Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts

Monday, March 10, 2014

COTT: The Fall of Jerusalem--History Come to Life in "Rebekah's Treasure"



A cross between Francine River’s A Voice in the Wind and Joel Rosenberg’s The Copper Scroll, Rebekah’s Treasure, with its combination of history and suspense, will capture readers right from the start.


About Rebekah’s Treasure:
Set in 70 A.D. Jerusalem, Rebekah’s Treasure takes readers to war-torn Israel, mixing history with a tale of love and suspense. In order to flee the advancing Roman army, Rebekah, along with her daughter, Esther, must leave Jerusalem as well as her husband and sons. Escaping to Pella, she joins other followers of The Way who have fled the coming danger that was foretold by an oracle years before.

But Rebekah didn’t leave empty-handed. She brought with her the cup of the Last Supper. In no time her treasure garners attention as miracles begin occurring and believers credit the cup. It also causes outrage among the devotees of Isis who fear this “magical” cup will draw away their followers. In response they hatch a plot to steal it.

Things become more complicated when Rebekah’s daughter, Esther, runs away and Rebekah’s husband, Ethan, embarks on a quest to retrieve the hidden Temple treasure outlined in a copper scroll, and then take it to the Jewish stronghold of Masada in order to “continue the fight.”

When reading Rebekah’s Treasure readers will see history unfold as Titus’ legions lay siege to Jerusalem and the Temple. Yet amid the chaos of war there is love and faith and hope as Rebekah and her family struggle to survive as well as to discover where their true treasure lies.

PURCHASE THE BOOK

What Readers Have to Say:
*“Rebekah’s Treasure by Sylvia Bambola is a tale that will capture your attention and heart. Set in war-torn Israel when zealots fought for the honor of the Temple and Jerusalem, when the majesty and might of Rome became a terror and a scourge, one Jewish family’s story twists and turns with passion, action, and love. This novel will not only entertain, but satisfy the most avid reader.”
*“Sylvia Bambola, in her historical novel, Rebekah’s Treasure, surrounds actual events with an intriguing fictional story and skillfully draws in the reader. Normally not a reader of fiction, myself, I found I was unable to put down this fascinating book until it was finished!”
*“To read Rebekah’s Treasure, by Sylvia Bambola, is to become engulfed in an intricate work of art. Rich in detail, reading this book is nearly like watching a movie. Bambola has done a remarkable job of deliberately weaving each carefully chosen thread into a story that will alter the way you view the past and the future . . . forever.”
*“Rebekah’s Treasure, a love story that unfolds in the midst of impossible circumstances, captivates the reader from the first page to the last. Drama, suspense, passion, faith—all the elements of a riveting read are found in this novel which follows a family torn apart by Jerusalem’s struggle for survival in 70 A.D.  The author’s exquisite gift for storytelling combined with historically-accurate backdrops, make this book a treasure. I couldn’t put it down!”

About the Author:
Sylvia Bambola was born in Romania but lived her early years in Germany, a Germany still reeling from the devastation of World War II. At age seven she relocated with her adopted military family and saw the Statue of Liberty and America for the first time. But the memory of those years in Germany lingered and was the inspiration behind her novel, Refiner’s Fire, which won a Silver Angel Award, and was a Christy Finalist.

Life as an “army brat” gave her the opportunity to live in several states, including Hawaii. Then came nursing school in New York after which she married and began a family. Raising two children and being the wife of a business executive made for a busy life. So did working in marketing for a telecommunications company, then a medical software company.

Her first novel, A Vessel of Honor, written under the pen name of Margaret Miller, garnered a Small Press Editor’s Choice Award and was seriously considered for production as a television movie.

Bambola is the author of six published novels, lives in sunny Florida and has two grown children. She’s been a guest speaker at Women’s Aglow and various church functions, is a Bible study teacher at her church, and is learning to play the guitar.

Connect with Sylvia:
Website/blog: http://www.sylviabambola.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sylvia-Bambola/78754640991
Twitter: @sylviabambola
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/83706.Sylvia_Bambola


Monday, July 1, 2013

COTT: Love Unexpected -- May New Releases


Summer is here, and we've got some great new releases to fill up those camping trips, car rides, and lazy days on the beach.  Our May suggestions are intriguing and ready to pull you into stories of faith, love, and adventure.

It will be hard to choose between these five wonderful romances.These books are sure to captivate your imagination, from overcoming great odds together, to chance meetings with a dashing earl, switchboard encounters of the handsome kind, a mysterious vanishing, and a prince's choice.

Vote for the one most likely to make your summer To Be Read pile by voting below. Don't forget to send some love and encouragement to our authors via the comments section.

Happy Voting!

Their lives are worlds apart; he's a royal prince and she's an ordinary girl, but everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel's coronation. It's the ultimate choice: His kingdom or her heart…God's will or their own?











When Mitchell's wife, Jill, kisses him goodbye, he has no idea that he may never see her again. When the police can't find her, Mitch asks his neighbor, Shelley, for help, but as weeks turn into months and Mitch and Shelley grow ever closer, he wonders how he can honor his vows to a woman who seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.








Switchboard operators, otherwise known as "hello girls," must conduct themselves according to strict--and often bewildering--rules, which include absolutely no consorting with gentlemen while in training. Hannah Gregory has never been good at following rules, but she doubts it will be difficult to keep that particular rule--until a handsome young lawyer starts getting under her skin.







A chance meeting and a bullet wound change everything, and Madeline St. James must trust that the Good Shepherd has led her to the altar to marry a dashing stranger, Lord Devonshire. Madeline's unwavering faith intrigues and exasperates the stubborn earl, but can the compromised couple forge a true bond before the next disaster strikes?








After their professional athletic careers are sidelined, Tara and Ryan must find purpose and fulfillment in their new lives. With the help of the Junkyard King and a mechanical bull, can Tara and Ryan find the courage to climb Heartbreak Hill together?

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Monday, May 6, 2013

COTT: March 2013 Winner


The winner of Clash of the Titles' latest Clash is:


Forsaken Dreams
by
MaryLu Tyndall


Congratulations, MaryLu, two-time clash winner!

Special thanks to her competitors for their participation:
Sadie and Sophie Cuffe
Gina Holmes
Christine Lindsey
Noelle Marchand

About Forsaken Dreams: 

They Left Everything Behind to Build a New Southern Utopia

Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she longs to start over again in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea  and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

PURCHASE:

Just when I think MaryLu Tyndall cannot write a more passionate, page-turning romance...she does! Forsaken Dreams is a worthy addition to your keeper shelf, melding adventure, love, and spiritual truths in soul-enriching ways. A blessed start to a new series! 
- Laura Frantz, author of The Colonel's Lady and Love's Reckoning


BACKSTAGE WITH MARYLU:

Several things inspired me to write my new Escape to Paradise series. First the history is so fascinating. I never knew that so many (tens of thousands) Southerners fled the South after the Civil War for greener pastures. Many went to Mexico, some out west, but several thousand went to Brazil. Their descendants still celebrate there today! Secondly I'm a big fan of the TV show LOST, in particular the jungle setting and the spiritual themes that ran through the show.

I love the supernatural and I saw an opportunity to write a story about a group of settlers who are in a sense, running away from their problems and from God, but who end up being part of an eternal plan that involves a battle between good and evil.   Forsaken Dreams is the account of their voyage to Brazil, during which the reader meets all the characters and discovers their individual reasons for running away.

Themes of forgiveness, bitterness, hatred, guilt, rebellion and even Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome are addressed as the colonists face several disasters that threaten their mission and their lives. During the trip, hints are given here and there that something much larger is at stake waiting for them in Brazil, something that originated behind the curtain of the natural world.

MORE ABOUT MARYLU:
A Christy Award finalist and best-selling author, MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of tall ships and swashbuckling pirates during her childhood years on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. With over a dozen novels published, she continues to pen her romantic tales while managing a home, husband, six adult kids, and three cats who have decided that her keyboard is the best place to sleep!  She believes that without popcorn and chocolate, life would not be worth living, and her sole motivation in life is to bring others closer to God.

For more information on MaryLu and her books, please visit her website at http://www.marylutyndall.com or her blog at http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/ or you can find her on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/MaryLu-Tyndall-Swashbuckling-Romance/175344859169475