POLL: Would You Consider E-Pubbing over Traditional?

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A Special Anniversary

Today is a day to commemorate the liberty of the United States of America--Independence Day! But for me, another special anniversary will occur in 11 days. It will be the first anniversary of the Chapel Service and Graveside Committal and Honors at Arlington National Cemetery for my great-uncle and his fellow crew-members: a group who made the greatest sacrifice for their country during WWII.

How I ended up in Washington D.C. July 15th, 2010 is a long and amazing story. If you're a long-time follower of my personal blog, Seasons of Humility, then you might already be familiar with it. If you're not familiar with the story and you 'd like to learn more, I highly recommend you read this article: Seven WWII Airmen Buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Suffice it to say, my great-uncle (Private Robert L. Crane) and the crew he served with crashed en route to Burma delivering supplies during WWII, and the remains of the crash weren't discovered until almost 60 years later. Last year the remains were given a proper burial, and these brave men were given the honor they so rightfully deserved.

Because my dad is one of great-uncle Robert's oldest surviving relatives, he had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. to see the service, and I was able to go with him! This was one of the most moving experiences of my life, and so today as we celebrate Independence Day, I'd like to honor the memory of all those who gave their lives for freedom by sharing some of what I saw:

(The following quotes and videos are taken from a couple of the blog posts I wrote in July 2010.)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

"After we returned from seeing [some] great sights, we rested (well, technically I worked on stuff for this blog!), ate a group dinner at the hotel, and then we met to go to Murphy Funeral Home for the Visitation Service.

And wow--talk about moving! Hearing about the lives of those seven men, including my great uncle, was both wonderful and deeply touching. My great uncle was only in his early twenties when he died, and seeing him and some of the other members of his squadron in pictures was hard. He was so young!

But I do know this: they died for a noble cause. We were privileged to hear from a couple of the men who were part of the group my great uncle was bringing supplies to when the plane crashed. It brought me to tears to hear them say that my great uncle was on his way to help preserve lives when his own was lost. These were real men, loved and missed by their families, and honored by the country they served. And being reminded of the stories of these men encouraged me even more to write, because if it's God's will I want to share stories that will be real . . . stories that God can use in a real way.

This following video shows pictures of memorials that honor these great men and so many others who gave their all for those of us who don't appreciate their efforts nearly as much as we ought. How can we ever show enough gratitude to those who paid the ultimate price? How can we ever show enough gratitude to their loved ones who let them go? And how can we ever even come close to showing enough gratitude to God--who sent His own Son to die for us, offering us a chance to go home and truly be free?"




Thursday, July 15, 2010

"I have no words to tell you what the service at Arlington National Cemetery was like. Even now as I write this, tears are coming to my eyes. I put together another video to try and capture some of the experience, which I hope will convey even just a little of the emotion of this morning. The love, the service, and the honor shown this day will never be forgotten."

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Winners!!

It's always so much fun to give away great books!! Congratulations to this week's lucky winners:

windycindy - The Irresistible Earl by Regina Scott

Rebecca (agent_beckster(at)yahoo(dot)com) - Gravestone by Travis Thrasher

Jackie (jackie.smith[at]dishmail[dot]net) - Dangerous Reunion by Sandra Robbins

Winners of this week's books, please use the button in the upper right side of this page to email me with your mailing address so I can forward your information to the authors. Then, sit back and wait for your book to arrive.

Thank you all so much for stopping by The Borrowed Book and thank you, Regina Scott, Travis Thrasher (through publicist), and Sandra Robbins for your generosity in providing books!

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Weekly Drawing

Entering our weekly drawing is easy:

1. Leave a comment on Fridays or...

2. Sign up to follow The Borrowed Book. Followers will automatically be entered for a chance to win that week's drawing!

This week, The Borrowed Book is giving away:

The Irresistible Earl by Regina Scott ~ If Chase Dearborn, the powerful Earl of Allyndale, found Meredee Price's family in Scarborough, surely he'd continue his quest to challenge Meredee's stepbrother to a duel. Meredee is determined to avoid the earl at all costs. But saving a drowning young lady thwarts Meredee's plans when her act of heroism nets her the attention of the lady's brother and guardian—none other than Chase himself.

Meredee's gentle ways and tranquil beauty touch Chase's guarded heart fromthe moment he meets her. He's waited a lifetime for a worthy companion—someone he can trust with his deepest secrets. But then he discovers that Meredee has harbored a secret of her own, one that love may not overcome.


Gravestone by Travis Thrasher ~ His Fear Will Soon Turn to Anger….

At first, Chris Buckley was simply warned. And watched. But as Chris unravels the haunting riddles of the town of Solitary, he finds that much more than thelife of a town is at stake.

Whether facing a pastor with a house full of skeletons or a cousin he never knew existed, Chris is forced to choose between light and darkness, life and nightmarish death. Every choice he makes reminds him that the unthinkable has already happened—and if he trusts the wrong person, it may happen again.

This second book in the Solitary Tales continues Chris’s journey toward finding out who he is and what his own role is in the darkness suffocating his tiny new hometown. Filled with shocking twists, Gravestone is a tale of a teenager thrown into a battle over a town, a secret—and ultimately his own soul.

Dangerous Reunion by Sandra Robbins ~ A murderer on tiny, safe Ocracoke Island? Deputy Sheriff Kate Michaels doesn't want to believe it—until someone at the crime scene starts shooting at her. Then Nashville detective Brock Gentry shows up. Brock broke her heart years ago when he called off their engagement. Now, torn apart by a case, Brock seeks sanctuary on the island. Yet as the threats against Kate escalate—and Kate's sisters are targeted—she turns to the man she's never stopped loving. Even if their reunion is more dangerous than it ever was before.

Winners will be announced on Saturday, 07/2/11.

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Dangerous Reunion Releases

I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been because my new Love Inspired Suspense Dangerous Reunion released this week. I’ve looked forward to this book’s release for a long time.

Three years ago my son, granddaughter, and I traveled to Ocracoke Island on vacation. This tiny speck of land is one of the barrier islands twenty-five miles off the coast of North Carolina and was the headquarters of Blackbeard the Pirate in the early 1700s. In fact he met his death just off shore in a bloody battle. A two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride is required to get to the island, but once there the magic of the island takes over.

I knew right away I wanted to write a book set on the island where sea oats wave in the breeze along the beaches that have been voted the most beautiful in the nation. Even while I was there I started plotting a story line. Much to my delight, however, the book I wrote turned into a three book series about the Michaels family who live on the island. Dangerous Reunion is the story of the eldest daughter Kate who is a deputy sheriff on the island.

Here's the back cover blurb:
A murderer on tiny, safe Ocracoke Island? Deputy Sheriff Kate Michaels doesn't want to believe it-until someone at the crime scene starts shooting at her. Then Nashville detective Brock Gentry shows up. Brock broke her heart years ago when he called off their engagement. Now, torn apart by a case, Brock seeks sanctuary on the island. Yet as the threats against Kate escalate-and Kate's sisters are targeted-she turns to the man she's never stopped loving. Even if their reunion is more dangerous than it ever was before.

You can watch the trailer here.

The story is packed with suspense, but the main theme of the book is forgiveness. Mark 11:25 serves as a focal scripture for the story: And when ye pray, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Although Kate has always had a difficult time forgiving others, she comes to understand true happiness depends on following what Jesus said.  

The second book in the series, Shattered Identity, features Kate's long-lost brother Scott as he helps a young woman solve the mystery of her mother’s death by supposedly jumping from the widow’s walk of the island lighthouse twenty-five years earlier. Fatal Disclosure, the third book, relates the adventures of Kate and Scott's sister Betsy as she assists a DEA agent to bring down a drug smuggling ring. Both of these release next year.

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July, and if you want an explosive read, I hope you'll choose Dangerous Reunion. Leave a comment, and you just might win a copy.  

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Book Spotlight

I'm spotlighting TWO books this week, both of which I hope you will pick up and enjoy as much as I did...

The Irresistible Earl by Regina Scott ~ If Chase Dearborn, the powerful Earl of Allyndale, found Meredee Price's family in Scarborough, surely he'd continue his quest to challenge Meredee's stepbrother to a duel. Meredee is determined to avoid the earl at all costs. But saving a drowning young lady thwarts Meredee's plans when her act of heroism nets her the attention of the lady's brother and guardian—none other than Chase himself.

Meredee's gentle ways and tranquil beauty touch Chase's guarded heart from the moment he meets her. He's waited a lifetime for a worthy companion—someone he can trust with his deepest secrets. But then he discovers that Meredee has harbored a secret of her own, one that love may not overcome.

Regina Scott started writing novels in the third grade. Thankfully for literature as we know it, she didn't actually sell her first novel until she had learned a bit more about writing such as vocabulary, sentence structure, and plot. After numerous short stories and articles in magazines and trade journals, she got serious about her novel writing. The Unflappable Miss Fairchild was her first novel to be published (March 1998).

Besides her novels, Regina Scott has had published three Regency novellas ("The June Bride Conspiracy" in His Blushing Bride, "Sweeter Than Candy" in A Match for Mother, and "A Place by the Fire" in Mistletoe Kittens), which are now featured in electronic book form as Be My Bride. Her novels have been translated into Dutch, German, Italian, and Portuguese, and Lord Borin's Secret Love has been issued in a hardcover, large print edition. Many of her works are also available as electronic books through Belgrave House's Regency Reads line.

Regina Scott and her husband are the parents of two sons. They reside in southeast Washington State and are members of the Church of the Nazarene. Born in 1959 and raised in the Seattle area, Regina Scott is a graduate of the University of Washington. She comes by her writing talent naturally--both her parents were excellent writers in their vocations as teacher and electrical technician, now retired. Her mother envisioned the plot for "Sweeter Than Candy," the novella which was written as a tribute to her.

Regina Scott is a devout Christian and a decent fencer; owns a historical, fantasy, and science fiction costume collection that currently takes up over a third of her large closet; and has been known to impersonate an independent consultant specializing in risk communication.

Gravestone by Travis Thrasher ~

His Fear Will Soon Turn to Anger….

At first, Chris Buckley was simply warned. And watched. But as Chris unravels the haunting riddles of the town of Solitary, he finds that much more than the life of a town is at stake.

Whether facing a pastor with a house full of skeletons or a cousin he never knew existed, Chris is forced to choose between light and darkness, life and nightmarish death. Every choice he makes reminds him that the unthinkable has already happened—and if he trusts the wrong person, it may happen again.

This second book in the Solitary Tales continues Chris’s journey toward finding out who he is and what his own role is in the darkness suffocating his tiny new hometown. Filled with shocking twists, Gravestone is a tale of a teenager thrown into a battle over a town, a secret—and ultimately his own soul.

“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

This quote from Stephen King’s novella, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, sums up the goal of every single one of Travis Thrasher’s novels: providing hope. As the novelist of twelve works of fiction, Travis has spent a decade fighting against being typecast and labeled.

“It’s a natural thing for novelists to be put into a box,” Travis says. “My goal has always been to tell stories about flawed characters who find redemption, whether it’s in a love story or a supernatural thriller.”

Having lived in places as diverse as Munich, Germany, and Sydney, Australia, during his youth, Travis moved to the Chicago area during his junior year of high school. That’s where he has remained.

After graduating from Trinity Christian College, Travis landed a job at Tyndale House Publishers as Author Relations Manager. He worked for over a decade in that position, acting as liaison between the publisher and the authors. But writing always came first, and Travis was fortunate to have his first novel published in 2000. It was THE PROMISE REMAINS, a sweet love story in the vein of Nicholas Sparks.

“I wrote six or seven dark, ambitious novels that went nowhere,” Travis says. “It was only after writing a simple love story about unrequited love that I got my first break.”

Getting that first book published was a dream come true, but Travis always saw himself having multiple books in print. Travis’s drive and imagination have allowed him to see a variety of books published: from love stories (THE WATERMARK; THREE ROADS HOME) to suspense (GUN LAKE; ADMISSION; BLINDED) to drama (THE SECOND THIEF; SKY BLUE) to supernatural thrillers (ISOLATION; GHOSTWRITER).

“I tell people this is not the way to build a writing career, but I’m thankful I’ve been able to build mine the way I wanted to. I want to entertain and surprise readers, and to continue to build a readership that will take journeys with me, whether they’re going to 1929 Brazil or current day Geneva, Illinois.”

2010 will mark a decade of publishing for Travis. It will also be a significant year with the release of BROKEN by Faithwords in May and SOLITARY by Cook in August.

“I’m excited about these two upcoming stories that will surely surprise and move readers,” Travis says. “BROKEN is about a young woman who is just that—broken and bruised by this world. SOLITARY is the first in a teen series that combines a love story with the supernatural. Both are powerful stories.”

His goal continues to be to tell powerful and moving stories that will reach fiction readers of all types. As a fulltime novelist for over two years, Travis feels he’s still just warming up.

“There are things I learn about the writing process and about myself with every novel. I believe my best stories are still in front of me, waiting to be discovered like a buried treasure. I’m thankful that I’m able to dig a little more every day.”

Travis lives with his wife and three-year-old daughter in a suburb of Chicago.

BB is giving away both The Irresistible Earl by Regina Scott and Gravestone by Travis Thrasher. Be sure to stop by The Borrowed Book on Friday for your chance to win!

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A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

I always thought it had to be a photographer who said this, and one not overly fond of books. That is, until a friend sent me an email with the following word definitions inside:

RESPECT












LOVE










SORROW













GRATITUDE









INNOCENCE













FRIENDSHIP











PAIN







DEPARTURE









COMPASSION

Powerful, eh?

Some of the pictures stirred real emotions inside me, made me think about all that was expressed by the image and captioned with one simple word. That’s when I realized that as an author, my job is to do exactly the same thing—create word pictures so deep and powerful that they stir the reader’s emotions. The problem comes when, by trying to accomplish this, the story becomes convoluted and wordy. It really doesn’t take pages of description and narrative to create a stirring and poignant word picture. What it takes is well-chosen words, words that convey the deepest and most stirring emotions, that reach into our spirit and manifest themselves into “pictures” that will stay with our readers forever.

Take this scene, for example:

Mary stared at the doctor, pain swelling her heart and flooding from her eyes. “John was so sick. For days and days, I prayed you’d make it in time. Even sent Rowdy out to find you, but he come back. . .he come back. . .alone. Why, Doc? Didn’t you know how bad you was needed? What on earth kept you so long?”

Now let’s pare it down:

Mary stared at the doctor, her pain flooding from her eyes. “I sent Rowdy to find you, but he come back. . .he come back. . .” She drew a breath, something—God help them—her John would never do again. “Oh, Doc, if you had only been here.”

Okay, so it’s not necessarily shorter, but I took extra care placing the pronouns in the second version, like calling the patient “her John” to show from Mary’s deep POV how cutting is her loss. I also cut out unnecessary words, replacing them with a bit of internal monologue. Hopefully, what resulted was a more poignant “picture” of Mary’s grief.

Funny, I always thought of myself as author, not an artist. Now I realize, I’m both.

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