CFBA Presents EYE OF THE GOD by Ariel Allison

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing
eye of the god
(Abingdon Press - October 1, 2009)
by
Ariel Allison



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Allison is a published author who lives in a small Texas town with her husband and three young sons. She is the co-author of Daddy Do You Love Me: a Daughter’s Journey of Faith and Restoration (New Leaf Press, 2006). Justin Case, the first of three children’s books will be published by Harvest House in June 2009. Ariel is a weekly contributor to http://www.christiandevotions.us/ and has written for Today’s Christian Woman. She ponders on life as a mother of all boys at http://www.themoabclub.blogspot.com/ and on her thoughts as a redeemed dreamer at http://www.arielallison.blogspot.com/.


From Ariel:
I am the daughter of an acclaimed and eccentric artist, and given my “unconventional” childhood, had ample time to explore the intricacies of story telling. I was raised at the top of the Rocky Mountains with no running water or electricity (think Laura Ingles meets the Hippie Movement), and lived out the books I read while running barefoot through the sagebrush. My mother read to me by the light of a kerosene lantern for well over a decade, long after I could devour an entire novel in the course of a day. Authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, George MacDonald, and L.M. Montgomery were the first to capture my heart and I have
grown to love many others since.


ABOUT THE BOOK

eye of the god takes the fascinating history surrounding the Hope Diamond and weaves it together with a present-day plot to steal the jewel from the Smithsonian Institute.

We follow Alex and Isaac Weld, the most lucrative jewel thieves in the world, in their quest to steal the gem, which according to legend was once the eye of a Hindu idol named Rama Sita. When it was stolen in the 17th century, it is said that the idol cursed all those who would possess it. That won’t stop the brilliant and ruthless Weld brothers.

However, they are not prepared for Dr. Abigail Mitchell, the beautiful Smithsonian Director, who has her own connection to the Hope Diamond and a deadly secret to keep. Abby committed long ago that she would not serve a god made with human hands, and the “eye of the god” is no exception. Her desire is not for wealth, but for wisdom. She seeks not power, but restoration.

When the dust settles over the last great adventure of the Hope Diamond, readers will understand the “curse” that has haunted its legacy is nothing more than the greed of evil men who bring destruction upon themselves. No god chiseled from stone can direct the fates of humankind, nor can it change the course of God’s story.

If you would like to read the prologue and first chapter of eye of the god, go HERE


JEN'S THOUGHTS

I've always been fascinated by the mystery surrounding the Hope Diamond, so I was especially excited to read eye of the god. I was expecting a good read. What I wasn't expecting was the effortless weaving of historical fact and modern-day thievery, both equally as thrilling.

Dr. Abigail Mitchell has father issues. She also knows more about the Hope Diamond than just about anybody in the world. Alex Weld is one of the world's most successful and cunning jewel thieves. When their paths cross, the sparks fly and suddenly, nothing is exactly as it seems.

It's hard to say too much about eye of the god without giving away the plot. Suffice it to say that zigs and zags abound. Author Ariel Allison deserves mad props for making the historical portion of this tale so compelling. From the time the diamond is procured in India in 1653, we follow the path of the diamond and the lives of the people it touches. Their stories, interspersed with the present day heist, underscore the fact that the real curse of the Hope Diamond may be the greed and lust it brings out in people who look to things for fulfillment.

eye of the god is a fast-paced, action packed book with a final twist that took me by surprise. If you're like me, you'll have a hard time putting this one down.

Take a trip back to the seventies with Leonard Nimoy & Bilbo Baggins

I couldn't believe it when I stumbled on this video on YouTube. My mother owned this album, and I remember listening to it a lot as a kid. But who knew there was a video?

Granted, the image quality is pretty bad and the whole thing is maximum cheese. You can't help wondering, "What was he thinking?" But you also can't beat if for nostalgia!

I now give you Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins."

Marcher Lord Select - What it's all about and how I'm involved

Would you like to check out some cool speculative fiction and at the same time have a voice in choosing who gets their book published? If it sounds good to you, then please be part of Marcher Lord Select. It's kind of like American Idol meets book acquisitions.

What's really exciting for me is that I'm one of a select group of authors who've been invited into the competition. My completed novel, Vinnie's Diner, will be among the manuscripts you get to vote for. Cool, huh? Vinnie's Diner is best described as a supernatural journey of self-discovery. While quite a departure from my previous books, it's probably my favorite to date. In fact, I'm so excited about it that I made a Vinnie's Diner book trailer several months back. You can check it out on YouTube if you really want to get a feel for the story. Or, you can watch it here:



I've pasted the complete press release from Marcher Lord Press below so you can find out exactly what the contest is about. An important piece of information is that all the manuscript viewing and voting takes place on The Anomaly forums under the sub-heading Marcher Lord Select. You need to register there in order to vote, but it's totally free and secure.

Of course, the main idea behind this contest is to pick the best, and that's what I encourage you to do. Vote for THE BEST story, which may or may not be mine. But you won't know that until you check them all out.

I'll keep you posted as the contest progresses. Thanks for your support!

October 17, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select

(Colorado Springs, CO)--Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

"Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions," says publisher Jeff Gerke. "We're presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting 'the people' decide which one should be published."

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book's title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

"We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel," Gerke says. "There are marketing skills to be developed--and you've got to hook the reader with a good premise."

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant's mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

"We're also running a secondary contest," Gerke says. "The 'premise contest' is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009."

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

"It's a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn't receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest."

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

"In order for this to work as we're envisioning," Gerke says, "we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you're not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I'm sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!"

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; http://www.marcherlordpress.com/.

CFBA Presents THE FENCE MY FATHER BUILT by Linda S. Clare

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Fence My Father Built
(Abingdon Press - October 2009)
by
Linda S. Clare


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Linda S. Clare is an award-winning coauthor of three books, including Lost Boys and the Moms Who Love Them (with Melody Carlson and Heather Kopp), Revealed: Spiritual Reality in a Makeover World, and Making Peace with a Dangerous God (with Kristen Johnson Ingram). She has also published many essays, stories, and poems in publications including The Christian Reader, The Denver Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Linda grew up in a part of Arizona, where the dirt is as red as it is in Central Oregon. She graduated summa cum laude in Art Education from Arizona State University and taught in public and private schools. She has taught college-level creative writing classes for seven years, and edits and mentors writers. She also is a frequent writing conference presenter and church retreat leader. She and her husband of thirty-one years have four grown children, including a set of twins. They live in Eugene, Oregon, with their five wayward cats: Oliver, Xena the Warrior Kitty, Paladine, Melchior, and Mamma Mia!


ABOUT THE BOOK

When legally separated Muri Pond, a librarian, hauls her kids, teenager Nova and eleven year-old Truman, out to the tiny town of Murkee, Oregon, where her father, Joe Pond lived and died, she's confronted by a neighbor's harassment over water rights and Joe's legacy: a fence made from old oven doors.

The fence and accompanying house trailer horrify rebellious Nova, who runs away to the drug-infested streets of Seattle. Muri searches for her daughter and for something to believe in, all the while trying to save her inheritance from the conniving neighbor who calls her dad Chief Joseph.

Along with Joe's sister, Aunt Lutie, and the Red Rock Tabernacle Ladies, Muri must rediscover the faith her alcoholic dad never abandoned in order to reclaim her own spiritual path.

Watch the trailer:




If you would like to read the first chapter of The Fence My Father Built , go HERE

Read Jen's Take 5 Interview with Linda on Examiner.com

Promotional Opportunities for Published Authors

 

A little over a month ago, I took over as the Las Vegas Christian Fiction Examiner on Examiner.com. The good people of Vegas (and beyond) need to know how much great Christian fiction is out there, and how cool all you authors are, and I aim to tell them.

 

But what if you don't write Christian fiction? Or what if you write non-fiction? Well, I'm the Las Vegas Writing Examiner, too. I'm also the Las Vegas Pop Culture Examiner. So there's a place somewhere for me to talk about your book!

I'm starting two new, ongoing features:

• Take 5 Interviews - Short interviews with authors. As the title indicates, just five questions. There will be no book giveaways attached to these, but I'll link to your website as well as that of your publisher, your blog, and anything else of interest to readers.
• The Story Behind the Story - Is there an interesting story behind the creation of your novel? Some event that sparked the initial idea? Something amazing you discovered during the research phase that turned the plot around? A fan response so touching that it changed you? I want to share those stories here. And if somehow, you have some Las Vegas connection, even better... but not at all necessary.

I'm extending this invitation to ALL published authors. Yes, oh self-pubbed ones, that means you, too. There's so much talk about self publishing and POD right now, readers will be interested in your input as well.

 

In addition to the above two features, I want to keep readers updated on industry news. If you have a publicist or marketing department contact who would like to put me on their Press Release mailing list, please pass on my email address.

 

If you have any questions or would like to participate, let me know.

A Silly Sign Spotted at the Ren Faire

My son and I hit the LV Renaissance Faire last weekend (and had a blast, BTW). This sign was propped up in one of the vendor booths amongst the knives and leather pouches.

Whoever thought up that one gets an A+ for effort!

Interview and Book Giveaway with Author Steve Rzasa

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steve Rzasa was born and raised in South Jersey, and fell in love with books—especially science fiction novels and historical volumes—at an early age. He worked for eight years as a newspaper reporter and editor before moving to Buffalo, Wyoming, with his wife, Carrie, and their two boys. He now works a county library. Steve’s short story, “Rescued,” which is set in the universe of The World Reclaimed, won the 2009 G.K. Chesterton Award in the Athanatos Christian Ministries Writing Contest.

THE INTERVIEW

JA: Congratulations on your debut novel, The Word Reclaimed. Tell us a bit about it.
SR: Baden Haczyk lives in contention with his father aboard the family cargo starship Natalia Zoja. His routine existence is turned on its head when he finds a book in the wreckage of another ship. Suddenly the omnipresent religious police are on his tail, and will stop at nothing to seize the book. Baden finds himself confronting a powerful faith, and runs in to allies who are fighting to stop the overthrow of the royal Realm of Five.

It is set in a future where all printed materials are banned – only electronic media are allowed, and the royal family owns the companies that make all computers, handheld devices, etc.


JA: Give us a glimpse of your road to publication. Was it a long and winding road, or are you an overnight success?
SR: It took me about six years to finish writing The Word Reclaimed, which is part of a much longer novel called Commissioned. As a weekly newspaper reporter and editor, I didn’t spend much time writing outside work – it took a lot out.

JA: What do you hope people take away when they finish reading your book?
SR: First of all, I want them to have fun. This is a space adventure, full of intrigue and battle both in space and on new worlds. Second, I want them to see the power of God’s Word and the effect it has on people.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
SR: Well, since The Word Reclaimed is the first half of what was originally one long novel, the sequel – so far untitled – will come out hopefully sometime next year. Jeff Gerke of Marcher Lord Press wants to do the sequel but we haven’t set a firm date yet. I also have at least two more novels in my head (and partially on paper) for this universe.


JA: What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
SR: Though my taste in entertainment runs more toward spaceships, explosions and gunfights, one of my favorite movies is a D.B. Sweeney 1990s flick called “The Cutting Edge.” It’s a great movie.

JA: As a fellow Firefly fan, I have to ask: What did you think about the movie, Serenity?
SR: It was action-packed, but not as funny as the series. There is nothing that beats the episode “Jaynestown” – hysterical! I was disheartened to see them kill off Wash and Book in the movie – mostly because now we’ll never know Book’s secrets! – and I missed the interplay between Mal and Inara.

JA: We think alike, Steve. And I so agree about Wash and Book! Okay, now back to you...

JA: What’s the one far out sci-fi technology you’d most like to see become a household item?
SR: That’s easy – holographic systems! Think “Star Wars” only cooler and less grainy-looking.

JA: The current theme on my blog is The Year of Dreams. If you could realize one life-long dream right now (other than being a published author), what would it be?
SR: I think that dream would be to visit Poland, which is where my bloodline on my father’s fraternal side originates. We here in the U.S. of European descent have a very brief history – 400 years at max. I’d love to visit a land where the people’s language and traditions have roots thousands of years old.

JA: Last but not least, how can people keep up with your latest publishing news?
SR: I’ll keep everybody up to date at http://www.steverzasa.com/.


ABOUT THE BOOK – The Word Reclaimed

Baden picked up the wrong book.

In the far future, the civilized worlds have finally been freed of the curse of religion. Tolerance now rules the five colonies.

Thanks to the secret police, no one has been bothered by so much as a hymn in two generations—much less a Torah, Koran, or that most dangerous of books, a Bible.

Baden is a young man with an attitude. He spends his spare time salvaging wrecks in deep space, claiming for himself whatever the pirates leave behind.

One day, Baden finds a book. A strange and very old book, preserved carefully against the ravages of deep space. Thinking he’ll become rich if only for the value of the paper, he takes it. He counts himself lucky beyond all imagining.

Until it begins talking to him.

Amidst an interstellar war that threatens to overthrow the monarchy and drive great families to oblivion, Baden must evade the secret police and their attempts to get that book.

Baden never had much use for religion. But, it seems, one has use of him.


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of The Word Reclaimed, just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on October 23rd. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!