Too Little, Too Late
by Victoria Christopher Murray

Jasmin Larson Bush is back. Fans of Victoria Christopher’s Murray groundbreaking Temptation, may recall Jasmin’s havoc on one marriage. The consequences of her sin from the novel A Sin and a Shame are still wreaking havoc in Too Little, Too Late. Jasmin is determined to protect her marriage to Minister Hosea Bush and keep her daughter’s real father from ever finding out the truth. Life is going along pretty good. Then, the unexpected happens.

When Hosea’s ex-fiancée, Natasia, becomes the producer of Hosea’s television show, Jasmin gets a taste of her own medicine. Almost immediately, she senses  that Natasia intends to take advantage of her close “working” relationship with Hosea. An old flame from her husband’s past isn’t Jasmin’s only problems though. She still hasn’t quite spilled all her secrets Hosea and it certainly doesn’t help that she’s living with a secret that could break-up another marriage.

This novel has two stories in one. Brian Lewis doesn’t know Jasmin’s little girl is his. But he has bigger fish to fry, so to speak, when his wife, Alexis, discovers one of his secrets. With their marriage now in jeopardy, Brian definitely wants to make sure Alexis never finds out he slept with her archenemy, Jasmin. With that knowledge, he knows their marriage would never be repaired.

Whew! Too Little, Too Late is a classic Victoria Christopher Murray special. She delivers a read that’s guaranteed to satisfy her fan-base. I have to admit Victoria is one of those authors who can truly sway your emotions when you are reading her books. Shock. Awe. Anger. Oh, no she didn’t! Plan to get an emotional work-out when reading Victoria’s novels.

She has spoken about not wanting to write anymore “Jasmin” books, but readers continue to be fascinating by this woman. In a lot of ways, Jasmin has grown as a Christian, but manages to slip back into her old ways when her old insecurities arise. Don’t we all deal with similar struggles.

Now, I would like to see another type of novel from Victoria in the future. Her writing is tight and superb in the pacing department. She knows how to create a twist at just the right moment. Still, I’m not sure I want to read another Jasmin novel. I would love to see her tackle a whole new character and write a novel that doesn’t always involve someone sleeping with someone else. There are other sins to explore. LOL! 

Now if you are looking for the “faith” factor, it’s there but very subtle.

My all time favorite book  by Victoria is Joy. Women’s Fiction at it’s finest.

Check out my Top 5 AA Christian Fiction Reads from 2008 on the Urban Christian Fiction Today blog.

My biggest goal was to finish writing a manuscript, the one I had been struggling with since 2006.  I’m thrilled I completed the romantic suspense. It was a struggle between suspense and women’s fiction for some months there. After cutting scenes and taking out characters, I feel pretty good with the final result mainly because I finally told the story.

I’m especially thrilled about the cozy mystery manuscript I wrote this past summer. The first manuscript has been edited, but I plan to get the “cozy” edited in January. Interestingly, the second manuscript is the stronger of the two. So, I will be pitching it to agents in 2009.

Both manuscripts were the first books in two different series, so I’m looking forward to creating new characters and revisiting old ones in 2009 too!

So, yeah in the midst of searching for an agent, I’m still planning to write. This time next year, I would like to say I wrote two more manuscripts (an agent and a book deal wouldn’t hurt either. LOL!).

I also branched out this year and started writing articles. I wrote for:

• UrbanChristianFictionToday.com
• SORMAG (Book Buzz 2.0 Column)
• WOW! Magazine - My debut column as Book Editor will be in January.
• Christian Fiction Online Magazine

Of course, I blog here on TyoraMoody.com, CookieAisle.com and WrittenVoicesBlog.com.

I’m always with a book in hand and posting book reviews on ChristianBookwormReviews.com.

Writing and reading (along with design) are my passions.  Since I was a child, I just enjoy being creative. So, I’m definitely looking forward to growing in 2009.

Have a Blessed and Joyous New Year!

They say on their blog.

“The ability to write an amazing first chapter is a much more important skill, as a novelist, than the ability to write a good query letter. So why even bother with a query?

That’s why we’re announcing the first annual FIREBRAND QUERY HOLIDAY—to support authors who want to spend their time and energy perfecting their manuscripts and not just polishing their sales skills.”

Find out more information …

Read the rest of my article on SORMAG.

It’s a new year around the corner. Maybe last year’s New Year’s resolution or goal was to write a novel. Don’t despair. You’re still here, despite any bumps and bruises from this past year. If God has instilled a deep desire in you to write, take some time to organize your goals again. My goal is to encourage you. I’m not published yet, but I have two manuscripts, one in which I plan to start submitting to literary agents in 2009. I’m very excited about the process because I stopped writing for several years.

Read the rest of my article on Urban Christian Fiction Today

Bailey Walker has suffered quite a few losses. In the midst of her downer moments, she receives an unexpected inheritance gift – her grandmother’s dilapidated mansion.  The now former realtor decides to move in with the intentions of fixing up the monstrous house. Upon her arrival, some not so friendly neighbors have left her some gruesome surprises. Not sure what to do, Bailey decides to stick it out since she doesn’t have anyplace else to go.

Unknown to her, one of her neighbors was summoned by her late Grandma Minny to look after her. Being an independent woman, Bailey isn’t too sure about accepting Maxwell Summer’s assistance. But as strange events keep occurring in the mansion,  it turns out, it might not be a bad idea to trust Maxwell.

Or should she? She’s seems to be falling for the bachelor. Which is probably what Grandma had planned for her all along?

Another Stab at Life is a Heartsong Presents Mysteries book. I’ve been a member of this club for a few months and have found it hard to keep up with all the books.  This autographed book came to me for review, so I decided to take a "stab" at it. No pun intended. 

The storyline of an old dilapidated house with annoying circumstances is familiar, but what makes this story special is the main character Bailey. She manages to wind up in some situation that are pretty spectacular and also knock her out of her comfort zone.  There are quite a few laugh-out loud scenes especially when Maxwell is involved.

Now a few things that threw me. I know cozy mysteries are generally short as far as word count, but I did think some events moved incredibly fast, in particular the relationship between Bailey and Maxwell.  The author did address the speed of the relationship’s development in Bailey’s thoughts, so that smoothed the wrinkle out my eyebrow, making it a little more believable.

There were some appearances of characters toward the last half of the book, I wasn’t so sure were necessary. I know you are suppose to throw something “crazy” at the main character, but it kind of took focus off what I thought was the main plot. I also thought the ending wrapped up too neatly, but I guess I was expecting a little something more.

Other than those tidbits, the humor in Another Stab at Life definitely tickled my funny bone. Quite a few of the Heartsong Presents Mysteries are book series, but this one appears to be a stand-alone.

I’m also always reading at least 2 or more books at the same time. So, I’m determined NOT to start another book until I finish this set I have going. Should be easy, but  there are so many around me I want to read. LOL!

Amber Morn
by Brandilynn Collins

Amber Morn is the fourth and final book in the Kanner Lake series.  In this novel, the infamous Scenes and Beans bloggers (yes, there is a real blog) are center stage. The members of this town have been through a lot in the past few months, resulting in the loss of one innocent life after another (read previous books). Finally, it seems this group will be able to breathe easier again, putting the past behind them. They have gathered at the Bailey Truit’s Java Joint coffee shop to support their favorite science fiction writer, Ted Dawson, as he signs his book contract. In the midst of their celebration, the unthinkable happens and yet again more lives could be lost.

Three gunmen enter the Java Joint with a well-laid out plan. The father, Kent Wicksell, and his two sons are desperate to get someone’s attention by any means necessary. They intend to get their youngest son and brother released from prison. If their demands are not met, people were going to start dying. More people.

When the Wicksell men seized control of the coffee shop, one of the gunmen shoot an off-duty police officer.  With one of his men down, Police Chief Vince, and his staff are racing against the clock to negotiate with three ticking time bombs.

I recently joined Brandilynn Collins Fan page on Facebook.com. She asked the question, “Which book is your favorite?” I still have a hard time choosing one favorite out of the four Kanner Lake books.  I do have to say Amber Morn was the most dramatic and action-packed. There were quite a few characters (points of views) to read, but Collins expertly made sure each individual voice shined through even when there were several conversations going on in the coffee shop. This is an author who grows and grows with each of her signature “Seatbelt Suspense” novels.

I will be posting my review of her stand-alone novel, Dark Pursuit, soon. This book was released November 2008. It was a bit different reading a novel from Brandilyn that wasn’t a part of a series, but she didn’t disappoint.

Here is a listing of all my book reviews for the Kanner Lake Series.

• Crimson Eve – Book Three
• Coral Moon – Book Two
• Violet Dawn – Book One

The novel opens with an art gallery bombing, where eight people associated with a Michelangelo exhibit are killed. A cult is responsible for the bombing and their mission is to rid the world of all “unpretty” people.  The cult’s leader and the bomber made one tiny mistake though. He talked to Hummingbird Collins right before setting the bomb off.

An artist, Hummingbird is pretty sure the strange man that entered her shop has something to do with the tragic events that follow.  When she begins to receive crazy cassette recordings, she realizes the madman knows his mistake and wants to keep her quiet.

Detective Buck Barre is concerned about a missing colleague and stumbles upon a connection to the bombing.  This connection leads to Hummingbird, who has gone into hiding inside her own home.  Detective Barnes and Hummingbird’s brother clash, one wanting to get information and the other wanting to protecting her. To strengthen the protection, urban Monk and former football player Ready Robinson is added to the mix.  But it seems none of three men can stop a madman when Hummingbird is abducted from under their noses. The cult leader is determined to add Hummingbird to his greatest creation, a replica of Michelangelo’s Last Judgement.

Unpretty was a very different Christian Fiction novel. It’s published under Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster so certain graphical elements were allowed in comparison to other CBA publishers. While some violence made me cringe, I couldn’t put the novel down. This was one of those books, once you start reading, you might as well plan to stay up until the early morning hours.  The tightly woven tale introduces readers to the rantings of a madmen and an extremely weird organization obsessed with Michelangelo.

The faith factor in this story is not obvious in any of the characters except  Ready Robinson. I’ve never heard of an urban monk, but he’s definitely the voice of faith. I like how the author weaved in the principle of God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27b). One character who is probably the most "unpretty" in the entire novel struck me as having the depth (character development) despite his disabilities.

There is a bit of mystery surrounding the author Sharon Carter Rogers. Some say she is a former English teacher, now a homemaker. Others think she is a group of Christian romance writers who got together to experiment with a more gritty style of novel. The craziest one is she is actually Dean Koontz, or some other well-known author, who wanted to write something with a spiritual emphasis but did not want to confuse the market about their "author brand."

I’m definitely not sure about that one because faith factor isn’t that strong. I could see a secular author getting away with writing this novel and still selling it to his/her fan base.

Whoever she is, Sharon is a phenomenal writer.  I’m looking foward to reading more suspense thrillers from this author.