Keepin' On and More of Jack

My first review for Keepin' On, on John Eldredge's wonderful little book Epic, has been published! It's a subscription-only magazine, so you won't be able to read the entire review until you subscribe, but here's a brief sample to whet your appetite:

Using examples from classic stories and movies, Eldredge portrays what we often view as Sunday school lessons as the greatest adventure tale of all time. And you have an important role in this Story. Not only can you be rescued, you can join the underground network fighting evil - the Rebel Alliance, the Old Narnians, the little band of hobbits and elves.

I'll have a review in every issue, so be sure to subscribe. And I'm keeping my radar up for excellent books, CDs, and movies that encourage us to persevere, so if you know of a good one, be sure to let me know so I can check it out.

Gina has part two of her interview with Jack Cavanaugh up, and Jack has also posted an entry on flash fiction over at Charis Connection.

Jack Cavanaugh and Updates

Gina Holmes over at Novel Journey has posted the first part of her interview with Jack Cavanaugh. Jack's one of my favorite authors, and the interview offers some great insights into his writing process. He also blogs every once in a while at Charis Connection.

I've decided to set Evergreen Secrets aside for a while. The constant rehashing of the editing process wears down my creativity levels, so I'll look at doing yet another edit (and possible lengthing) sometime in the future.

I'm currently at work on reviews and my new work-in-progress, a fantasy novel. I'm taking Forward Motion's two-year-novel (2yn) writing class, so I won't get to start the actual writing until July. I've started a blog about it to keep all my ideas in one place (if you'd like to visit, email me for the link).

A Family Forever

Brenda Coulter's wonderful novel A Family Forever arrived in my mailbox exactly a month ago. I devoured it in one sitting, then it made the rounds through four of my sisters and my mom, all of whom loved it. It is now one of my favorite romance novels of all time.

You may think I'm a little prejudiced, since I'm a regular visitor to Brenda's always witty blog. And I may be. But my family loved it, and now they're begging me to let their friends borrow my already well-worn copy.

As for me, several months ago I read an excerpt from A Family Forever online. And I knew I had to read the book when it came out.

From the back cover:

A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

When her fiance was killed just three weeks before their wedding, violinist Shelby Franklin's "happily ever after" dreams were shattered. The discovery of her unplanned pregnancy guaranteed those dreams would never be rebuilt.

A KNIGHT IN A BIKE HELMET

Tall, husky cyclist Tucker Sharpe promised his dying brother he'd look after Shelby. When he learned there was a baby on the way, a marriage of convenience seemed his only option. But would love for the unborn child be enough to bring them - and keep them - together?

Most short inspirational romances bore me. I'd pretty much given up on Steeple Hill books. Then they publish a novel so wonderful I wonder how their other books can measure up.

If you've avoided Christian romance in the past, this is one of the best books to change your opinion. Go on, read the first chapter. I dare ya.

If you read mass-market inspirational romance by the boatload, a word of caution. Reading A Family Forever may cause you to give up those mediocre wannabees forever.