Good Friday! And Lots of Good News!

First, I want to wish you Good Friday! I pray the Lord will touch your heart with a new insight that only He can give during the celebration of His Resurrection. It was and is a time for old things to come to a close and for the start of new beginnings.

My New Website/Blog

After two years of the same old thing, I decided it was time to give my website/blog a new "look" that has a better "feel" for what I write. I may continue to tweak things here and there, but I'm glad to have something different. Please let me know how you like it!

Updates and News

• Those of you who submitted a nursing home and photo of your loved one during my last newsletter contest, you will soon be hearing from me in May. 
• If you are writing a special needs article for my blog, don't forget the deadline is coming up on May 1st. I'm looking forward to seeing and sharing all your stories. 
• Highland Sanctuary is now available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Christian Book Distributors, LifeWay Christian Bookstores, and Amazon in Canada and UK. In some places they've left out my middle name, so you may have to search for both Jennifer Taylor and Jennifer Hudson Taylor. 
• Call for Influencers! I'm looking for people who will spread the news about my next novel. You can either read it and post a review on your blog, Amazon, B&N, Christian Books, Goodreads, and other places. Or you could interview me on your blog, podcasts, etc. You could submit my book to reading groups or suggest it to your local libraries, Host me as a speaker for your writing groups, women and youth ministries, etc. Email me at jt4novels@yahoo.com and type "Influencer" in the subject line. Once I receive your email, I'll send you more info.

As always, I'm so thankful for any assistance you can provide in helping me spread more Good News to this hurting world through the parables of Christian fiction. 

CFBA Book Tour - "An Eye for Glory" by Karl Bacon

#christianfiction The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing An Eye For Glory Zondervan (February 28, 2011) by Karl Bacon




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A word from the author:
I grew up in the small picturesque town of Woodbury, Connecticut. After graduating from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, I returned to Connecticut and found employment in manufacturing. “Just a job” turned into a professional career, much of which was spent working for a Swiss machine tool company. In 2000 I started my own business to provide services to manufacturing clients across the USA. This change also allowed time to develop my writing craft.

From youth I’ve been a serious student of the Civil War. The draft of An Eye for Glory took ten years from conception to completion. Thousands of hours were spent researching every detail through copious reading, Internet research and personal visits to each battlefield so the novel might be as historically accurate and believable as possible. I live in Naugatuck, Connecticut with my wife of thirty-three years, Jackie.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

Michael Palmer is a good man, a family man. But honor and duty push him to leave his comfortable life and answer the call from Abraham Lincoln to fight for his country. This 'citizen soldier' learns quickly that war is more than the battle on the field. Long marches under extreme conditions, illness, and disillusionment challenge at every turn. Faith seems lost in a blur of smoke and blood...and death.

Michael's only desire is to kill as many Confederate soldiers as he can so he can go home. He coldly counts off the rebels that fall to his bullets. Until he is brought up short by a dying man holding up his Bible. It's in the heat of battle at Gettysburg and the solemn aftermath that Michael begins to understand the grave cost of the war upon his soul. Here the journey really begins as he searches for the man he was and the faith he once held so dearly. With the help of his beloved wife, Jesse Ann, he takes the final steps towards redemption and reconciliation.

Using first-hand accounts of the 14th Connecticut Infantry, Karl Bacon has crafted a detailed, genuine and compelling novel on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Intensely personal and accurate to the times, culture, and tragedy of the Civil War, An Eye for Glory may change you in ways you could have never imagined as well.

If you would like to read the first chapter of An Eye For Glory, go HERE.

Watch book video trailer:

Tara Contest for Unpublished Writers--Inspirational Category

***Permission to forward granted and appreciated***

100% Electronic “ Please visit www.tararwa.com for complete rules and electronic instructions.

 

Spring is in the air. The bees are buzzing, plants are peeking through the soil, and trained TARA judges are waiting to pollinate constructive feedback to help your manuscript bloom.

In this struggling economy, make your contest bucks count. All editors are actively acquiring in the category they're judging in the TARA Contest. So give yourself a break and take a chance at sidestepping The Slush Pile! Check out our awesome lineup of editors.

***Categories/Final Judges***

 

Category Romance – Brenda Chin - Harlequin

Inspirational – Natalie Hanemann – Thomas Nelson

Women’s Fiction – Holly Blanck – St Martin’s Press

Romantic Suspense – Emilia Pisani – Pocket Books

Historical – Leah Hultenschmidt – Sourcebooks

Paranormal – Elizabeth Bistrow – New American Library

Single Title – Lauren Plude – Grand Central

Do you see an editor you’d like to get your manuscript in front of? If you do, now is the time to polish your baby and make it shine. Remember to end your entry on a hook, leaving your judges breathless with no more pages left to turn. TARA encourages finalists to implement changes prior to final editor judging. First place winners receive bling!!!

  

Fee: $25.00 (U.S. funds) per entry. Fees are non-refundable.

Deadline: Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST May 1st, 2011.

 

Contents: The first chapter, 4,000 words max (actual word count), including prologue if applicable. *Word count will be verified. No part of a second or any additional chapters will be judged.

  

Eligibility requirements: The TARA Contest is open to unpublished writers and to any author who has not been published in the past three years and is not currently contracted for any novel-length work of fiction (40,000 + words) in any format (eBook, mass market, etc.). Manuscripts that have previously won the TARA or First Impressions contest may not be re-entered. For additional information visit  (http://www.tararwa.com/)

Interview & Book Give Away of Highland Blessings!

Penny A. Zeller is hosting an interview with me on her blog. Discover why I wrote Highland Blessings and why I have a heart for teen moms. Enter the drawing for a free copy of my debut novel, Highland Blessings!

Penny's Blog

CFBA Blog Tour - "A Heart Most Worthy" by Siri Mitchell

#christianfiction  The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Heart Most Worthy Bethany House (March 1, 2011) by Siri Mitchell

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Siri Mitchell graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she has lived all over the world, including in Paris and Tokyo. Siri enjoys observing and learning from different cultures. She is fluent in French and loves sushi.

But she is also a member of a strange breed of people called novelists. When they’re listening to a sermon and taking notes, chances are, they’ve just had a great idea for a plot or a dialogue. If they nod in response to a really profound statement, they’re probably thinking, “Yes. Right. That’s exactly what my character needs to hear.” When they edit their manuscripts, they laugh at the funny parts. And cry at the sad parts. Sometimes they even talk to their characters.

Siri wrote 4 books and accumulated 153 rejections before signing with a publisher. In the process, she saw the bottoms of more pints of Ben & Jerry’s than she cares to admit. At various times she has vowed never to write another word again. Ever. She has gone on writing strikes and even stooped to threatening her manuscripts with the shredder.

Her ninth novel, A Heart Most Worthy, follows prior Bethany House releases: A Constant Heart (October 2008), Love's Pursuit (June 2009), and She Walks in Beauty (Apr 2010). She Walks in Beauty won the inaugural INSPY Award for Historical Fiction in Dec 2010. Two of her novels, Chateau of Echoes and The Cubicle Next Door were Christy Award finalists. Love's Pursuit was a finalist for the ACFW Carol Award.

Publishers Weekly proclaimed, "Mitchell delivers the historical goods."

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The elegance of Madame Forza's gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream--and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times.

Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer's son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza's most important client.

Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Heart Most Worthy, go HERE.

Book Review - "Yesterday's Tomorrow" by Catherine West

About the Book:
She's after the story that might get her the Pulitzer. He's determined to keep his secrets to himself. Vietnam, 1967. Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father's memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother's wishes. Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he's hiding something. Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they're forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.

Book Review:

Yesterday's Tomorrow is different--not the typical Christian romance novel--but compelling and realistic in that it shows the temptation and downfall of mankind, but the redeeming power of God's love and grace. It is one of the few in it's genre (maybe the first) to be set in Vietnam. The characters are gripping--they grab your heart and don't let go. Even after the book, you're left thinking about Luke and Kristin and their lives. Catherine West has a fresh, new voice that readers looking for variety and something new will love. Highly recommended.

About the Author:

Educated in Bermuda, England and Canada, Catherine holds a degree in English from the University of Toronto. When she's not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. Catherine and her husband live on the beautiful island of Bermuda, with their two college-aged children. Catherine is a member of Romance Writers of America, and American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a founding member of International Christian Fiction Writers. Catherine's debut novel Yesterday's Tomorrow, releases March 15th, through OakTara Publishers. 

Buy Yesterday's Tomorrow on Amazon.

Catherine West's Website

Fexible, Bendable, Page-Flipping E-Reader! Watch It!

I saw this on Michael Hyatt's blog and wanted to share it with you. It's a phenomenon! It shows how our future will soon be. Our homes will be equipped with appliances and technology that is interactive in ways only the Jetsons could have imagined. It shows how we will shop for fashion, our phones will pick up GPS locations from other GPS devices, how our vehicles will work, road signs will be interactive, photos on the refrigerator, meeting schedules on the bathroom mirror. 

Best of all, an electronic e-book reading device that allows you to flip pages, I've never seen a flexible, bendable, page-flipping electronic e-reader like they show on this video. 

Please watch it!