COTT: New Clash! Get a Load of These Fab New Releases...

    

Summer's just around the corner, which means you, dear reader, need to be thinking about which books you're going to get lost in while lounging at the pool. Today, Clash of the Titles offers you a few excellent suggestions.

     Fresh from the editor's desk, these five new titles are some of our favorites this month. They're hugely diverse. Set in exotic locations such as India and Brazil, and ranging in time period from  the 1800's to present-day, at least once of them is bound to catch your fancy!

    So have a quick virtual browse, then vote on which you think will most likely make it into your beach bag.

How do you start a new life when you don’t know who you are? Lydia doesn't have a clue, but when she discovers the man who identified her in the train wreck has been lying, she must decide whether to listen to her heart, or her head.

Wings of Glass tells the story of Penny Taylor, a young wife who feels trapped in an abusive marriage until two women from two very different worlds help open her eyes to the truth of who she is, what she deserves and lend her a backbone until she can find her own.

Two women, one Indian, one English, flee to the tropical south of India only to be captured and imprisoned by their respective pasts—Eshana by her traditional Hindu uncle for her faith in Christ, the other, Lieutenant Laine Harkness by her former fiancé who crushed her heart years ago. Amid cyclones and epidemics, tigers and tiger cubs, clashing faiths and consequences of war, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?

For Ellie O'Brien, finding the perfect partner for other people is easy, but now the townsfolk of Peppin want to return the favor by matching her with Lawson Williams who Ellie deems least likely to court a tomboy with a guilty secret. Lawson doesn't see marriage with anyone in his future, but what if his childhood friend has become the woman who can chase away the clouds of his past?

After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new utopian community. Harboring a dirty secret, Widow Eliza Crawford seeks a fresh start and passage on Wallace’s ship, but will dangers from the sea and from man keep them from the peace and love they long for?

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COTT: Spotlight on Historical Romance Favorite, Lena N. Dooley

 

Prolific author Lena Nelson Dooley has done it again! She's released yet another stunning historical romance. The COTT Blog Alliance is honored to feature her latest work, Catherine's Pursuit. It is book three in the McKenna's Daughters series and follows Maggie's Journey and Mary's Blessing.

"A heartwarming tale filled with history, adventure, faith, and love." --Lisa Wingate, bestselling and award-winning author of Dandelion Summer and Firefly Island

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Raised by her father, Catherine McKenna has never lacked for anything, surrounded by people to take

care of her every need. On her eighteenth birthday she discovers that not only did her mother die when she was born, but she has two identical sisters. Although her father vowed not to look for his daughters, Catherine made no such promise. Setting out on her own with one clue and her maid in tow, she's determined to find her sisters.

Collin Elliott has seen better days. After losing his ship to a violent and unexpected storm, he is trying to recover--physically and emotionally. When Angus McKenna sends him to find, follow, and protect his daughter, he wants nothing more than to finish his task and return home. Can he help her find her sisters?

And will the discoveries they make along the way teach them both what's most important in life?

PURCHASE ON:

AMAZON

CBD

NOOK

A Blogger's Review of the Catherine's Pursuit:

What a great book! As Lisa Wingate says on the front cover, it is indeed a “heartwarming tale.” The story is fully satisfying (once you reach the end) and provides a complete conclusion for the McKenna’s Daughters series. While I still haven’t had the chance to read book 2, Mary’s Blessing, I did read and greatly enjoy book 1, Maggie’s Journey – incidentally, I think #1 had my favorite cover…but this one is a close second. They’re all so neat! Anyway, back to Catherine…this book isn’t a stand-alone, but even though I’ve missed book 2, I didn’t have trouble following (though there were a few parts that weren’t clear because I hadn’t read it yet). Moral of the story – read both of the first ones before this one if at all possible. There are some series where you would be totally lost if all you read was book 3, but that’s not quite true here. Catherine was a lovely girl and made for a gutsy heroine. I loved the historical detail that seemed to be worked into each scene throughout the book, especially the travel scenes. This is a fascinating story and one I think you’ll enjoy!
-Charity at http://austenitis.blogspot.com

A bit about Lena:

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 700,000 books in print.
Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with over 20 signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins, and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books.

COTT: A Look At BETRAYAL by Anne Patrick

Today, we're excited to highlight another book by Anne Patrick. Anne first visited Clash of the Titles back in 2011--my, how time flies!

Betrayal
Drew Presley's wife was murdered while he was serving his country in Iraq. Giving up a career he loved, he's returned to Dauphine Island to care for his son and try to make a new life for them. The unsolved murder of his wife continues to plague him. The islanders are very protective of their own and he fears a killer is among them. The more he searches for answers though the more dangerous it becomes. Just as troublesome is his attraction to his son's second-grade teacher.

Trudy Walsh was Nora Presley's best friend so the bond she has with Nora's motherless child is only normal. What troubles Trudy is the growing feelings she has for Reed's father. How can she be so attractive to this man when Jack Diamond is all she's ever thought about?

When Drew begins to suspect Jack of his wife's murder, sparks begin to fly. What secrets lie in Gianni's Cove, and what do they have to do with Nora's murder?

*An Amazon 'Top 100' Bestseller in Christian Suspense!

(Way to go, Anne!)

******

Below are a few of the reviews for Betrayal

Amazon and B&N Reviews
"Anne Patrick is a mesmerizing author. I just began reading her books last year and have already read all 14 of her books listed on Amazon Kindle. I love the portrayal of a mystery, love story, and a strong faith based main character. The books are captivating and Betrayal was as good as all of her books." ~ Sharon

"Anne Patrick is a favorite author of mine and Betrayal is a great addition to her Wounded Heroes Series! You'll take a ride on a ferry, tour a lighthouse, eat at a local pizzeria and even scuba dive! I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Dauphine Island and meeting all the locals….I especially liked trying to figure out who was behind everything but you don't really find out until the end. Speaking of the ending, well...you don't want to miss that!" ~ Sherry

"I love Anne Patrick any way. Another fantastic addition to this series. Ties in characters from previous books, really keeps you guessing about "whodunnit?". Has some slow areas throughout the book. Overall, an excellent story written well." ~ Denise

"Well developed characters, seamless plot, a little mystery and some romance, all in a context of growing faith. Well done. Very entertaining." ~ Undivided

******

Author Bio:
Anne Patrick is the author of more than a dozen novels of Romance, Mayhem & Faith, including the award winning and bestselling WOUNDED HEROES SERIES, FIRE AND ASH, and TIES THAT BIND. When she isn't working on her next novel she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and traveling to foreign countries to experience new cultures and adventures. Born and raised in Oklahoma, she now makes her home in Kansas.

To learn more about Anne, please visit her website: www.annepatrickbooks.com or blog: www.suspensebyanne.blogspot.com.  She loves to hear from her readers!

Taking Time to Smell the Oats

After our recent 10-day vacation in the Netherlands and Belgium on a Viking River Cruise (http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/), I've been craving the steel-cut oatmeal they served on the ship. I enjoy the five-minute type oatmeal at least once a week at home, but it doesn't compare to the Irish style of oatmeal.

I tried to cook it once before (after a trip to Scotland) and decided it was too much trouble to cook. When I mentioned this to an Irish friend here in Georgetown, Texas last week, she said she prepares a large batch and stores the leftovers in the refrigerator. When you're ready for more, all you have to do is warm it up. That made it sound feasible, but I stayed with my five-minute style.

Then, the April 15, 2013 issue of Bottom Line/Personal (http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/), a newsletter I read regularly talked about cooking steel-cut oatmeal in a rice cooker. In the article the author mentioned soaking the oatmeal overnight to speed up the cooking time. My desire for the oatmeal I had enjoyed every day on the ship grew.

Yesterday, while shopping for groceries, I picked up a box of McCann's Irish Oatmeal (http://www.mccanns.ie/) and checked the cooking instructions. It mentioned a short-cut method. By boiling for a minute and storing overnight in the refrigerator, the cooking time is reduced from 30 minutes to 9-12 minutes. I bought the box and tried it.

Wow! It was even better than what I had on the ship. I brought the water to a boil and added the oatmeal last night, let it simmer for two minutes (one minute seemed to pass too quickly), and then put it in the refrigerator until this morning. I took it out while having coffee and didn't start cooking it until an hour later. After bringing the oatmeal to a boil, I turned the burner down to until the oats simmered.

It seemed to stick to the bottom of the pan more than my regular oatmeal, so I ended up lowering the heat several times and stirring more frequently. By the end of the time, I was stirring constantly. When the consistency seemed right (about 12 minutes), I turned off the burner, added a little butter, covered the pot and let it set for five minutes.

On the ship they had walnuts, half and half, fruit, etc. I added only sugar.

The McCann recipe:

Boil 4 cups of water, add 1 cup of oats, stir well. When the porridge is smooth and beginning to thicken, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This supposedly makes four servings with 150 calories each. I like a little more so I divided it into three servings at 200 calories each and stored away two of the servings for another day.

What's this got to do with writing? I've been so busy preparing the Kindle edition for my new novel, Love Lives On, I didn't have time to watch TV and get weather reports. Something happened here and the temperatures dropped from the 80s and 90s to the 40s. Perfect oatmeal weather.

Now, back to work.

COTT: Featuring COTT's Olympia Winner

FIRST ANNUAL OLYMPIA AWARD WINNER:

Do No Harm

by author Laura McClellan

CONGRATULATIONS, LAURA!

About Do No Harm:

Do No Harm is the story of a disgraced Seattle obstetrician whose efforts to fit into her new Texas home are stymied by family conflicts, cultural differences, church politics, and ghosts from her past. 

About the Olympia:

The Olympia is Clash of the Titles' opportunity to feature up-and-coming unpublished Christian fiction authors and their work.

Do No Harm was chosen by a panel of judges who narrowed the list of competing authors to three. For that round, the judges were avid readers of Christian fiction and not associated with the publishing industry. For the final round, the submissions went before three professionals in the Christian fiction world.

DEBORAH RANEY--award-winning author

AMANDA LUEDEKE--literary Agent of Macgregor Literary

STEVE HUTSON--literary Agent of WordWise Media

Special thanks to each of our judges 

who volunteered their time to this contest. 

Recognition also goes to the runners up,
Elaine Manders and Bethany Kaczemarek.

Click HERE to listen to an interview with Olympia winner, Laura McClellan.

More podcasts by Cynthia L. Simmons

 More about Laura McClellan:

A lawyer by day and a lover of the written word since childhood, Laura has been published both in professional publications and inspirational magazines and is a contributor to the popular Stepcase Lifehack blog. In 2012 she committed to pursuing her lifetime dream of writing a novel, and she’s currently polishing her first women’s fiction manuscript in anticipation of submitting it (by request!) to her dream agent in early 2013. Laura is member of American Christian Fiction Writers, a team member at My Book Therapy, the women’s fiction category winner in the 2012 Phoenix Rattler fiction contest, and a finalist in the 2012 Olympia fiction contest.

COTT's Five Fab Feb Releases

We have contestants in all five corners of the ring! 

Welcome to another thrilling contest brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Clash of the Titles. This showdown features books released in February 2013. Each is prepared to duke it out for the top spot in this all-out, no-holds-barred, literary sparring match. (Okay, okay, there are a FEW rules. Like no strikes below the belt, no brass knuckles, no slipping poison into the well water. But you get the idea.)

Below are each of the five contenders, listed in no particular order. Please vote for the one most likely to grace your nightstand first. Click on the images to purchase on Amazon:

Good, Clean, Murder: A Plain Jane Mystery by Traci Hilton 

Living on her own for her first time, Bible school student Jane cleans houses to make ends meet. But being independent brings big trials, like falling for a handsome professor, dealing with an obnoxious roommate, and then there's the dead bodies...

 


Catherine's Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley


In book three of the McKenna’s Daughters series, Catherine McKenna begins a journey to find her lost sisters that turns into a spiritual journey for the entire McKenna family and leads her to the love of her life.





Wounded Heroes Book Three: Betrayal by Anne Patrick


Army veteran Drew Presley will stop at nothing to find the answers behind his wife's murder.  But will those answers destroy the life he's made for him and his son?






Nothing Good is Free by Matthew Horn 


The last thing Jeff Scott wants is to end up like his vigilante predecessor, Jim, by letting a life of violence and evil get the better of him. So, in a pursuit to find the path less traveled, he seeks the truth about Jim and the life he led before the two joined forces.


 

Love's Journey Home by Kelly Irvin


Love’s Journey Home is the story of how the families of Bliss Creek’s Amish community learn to be still and listen for the Lord’s direction and then act on faith that His plan will lead them to a long awaited new life.

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What do you think of this month's selection? Have you already gotten your hands on one of these and have something wonderful to share about it? Leave a comment and let us (and the authors) know! We love interacting with readers. It's what we're all about. Hope you enjoy our site. Make it a great day!

Come back next week to find out who will stand victorious.

COTT: Featuring Books By Clash of the Titles Staff

Clash of the Titles adores featuring new releases from Christian authors all over the world, but we'd be remiss to forget the authors on our very own doorstep. COTT is run by a bevy of talented writers--several of whom are published. In fact, in the last year alone, COTT staff has celebrated the release of no less than seven novels!

And here they are...

 A miracle of love lurks within the branches of a solitary aspen tree.

****

School teacher Judy Winters sets out to solve the mystery surrounding her only living relative’s murder.

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Her past isn't pretty, but it can't be changed. Will it destroy any possibility of a future with the man she loves?

****

Death in rural Wisconsin is only the beginning to new chaos in Robertsville. What do a stolen piece of revolutionary agricultural equipment, a long-buried skeleton in the yard, and an old quilt with secrets have in common?

****

Simon Hale finds the reclusive Rosetta both beautiful and intriguing, but when she seeks out the truth behind Shadow Bay Hall’s unexplained happenings, he is torn between hope for the future and his need to protect a dangerous secret.

****

When Ivy Preston roots up her entire life to start over in Apple Grove at the urging of her cat-loving friend, the mayor, and meets the love of her life, True Thompson, can their romance survive the sudden rise in crime?

****

She needs a temporary husband. He wants a forever love. Can even Solomon's Gate find a way to join these two hearts?

Are Manuscripts Obsolete?

Originally, a manuscript was a document written by hand. However, the meaning of the word has changed to mean the text sent to the publisher for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or book. The format of the manuscript has changed over the years, too. From handwritten to typed (i.e. on a typewriter) to computer generated. My first book was typed into an Alpha Micro computer and printed in the standard double-spaced format that we see today. My publisher retyped it all for publication. Then they printed it out and sent me a copy on 60-pound paper and I made corrections by hand. After several iterations, the book was published. That was in 1983. Today, I doubt if a publisher would take anything other than digital manuscripts.

As an author who publishes his own books, I tried a new approach with my latest novel. Instead of the standard manuscript format, I typed my book directly into a document formatted for paperback printing. There are several advantages to this approach. One is that you can see what the book will look like as you go. Another advantage is that when you're done the book is finished and there are no surprises related to layout.

I still printed it out a few times during the writing process, and made handwritten edits. The fact that it wasn't double-spaced didn't hinder the effort since the margins were extra-large. The book size I use is 5.25 in. by 8 in.

One problem I had was when I sent the near-complete book to an editor. For some reason the first thing she did was change the format to the standard layout for a manuscript. I'm not sure if she did that for printing or not. It wasn't a major problem since I easily got it back into the publishing format when she was finished. Just seemed like an unnecessary step to me.

The only real problem I had was when I got ready to print a proof copy. I uploaded the text to CreateSpace and was told it was the wrong size. I was given a couple of options to continue, neither were what I wanted, but I went ahead since the initial five books were for beta readers only.

I scoffed when CreateSpace said I wouldn't have had the problem if I had used the Microsoft Word templates they provide—because I had used their templates. But, after checking closer, it turns out I had used the wrong one. After changing to the correct template, the book was longer (in pages) and looked more like what I had in mind.

See https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323 to get a template.

Let me know what you think of this approach.

COTT: Song of the Tree--An Inspiring Contemporary Allegory

This week, Clash of the Titles is featuring a rare genre--

contemporary allegory. 

If you've been itching for something different, this one should do it! The Song of the Tree contains a message that applies to each of us at some point in our lives. It moves the God-seeker from fist shaking stance, down to knees before the throne.

PURCHASE THE BOOK ON AMAZON

About The Song of the Tree:

Despite promises of eternal joy given by the Tree of Life, a privileged young woman loses everything in a brutal war. Her husband disappears; her family is murdered; her home is burned to the ground. 

Desperate, starving, and burdened with an unwanted child, she now despises and rejects the Tree she once worshiped. Ripped from her land and people, forced into survival immigration, she becomes a lowly refugee, a servant in the homes of the rich. Her unusually gifted child thrives, but is an ever present reminder of ultimate loss and betrayal.  

Two women: one broken, the other rooted in bitterness, continue to be drawn towards the song of a Tree that will not let them go. Along roads of degrading poverty and equally destructive wealth, each much wrestle with the siren call of perfect love, and its altar sacrifice of perfect trust.  

About the author, Lotis Key:

Lotis Melisande Key has lived a life of wide travel and curious variety. She’s raised horses in the Australian outback; skied the Alps; run tours through a tropical jungle; bought & sold antiquities. She’s been a restaurateur; a breeder of show cats; a third world church planter. She’s worked in an orphanage, and run a ministry that puts children through school.

After a professional theater début at the age of twelve, she subsequently starred in over seventy five feature films for the Asian market. She’s also hosted numerous television and radio shows. Upon settling in the United States, she signed with Chicago, New York, and Minneapolis based talent agencies, expanding into American on-camera and voice over narration, industrial videos, trade shows, professional theater, television, and radio commercials. 

Retiring from secular work, she founded MESSENGERS, a Christian theater arts group based at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis (themessengersfeet.org). As artistic director, she toured the company throughout the US, Canada, and Asia. 

Vice-president of the Minnesota Christian Writers Guild, Lotis is a passionate storyteller. Her work focuses on the mystery of God, and His incomprehensible love for the unattractive, wayward parts, of His otherwise perfect creation.

COTT: Attention, knitters and lovers of suspense. This novel's for you!

Before we introduce this week's featured new release, COTT would like to extend a quick, yet heart-felt congratulations to our first annual Olympia Award winner, Author Laura McClellan and her manuscript, Do No Harm. More on Laura and her exciting win next month. Stay tuned!

And now, our featured novel...

****

About The Knitting Fairy: 

Molly Stevenson rather expected her new job at Crabapple Yarns to be deadly boring... but somehow she just didn't expect the "deadly" part to be quite so literal. After all, what could possibly be more sweet and innocent than a yarn store and a bunch of ladies knitting?

As a librarian, by trade and by nature, Molly really ought to have known better. And, worse, she broke the first rule of librarianship - never, ever judge a book by its cover. Sadly, some of us have to learn the hard way. Perhaps that is why Molly didn't exist long as Assistant Librarian at Springgate Library.

The new job at Crabapple Yarns seemed like the only sensible thing to do at the time - until she could find something better of course.

But, working at a yarn store really didn't fit into her Life Plan.

She never expected to become a knitter.

Molly never expected her sweet little boss to be hiding the fact that she was receiving threats.

She never expected to discover a Knitting Fairy.

And, she most certainly never expected a Knitting Fairy to try to kill her either.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

What others are saying about The Knitting Fairy:

What do you get when you combine a novice to the world of fiber working in a yarn shop with the owner, a mysterious, fairy-tale inspired character? You get Jaime Marsman's magical, whimsical story of "The Knitting Fairy" which is sure to be enjoyed by knitters everywhere. --Penny Sitler, Executive Director of The Knitting Guild Association (TKGA), tkga.com

Amidst the characters, humour, and mystery is the fun of witnessing a non-knitter's assumptions and observations turn to affection and obsession. It made me wish to be a new knitter again! --Sally Melville, sallymelvilleknits.com

A page turning mystery with yarn shops and knitting - what else could you ask for! --Carol Feller, Author of Contemporary Irish Knits

A heartwarming and witty novel, guaranteed to make you smile. Molly Stevenson's new found love of yarn brings her comfort and friendship but leaves her with many unanswered questions. Appealing to the non-knitter as much as the knitaholic, this wonderful and enthralling mystery detailing the weird and wonderful goings on in Crabapple Yarns knitting store, will have you totally hooked. --UK Hand Knitting Association, ukhandknitting.com

About the author, Jaime Marsman:

Since the age of three, Jaime Marsman has long been fascinated with the simple shifting of letters to create different words, thoughts, and sentences. As a knitwear designer for Live.Knit.Love, she has found the same thing to also be true of yarn. Perhaps that would explain the joy she feels every time she picks up her pen or her needles. Inspiring others with her work is one of Jaime's fondest goals and dreams. She wants people to realize the joy of creating and following their dreams in their own special ways. Jaime is so grateful to God for His love and guiding hand in her life. She prays that everyone comes to have the joy and peace of knowing Him.