Captain's Log, Stardate 04.15.2009 Ready-Made Family by Cheryl Wyatt Amelia North needs refuge, and finds it—in Refuge, Illinois. Stranded there after a car wreck, the single mother expects to be cold-shouldered. After all, she's already been rejected by her parents, her church and her daughter's father. Instead, she finds a town full of people with open hands and open hearts…including pararescue jumper Ben Dillinger. Ben wants to help Amelia and her daughter find safety and stability. Instead, he finds himself free-falling—right into love with the ready-made family. Buy from Christianbook.com Buy from Amazon.com Excerpt of chapter one: "Mister! Mommy needs help!" The child's cry spun U.S.A.F. Pararescue Jumper Ben-li Dillinger on his toes to face its source. Purchases clunked beside his car, Ben's feet propelled him toward the youngster. Tears falling from two teddy-bear-big eyes brought Ben, heart and body, to his knees. Speaking of bea...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.14.2009 So my husband, Captain Caffeine, had lunch with a few friends a few days ago. And they asked about my writing, and if I’d been on Oprah yet. (Yeah, right) They then discussed NYT bestselling books, and why can’t Camy write a NYT bestseller. (Sure, let me just open a vein over a blank page and it’ll come right out.) So Captain Caffeine came home with ideas for my new NYT bestselling novel. First it starts with vampires, because Twilight is so hot. But not just any vampires. This one’s an Amish vampire. And he’s not just an Amish vampire, he’s a cop in disguise, infiltrating the Amish community to protect a witness. (Hmm, that storyline sounds familiar ...) But wait! There’s more! To add more conflict and stick with my brand of Asian fiction, we introduce the Tibetan monk! Who joins the Amish community to get away from the pressures of monkhood. But in reality, he’s protecting the Chinese princess on the run, trying to escape from her father’s Hong...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.13.2009 Deadlock by Robert Liparulo John Hutchinson thinks it's no coincidence that Brendan Page runs this modern Praetorian Guard, and that the billionaire military industrialist must have had something to do with the atrocities his son Declan committed in Canada. The Canadian and U.S. Justice departments disagree, but Hutch has been digging for dirt ever since. Brendan Page has some dirty not-so-little secrets. he's built an empire on supplying futuristic weapons and highly trained soldiers to the world's most powerful armies. But he's saved his most destructive weapons for himself. When Hutch discovers the secret of Page's success, Page decides to teach him a lesson. But the operation goes terribly wrong, and Hutch's son is kidnapped. While a lone man stands little chance against the best black op soldiers ever issued M-16s, Hutch manages to survive longer than Page anticipated. As far as Hutch is concerned, high-tech ...

Tamera Alexander's latest release is Beyond This Moment, a Timber Ridge Reflections novel. Here's a quick peek at Beyond This Moment : Lives are made up of tiny steps. Some are chosen for us; some we choose. All hold the power to change who we become— but only if we let them. When Dr. Molly Whitcomb, Professor of Romance Languages, steps off the train in Colorado Territory, she makes a choice—one that goes against everything she stands for. Yet it’s the only choice that offers her a chance to regain a fraction of all she’s lost. Sheriff James McPherson’s instincts about people rarely miss the mark. He senses Professor Whitcomb is hiding something. He just doesn’t know what. When James learns Molly’s secret, his own reputation is undermined. But when Molly Whitcomb’s reinvented life begins to unravel, it threatens his job, the stability of Timber Ridge, and what he always knew to be true about himself. Listen to an audio interview at Christianbook.com What others are saying a...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.10.2009 I originally got this comic in hardcopy from a coworker, and it's been a favorite for years. Happy Easter!

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.09.2009 Chasing Charity by Marcia Gruver When, in full view of family and friends, Charity Bloom's fiance leaves her stranded at the altar and takes off with her best friend, Charity is humiliated. How will this raven-haired beauty ever recover from losing both her betrothed and best friend on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life? When tall, handsome roughneck Buddy Pierce finds oil on Charity's mama's land, he hopes to free the Blooms from their poverty-stricken state. But will Buddy find the real treasure lies above ground-in Charity herself? Ruing the day he left his fiancee for Emily Dane, Daniel Clark is determined to recapture Charity's affection. But can he remove the three things that stand in his way-a manipulative mama, a spurned lover, and the stranger at his ex-fiancee's side? When Daniel re-stakes his claim on Charity's heart, tongues wag and minds speculate amid schemes and scandals in Hum...

Captain's Log, Stardate 04.08.2009 I’m just back from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference where I was a mentor in the Head Start mentoring clinic. What a blast! I loved my mentor group and the conference was a lot of fun. I also got a lot of knitting done. Especially for workshops or lectures, I like knitting because it helps me to focus my auditory skills (of which I have very little, just to warn you). I don’t know why, but having something in my hands helps me pay better attention. (I wish I’d knitted in college—I might have gone to more of my classes. Doh!) I can’t tell you how many times someone came up to me to see what I was knitting and to say something like, “I used to knit” or “I crochet but I left it at home” or “I’d love to learn to knit.” To which I’d usually reply, “I learned to knit on the internet!” ( Knittinghelp.com , people. Faboo site!) I also met a fellow knitter, Lisa (I think her last name was Babcock but I don’t remember exactly ... sorry, Lisa!). ...