This is the third year that I’ve kept a file on my top Christian fiction reads for the year. Please feel free to follow my reviews on Goodreads or BookBub. For a book to make my ‘top ten’ list it must not only be well-written but if it is labelled ‘Christian fiction’, then the Christian elements must be natural. Christian elements can be ‘light’ but they must fit the story. 1. Pearl in the Sand, Tessa Afshar Tessa Afshar has…
Grace in Deep Waters – Back cover blurb William Macdonald is at the pinnacle of his career. Pastor of a growing megachurch and host of a successful national radio programme. Clever and respected, he’s a man with everything, including a secret. His wife has left him and he can’t risk anyone finding out. Blanche Macdonald is struggling. Her once rock-solid marriage is showing cracks. She promised to love her husband for better or for worse, but does loving always mean…
Audio books … Are a growing business. This format is popular among those who drive long distances and those who love to listen while they do other tasks. For me it has been a challenge to even consider publishing my novels in audio format. I’m an independently published author who never considered running my own business. To find myself needing to learn not only how to write but how to market, run websites and the numerous other components of a…
Do you know the best way to sell books? Word of mouth recommendations. Book reviews are one way to love your favourite authors. I’ve been a fan of certain author’s book since I was in primary school and devoured Enid Blyton and Narnia. In those days I simply told my friends about the books and pushed the book their direction. Nowadays things are done differently. Many authors struggle to continue writing because writing can be a lonely task. Many times…
Do you like suspense novels? This is a debut novel but C.C. Warrens writes like a seasoned author. This book headed the list for top novels of 2018. Holly is short, feisty and scarred. She has lived in multiple foster homes and doesn’t remember anything of her background before she was ten. But someone out of her past is stalking her. This is the first book in a trilogy (Cross Fire; Crossed Out). There is also an excellent eighty page…
Top reads 2018 I have been searching all year for 10 reads that deserved to be on this list. I didn’t find ten. This list will contain a mix of non-fiction and fiction. Non-fiction My review: This book is gold. It is possible to read it straight through but its strength is that it is a book to go back into and dip in to the relevant section. For example, if someone asks you to speak at a wedding or…
Grace in the Shadows – Back Cover Blurb Physiotherapist Esther has survived cancer, but wounds within her family remain unhealed. Is her revived faith the reason for the rift or could a simmering secret be the root cause?Cosmetics consultant Rachel buried her past – and her father’s God – but the past refuses to stay buried. Will she continue to run or is confronting her pain the way to freedom? Two women. One collision course with truth.Can God’s grace shine…
Book trailers Do they influence people to buy books? Not necessarily, but they’re fun and may influence those who have already heard about your book previously. 1-2-1 discipleship book trailer Stories aren’t just for kids book trailer Grace in Strange Disguise Grace in the Shadows Principles in making a book trailer About a minute long for the ‘slideshow’ kind above Can be up to 3 -4 minutes if includes snippets from the author (perhaps interview questions …) These were made…
Grace in Strange Disguise has received 80+ 4-5 star reviews. My favourite reviews tell a little of the spiritual impact the book has had on the reader. This particular review encouraged me last week. First line: Take a moment and just think about the first line before continuing: “You have cancer.” Try imagining how you would react if you heard those words! On Friday, I featured this story for my First Line Friday post. I couldn’t stop thinking about it…
Life changing fiction One other characteristic of life changing fiction is that it is worthy of being read over and over. I first had C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series read to me when I was seven or eight years old. I enjoyed the stories but I doubt I knew that I would read the series every year from the time I was about thirteen. I little realised how the words and ideas would influence my thinking. Of all of the…