2010 September | to the heart of history

Infrequent blog posts…

Posted by Nicole on Sep 27, 2010 in Writing | 0 comments

Around this time every year, I slowly lose my mind. It is fall event season at the college where I’m the sole event planner.

Thus in effort to keep my sanity relatively in check – I need to warn you all that my blogs will be rather infrequent for the next few weeks. I promise to return with book reviews, author interviews and more.

Thank you for understanding!

Review: Catching Moondrops

Posted by Nicole on Sep 24, 2010 in Book Reviews | 0 comments

Description:

Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1938, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she’s always dreamed of. But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett—a young, black doctor—comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town’s surface. The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie’s elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment. And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the klan members who have terrorized her town and her family.

My Review:

This is the third book of a trilogy that began with author Jennifer Erin Valent’s Fireflies in December, which won the Jerry B Jenkins Operation First Novel contest. That said, I haven’t read the first two in the series and feel I missed a lot because of it. With that being said, I also enjoyed this book on its own.

Taking place in the South just before World War II breaks out in Europe, I found this a fascinating setting that isn’t covered very often in Christian literature. The racial tension of the time provides a stirring backdrop for this story about a girl discovering what she wants out of life.

I found Jessilyn a strong character (sometimes a little too headstrong for her own good!) and loved her relationship with the hero, Luke. Every scene flowed naturally and it was a delightful read.

Most of all, I’m enamored with Valent’s writing. She has a way with words and some of her lines really resonated. Jessilyn’s voice is so real that your heart breaks when hers does. She’s so brutally honest with her readers, “But I suppose death does that to people. It sort of makes us all equal since we have one thing in common – a broken heart.”

Valent’s masterful writing held my interest when the story may have lagged a little for my taste. But I still cared deeply for the characters and am planning on reading the first two books of the trilogy.

Note: An advanced reader copy of this book was provided to me by Tyndale in exchange for my honest review, which is what you see here!

Today’s Blog Highlights

Posted by Nicole on Sep 23, 2010 in Writing | 0 comments

I’d like to highlight some other fascinating blogs that I’ve seen lately.

Just today, there was a great post about Pacing for Thrillers on the Kill Zone, but the tips apply to all genres of writing.

Michael Hyatt (Thomas Nelson CEO) gave his diagnosis of the Kindle 3 after using it for a month. I keep watch on all the e-reader reviews since I’m still in the market for one…

All week, Rachel Kent at Books & Such has written about Things Writers Should Keep Track Of. Every writer should read this one!

I follow 21 blogs through Google Reader and frequent another dozen or so occasionally and there are another twenty posts I could highlight now. It is important for writers and readers to keep up on the industry happenings and these are just a few of my favorite blogs.

We’ll return to the regular weekly posts tomorrow!

The Art of War for Writers

Posted by Nicole on Sep 22, 2010 in Book Reviews, Writing | 0 comments

James Scott Bell’s “Plot & Structure” is regarded as one of the ultimate writer’s reference books in the industry. And rightly so. Bell has an incredible way with words and with teaching.

When I signed up for Bell’s coaching class at the 2010 Summer OCW Conference, I immediately went out and read “Plot & Structure” so I was well versed before the class. But the class came and I learned infinitely more than I could have imagined. So I purchased “The Art of War for Writers,” which is based on Sun Tzu’s 6th century manuscript and adapted for the literary profession.

I found “The Art of War for Writers” to be one of the best books for a writer’s library. Bell has packed a ton of information and advice into a field guide for writers. It truly is a must read for the aspiring or even published writer.

From the mental preparations before writing to the ways of the agented and published writers, Bell is both honest and encouraging about the industry and the process.

As Bell ends with, I’ll just finish with, “Onward. Keep fighting. Keep writing.”