Masquerade Marriage

Masquerade Marriage

Review by Elisa Maria Crites

Brody MacCaulay, Scottish Highlander, felt crushed under the weight, and thinking he had died in the terrible battle, wondered why he still felt pain. Then he heard the voices of the English as they casually conversed about finishing off Brody’s fallen comrades. The weight on him was that of his fellow clansmen who had perished in the battle. This was not death. It was worse. His own father and brothers had been slain, leaving him the clan chief to protect and provide for his mother and younger sister.
Brody and a few other warriors who had survived the bloody battle  now hid in a cave. The wounded, hungry, desperate men clung to life, their only hope, God, but Brody wondered where was God in this battle in which the Redcoats even slaughtered women and children or carried them off? And the enemy had taken over the Chief’s lands and homes.
Reverend Fergus brought modest food to the men and presented a plan that would spare at least one of their lives. He would put each man’s name on a slip of paper and a young woman of the MacMurry clan would choose a man to marry. Brody was chosen.
Brody found himself torn between feelings of hatred for his enemy and hope that the young woman he was to marry was the same girl he had fallen in love with as a teen. On his wedding day, his heart leapt when he recognized the fiery red locks of the maiden he longed for peeking out from under the bridal veil. He vowed in his heart that he would love Megan MacMurry always, but had a rude awakening when he learned that that she was marrying for appearances only to spare his life. Or at least that’s what she claimed. When his bride took him home to the protection of her father’s household, Brody was met with hostility and it was then that he found out she had married him to avoid being betrothed to a cruel earl to whom her father had promised her hand.
A proud warrior and a rebellious lass. What chance did they have?
Anne Greene has written a delightful tale and woven in the history of the mid 1700’s Scotland and the turbulence with the British. I didn’t want to see the story come to an end.

Age Range: 16 and up

Genre: Historical

Publisher: White Rose Publishing

Pages: 290

Release Date: October 2010

Bound by Guilt

Click on the cover to read more reviews on Amazon.com.

Review by Elisa Maria Crites

Sixteen-year-old Roxi had never lived in a home where she felt wanted and loved. The closest thing to a real family had been when she went to live with her Aunt Irene and her son, Diego. Irene and Diego made their living by traveling around the country stealing used books and reselling them. Irene trained Roxi to aid in the thefts and Roxi tried to please her aunt in the hopes Irene would love her.

The day they hit the Book Barn, Roxi’s job was to distract the clerk long enough for  her aunt and cousin to steal books, but Roxi became nervous and struggled with guilt. In Irene’s greed, she announced that they were going to go back to the store, but at night when it was closed. Roxi and Diego were not comfortable adding breaking and entering into their routine, but smooth talking Irene convinced them to go along with her plan. The plan backfired when the owner of the store surprised them in the middle of their heist. In the next moments, Diego pulled a gun and the events that followed, would turn their lives inside out.

C.J. Darlington did an exceptional job of weaving this story with suspense and creating characters I cared about. Tyndale House provided me with this copy to read and I’m so privileged to have read it. I loved this story and look forward to reading more of her work. It’s easy to see why C.J. is an award winning author.

Age Range: 14 and up
Genre: suspense
Pages: 402
Publisher: Tyndale House
Release date: March 2011

Out With the Old, In With the New

Are you a resolution maker?

Did you accomplish the things you set out to do at the beginning of 2010? Or maybe you set too many goals? Or perhaps you’re one who should have set your sites higher?

I’m not a resolution maker, but I constantly set goals. I love making lists and crossing things off. The feeling of accomplishment exhilarates me. This time of year I like to wrap up projects to start the new year fresh.

How about you? What would you like to change or accomplish in 2011? Chime in and invite your friends to as well. Include your email for a chance to win a gift. I’ll post the winner January 16th.

Don’t forget to download the free version of The Healer’s Apprentice. Click on e link in yesterday’s post.

You can take Christ out of Christmas. Or can you?

You can take a bite out of crime.

You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy.

You can take Christ out of Christmas. Or can you?

The other night we hosted a party at our home and the attendees were fellow medical field workers and their spouses. I wore a turquoise sweater dress with a belt. Nice outfit until you got to my feet. I was wearing Crocs. One of our guests complimented me on my outfit and I held up one foot and giggled.

“Yep,” I said. You can take the girl out of the recovery room but you can’t take the recovery room out of the girl.” We laughed because all of us wear crocs at work—doctors and nurses alike. The ugly little shoes are comfortable when you’re on your feet all day and they’re also washable when body fluids and other things get on them.

This got me to thinking about all hubbub in the media about taking Christ out of Christmas. Is that possible? If people do not acknowledge Christ, does he cease to exist? If they do not believe in him, does that negate the fact that he died for them out of his love? The simple answer is no. Christ IS Christmas.

There’s a large box store in my town. I never go there yet I pass it daily. I shop across the street from there. Does my not shopping there make the store non-existent? No. I don’t have to prefer the store or shop there, but it remains. And many other people do shop there. The parking lot is usually full, which means they must have something to offer. But I’m not interested.

Many folks are like that. Christ is there. They would like him to go away, but he won’t. They don’t have to accept the gift of his birth as human so he could become a man and offer his life for our sins.

I’d like to put out a challenge to our readers. Go out into your world and be Christ this Christmas season. Love others in his name. Be a blessing and I know you’ll be blessed. Oh, and have yourself a very merry Christmas.

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Elisa Maria Crites, mother of three and grandmother of nine, lives in Alaska. Her local newspaper published one of her stories when she was in third grade. Her delights are family, friends, books, music and nature. She lives in a house with eight other people, three dogs, two cats, a hamster, guinea pig and three birds. Moose visit frequently sometimes napping in the yard. Her novel, Secrets Under the Midnight Sun released in November. Learn more at http://elisamariacrites.com.

Yikes! What do I buy for (insert a name)?

Interesting title, no? Bet it grabbed your attention! For all of us, there are teens and those who love a good teen read on our Christmas list. But what do we buy for who?

Today, I’m giving you a list of personality types and the book or books they might love.

Ready? Here we go.

The quiet, dreamy teen who needs a cozy, curl up by the fire love story. Buy THE HEALER’S APPRENTICE.

The cool girl who likes to read about fashion, fun, and friends. Buy the ALL ABOUT US series from Shelley Adina.

The teen boy who loves graphic novels. Buy the CIRCLE TRILOGY by Ted Dekker. Beautifully illustrated!

The teen who loves a mystery! Buy the RAYNE TOUR books by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins.

The Sci-fi/fantasy junkie, boy or girl. Buy Jill Williamson’s BLOOD OF KINGS series.

The teen girl who needs a deep level read. Buy SECRETS UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN.

Books are such a great Christmas gift. The holidays are hectic. And when the presents have been opened, the tummy is full of tasty yumminess, and the snow is piling up outside…well, what better thing to do than crack open a new book and settle in? I’ve always had a special place in my heart for relatives who buy me books for Christmas. Better than fuzzy socks or a sweater–although I love fuzzy socks–books transport us to another world, another life. They force us to think and create scenarios in our imaginations.

Have fun shopping and I hope these gave you a few ideas.

 Be blessed and enjoy the season!

Heather Burch

Home for the Holidays

November is nearly over and the temperature outside is -12*. Yet on the inside I feel incredibly warm. Thanksgiving week brought an ice storm that broke records which had been set in 1936. The storm also forced us to stay home. The cool thing is that my daughter and her family were visiting from Alabama where her husband is stationed in the military. The house contained thirteen family members and three extra teen boys and we had a blast. Fortunately I had made a run to the grocery store the first of the week. The five teen boys in the house made music on the drums, guitars and my keyboard. We played board games, card games and some played strategic games. We baked Christmas cookies, stayed up late, visited and laughed.

We had plans and the weather seemed to have messed them all up, but it turned out to be a major blessing.

Jeremiah 29:11

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Elisa Maria Crites, mother of three and grandmother of nine, lives in Alaska. Her local newspaper published one of her stories when she was in third grade. Her delights are family, friends, books, music and nature. She lives in a house with eight other people, three dogs, two cats, a hamster, guinea pig and three birds. Moose visit frequently sometimes napping in the yard. Her novel, Secrets Under the Midnight Sun released in November. Learn more at http://elisamariacrites.com.

Once Upon a Time…

Who doesn’t love fairy tales? Well, I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’d read any, until last week. This summer I ordered a book knowing it was a fairy tale, but our own Melanie Dickerson being the author—well, I had to get it. Anyway, it didn’t come for months and when it did, it hit the “to be read” pile in my office.

Last Saturday I picked it up and sat on the sofa with the idea that I’d read for a little while, but soon found myself hunkered down unable, or unwilling to leave the world to which Melanie had transported me.

Click on the cover to read more reviews of Melanie's book on Amazon.com.

Melanie’s storytelling reminds me of a cake artist. Delicately placing each flower petal and squiggly in exactly the right spot so the finished product is truly a work of art. With words, Melanie transported me to another era in another land. I could easily picture the castles I have seen in person by her descriptions. Her characters made me care about them, except the ones I didn’t like. And in that case I really didn’t like them. The story swept me in and carried me until I came to the last page.

I sighed. “Wow.”

My husband gave me a questioning glance.

I held up the book. “This is beautiful. She is a gifted writer.”

I’m passing the book along to my daughter now and can’t wait to hear from her after she reads it. I already know she’ll sigh when it comes to an end.

Review: Healer by Linda Windsor

Review by Elisa Maria Crites

As a young man, Tarlach fought alongside his friend, Llas, but when Joanna, the woman who had been prearranged to marry Tarlach found love with Llas, Tarlach became obsessed with revenge. Even though Tarlach went on to marry another woman, and was blessed with three sons, jealousy and greed consumed him. Under the cover of night, he took his men and his then six year old son, Ronan, on a raid and murdered Llas and his wife, Joanna. The nursemaid escaped with their infant daughter, Brenna.

Twenty-year-old Brenna and her companion, Faol, a white wolf, live elusively in the woods in a cave. Loneliness sometimes overwhelms her since her nursemaid passed away two years ago. A trained and gifted healer, Brenna must remain reclusive because the O’Byrne chieftain, Tarlach, is convinced that if Brenna is alive, she’s a witch, and he wants her dead.

One day Brenna and Faol witness a man caught in an ambush. Faol charges the attacker then stays with the fallen stranger. Brenna takes the stranger back to her cave to nurse him to health. He struggles with nightmares and cries out in his fevered state, and she realizes she may be nursing her enemy, but as a healer, she must care for his needs. Will she pay with her life for her devotion to her gift?

Healer is the first book in The Brides of Alba Trilogy and the first book I’ve read by Linda Windsor. I enjoyed the book and had a hard time putting it down as I wanted to know what happened to Brenna. I look forward to book two, Thief.

Age Range: 16 and up
Genre: historical
Part of a Series: The Brides of Alba, book one
Pages: 384
Publisher: David C. Cook
Released: 2010

Where Do You Start Your Story?

On your mark…

So you have a great idea for a story and sit down to write, but find yourself looking at the keyboard wondering where to start. Well, that’s obvious, at the beginning. But where does your story begin? When your main character is born? When he starts school? At the football game with a rival school when a fight breaks out in the stands?

It’s easy when you’re running a race and the guy with the whistle shouts, “On your mark.” At that point you know you need to be on the line, not under the bleachers looking for change or across the track playing air guitar.

As story tellers, we tend to give our listeners a set up. See how the following works as the beginning of a story.

“Oh, wow. I’ve got to share something with you.”

“What?” your friend asks.

“Okay, yesterday I went to the mall to return the jeans I bought last week that were too small. You know, when that salesclerk that looked like Leonardo DeCaprio waited on me? And that’s when I spotted that adorable skirt that had just been reduced by 80%.”

Have you lost interest yet? I would have to expect something cool to happen soon if I were to keep reading.

Get set.

When you’re having a conversation with a friend, maybe she will put up with your babbling to hear the good stuff at the end. Or perhaps she’ll stand with hands on her hips, patience melting away like butter left on a hot stove.

How about the same scenario from a different approach? Try this one.

“In the last five minutes I saved $14.99 and got asked to the prom.”

Do you think this would hook your friend faster than hashing about a shopping trip last week?

Go.

Do this exercise for fun. Take a look at your story as though it’s a hallway with several doors. Each door represents a different spot in the story. Try coming into your story through two or three doors and see if it makes the story stronger. I’d love to hear what you come up with.

Living in a box

The brown truck came to my house the other day and the guy in the brown uniform brought a box to the door. I opened the parcel, unpacked it and set the box by the fireplace. Soon the box roared. Well, not the box exactly. Randy, my Maine coon cat had gone in to explore and when Michael Skeeter, his feline brother, stuck his head in the box, Randy began purring…loudly. (I don’t think he knows how to purr any other way.) I sang a line to a song that garnished a bit of popularity while my kids were growing up. “Living in a box, in a cardboard box.”

I realize in some places people actually do live in cardboard boxes, or anything else they can scavenge, but I don’t want to talk about dwellings today. I want to talk about mindsets. All of us see the world around us from our particular perspective. Whatever experiences we had, places we’ve lived or traveled to, challenges we have faced personally or within our families, all of these things affect our “vision.” Experiences are like crayons that color how we view the world around us.

Sometimes we meet new people and they open the world a little more to us, exposing us to their culture or how they relate to other people or even how they think (or not) about God. A friend of mine took his family to Africa and made sure to take his family to an area where people scavenged to build shelter. He wanted his children to witness the poorest of the poor in the hopes of building a sense of gratefulness in them.

How about you? What is one thing that has changed how you see the world? Would you mind sharing what it was and how it changed you? I’d love to hear from you.