Serials and Scenarios~ Ooooh, Very Clever Marketing Idea

I received this "honor" today.

I interviewed this particular author after he created an awesome self-parody of his hideously criticized novel. It was a clever and creative "making of lemonade" moment that intrigued me.

Now he's hit upon yet another awesome marketing tool.

Ha. When the internet is good it is very, very good.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Fabulous Giveaway.

In case you missed my review of Gina's new book it's posted at The New Book Review. Drop by and check it out.

AND Gina is offering a fabulous giveaway of not only a signed copy of her book, but a string of freshwater pearls. Hurry and check out the contest rules (simple) and get your name in for a chance to win.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Turkey in the Grass

Though the picture requires much imagination I'm thinking you will forgive me when I tell you that to take a better one might have resulted in a hideous injury to either me, an innocent bystander (Have you ever wondered about that term. Really? How do we KNOW that the bystander is innocent?) or an amorous turkey. The picture is just a teeny bit of proof of the following facts.

It is turkey season in Iowa. Apparently (and I can back this statement up) they are everywhere doing their turkey come-hither disco moves in an attempt to make a love connection. I have seen them strutting their stuff...usually with a male in all his Thanksgiving Turkey finery. (Okay, without the stuffing or the bag of giblets.) At the side of the interstate. Traffic whizzing by at 65...no problem. He's bad, baby, he's Mr. Turkey Danger. Several females, usually in pairs, (probably headed to the ladies room to talk about their double dates) have crossed roads in front of my car. Apparently within the season of love there are no such things as traffic rules, or cars, for that matter.

The picture is the latest of a "lady" who crossed in front of me. Fortunately, the road was deserted and the turkey made it to make eyes another day.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Tuesday Totally Trippy Tunes

So, talent by any other name is still talent, right? Enjoy the tunes, the creativity and the stylins.

Serials and Scenarios ~ MAY BOOK GIVEAWAY....

I have the opportunity to offer my readers (3 of them anyway) a chance to get a free book.

The rules. Simple.

Leave a comment with the title of the book you'd like on this post. Leave a comment every day if you'd like. The more you leave the better the chance you have a winning a copy. May 31st is the final day to leave a comment and I will randomly pick three winners from the comments June 1st. Make sure I can get in touch with you if you are one of the winners.


1) Released from the Prison my Father Built, by James Ryle- James Ryle, co founder of the Promise Keepers..The story of James Ryle’s life reads like a Hollywood screenplay: father sent to prison…abandoned by his mother at the age of six…sent to live at a Texas orphanage…teen runaway…rebellious life of drugs and alcohol…arrested and charged with negligent homicide…incarcerated at the age of 19…However, the miracle of James’ life story doesn't’ end in a Texas State penitentiary. Reconnecting with his father after 26 years changes and reorders James’ life in a remarkable and profound way. “Dear God Son……….I built that prison.”


2) Tithing, by Douglas Leblanc-In a world where international tragedy and a tough U.S. economic crisis both inspires and tests our giving spirit, tithing has become a hot topic in churches and homes nationwide. In Tithing (Thomas Nelson), journalist Douglas LeBlanc travels the nation to talk with believers whose lives have been greatly enriched by this ancient spiritual discipline of giving.


3) The Vertical Self, by Mark Sayers- In The Vertical Self: How Biblical Faith Can Help Us Discover Who We Are in an Age of Self Obsession (Thomas Nelson) Mark Sayers explains the problem of the pop-culture cult of “identity” through the eyes of a Bible-believing Christian, exposes the myths of the public image, and offers the ancient solution of radical Holiness to our modern insecurities.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Possum Hunter?

So. In case you don't know 23 very well, let me just say that she's very open to quirky ideas and finding fun ways to do the mundane.

Her latest adventure is riding her bike to the coffee shop. First she had to buy the bike. Of course, she bought the sweet retro looking model. Gotta look the part of quirky if you are quirky, after all.

Before she punctured her tire and put the bugger out of commission for a week she was able to ride to and from work and enjoy every second of it.

Well. Most of them anyway. Seems that six in the morning can be dark in spots. And the night creatures aren't all tucked away in their beds yet. She nearly ran over a possum. With her sweet new bike. You just don't experience that every day. Ha.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Crossing Oceans ~ Review

Crossing Oceans
Gina Holmes
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414333056

Product Description:

Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But being told you’re dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank–toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad . . . who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and its ability to change everything—to heal old hurts, bring new beginnings . . . even overcome the impossible. A stunning debut about love and loss from a talented new voice.


My Review:

I am always hesitant to review a book written by a friend. Can you imagine how much more apprehensive I was reading the debut novel from not only a friend but a critique partner? A critique partner lives to rip and shred work to point out what's wrong and what needs to be changed to make the work readable.

Though I've critiqued Gina Holmes for years, I had just glimpses into Crossing Oceans and I knew it was a very different style from her previous suspense novels. Her suspense is strong. But how well would her voice translate to women's fiction?

Once I opened her book and began to read I can say that her voice translates with a poignant grace that is rare in a debut novelist. And Crossing Oceans is a story that Holmes was meant to tell.

Holmes tackles a heavy story line with a touch of whimsy and deep, deep melancholy, sometimes in the same paragraph. A young mother, emotionally orphaned when her mother died and father cocooned himself in a cloak of angry grief, finds herself forced to return to the home she had escaped. Jenny has Stage IV metastatic cancer and must reunite with the family she fled for the sake of her little girl's very near future need. With less than a year to repair and restore relationships Jenny tackles the past and the future, the present and the pain, all while attempting to give her daughter, Isabella, memories and love and what life she has available to give.

This is a novel that quickly overcame the author and my relationship with her. The story told itself in a realistic and three-dimensional tale of life and death, sorrow and fear, choices and consequences, pain and beauty, loss and hope. Holmes voice is similar to some of my favorite authors in the Christian fiction genre, Siri Mitchell, Charles Martin, Susan Meissner, Claudia Mair Burney, Lisa Samson and Bonnie Groves.

Crossing Oceans is not an easy read. It is haunting and beautiful and raw. Expect to cry and expect to remember this family long after you turn the last page.