Captain's Log, Stardate 11.30.2009 I just updated my blog roll and deleted anyone whose site is no longer up, or who no longer links back to me. If I accidentally deleted you, please let me know and list the link to your blog page where you give me your linky luv. Also, if you want to be added to my blog roll, just comment and list the link to your blog page where you return the linky luv.

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.30.2009 White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way. Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away. Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will love White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of hone...

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.27.2009 I’m over at Girls, God, and the Good Life blog with a short post about a question that came up at youth group: Camy here, talking about something a little more serious than normal (for me). At youth group the other night, one of the girls asked what to say when a friend or someone asks a really hard question, like if they’re going to hell because they don’t believe in Jesus, or why bad things happen, or something like that. Click here to read the rest!

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.26.2009 Happy Thanksgiving! I’m on Faithchick today talking about a gratitude journal, an idea I got from Debbie Macomber: Camy here! Recently I’ve been reading Debbie Macomber’s latest nonfiction, One Simple Act , which my best bud Cheryl Wyatt bought for me (and she got Debbie to autograph it for me, too!). Click here to read the rest!

Camy here: I'm especially pleased to post this excerpt because I'm in this book, too! I have a piece on finding and developing your writer's voice, that elusive "something" in your writing that makes the piece uniquely yours. I hope you guys enjoy this excerpt enough that you'll buy the book! All proceeds from this book go to charity. Today's Wild Card authors are: Various Best-Selling Authors (contributions from best-selling authors including Jerry B. Jenkins, Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Randy Alcorn, Terri Blackstock, Robin Jones Gunn, Angela Hunt and more) and the book: A Novel Idea Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (November 1, 2009) ABOUT THE BOOK: Best-selling Christian fiction writers have teamed together to contribute articles on the craft of writing. A Novel Idea contains tips on brainstorming ideas and crafting and marketing a novel. It explains what makes a Christian novel “Christian” and offers tips on how to approach tough topics. Contri...

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.25.2009 I’m over at the Love Inspired Authors blog today talking about my hubby’s favorite beverage: Camy here! My husband loooooooooves his coffee, and this weekend he did an experiment. Click here to read the rest!

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.24.2009 I totally want a Barnes & Noble Nook ebook reader . Seriously, I’m in luuuuuuuuuuv. I’ve been using the Sony eReader for several months now, and I LOVE using it. The screen size is really nice and I like the portability of being able to take my ebooks with me wherever I go. I’ve also used it for writing—I loaded my story synopsis, notes, and unfinished manuscript on it (I saved them as .html documents and then used Calibre to convert them into .lrf format). Then I took my eReader and my Alphasmart Neo (it’s a small, conveniently portable word processor) to the coffee shop to write—no internet access (which is key for me to have good productivity) and I still had my synopsis, notes, and my manuscript on my eReader as reference. I’ve been getting all my new books as ebooks lately because (a) it’s cheaper than print books and (b) the books don’t take up shelf space. I have three bookshelves packed 3-stacks deep on every shelf, PLUS bo...

Camy here: I am especially pleased to present this excerpt because I'm in this book! Margaret asked me to be one of the contributors and I was thrilled and honored to add my piece in this compilation. My article is a short personal piece about my growing up in Hawaii and the things God did in my life when I moved to California. Today's Wild Card author is: Margaret McSweeney and the book: Pearl Girls Moody Publishers (July 1, 2009) ***Special thanks to Amy Lathrop of the Litfuse Publicity Group for sending me a review copy.*** Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit Experiencing Grace: Through this collection of essays, readers will be encouraged by the heartfelt writings that deal with loss and hardship in a real and honest way. Respected authors such as Shaunti Feldhahn, Melody Carlson, Debbie Macomber, Robin Jones Gunn and others help remind every woman that they are not alone and that no circumstance is beyond the grace of God. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Margaret lives with her husband an...

Today's Wild Card authors are: Tricia Goyer and Ocieanna Fleiss and the book: Love Finds You In Lonesome Prairie, Montana Summerside Press (December 1, 2009) ***Special thanks to Amy Lathrop of LitFUSE Publicity Group for sending me a review copy.*** Julia Cavanaugh has never left New York City. But in 1890, the young woman must head west to ensure that the orphans under her care are settled into good families. After her final stop in Montana, she plans to head straight back east. But upon arriving in the remote town of Lonesome Prairie, Julia learns to her horror that she is also supposed to be delivered into the hands of an uncouth miner who carries a bill of purchase for his new bride. She turns to a respected circuit preacher to protect her from a forced marriage but with no return fare and few friends, Julia’s options are bleak. What is Gods plan for her in the middle of the vast Montana prairie? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tricia Goyer was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Confere...

Today's Wild Card authors are: Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey and the book: The Swiss Courier Revell (October 1, 2009) ***Special thanks to Amy Lathrop of the LitFUSE Publicity Group for sending me a review copy.*** It is August 1944 and the Gestapo is mercilessly rounding up suspected enemies of the Third Reich. When Joseph Engel, a German physicist working on the atomic bomb, finds that he is actually a Jew, adopted by Christian parents, he must flee for his life to neutral Switzerland. Gabi Mueller is a young Swiss-American woman working for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) close to Nazi Germany. When she is asked to risk her life to safely "courier" Engel out of Germany, the fate of the world rests in her hands. If she can lead him to safety, she can keep the Germans from developing nuclear capabilities. But in a time of traitors and uncertainty, whom can she trust along the way? This fast-paced, suspenseful novel takes...

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.18.2009 Yes, I have more chocolate! (In case you missed the last box, click here .) This one is their Collezione Italiana . Yes, I ~ahem~ ate one before remembering to take the picture. Rooster : Taleggio cheese + organic walnuts + Tahitian vanilla bean + bittersweet dark chocolate Very unique flavors in this one that I really liked. I expected to taste the cheese more, but maybe my palate just isn’t that sensitive. It’s sweeter than I expected it to be, also, considering it uses bittersweet chocolate. Very yummy! Sale del Mare : Sicilian sea salt caramel + milk chocolate + pine nut Probably one of the best caramels I’ve ever eaten! The salt balances really nicely with the sweet of the caramel. I don’t eat as much caramel as I do chocolate, but this is a really good one that I’d eat more often than other caramels. It also makes me want to try the caramel collection she has on the website. Polline di Finocchio : Wild Tuscan fennel pollen + dark chocolate V...

Captain's Log, Supplemental Thirsty by Tracey Bateman There's no place like home, they say. "Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic." For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire. Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an al...