What the Bayou Saw
November 18, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
What The Bayou Saw
Kregel Publications (March 24, 2009)
by
Patti Lacy
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Though Patti’s only been writing since 2005, she thinks her latest profession of capturing stories on paper (or computer files) will stick awhile.
The Still, Small Voice encouraged Patti to write after a brave Irish friend shared memories of betrayal and her decision to forgive. In 2008, An Irishwoman’s Tale was published by Kregel Publications. Patti’s second novel, What the Bayou Saw, draws on the memories of two young girls who refused to let segregation, a chain link fence, and a brutal rape come between them.
The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to enliven Patti’s gray matter. A third book, My Name is Sheba, has been completed. Patti’s WIP, Recapturing Lily, documents a tug-of-war between a Harvard-educated doctor and an American pastor and his wife for a precious child and explores adoption issues, China’s “One Child” policy, and both Christian and secular views of sacrifice.
Patti also facilitates writing seminars in schools, libraries, and at conferences and has been called to present her testimony, “All the Broken Pieces,” at women’s retreats. She also leads a Beth Moore Bible study at her beloved Grace Church.
Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal with their handsome son Thomas, who attends Heartland Community College. On sunny evenings, you can catch the three strolling the streets of Normal with their dog Laura, whom they’ve dubbed a “Worchestershire Terrier” for her “little dab of this breed, a little dab of that breed.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Segregation and a chain link fence separated twelve-year-old Sally Flowers from her best friend, Ella Ward. Yet a brutal assault bound them together. Forever. Thirty-eight years later, Sally, a middle-aged Midwestern instructor, dredges up childhood secrets long buried beneath the waters of a Louisiana bayou in order to help her student, who has also been raped. Fragments of spirituals, gospel songs, and images of a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans are woven into the story.
The past can’t stay buried forever Rising author Patti Lacy’s second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana.
Since leaving her home in the South, Sally Stevens has held the secrets of her past at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband, has heard the truth about her childhood.
But when one of her students is violently raped, Sally’s memories quickly bubble to the surface unbidden, like a dead body in a bayou. As Sally’s story comes to light, the lies she’s told begin to catch up with her. And as her web of deceit unravels, she resolves to face the truth at last, whatever the consequences.
If you would like to read the first chapter of What The Bayou Saw, go HERE
Sally Says: I received this book a bit late so I haven’t gotten through all of it yet. And it is one of those nice, thick books which I like. In fact, I don’t know yet what the bayou saw, but I have read enough to give you my take on it.
What the Bayou Saw is a gritty, tell-it-like-it-is Southern novel. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this is the first book I’ve read by Patti Lacy, but it’s a well-written, realistic novel.
The book starts with our heroine Sally (lovely name, by the way) being “confronted” by three racist college students. From there we travel between past and present, finding out about Sally’s childhood in the sixties and what has made her the unique, flawed woman she is now.
I had a hard time connecting with Sally early on. She came across as fake — which she is, putting on fronts to hide what she really thinks and how she really feels, and it wasn’t until I met her husband Sam (in the book, of course) that I found someone likable. Even Shamika, Sally’s student who is also an important character, came across rather gruff and scratchy. So it took me a while to get involved with the story. But once I met Sam, the book took off.
The story deals with some rough things in a very blunt way — and some readers will love that while others will not. The one author I might compare Lacy to would be Mary DeMuth. They deal with the same types of topics, but Lacy has a less flowery style. It’s all just very real, all laid out there for the reader to experience. There’s no sugar-coating, no couching anything, no holding back.
As for what I feel about the book, I’m still not completely sure. It’s a bit more hard hitting than what I’m used to, but the farther into the book I get, the less I can put it down. I am enjoying it, yet I’m on edge because I don’t want to see the characters get hurt. And I know it’s coming.
So if you like realistic fiction, if you like Southern fiction, and if you love an honest, open style of writing, you’ll thoroughly love Patti Lacy’s What the Bayou Saw.
One Author’s Journey — Erica Vetsch
November 12, 2009
Today it’s my honor to interview Erica Vetsch, debut author and friend. Erica’s book The Bartered Bride has just come out from Heartsong. Here’s what it’s about:
Jonathan Kennebrae is furious when his grandfather informs him that his future has been decided. He will marry Melissa Brooke or be disinherited. Jonathan has invested years of his life in Kennebrae Shipping, but heaven help him if Grandfather decides to take it all away for this.
Melissa, too, is devestated when her parents make their announcement. As little more than a bargaining chip in her father’s business maneuvers, she feels her secure world slipping away. Engaged to marry a man she has never met — someone “considerably” older than herself? What have her parents done?
Can Jonathan and Melissa find a way out of this loveless marriage, or must they find a way forward together?
I’ve had the pleasure of reading The Bartered Bride and found it to be a well-written romance sprinkled with comedy and surprise. Erica’s first book is really good, and I look forward to reading her many future books.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Erica about her writing journey.
Sally: Erica, what was it that made you first say, “I think I can write a book”?
Erica: This is a great question, because doesn’t it take some hubris to think that? I remember dreaming when I was a teen about what being a writer would be like. (Though I don’t actually think I was serious about becoming a writer at the time.) I remember reading books and continuing the stories in my head past the last chapter, rewriting endings to suit myself, inserting myself as a cast member in stories that I loved. Who didn’t want to be Laura’s sister in Little House on the Prairie or help Cherry Ames solve mysteries at Spencer Hospital?
Also, when I was in ninth grade, I had some time on my hands (that probably should’ve been spent studying, but with the way things worked out, I guess it wasn’t exactly time wasted) and I penned (penciled) a story in a spiral notebook. Pages and pages. Suddenly, I had written a book. I twasn’t a very good book, but it had horses and a circus and dogs, and a cute boy. What else does a story need? 
Sally: We have similar backgrounds there. And the books that first hooked me were the Little House books. So how many books did you write before your first one sold?
Erica: Not counting the one from ninth grade? (Picture me counting on my fingers, becuse that’s what I always have to do.) The Bartered Bride was my sixth book. By the time I was offered a contract on it, I had written two more.
Sally: Wow! Eight books. How long did it take from that first attempt to your first sale?
Erica: From the time I started writing seriously for publication, it was almost four years.
Sally: As you all can see, Erica’s a busy writer. So tell us how you found out you’d sold The Bartered Bride.
Erica: I pitched the book at the 2007 ACFW conference and a year later, at the 2008 conference, JoAnne Simmons called my name from the platform to come up and receive a contract for the book. It was such an amazing moment!
Sally: Erica plays that way too calmly. I wasn’t at that conference, but I’ve seen it at the past and it’s hugely exciting. Getting that first contract in front of five hundred other writers who get how awesome that is — very cool.
This is a silly question now, after hearing how much you wrote before that first sale, but here goes. Have any other books in the works?
Erica: Yep, I’m currently writing my sixth contracted book for Heartsong, and there are a few new things in the hopper as we speak.
Sally: I’m looking forward to reading them all, Erica. By the way, I love your blog posts on your quarterly goals. So motivating and eye-opening. You’re a a hard worker, for sure.
One last question — what is one thing that has surprised you the most since receiving that first contract?
Erica: That I can no longer be a linear writer. I was very used to working on one project at a time, plotting, writing, editing, polishing, and submitting. Then beginning a new project. Those days are gone. At the moment I’m working on a new proposal for a new series for down the road (sample chapters, synopsis, etc.) plotting a contracted novel that needs to be written soon, awaiting content edits on a novel, copy edits on another, and galley proofs for a third. it’s a lot to juggle, but I’ve been pleased with the way I’ve been able to compartmentalize (so far) and attend to the task at hand when i need to.
Sally: Thanks, Erica. That was fun.
If you’d like to get your hands on The Bartered Bride, you can find it here at CBD or order it straight from the publisher at 740-922-7280
Erica’s working on her web site, but in the meantime you can find her at her fun blog, On the Write Path.
A Prisoner of Versaille, Reviewed
November 10, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Prisoner of Versaille
Thomas Nelson (September 1, 2009)
by
Golden Keyes Parsons
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
In her deep plowing of the heart, moving from tears one moment to laughter the next, Golden will touch your heart with her dynamic Bible teaching, combined with her vivid personal examples, moving from tears one moment, to laughter the next, all the while communicating the message that God is faithful–keep trusting Him. She has a passion to communicate the Word of God in such a manner that will lead to godly living.
Golden, and her husband, Blaine, have just retired as pastors at Faith Mountain Fellowship Church in Red River, NM. They have three grown daughters and eight grandchildren. Her testimony and myriad of life experiences lend a touch of authenticity to her teaching. She loves to speak for women’s conferences, seminars, luncheons, retreats and Mother/Daughter events.
If deep Bible teaching that brings the Scriptures alive is what you want, Golden is the speaker you need.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Madeleine’s faith puts her at odds with an intimidating rival: King Louis XIV.
Having fled their homeland of France because of the persecution by Louis XIV, the Clavell family seeks refuge in Switzerland. However, the king is not about to let the recently widowed Madeleine, his childhood sweetheart, escape that easily. He sends musketeers to kidnap her and her oldest son, Philippe, holding them captive in his opulent palace. King Louis is suspicious that Philippe could be his son, and he’s enraged by the growing affection of one of his courtiers for Madeleine.
Will Madeleine escape the king with her life or lose everything that she’s fought so hard to keep?
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Prisoner of Versaille , go HERE
Sally Says: I confess — I chose to review this book because I loved the cover of the first book in the series.
My husband gave me book one, In the Shadow of the Sun King, for Christmas; but I didn’t get around to reading it until October. I found it to be a good debut novel for the author. There were some writing techniques that I thought needed work, but the plot and setting were so different from anything I’d read in Christian fiction that I overlooked the flaws. It was a good book, even if it was about the persecution of Christians — Huguenots — in France. Persecution plots can tend to be a downer, you know?
But what a fantastic surprise A Prisoner of Versailles was. The writing flaws that had distracted me in book one were gone, and the plot was even stronger than the first book with one page-turning adventure after another. The characters were well drawn, the situations real and suspenseful, the history lightly done and fascinating. I consistently found myself wondering how things were going to turn out, how the heroes of the book were going to make it to the end.
What excites me the most was the great step in quality this author took between books one and two. That excites me because authors tend to get better as they go. And book two was great. Really, it was a fantastic read.
I’ve mentioned in the past that English historicals interest me, and I now have to add French historicals. I’ve not seen a lot of that setting though, and I hope Parson keeps writing these. I thoroughly enjoyed A Prisoner of Versailles and will be eagerly watching for book three in the series — and anything else Parson writes.
One Fine Season, Reviewed
November 6, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
One Fine Season
AuthorHouse (November 25, 2008)
by
Michael Sheehan
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Sheehan is CEO and founder of BioResource, a company that distributes natural remedies including the popular INFLAMYAR ointment for sports injuries. He wrote One Fine Season to honor the memories of two childhood friends who died young, before they could realize their dreams.
One Fine Season is true to life. It draws on Sheehan’s religious education at a Catholic seminary and his experience as a high school baseball and collegiate soccer player. A graduate of Santa Clara University, Sheehan also earned a master’s degree in science journalism from Boston University. He lives in Northern California.
ABOUT THE BOOK
ONE FINE SEASON tells the story of a promising young athlete who must rise from the ashes of devastating personal loss to fulfill a pact made years earlier with his best friend.
Best friends Pete O’Brien and Danny Grace are gifted college athletes, both hoping for careers as professional baseball players. When tragedy strikes, Danny struggles to cope with his overwhelming grief and fulfill a pact the young men made years earlier: to play in the World Series.
Events unexpectedly thrust Danny into the spotlight with the new expansion team in Sacramento. Three guides – an aging catcher, spiritual centerfielder and wise manager – plus a beautiful woman lead him on a healing journey, revealing that even death cannot break the bonds of true friendship.
If you would like to read an excerpt from the first chapter of One Fine Season, go HERE
Sally Says: If you know me at all, you know I’m a big sports fan, particularly a baseball fan. Go White Sox, and please don’t go through with the trade for Mark Teahan — if it isn’t already too late.
So I was excited to see a baseball book offered through CFBA. I love sports-related fiction, and a Christian sports-related novel? How cool.
But I was only a chapter or two in to the book before I found serious problems with this book. And I can’t recommend it. I hate giving bad reviews; I really, really do. But this book called itself a Christian book and because of that and its content, I have to tell readers of Christian fiction, don’t read it.
There were a lot of things wrong with the book that just got worse and worse as the story progressed. There was some pretty foul language early on, but it was in a scene where a character was drunk and really messed up. I read Christian fiction to stay away from language like this, but I thought, “Okay, I don’t like this, but I can see why the author might have thought it necessary.” I gave him the benefit of the doubt and moved on.
But the language didn’t stop there. In fact, it seemed to get worse. And that was the smallest thing I had trouble with.
On his second date, the main character, the one who calls himself a Christian, has sex with his date. And it’s portrayed as fine. In fact, later on they attend a party with women who, shall we say, were missing some pieces of clothing. And again, it was portrayed as fine. The girlfriend even went.
The last thing that bothered me was the mysticism mixed into Christianity. The main character had two friends, one who’s version of faith seemed like something straight from The Lion King. You know, our loved ones who’ve died will always be with us and help us. In fact, when the main character needed a little extra strength, he prayed for his dead friend to help him. And the dead friend did.
I’ve said before that I don’t need a book with a strong moral message or any preaching; I just want a good, clean story. But the Christians in this book did nothing that remotely came across as Christian. There was not one mention of anything in their day that would differentiate them from any unchurched person in America.
I think it’s a sad picture of what kind of a Christian country we’ve become. People make up their own version of God, and they think it will be fine. I applaud the author for wanting to write a book — it’s not easy — and for wanting to honor his two friends. And because of that, I feel bad having to write all these negatives. But standing by the truth and unveiling false Christianity is more important. I know these reviews are not what the author hoped for, but if nothing else, I hope they make him stop and think and compare his version of Christianity to what the Bible clearly teaches.
A Slow Burn, Reviewed
November 4, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Slow Burn
Zondervan (October 1, 2009)
by
Mary DeMuth
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mary E. DeMuth is an expert in Pioneer Parenting. She enables Christian parents to navigate our changing culture when their families left no good faith examples to follow.
Her parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House, 2007), Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006), and Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005).
Mary also inspires people to face their trials through her real-to-life novels, Watching The Tree Limbs
(nominated for a Christy Award) and Wishing On Dandelions (NavPress, 2006).
Mary has spoken at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, the ACFW Conference, the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, and at various churches and church planting ministries. She’s also taught in Germany, Austria, Monaco, Italy, France, and the United States. Mary and her husband, Patrick, reside in Texas with their three children. They recently returned from breaking new spiritual ground in Southern France, and planting a church.
ABOUT THE BOOK
She touched Daisy’s shoulder. So cold. So hard. So unlike Daisy.
Yet so much like herself it made Emory shudder.
Burying her grief, Emory Chance is determined to find her daughter Daisy’s murderer—a man she saw in a flicker of a vision. But when the investigation hits every dead end, her despair escalates. As questions surrounding Daisy’s death continue to mount, Emory’s safety is shattered by the pursuit of a stranger, and she can’t shake the sickening fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy’s disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for?
The second book in the Defiance, Texas Trilogy, this suspenseful novel is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and the pain of telling the truth. Most of all, it is about the power of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer holds us captive.
Sally Says: Several months ago I reviewed the first book in this series, Daisy Chain. While I loved the writing and the book overall, my one complaint was that no plot line in that book was tied off. Everything was left hanging, and we’d have to read the second and third books to find out what happened.
So I’ve been looking forward to this one. I really want to find out what happened to Daisy, the young girl who went missing in the first book.
Through the grapevine, I heard the book moved on to new characters, mostly Daisy’s mom Emory, and for some reason that dimmed my interest in A Slow Burn. I really wanted to find out what happened to Daisy, you know? I didn’t want the story to veer in a different direction.
But Mary DeMuth pulled me into the book right away with new information about Daisy’s disappearance. And before long I was involved with Emory’s regrets and struggle to change her self-destructive habits, and I was able to set aside all those questions from book one.
There’s still nothing from book one that’s been resolved, though. Nothing. And that’s frustrating as a reader. But Mary’s a very talented writer, and frankly if she weren’t so good at weaving a story, I think I’d give up reading these books.
I know — this is a convoluted review. Do I like A Slow Burn? Should you read it? Yes and yes. I found A Slow Burn to be a bit of a departure in style from Daisy Chain, but I think it was because DeMuth was being true to who Emory and Hixon were as characters. Emory’s story is a real life gone bad and spread out before us. I love fiction that deals with gritty issues and what happens when we mess up the life God’s given us — because God’s always bigger than we are and He can still use us as long as we give in and follow Him. That message came through in this book.
If you haven’t read Mary’s books yet, you really should. Her first two titles, Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions, are going out of print so grab them now while you can. I think you’ll find them all encouraging, enjoyable reads.