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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Creating a Swoon-worthy Leading Man

By Elizabeth Ludwig 

I was in Michigan recently attending the graduation ceremony of a much beloved nephew. While there, I got to see one of nature’s most amazing miracles…the hatching of a robin’s egg. Those little critters sure are ugly when they’re born! Still, there’s something magical about witnessing the struggle and determination this tiny life displays as it pecks and pokes and pries its way free of its shell. Unfortunately, not everyone was happy about my standing by while it happened. 

I tried to be respectful of Momma Bird as I peeked around the corner of my parents’ garage for a glimpse of the new hatchlings. I even used my strongest zoom lens so I didn’t have to get too close to the nest. Still, Daddy Bird was rather violently opposed to the attention I was giving to his little family. At first, he just chirped and squawked to let me know he wanted me to mosey on my way. When that didn’t work, he flew down off his high branch in the trees and landed several feet away. Then he hopped a few feet closer…then a few more feet. Finally, this three-inch robin stood mere feet away, his beady little eyes fixed on me as though sizing me up for a fight. 

This struck me as kind of funny at first. After all, this was a robin. He probably only weighs a couple of ounces, yet this feisty little hero stuck out his chest and raised his voice until he caught my attention. Then, in a show of bravado, he flapped his wings at me, and rather aggressively, I might add. With visions of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie in my head, I quickly snapped my picture and moved away! 

Now, all of this got me to thinking. What was it about this brave little bird that I could apply to my literary heroes? 

 First, I admired his courage. Despite the odds, he was willing to plunge headlong into a fight he knew he could not win. Second, with no concern for his own well-being, this tiny hero stepped between me and his family, and when that didn’t work, he provided the diversion his mate needed to fly to safety. And finally, it was his persistence, his dogged determination to stay with the battle that impressed me the most. All of these things made for a character, albeit tiny, that I could root for, and even admire. 

 I have to think that applying the same traits to the leading men in my novels would also make them exciting, admirable, and without a doubt, swoon-worthy. What do you think? 

TWEETABLE: Creating a Swoon-worthy Leading Man by Elizabeth Ludwig (Click to Tweet)

Elizabeth Ludwig is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences where she lectures on crafting effective novel proposals and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. 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, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

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July 2017 New Releases

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website.
Contemporary Romance:
On Love's Gentle Shore by Liz Johnson -- When Natalie O’Ryan’s fiancé books their wedding in her hometown, Natalie didn’t know the only reception venue available would be an old barn belonging to Justin Kane--the best friend she left behind all those years ago after promising to stay. As they work together to get the dilapidated building ready for the party, Natalie and Justin discover the groundwork for forgiveness--and that there may be more than an old friendship between them. (Contemporary Romance from Revell - A Division of Baker Publishing Group)  

Their Ranch Reunion by Mindy Obenhaus -- Single mom Carly Wagner is surprised to learn she'll have to share ownership of the home she's inherited with her first love—and first heartbreak—Andrew Stephens. The man who fled their tiny Western town is back and standing in the way of her dreams to expand her B and B. Now a successful businessman, Andrew has eight weeks to buy Carly out. But Carly's too stubborn to persuade—and too beautiful to ignore. When fire ravages her inn and she and her daughter move in to their shared property, Andrew's in over his head. Time is running out and Andrew must decide: leave and chase another deal...or stay and chase Carly's heart. (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin])

  Time and Tide by Kristen Terrette -- Recovering from addiction and a near death experience, Chad moves to Moanna Island, a small island close to Savannah off the Atlantic coast, to begin a job with his family’s real estate empire, a job he was supposed to have taken years ago. Free-spirited Ryan Mason is a Moanna local girl from a blue-collar family. She’s dropped her own dreams to help her father care for her schizophrenic brother. When Chad and Ryan meet at the rehabilitation center where her brother lives, feelings develop between them. Can their crazy worlds ever fit together once he learns her secret and she finds out he is the sole heir to the Cusher Empire? (Contemporary from Hartwood Publishing Group)  

Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh -- When a workaholic interior designer returns to her hometown to check on her brother’s welfare, she reconnects with a soldier, secretly in love with her, over a renovation project that will help the struggling town. (Contemporary Romance from Tyndale House)



Cozy Mystery:

A Tempting Taste of Mystery by Elizabeth Ludwig -- Judging a pie contest leads Cheryl Cooper and friends into mayhem and mystery after someone begins methodically sabotaging the entries. (Cozy Mystery from Guideposts Publications)  




Over Maya Dead Body by Sandra Orchard -- FBI Special Agent Serena Jones arrives on Martha's Vineyard with her family, ready for a little bit of R&R and a whole lot of reminiscing as they celebrate the engagement of an old family friend. But crime doesn't take a vacation, and she's soon entangled in an investigation of a suspicious death tied to an antiquities smuggling ring.When her investigation propels her into danger, Serena must stay the course and solve this case before anyone else dies. But just how is she supposed to do that when the two men in her life arrive on the scene, bringing with them plenty of romantic complications--and even a secret or two? (Cozy Mystery from Revell [Baker])

Historical Romance:

The American Conquest (Window to the Heart Sage, Book 3) by Jenna Brandt -- Margaret must leave behind her title and wealth in Europe in order to escape and start a new life in the Colorado Territory. (Historical Romance, Independently Published)





Of Rags and Riches Romance Collection by Susanne Dietze, Michelle Griep, Anne Love, Gabrielle Meyer, Natalie Monk, Jennifer Uhlarik, Erica Vetsch, Jaime Jo Wright, and Kathleen Y'Barbo -- Journey along in nine historical romances with those whose lives are transformed by the opulence, growth, and great changes taking place in America’s Gilded Age. Nine couples meet during these exhilarating times and work to build a future together through fighting for social reform, celebrating new opportunities for leisure activities, taking advantage of economic growth and new inventions, and more. Watch as these romances develop and legacies of faith and love are formed. (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)  

A Rebel in My House by Sandra Merville Hart -- Promises can be impossible to keep--especially when a Confederate soldier trapped behind enemy lines looks to a Gettysburg seamstress for help. (Historical Romance from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas)  



A Match for Melissa by Susan Karsten -- Wanting a godly husband, Melissa's only choice is to follow her father's wishes, even when doing so may not achieve the desires of her heart. (Historical Romance from Prism Book Group [Pelican]).  




My Heart Belongs on Mackinac Island by Carrie Fancett Pagels -- Moor your heart on Mackinac Island along with resident sweetheart Maude Welling, an heiress trying to prove her worth by working incognito as a maid at the Grand Hotel. Meet Ben Steffans, a journalist posing as a wealthy industrialist who has come to the island to uncover a story about impoverished men pursuing heiresses at the famed hotel. Will a growing love between Maude and Ben be scuttled when truths are revealed in this Gilded Age romance? (Historical Romance from Barbour Publishing)  

Salvation by the Sea by Kristen Reed -- Life has been anything but easy for Muirigan thanks to a series of life-altering calamities, but she's found peace with her new, understated life by the sea. However, the maid's past comes back to haunt her when she saves the shipwrecked Prince Halvard one morning. Failing to recognize one of his dearest childhood friends, the prince invites Muirigan to live at court as a reward for her valiant heroism. As the two reconnect, something deeper than friendship blossoms, but will their newfound affection survive when Muirigan’s lies are revealed and Halvard learns the truth about what has befallen since their tragic separation? (Historical Romance, Independently Published)

Romantic Suspense: Beneath Copper Falls by Colleen Coble -- As a 911 dispatcher, Dana Newell takes pride in being calm in tough circumstances. In addition to her emotionally-charged career, she’s faced enough emergencies in her own life. She recently escaped her abusive fiancé to move to tranquil Rock Harbor where she hopes life will be more peaceful. But the idyllic town hides more danger and secrets than it first appeared. Dana is continually drawn to her new friend Boone, who has scars inside and out. Then she answers a call at her job only to hear a friend’s desperate screams on the other end. Soon the pain in her past collides with the mysteries of her new home—and threatens to keep her from the future she’s always wanted. (Romantic Suspense from HarperCollins Christian Publishing [Thomas Nelson and Zondervan])

Speculative: The Genesis Tree by Heather L.L. FitzGerald -- Deception is rampant, the enemy is subtle, and love dares to tug at Sadie’s heart amid the turmoil that forces her and her family back to the Tethered World below. (Speculative/Contemporary Fantasy from Mountain Brook Ink)

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