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The release date for my
next mystery is fast approaching. A Taste of Murder
will be available in October, but I wanted to give you a
preview look at the cover. Isn’t it great? This may come as
a surprise, but authors don’t design the covers for their
books. It’s true. Publishers employ experts – marketing
gurus and artists – to design the covers. They often seek
the author’s input, but receiving a copy of the final cover
art is sometimes surprising and always exciting. I am
absolutely thrilled with this book’s cover.
In the next issue of
This ‘n That, I’ll tell you how you can read this
book for free! I’ll be giving away a bunch of
autographed copies of A Taste of Murder to celebrate
the book’s release, so stay tuned.
My Books So Far
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I am a sucker for fantasy
novels, especially ones that have a powerful vein of
spiritual truth running throughout. If you agree, you’re
going to love my next giveaway. The first book in Sharon
Hinck’s Sword of Lyric series was recently a finalist
for a Christy Award in the Visionary category. In The
Restorer, you’ll meet Susan, a modern-day soccer mom who
is pulled through a portal into another world, where a
nation grappling for its soul waits for a promised Restorer
to save their people. I had the privilege of endorsing both
the second and third books, The Restorer’s Son and
The Restorer’s Journey, which will tell you how much I
enjoyed them.
On August 31, I’ll give
away all three books in the Sword of Lyric series to one
lucky person, all of them autographed by the author. To
enter the drawing, just hit Reply to this email and let me
know you’d like your name thrown in the hat. Or you can send
me a comment through the “Contact” page of my
website. The
winner will be selected at random.
Be sure to check my
website
regularly. I give away lots of books, and not just my own.
(But I do give away my own, too.) If you hurry, you can
still enter the drawing for Amber Miller’s Delaware Brides
series on August 3!
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September Appearances
September 13,
9:00 am–4:00 pm: “In His Time” sponsored by the Belvue
Christian Church Ladies Circle and
ChristianDevotions.US. Join featured speakers Virginia
Smith (that’s me!) and author and columnist Catherine
Painter for a day of fun, fellowship, and renewal at the
Belvue Christian Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. $25 per
person (includes lunch), and reservations are required. Call
(423)323-9572 or (423)384-4821 for more information.
September 27:
“Become as Little Children” sponsored by Voice of Joy
Ministries. Explore the Christian messages in classic
children’s books like Heidi and Pollyanna that
encourage participants to trust their Heavenly Father in a
deeper way. I’ll be one of a variety of speakers at this
event held in Danville, Kentucky every year. For more
information,
click here.
Event for Writers
September 18-21
– American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference,
Minneapolis, MN. If you’re interested in writing fiction for
a Christian audience, ACFW is the conference to
attend! This year’s keynote speaker is Angela Hunt, and the
faculty list is impressive, including many of your favorite
authors. I’m presenting a workshop entitled “Make your Point
without Preaching,” and moderating a fun panel of mystery
writers called, “Colonel Mustard in the Library with the
Lead Pipe.” For more information,
click here.
Check Out This Cool Blog
In my ongoing search
through the blogosphere for cool blogs, I came across one I
think you’ll enjoy, especially if you have a young reader in
your family. Susan K. Marlow, author of the Circle C
Adventures series for kids, has a blog that’s written by her
main characters, Andi and her horse, Taffy. The blog
contains a bunch of cool features, like pictures of Andi’s
family and friends, information about the Old West (the
books are set in the 1880’s), a photo gallery with pictures
of cool things like rattlesnakes, and even an “Ask Andi”
page where readers can address questions to Andi. If you
have a young reader in your life, check out the
Circle C Ranch Blog. And
while you’re at it, look into the Circle C Adventure books.
The fourth one, Andrea Carter and the San Francisco
Smugglers, hits bookstores later this month.
Have you found a cool and
unique blog? I want to know about it! Send me an
e-mail with the link, and maybe I’ll feature it in an
upcoming issue of “This ‘n That.”
New Publishing
Line Launching Soon
Attention fans of speculative
fiction! (If you have to ask what that is, you probably
aren’t.) On October 1, Jeff Gerke, a best-selling author
with an extensive background in writing and editing
Christian science fiction and fantasy, will launch a new
publishing company, Marcher Lord Press. To celebrate
the release of the line’s first books, he’s conducting a
massive prize drawing to give away a ton of great stuff sure
to have fans of speculative fiction drooling. Autographed
books, DVDs, even a leather-bound deluxe edition of The
Lord of the Rings. (I’ve got my eye on that.) And the
grand prize is a trip to the 2009 ComiCON in San Diego! To
enter the drawing, go to
www.MarcherLordPress.com
and follow the links. And be sure to put my name as the
person who referred you!
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m
concerned, if you’re going to dress like a biker, you
might as well make a statement. Now, I admit a
three-day trip on the back of a motorcycle might not be
everyone’s idea of a terrific summer vacation. It does
take some getting used to, especially the whole helmet
hair thing. (My secret: a baseball cap. When the helmet
comes off, the cap goes on.) But there’s something
freeing about a motorcycle, especially when someone I
trust is acting as my chauffer. I don’t simply watch the
scenery go by, I experience it in a way that’s
impossible in a car. The heat of the highway, the chilly
air on the mountaintops, high green pastures, majestic
rocky peaks, glassy blue lakes, rushing mountain
streams—all these things are right there,
occupying the same space I am.
It’s an incredible feeling. Within the isolation of my
helmet I sing at the top of my lungs, and I pray out
loud. Yes, for protection, but also because I just can’t
help telling the Lord how awesome His world is. His
presence is so apparent in the amazing displays of His
handiwork. As one biker said to us during a walk through
a breathtaking canyon, “This is God’s country for sure.”
To which my husband replied, “Nobody else could have
done it.” Amen!