The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she's thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson's love. But then Jade's hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade's wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister. Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past--the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love's rejection. Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life. In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they'll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by. Review blurbs: "...heartwarming collab...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.22.2010 Since late December, I have been learning how to spin wool into yarn using a drop spindle. Yes! It’s true, I have gone totally Amish/old school. (No offense to any Amish or old school people. I mean that in the nicest way.) I don’t know why I suddenly decided to learn to spin. Or if I did know why, I’ve forgotten (I probably explained it to Captain Caffeine at some point, but now I don’t remember what excuse I gave to him). Not having any yarn shops nearby that teach spinning, I bought a Cascade spindle online and some really soft, silky merino wool roving from Etsy.com. I read all kinds of online articles and watched youtube videos. And I spun my first yarn! Here it is! It’s a lace weight yarn (about 30 wraps per inch), since I like using finer gauge yarns over bulkier yarns. It’s rather uneven (although it’s not as easy to tell in the picture) and I didn’t ply it very well, but I made it all by myself! Captain Caffeine does not...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.21.2010 I tweeted a couple weeks ago about taking my dog walking in the rain with her yellow rain slicker, and a bunch of you guys asked about it, incredulous. Oh ye of little faith. The truth is, Snickers is not a water dog. She hates getting wet. She will shy away from sprinklers and hoses. Giving her a bath is a two-person job and she shivers and has her tail between her legs the entire time. I also am not that fond of wet dog smell. So when I was visiting my friend Cheryl Wyatt in Illinois, we went to a store called Rural King, and I got this cute doggie rain slicker. It works perfectly--it keeps the rain off her back and part of her head, and she smells much less when we're back from our walk. What do you guys think?

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.20.2010 This is my fifth year coordinating the American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis contest for unpublished writers! We just went live yesterday! Deadline is 8 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on March 31st, so get your manuscripts polished so you can enter! Actually, enter by March 15th in case your entry gets lost in cyberspace, so we have time to find it. You must be an ACFW member to enter the contest, but you can join when you submit your entry fee! If you're thinking seriously about being published in Christian fiction, ACFW is a fantastic organization! Here's the website: ACFW Genesis contest

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.18.2010 Thicker Than Blood by C.J. Darlington Christy Williams finally has her life on track. She’s putting her past behind her and working hard to build a career as an antiquarian book buyer. But things begin to unravel when a stolen Hemingway first edition is found in her possession, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. With no one to turn to, she yearns for her estranged younger sister, May, whom she abandoned after their parents’ untimely deaths. Soon, Christy’s fleeing from her shattered dreams, her ex-boyfriend, and God. Could May’s Triple Cross Ranch be the safe haven she’s searching for? Will the sisters realize that each possesses what the other desperately needs before it’s too late? A stunning debut from the latest Christian Writers Guild winner. Excerpt of chapter one: Thicker than Blood Chapter 1 Christy Williams didn’t see the cop until his red lights flashed in her rearview mirror. By then it was too late. He was tailing h...

Here's another good book to tell you about: MONTEREY MEMORIES - Three novels by Gail Gaymer Martin set in the beautiful Monterey area in the central coast of California. The Barbour anthology includes the novels And Baby Makes Five, Garlic and Roses and Butterfly Trees. Book Description Walk the streets and countryside of Monterey, California, with three couples who are surprised by love in the midst of their busy lives. Chad helps Felisa when she goes into labor in his lettuce field. Juli meets Alan while volunteering at a soup kitchen. Ross takes an overdue vacation at Alissa’s bed-and-breakfast. Can busy people slow down enough to realize the love God has brought into their lives? Reviews from AMAZON Monterey Memories, an anthology, is a must buy. I truly love this book. In each of the three novels, set in the central coast of California, Gail writes of God's love with such ease and weaves His love throughout each story. We see how faith and growth in the Word a...

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.14.2010 I’m on Faithchick today waxing poetic on my favorite topic—food! Camy here! I’m still going strong on my New Years resolution to eat healthier and exercise! Believe it or not, I’ve realized recently that I’ve grown to love veggies. Who’da thought? I hated veggies growing up. But now I’ve come to see that it might have been just that the veggies my parents liked weren’t what I liked. Click here to read the rest of the blog post and chime in!