies that Verone would enjoy playing on his lute.

By the way, there is a young shepherdess in book #4, Tabitha Mann, who plays the whistle, and I took up the tin whistle this year and even play on the CD. So I find it very interesting how life feeds art which feeds life, and on and on.

JS: Very cool. Speaking of musicians, Finton Davidge plays the bagpipes on the CD. Isn’t he also a character in your novels?

SD: Finton Davidge is a fictional character only. Live bagpipes are extremely challenging to record in tune, and they come in only one key, so the bagpipes on the CD are actually a computer sample that my husband used for the part.

JS: What got you started writing?

SD: The first novel started from a dream. I got up that morning and typed out the two parts from the dream, which were Isgoré Armaddi’s supernatural gift, and the curse that befalls Raymore Leotte and her deliverance from that. Then I just kept filling in the story around those parts.

JS:What has reader response been like for the books?

SD: Wonderfully positive. It was the enthusiasm of a dozen friends who read the first manuscript that prompted me to seek publication. And there are people who are keen for each new instalment. One lady told me that her cousin prays in the same way as the characters in Hear Heaven and she thought she would try that too. Others have commented on the portrayal of the Heavenly Father as being so approachable and present in the characters’ lives. These are lovely things to hear.

JS: Is there another book or CD in the works?

SD: I have story lines for two more books in the Braydon Manor series and some writing has been done on those. I think I would like to do a sixth book to finish Isgoré’s story and bring the series full circle.

JS: What do you like best about the writing life?

SD: Being inspired and writing lyrics or passages of stories that amaze me is a wonderful experience. I thank God for such a lovely thing to do.

JS: What do you like least?

SD: Waiting is a toughie for me – waiting for blocks of time to write, waiting for a response to query letters, waiting for a book to lumber through the publishing process. I find myself waiting for one thing or another all the time, and this week God pointed that out to me (again) and said, “Enjoy Me now.” Just be thankful for my walk with God that day and stop focusing on future things. I’ve thought about that the past few days and even started a song about it.

JS: What does your family think of your writing?

SD: They are very encouraging and are glad to see me enjoying this lovely creative time.

JS: I know they support your music, since your husband produced the CD and your son and daughter both perform with you on certain tracks. Is music a family thing?

SD: Definitely. I grew up in a musical family, singing and playing French horn, Tim has played bass and guitar since high school, Emily sings and plays bass, and Martin is in his final year of a music degree in jazz – he plays saxophone.

JS: Is there a particular song (yours or someone else’s) or Scripture verse that’s made a big difference for you?

SD: Joel 2:25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” Through nearly two decades of depression this verse was brought to me several times and now I am seeing its wonderful promise fulfilled beyond anything I could have imagined.

JS: Writers are told to read widely and voraciously. I think that’s one of the perks of the deal. What are you reading these days?

SD: Prayer as a Place, by a friend of ours, Charles Bello, a lovely little book about taking time to center in on God (which harks back to “Enjoy Me now”.) And I just finished My Soul to Keep by Davis Bunn, a novel that deals with the movie business, which was very interesting.

JS: Thanks so much for taking time to let us get to know you a bit, Sheila. May the LORD continue to bless you and make you a blessing to others-in every area of your life.

SD: Thank you for inviting me, Janet. And all God’s very best to your readers in this brand New Year.

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You can read the first chapters of each novel at Sheila’s website. The books and CD can be ordered through her store or (books only) through Vineyard International Publishing. Heaven Knows is also available through Amazon.com. You can view Sheila’s lovely pen-and-ink drawings on her site as well.

I’m a winner!

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Guess who won one of the books in the latest Mainly Mystery blog draw? The ladies there, Cynthia Hickey and Nancy Mehl, have lots of book reviews and interviews, mainly about… mysteries.

Stop by and get some ideas of what to read next.

I’ll be reading Dawn’s Light by Terri Blackstock, and I have to find Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s Reluctant Smuggler too. I’ve enjoyed the previous books in each author’s series.

Review: Fossil Hunter, by John B. Olson

Review: Eye of the Storm, by Janice L. Dick

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[Note: this review is of the original version of this book, which has now been revised and rereleased. For the review of the 2020 edition, click here.]

Eye of the Storm, by Janice L. Dick (Herald Press, 2003)

In Eye of the Storm, we follow the characters from Calm Before the Storm through the years 1917-1919. A less compassionate author would overwhelm readers with the cruelty and horror of this part in Russian Mennonite history.

The story centres on the fictional Hildebrandt family, but gives glimpses of historical figures like Trotsky and Lenin – and the execution of Tsar Nicholas’ family. At times the sense of growing tragedy made me put the book aside until the next day, but the characters always drew me back.

Rich in historical and cultural details, the book opens a window into the suffering of both rich and poor – and the faith of the Russian Mennonites. The Mennonite landowners experience raids on their property and possessions, but their faith calls them to a peaceful life. Some choose to learn self-defence, but family head Heinrich Hildebrandt cannot reconcile this with his beliefs. He removes all weapons from his estate, “that I might not be tempted.” Whatever the reader’s personal beliefs on pacifism, this book brings the agony of the Russian Mennonites’ choice to life.

It also demonstrates the struggle to keep hope and live by faith when the world is falling apart. Although the characters usually come to decisions in line with the tenets of their faith, it is never trite or without serious wrestling.

I’m glad I picked up books two and three of the series together – the ending of Eye of the Storm is the beginning of a new adventure, and I can’t wait too long to discover how things work out.

To learn more about the series, or for an overview of Russian Mennonite history and some authentic Mennonite recipes, visit the author’s website.

Marcia Gruver: author of Diamond Duo

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I haven’t had the chance to meet Marcia Gruver yet, but we’re both members of American Christian Fiction Writers (yes, they let Canadians join too) and I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for her historical novel, Diamond Duo, released this month from Barbour Publishing.

Marcia is a full time writer who hails from Southeast Texas. Her deep south-central roots lend a Southern-comfortable style and a touch of humour to her writing. Recently awarded a three-book contract by Barbour Publishing, she’s busy these days pounding on the keyboard and watching the deadline clock.

Lifelong Texans, Marcia and her husband, Lee, have one daughter and four sons. Collectively, this motley crew has graced them with ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter-so far.

JS: Thanks for joining us today, Marcia. Please tell us a little bit about who Marcia Gruver is.

MG: Which Marcia? Like everyone else, who I am depends on the hat on my head. I’m wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, granny, and just recently, great-granny to a little sprite of a girl who seems well qualified to carry our legacy into the future. Even more recently, I’m a published author of inspirational fiction. How about that? Marcia Gruver is content, well loved, fulfilled, and grateful to God for every second of her life.

JS: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

MG: Guilty secret time? I love to play video games. I look for any slip of time and any excuse to play. I also love to read and watch movies in all genres.

JS: When you sit down to read for pleasure what authors do you choose?

MG: Linda Nichols, Kristen Heitzman, and Brandilyn Collins are at the top of the list. But I have so many books in my ‘To Be Read’ pile, I just know there are favourites sitting there waiting to be discovered.

JS: Tell us about Diamond Duo.

MG: Bertha Maye Biddie’s in love. Trouble is, she’s not sure the object of her affection feels the same. He seems to be interested, but something’s holding him back. So when opportunity rides into Jefferson on the northbound train out of Marshall, young Bertha leaps at the chance to learn a few tricks. A charming, charismatic stranger offers to take Bertha under her wing and teach her the art of wooing a man. But when the woman is unable to keep her promise, Bertha realizes their chance meeting held far more eternal significance.

JS: Bertha is a breath of fresh air with her fun and refreshing sense of humour. And I totally relate to her aversion to those uncomfortable-but-height-of-fashion shoes! If I were to ask those close to you about your sense of humour, would they describe similarities between you and Bertha?

MG: Oh, boy! I’m afraid so. I’m actually dry and rather reserved at first-so much so that I’ve been accused of having a split personality. When I’m very relaxed and get to know a person well, the real me comes out to play. Yep, the lights are on and a whole bunch of us are home.

JS: Has being a published novelist differed from your expectations?

MG: Yes. I’ve discovered that when you do it right, it’s actually work.

JS: Do you plot your novels out or are you a so-called seat-of-the-pants writer?

MG: I used to fly by my seat from start to finish. My first experience with working a plan came after discovering Randy Ingermanson’s snowflake method for plotting a novel. After working through Karen S. Wiesner’s First Draft in 30 Days, I’m a born-again plotter. These days, I don’t think I’d do it any other way. I sort of like knowing where I’m going when I sit down to write.

JS: Has being a writer brought you closer to God and if so, how?

MG: Not really closer. More in tune, maybe? I just know there’s no step in the writing/marketing process that I could pull off without His guiding hand. That teaches you to report on a regular basis for your marching orders.

JS: Can you tell us about your next book?

MG: Chasing Charity, book two in the Texas Fortunes series, picks up in Humble, Texas, several years after Diamond Duo ends. Charity Bloom, Bertha’s daughter, stands at the altar watching her best friend flee the church on the heels of her departing fiancé. This is the final straw for Charity, who is distressed by the many changes taking place in her life and in her hometown, most notably the devastation wrought after oil is discovered near Humble. Imagine Charity’s surprise when one of the men responsible comes to her rescue, and she finds her heart torn between two suitors-the handsome roughneck and the deceitful rogue who broke her heart.

JS: Well, thanks for the chance to get to know you a bit, Marcia-and for the chance to read Diamond Duo. I enjoyed meeting Bertha Maye and her friends, and I have to put a plug in for my favourites: Sarah and Henry King. They grabbed my imagination from our first meeting, and taught me a few things along the way.

To read more about Marcia, check out her website or her blog. You’ll also find a variety of interviews on the different blog tour sites-they’re worth a visit:

A Latte and Some Words, A Little Bit of Sunlight, Anne Greene, Be a Barnabas, Book Splurge, BookingIt, Cara’s Musings, Dawn Michelle Michals at ShoutLife, Erica at ShoutLife, Fictionary, Horizontal Yo-Yo, Janice Olsen, Lighthouse Academy, Marthawrites, Mary Connealy – real life, My Christian Fiction Blog, Net’s Notes, On The Write Path, Pam Krumpe, Patti’s Porch, Readin N Writin, Simple Living Christian Style, Tamara Lynn Kraft, Terri Tiffany, The Friendly Book Nook, The Writer’s Tool, and Writing by Faith.

Cara Putman: author of historical romance and romantic suspense

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Cara Putman is the author of three historical romances: Canteen Dreams, Sandhill Dreams and Captive Dreams (Barbour’s Heartsong Presents) and a romantic suspense, Deadly Exposure (Love Inspired Suspense).

She’s also an attorney, wife, mom, women’s ministry leader, and publicity officer for American Christian Fiction Writers and adviser to the Indiana chapter.

JS: Welcome, Cara, and thanks for taking time to join us. Along with all the other things you do, you’ve just had four books release in under a year. Wow! Do you have any advice for us on how to juggle priorities? Or do we simply have to give up sleep?

CP: Giving up sleep is part of it. LOL But if writing is a dream and a passion, then you find ways to squeeze it in. And having deadlines makes it critical. I’m not writing just because I want to. I now have houses depending on me hitting deadlines. But I’ve cut 99% of TV watching, I’m very careful about commitments, and focusing on what I have to do. The rest slides to the side – at least for now.

JS: You started with historical fiction. Tell us a bit about your three Dreams books from Heartsong.

CP: Each of these historical romances tells a homefront story from World War Two. You could call these the stories of my heart, since I get to tell the world about the wonderful people of my home state, Nebraska. Canteen Dreams is a novelized telling of my grandparents’ story along with the North Platte Canteen. The canteen served more than 6 million servicemen and women during the war. An amazing story of sacrifice and service. Then Sandhill Dreams pulls out the story of war dogs trained at a Fort way up in northwestern Nebraska. That one was fun to research! And Captive Dreams uses the prisoner of war camps scattered across Nebraska as the historical backdrop. Those elements make the stories unique, then the romance and characters blossom from there.

JS: It sounds like setting is important to you. Are you a writer who likes to immerse herself in details of the setting while incubating the story idea?

CP: Absolutely. The series I’m starting right now is set in Ohio. I’ve driven through, but never been. So I took a research trip there and am changing the setting for the first book because I couldn’t get up to the town and was having a terrible time getting resources and people to call me. Rather than get it wrong, I’m moving it. The history is too important to get it wrong.

JS: What differences did you find in writing romantic suspense?

CP: For me, the biggest challenge was making sure there was enough romance. I loved the suspense thread. And because of the tight timing I had to really work to get the romance thread to work in a way that was believable to me. The research is in different areas, but still very important. And it’s all about getting the heroine in lots of trouble. Gotta love that.

JS: Did you have all three Dreams stories written before writing Deadly Exposure?

CP: Actually Deadly Exposure was the first book I started. I wrote Canteen Dreams in the middle because an editor wanted to see that book. I wrote Sandhill Dreams while I edited Deadly Exposure. Talk about challenging. Music became an important cue to remind my brain which story I was writing.

JS: Which songs did you choose to identify each story?

CP: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” for the 1940s – though I have a CD of War era music that I’d listen to. And then for Deadly Exposure it would be contemporary praise and worship or Carrie Underwood 🙂

JS: Are you going to keep writing in both genres?

CP: I’m currently working on a three-book Ohio World War Two series. It will be a lot of fun! And a sequel to Deadly Exposure. I’m in one of those crazy places they always tell you not to go. I write historical romance and romantic suspense. I plan to move to legal thrillers, but right now, I’m straddling genres. I can’t wait to get back to Deadly Judgment, the sequel to Deadly Exposure. All kinds of chaos – and I love the ticking time bomb that suspense has. But I love writing books set in the early 40s, too. One day I’ll have to decide, but right now I get to write in two genres that I love.

JS: Working on so many different projects, do you ever find yourself thinking of one character only to remember that he or she is in a different book?

CP: Not often J But I use music and other cues to help me switch gears. And I keep photos of key characters in a file so I can pull them out when I get a tad lost.

JS: What do you like best about the writing life?

CP: I love creating a world and characters that are familiar, but bigger than my life at the same time. And I love the letters that let me know a truth that was sprinkled into the story resonated with a writer at the right time.

JS: What do you like least?

CP: The solitary nature. That’s why I’m so active in groups like American Christian Fiction Writers. I’m not an introvert, so I need to find time to be with others and sharing what I’m learning.

JS: What do your husband and kids think of your writing?

CP: They are literally my biggest cheerleaders. Abigail is quick to tell others about my books and booksignings. And Eric is always talking me up. I couldn’t do this if they weren’t excited and behind me.

JS: Writers are told to read widely and voraciously. I think that’s one of the perks of the deal. What are you reading these days?

CP: I read all the time! Love books. A Passion Redeemed by Julie Lessman was a great romance. And Sandra Byrd’s new book Bon Appetit was a delightful surprise. I LOVED Randy Singer’s latest By Reason of Insanity – move over, John Grisham, there is competition in town.

JS: Thanks so much for taking time to let us get to know you a bit, Cara. May the LORD continue to bless you and make you a blessing to others-in every area of your life.

CP: Thank you so much for having me. I so appreciate it, Joanna!

You can visit Cara’s website, or catch her at her blog, The Law, Books and Life. Cara is also the Thursday blogger at Craftie Ladies of Suspense.

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“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. Isaiah 43

In Sandhill Dreams, Lainie Gardner finds herself on a train to Crawford, NE, and Fort Robinson. It’s the last place she wants to be, but if she wants to be part of the war effort she has no other options. Tom Hamilton enlisted to work with the thousands of horses at Fort Robinson, and finds himself assigned to the War Dog Training Camp.

From the moment Lainie and Tom meet, sparks hot enough to light the prairie on fire fly between the two. Tom is assigned to train the dogs that have been sent to the army by a patriotic public. The only problem is he’s afraid of dogs after being bit by one as a child. Lainie travels to Fort Robinson to find a civilian job at the post after her plan to ship overseas with the Army Nurses Corp. is ended by illness. Join them in their adventure during the summer of 1943.

Sandhill Dreams released in May08 from Barbour’s Heartsong Presents. Right now it’s available from the publisher, and it should be in the online stores sometime this fall.

Cara graciously gave me a copy of Sandhill Dreams. I enjoyed it, and learned something too: I hadn’t known dogs were used in WWII–nor that patriotic Americans were encouraged to donate their family pets!

Janet Sketchley

Writing Christian Mysteries & Suspense