July 2018 New Releases

 More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.  
Contemporary Romance: A Widow’s Hope by Vannetta Chapman -- After tragedy claimed her husband’s life and her son’s ability to walk, Hannah King doesn’t want a new man. She has her family, a home and mounting debts. Scarred Amish bachelor Jacob Schrock offers Hannah the job she desperately needs. But while Hannah helps Jacob resolve his accounting issues, can she and her little boy also heal his wounded heart? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])


 Firestorm by Laura V. Hilton -- Bridget Behr can’t shake the guilt that it was her fault her family moved—and is too afraid to trust anyone, especially the flirtatious, overly-friendly Amish man who lives next door. Just as Bridget is finally settling into friendship, a new life, and maybe even love, a devastating forest fire ravages the county, destroying both land and the Behrs' dreams. Now Bridget and her family must decide: will they leave behind the ashes and start anew in another Amish community? Or will they dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County? (Contemporary Romance from Whitaker House)


General Contemporary: Ride to the Altar by Linda W. Yezak -- Cattle are dying on the Circle Bar, putting the Texas ranch in financial jeopardy. Newly engaged Patricia Talbert and Talon Carlson must root out the cause before they can concentrate on wedding plans—which involves Patricia’s traveling to New York to patch things up with her domineering mother. While she is away, Talon discovers that the attacks on the ranch are connected to the murder of his first fiancée over eight years ago. Before they can move forward together, each have to resolve the past. Will they be able to start their new life with a clean slate? (General Contemporary from Canopy Books of Texas)


General Historical: My Heart Belongs in Galveston, Texas by Kathleen Y’Barbo -- Dodging bullets takes a simple missing person case to a new level as Jonah Cahill, a Pinkerton agent, and Madeline Latour, an investigative reporter, form a tentative truce in Galveston, Texas, 1880. Are they on to a much bigger story when their best witness is suddenly kidnapped? (General Historical from Barbour Publishing)


Historical Mystery: The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright -- Two women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future--or their very souls. (Historical Mystery from Bethany House [Baker])


Historical Romance: This Freedom Journey by Misty M. Beller -- Adrien Lockman left France to finally live life on his own terms, but when he discovers a half-starved and half-frozen woman in the treacherous Canadian mountains, the truth soon becomes clear—the only way they’ll survive is together. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)  



The Widow’s Plight by Mary Davis -- After moving to a new town and joining a quilting circle, a single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves? (Historical Romance from Mountain Brook Ink)  



River to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart -- Orphaned during an early 19th century cholera epidemic and helped by a slave to find a new home, Adria Starr must now stand up for his freedom—and maybe find her own in the process. (Historical Romance from Revell [Baker])  



A Rumored Fortune by Joanna Davidson Politano -- A young heiress is suddenly the poorest wealthy woman in all of England when her father dies without telling anyone where he put his money. (Historical Romance from Revell [Baker])



Mystery: Shifting Sands by Elizabeth Ludwig -- A mysterious key hidden in the depths of an ancient lighthouse unlocks family secrets hidden for generations. (Cozy Mystery from Guideposts Publications)  




Guarded Prognosis by Richard L. Mabry -- At first Dr. Caden Taggart feared for his freedom, then for his ability to cope, and eventually he feared for his life. (Medical Mystery, Independently Published)




Romantic Suspense: Darkwater Secrets by Robin Caroll -- When Adelaide Fountaine, the general manager of a hotel in New Orleans, finds the body of a guest who was stabbed with a kitchen knife, her childhood friend Detective Beau Savoie is shocked to discover a connection between his friend--the woman he's quietly loved for years—and the murdered guest. But Beau can't press Adelaide too hard . . . because he's keeping secrets of his own. Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose? (Romantic Suspense from Gilead Publishing)  

Camp Hope by Sara L. Foust -- Facing dehydration, starvation, and a convoluted kidnapper, will Amy succeed in recovering her precious foster daughter or get lost in a vast wilderness forever? (Romantic Suspense from Mantle Rock Publishing)


  

Dead Drift by Dani Pettrey -- Seven years ago, operative Luke Gallagher vanished to join an elite team of terrorist hunters. Private investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving or looking for Luke after he disappeared. But she also never imagined he left her or his life by choice. Now he's back, asking her help to stop America’s newest terrorist threat—an attack that would shake the country to its core. Together they must navigate secrets, lies, and betrayal, all while on the brink of a biological disaster. Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist's next mark? (Romantic Suspense from Bethany House [Baker])


Young Adult: Launch by Jason C. Joyner -- Teens with special abilities are invited to an exclusive conference where tech billionaire Simon Mazor is looking for those who can help him influence the world. (Young Adult from Little Lamb Books)

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New Series from Guideposts!

I love a good mystery. Like...really, really love. Remember Nancy Drew? How about the Hardy Boys? These used to be prime reading material for me. Thankfully, Guideposts is offering a new series in the spirit of these great, family friendly books, called the Mysteries of Martha's Vineyard. And for a short time only, Guideposts is offering a 30% off coupon on one book! I'm pasting some links for you below in case you'd like some more information. The first link is a general link for the series. The other three are author-specific links for the first three books that are currently available for purchase. This discount offer is good through the end of September. Once you follow your choice of link options below, then add MMV30 where indicated to insert discount code. That will bring the price of one HARDCOVER book to $9.76!

Guideposts 2017

General Series Link:
 https://www.shopguideposts.org/mmv

Author specific links:
www.shopguideposts.org/HerneMMV1
www.shopguideposts.org/ThompsonMMV2
www.shopguideposts.org/AdamsMMV3

Happy shopping!

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Feeding Your Readers’ Interests

By Elizabeth Ludwig

Guideposts 2017

My husband and I recently made a trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio, to visit the setting for my latest series of cozy mysteries from Guideposts. One of things I loved about the experience was sampling the authentic Amish cooking. I even found several Amish cookbooks to add to my treasure trove of books. Unfortunately, if you’ve ever used one of these cookbooks, you know that many of the recipes can be very vague—a “pinch” of this, a “smidge” of that. LOL! Apparently, the authors of these recipes assume you know what temperature to bake a pie or exactly how much of each ingredient to add. I assume it’s because many of these dishes have been passed down for generations, and the cooks in the family know exactly how something should taste.

The problem is, I don’t always know exactly how long a pie should bake, or what the finished product should look like. That’s why I’m so glad I have a loving family to experiment on. They enjoy having new dishes to sample, and as I’ve learned writing this series, so do my readers. You see, every book in the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries includes a recipe—something from the story that can be shared with readers at the end of the book. Surprisingly, this has generated more fan mail than anything else I’ve written! Readers love to tell me when they’ve tried one of the recipes I’ve included. One sweet lady even sent me a picture.

This has proven to be such a fun way to connect with my readers, and my growing collection of Amish cookbooks will ensure that I always have plenty of recipes to draw from, including one from my latest release, A Tempting Taste of Mystery that I’m glad to be able to share with you.

Miracle Crust Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:

·         1 1/2 cups white sugar

·         1 cup buttermilk

·         1/2 cup all-purpose baking mix

·         1/3 cup butter, melted

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         3 eggs

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch pie plate. Beat together white sugar, buttermilk, baking mix, melted butter or margarine, vanilla, and eggs until smooth. Pour filling into pie plate. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes.

TWEETABLE:

Feeding Your Readers' Interests by Elizabeth Ludwig (Click to Tweet)

Elizabeth Ludwig is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Book three in her popular Edge of Freedom series, Tide and Tempest, was recently named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Her latest releases include Home Sweet Sugarcreek and A Tempting Taste of Mystery, part of the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries series from Guideposts. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

Contact Elizabeth: HERE

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Making the Most of a Diversion

By Elizabeth Ludwig

I found myself stranded in Bentonville, Arkansas recently, when the plane I was on from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Dallas, Texas, was diverted mid-air, to a tiny regional airport in Northwest Arkansas. Not only was this a little nerve-wracking, it felt a little bit like a “Hotel California” moment, with delay after delay keeping us grounded inside this tiny airport.

You’re singing the song now, aren’t you? Well stop. That’s not the point of this article. 

Anyway, I finally decided to go ahead and spend the night in Bentonville and try reaching Dallas the next day. With time—and the keys to a rental car—in my hands, I struck out to see what I could find. After a bit of driving, I wound up here…at the Bentonville Cemetery. This probably wouldn’t be the destination of choice for most people, but as a writer, for me cemeteries hold an irresistible appeal. There is a great deal of history to be learned by visiting these places, but many other surprising things as well…

I found hope here…

And indescribable sorrow…

I found beauty and incredible artistic talent in skill of the marble crafters:

And I found things that made me speculate—was this woman a war bride? Was her husband a soldier?




















There was history to be found of course. Go to any cemetery in the south, and you will more than likely find something like the tombstone below. FYI…look closely at the three linked letters between the dates. Many times the letters FLT will be found on a flag holder or on a tombstone with each letter in a link of a chain. This is actually the logo for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The letters stand for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

Among my favorite tombstones was this one marking the grave of a soldier who, incredibly, served in both WWII and Korea:

The oldest tombstone I found filled me with both excitement and melancholy. I noted the stark difference between this grave and others surrounding it. There were no flowers here, no mementos left to show that someone…anyone…still remembered who this person was or that they were loved. Perhaps it’s because those people are also here, resting in another part of the cemetery. I could not read the date of this person’s death, only his birth—1821.

It was an interesting visit. I’m sure there is much more to see and learn, walking among the rows of the Bentonville Cemetery. I’d like to leave you with this last image—one that made me smile. Whoever she was, she was most definitely a woman after my own heart.

TWEETABLE:

Making the Most of a Diversion by Elizabeth Ludwig (Click to Tweet)

Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author and speaker. Book three in her popular EDGE OF FREEDOM series, Tide and Tempest, was recently named a finalist for the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Elizabeth was also named a finalist in the 2015 Selah Awards for her novella “One Holy Night”, part of the bestselling anthology collection, Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine. Her latest releases include Where Hope Dwells and A Stitch in Time, part of the SUGARCREEK AMISH MYSTERIES series from Guideposts. She often attends conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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Understanding Work-for-Hire by Elizabeth Ludwig

On Tuesday, I mentioned that I had started a new series of Amish cozy mysteries, and that it was work-made-for-hire. But what exactly does that mean, and why did I agree to do it?

A work-made-for-hire (sometimes abbreviated as work for hire or WFH) basically just means that the author agrees to create a work as part of their job and that both the author and the company they are writing for agree in writing to the WFH designation. The author does not own the work, but is contractually obligated to submit the work on the same basis as they would any other standard publishing agreement.

 I should also note that in standard publishing agreements, the person who actually creates a work is the legally recognized author of that work. According to copyright law in the United States and certain other copyright jurisdictions, if a work is "made for hire", the employer—not the employee—is considered the legal author.

Confused yet?

So then, what are the benefits to WFH? I admit, there is some disagreement over this. For me, the benefits were simply signing on to work for a major publishing house and everything that entails, IE: access to marketing, promotion, readership, networking, etc. It also enabled me to expand my publishing credentials, earn valuable writing experience, and finally, to “get my foot in the door with an attractive publisher”, for lack of better explanation. All of these swayed me in favor of the idea of a WFH project.

Others would disagree and say that they are not willing to give up ownership of a created work, especially if they were not going to get credit for the work by having their name printed on the cover (which can also happen, but didn’t in my case).

Both views are arguably correct. I suppose the bottom line would have to lie in the heart of the author and what they are attempting to achieve. What do you think? Is a work-made-for-hire something you would ever consider? I’d love to hear what you think!

Elizabeth Ludwig is the bestselling author of Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine and the highly successful Edge of Freedom series from Bethany House Publishers. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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Stepping Outside the Boundaries

I started a new project last year…one that I have been fairly quiet about as I learned the ins-and-outs of the subject I was about to tackle. You see, for the first time in my career, I was undertaking an Amish cozy mystery (see below for a preview of my new book cover!). And it was a work-for-hire project for Guideposts. Two things I had never before done! God has certainly been stretching my boundaries and making me see beyond what I thought was possible. I’ll tell you more about the work-for-hire process on Thursday. For now, let’s concentrate on what it means to write Amish! 

I’ve written cozy mysteries before. In fact, I began my career with a series of cozies for Barbour Publishing. I knew I would enjoy that part of the experience. The part that concerned was learning how much I didn’t know about the Amish or the setting for the stories—which happens to be Sugarcreek, Ohio, a place I have determined to visit based on the research I’ve conducted so far. 

As it turns out, I learned a lot about the Amish right along with Cheryl Cooper, the main character in the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries series. One of the things that interested me most was the practice of rumspringa or the “running around” time of Amish youth. I quickly learned that there are many commonly held misconceptions about rumspringa, including the idea that it is a “time out” from being Amish. In actuality, rumspringa is intended to be a period during which boys and girls are given greater personal freedom so that they may make the decision to either become Amish or leave the community. While it is true that some Amish youth may choose to engage in what would otherwise be considered sinful behavior, their parents do not encourage such. 

Just as with all young adults, the late teen years are a confusing time in an Amish person’s life. Rumspringa is intended to help these young people “find themselves,” and thereby enable them to make a fully informed choice to accept the lifelong requirements of the Amish church. 

Where Hope Dwells/Guideposts, 2015

Isn’t that interesting? What a blessing it has been to dwell with these characters in Sugarcreek! Though I was a little reluctant to step outside of my comfort zone, God has proven that moving along the path He has laid out before me can be rewarding despite the challenges. I am looking forward to seeing all that He has in store for this series and for my writing. 

Elizabeth Ludwig is the bestselling author of Christmas Comes to Bethlehem, Maine and the highly successful EDGE OF FREEDOM series from Bethany House Publishers. She is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com. Contact Elizabeth: HERE

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