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Wow. December already. Well, I’m excited to report December brings a couple book releases. Just released this week:

(Free for your Amazon Kindle thru December 3, 2012)

In this contemporary Christmas tale, baker Drew Little’s past collides with his future when he returns to Boerne, Texas. Once an apprentice at Arnwald Family Bakery, Drew’s attraction to the owner’s young daughter distracted him from his duties and he found himself jobless and disgraced. Now he’s determined to clear his name.

True to their German roots, Arnwald Family Bakery, located in the center of historic Boerne, prepares traditional pastries and holiday goodies for the Dicken’s Event until tragedy strikes and the family bakery is left without their patriarch at the helm. The bakery’s success hangs in the shaky hands of the youngest family member.

Hannah Arnwald knows Drew has returned to Boerne. Armed with the intent to hire him as lead baker, Hannah must face the long held grudge of her family as well as survive the cunning competition of another local baker. Can she save a piece of Texan history without losing her heart in the mix?

Coming Soon:

From The Adventures of Ally and Cory series…
The Wishing Ring, book 1 (paperback to release later this month)
The King’s Seal, book 2 (ebook and paperback to release later this month)

Hi blog-friends! It’s been such a long time. I’m excited to announce a few new points of interest. Check the list below. In addition, I’ll be back to the blog now that the kiddos are back in school. For now, check out the links below and the new reviews listed under the Book Review tab above.

NextGenWriters (a site dedicated to bettering the writer’s craft of authors under 20) includes a three-part September event on branding and social media.

Barn Door hosts a look at my new hometown, Cincinnati, on September 7.

Proof, See the Evidence takes a deeper look at praying for others, even when it’s not asked for.

And the new book cover is in! The second book in the Adventures of Ally and Cory series, The King’s Seal, is here (releases December 2012). What do you think?

Curious as to what an online conference is? Well, go check out the explanation page for NextGenWriter’s Conference. Registration is open and attendance is filling up. Hope to see you there!

Whoo-hoo! The Wishing Ring officially releases today. Check out our two new portals to coincide with the new tween fantasy, The Wishing Ring. For teachers, the teacher resource page contains pdf worksheets and activities while the adventurers’ page has games and puzzles for the readers. Check them out (right after you get your copy of The Wishing Ring ).

Feel free to visit the portals anytime. Just click the Adventures of Ally and Cory tab above.

**Whoo-hoo, it’s release day!!**

A few years ago, a small church decided to ask their community how they could serve them. This community had been hit hard by the economy. So hard, that the busing to the local high school had been stopped and many of the lower grades were left without busing, too. BUT in many cases both parents needed to work, so how were parents to pick up their children from school (the ones who were too old for daycare)? What were the teens to do for the hours before their parents came home?

In answer to that need, Wellspring Community Church decided to open a teen center. The Edge soon found itself filled to the brim and within two years, serves to feed and provide for more than 100 teens every afternoon (yup, that’s 100 teens every day…imagine the amount of food they go through:D). Volunteers come to serve the snack bar, mix with the kids, and just love on them. Most volunteers are local youth leaders, some are fantastic parents, and others just have some time to spare and want to serve. There are small groups and classes. I get to  teach a writing class there once a week and these kids are so grateful! I wish I could do more. That’s when it hit me…

During the next two months (until Jan. 31, 2012), for every paperback copy of DRIVEN sold $1 will be given to The Edge so they can continue to support and serve these kids. DRIVEN can be found on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. com (those are probably the easiest sites to pick it up at). At amazon, the PB is only $6.01. If you decide to pick up a copy as a gift for a teen or just for yourself, first Thank You! and second, please send me a note letting me know where you picked up the book, the price it sold for, and when it was purchased (so I can keep track of the monies to be sent to The Edge).

One more thing, if you’re looking for book ideas for teens this holiday season, there’s a list of great books from the NextGenWriters presenters here: NextGenWriters Books

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DRIVEN (for your kindle) is on sale for $0.99!

Don’t know for how long, though: Click here.

Here’s your very first chance…(This is the book co-written by Lisa and I, but Goodreads cut-off the full author listing for some viewers:). Ah yes, fun having a long name:D.

Enter to win

Today we welcome Shellie Neumeier to our MuseItUp September Blog-A-Thon. I asked Shellie to share with us what she would like back that is forever gone. Here are her answers. She also tells us a bit about her upcoming book Driven. Continue reading →

Come check us out…The Barn Door

What’s not new should be the question. We’re off to Ohio next month so life in these parts is nuts. That’s not to say there aren’t important things happening in this writer’s world. Let’s check a couple things out.

Well there’s the NextGenWriter’s Conference. That starts on Tuesday, August 2 at 10am CDT. If you’re under twenty and are just thinking about a career in writing, you’ll want to check out that free, online conference. Registration is a must, so check it out today.

Two new books to be looking for…The Wishing Ring (an exciting adventure across dangerous lands in search of a magical ring left by the Creator). Won’t want to miss that one. It was co-written by my kiddos, Ali (age 10) and Cory (age 12), so you know there’s all kinds of wild loops and unexpected creatures. The first chapter will be posted soon, so keep an eye out for that one. The Wishing Ring will release in February of 2012. (Cover pictures coming soon)

The second new release is entitled A Summer in Oakville, co-written with Lisa Lickel. It’s a romance. Oh yes, I went there. Granted my additions to the novella collection are the teen and early twenty’s sections, but still. You’ll have to read it to believe it. If you’d like to know more about A Summer in Oakville, join our Facebook page.

In the meantime, thank you for being patient. I know I promised more in the Blinded series, but that has been on the back-burner where it will have to remain until September. Don’t worry, our friends are safe…for now.

So what are your August plans?

DP Martinez, acquisitions editor from Risen Books, is sharing a behind the scenes look at what happens inside a publisher’s walls. Are you curious? Check it out. He’s over on the Barn Door Book Loft as their SPOT on PEAs (that’s Publishers, Editors and Agents section). Click here or surf their sight (great giveaways everyday).

Don’t forget to sign-up for this year’s NextGenWriter’s Conference (are you tired of me announcing that, yet?). Starts August 2 and you must be registered to participate. Many of the presenters will be hosting giveaways and there is a fantastic Pitch-It contest going on right now. Sharpen your book’s elevator pitch and you might just receive more than a pat on the back.

I hoped to continue with our Blinded series come July, but I’m afraid that will have to wait until fall. With an unexpected move and two edit deadlines looming, any free time is pressed thin. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on what’s new and exciting and maybe, just maybe plot out a few unexpected twists for our cursed friends to endure. We’ll see…

Risen Books, DRIVEN’s publisher, has recently aligned with Holt International to help children around the world. Read more from the folks at Risen below (article from Risen Books, http://www.risenfiction.com/holt/):

READ A NOVEL, LOVE A CHILD

Risen Books Partners with Holt International to Help Orphaned Children

Your summer reading list could include a book that will help an orphan child in Africa or Latin America.

Risen Books has partnered with Holt International, a Christian organization that finds and supports permanent, loving families for children who are orphaned, abandoned or separated from families, or at serious risk of separation. Holt is a world leader in international adoption and child welfare programs that enable children to have families of their own.

For every book sold through Risen’s online store (www.risenfiction.com/store/), the publisher will donate a portion of the proceeds to Holt International to aid children in need.

“We at Holt are so pleased by our new partnership with Risen Books,” says Kim Brown, CEO and president of Holt International Children’s Services. “We truly applaud their commitment to help us serve orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children around the world.”

The founders of Risen Books have been sponsoring children through Holt since 2006. “Holt shows God’s love for humanity by caring for these precious children,” says DP Martinez, senior editor at Risen Books. “We want to raise awareness of their labor and invite our readers to get involved, not only by buying books but by sponsoring children.”

Learn more about Holt International Children Services and how to give at http://holtinternational.org/

Would you consider helping a child with your next book purchase? Click here to choose your next read.

Join me on the Barn Door as we talk about summer things to do.

Curious as to what an online conference is? Well, go check out the explanation page for NextGenWriter’s Conference. Registration is open and attendance is filling up. Hope to see you there!

The Blog tour for Driven began in ernest this morning. You’ll find all the latest blog dates and tour sites beneath the blog roll links (along the right hand column). Join me over at Literary Mama’s site and later I’ll be joining Carmen Boley for an interview AND a book giveaway (don’t miss that). Thank you both for hosting me. 

Yesterday, I had a pleasant surprise from Lori Twichell of FictionAddict. Her review posted. Thank you, Lori for your kind words. Fiction Addict is a wonderful site for fiction buyers to rummage through before making their purchases. Check it out if you haven’t already.

And we’re still visiting with Elisa Marie Crites over at the Barn Door Book Loft today. Come visit with us for a great giveaway.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Come visit me at http://thebarndoor.net where I’m guest blogger of the day. See you there.