Trailer Park Tuesday: Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee Forbidden

'Forbidden' by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Happy New Year. Christian Fiction Blog kicks off Trailer Park Tuesday with Beverly Lewis’s The Mercy(Bethany House.)

New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker teams with Tosca Lee to create this gripping thriller set in a desolate future.
A terrible truth has been revealed to one man: the entire human race has been drained of every emotion except one-- fear. To bring life back to the world, Rom must embark on a journey that will end either in his own demise or a reawakening of humanity. But to bring love and passion back into existence will also threaten the powers of the world with the revolution and anarchy that had nearly destroyed them previously.

click the small pic to order

Best 20 Christian Fiction of 2011: African-American

Christian Fiction Blog is proud to announce the 2011 top 20 Christian Fiction Novels written by African American writers. We spotlight these books, because most Christian media and Christian bookstore chains  don’t for reasons we cannot fathom. Congrats to these authors and continue to spread the Gospel to the Church Universal..
To see the all the book covers showcased visit our pinterest white board. This list is not in any order or rank.

1. Sharon Ewell Foster, The Resurrection of Nat Turner: The Witness
2. Booker T. Mattinson ,Snitch
3. Vanessa Miller, A Promise of Forever Love
4. Shana Burton, Catt Chasin
5. Kim Cash Tate, Cherished
6. Patricia Haley, Broken
7. Serita Jakes, The Crossing
8. Vanessa Davis Griggs, Redeeming Waters
9. Tia McCollors, Steppin into The Good Life
10. Pat G’orge Walker, No Ordinary Noel
11. Kendra Norman Bellamy, Upon This Rock
12. Michelle Simpson, Someone to Watch Over Me
13. Claudia Mair Burney, Exorsistah: X Restored
14. Sherryle Kiser Jackson, Taylor Made
15. Rhonda Bowen, Man Enough for Me
16. Victoria Christopher Murray The Deal, The Dance, and the Devil
17. Reshonda Tate Billingsley, Say Amen Again
18. Kimberla Lawson Roby, To Love, Honor and Betray
19. Shelia Goss, Delilah
20. Cheryl Faye, Who Said it Would Be Easy

Related articles

• 8 2011 Christian Fiction Authors to Watch and Read (aratus.typepad.com)

Write What You Know: A Career U.S. Diplomat

Robbie Cutler Diplomatic Mysteries

By William S. Shepard

I was a career diplomat in the American Foreign Service. I served at our U.S. embassies in Singapore, Saigon, Budapest and Athens, and then retired as Consul General in Bordeaux, France. Since the usual advice given to beginning writers was “write about what you know,” I wrote about the Embassy world. During one of my five Washington tours, as Duty Officer for the Secretary of State, I found myself staying late one evening at the office. While I perused files and diplomatic cables, I realized I had access to a variety of interesting information and sources. That was when the idea came to me that after I retired, I would write mystery stories set in American Embassies overseas.

Continue reading William Shepard’s story and talk with him LIVE today at The Thrill Begins

Trailer Park Tuesday: Tyler Perry's Good Deeds Movie

A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiancée, Natalie (Gabrielle Union). But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey (Thandie Newton), a down-on-her-luck single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. When he offers to help her get back on her feet, the chance encounter with someone so far outside his usual circle ignites something in Wesley. This one good deed may finally spark his courage to exchange the life that's expected of him for the life he's always really wanted. A moving, uplifting drama about coincidence, courage, and the defining choices we make on our paths to happiness, TYLER PERRY'S GOOD DEEDS is written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry, and stars Perry, Thandie Newton, Brian White, Rebecca Romijn, Jamie Kennedy, Eddie Cibrian, Jordenn Thompson, Beverly Johnson, with Phylicia Rashad, and Gabrielle Union. In theaters February 24 2012

Gospel Christmas Music Preview Deborah E. Bradley Tis the Season

This image is interactive. Move your arrow to sample Deborah E. Bradley’s Tis the Seasonhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/album/joy-to-the-world/id476273788?i=476273972&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 Gospel Christmas CD.

Two Christmas Stories You can Read in 5 Minutes

Happy Friday: Here are Two Christmas Stories you can read in 5 Minutes. thanks to Chris Mikesell and Kathleen Kovach winners of our Christmas Short Story Contest at Christian Fiction Online Magazine.

Nativity by Chris Mikesell

The box and its contents had been a birthday gift from his father. Handmade wooden figurines: a man, woman, infant, three shepherds, six sheep (mostly still intact), and an angel. A year later he painted the inside of the box, a child’s rendering of a stable, complete with a lop-eared donkey and a horse whose facial expression indicated intestinal distress.

For the past three years his parents had recited the story to him. This year it was his turn…

Warmth from a Window by Kathleen E. Kovach

Sleet pelted the concrete as she walked toward the old church. Her fingers clutched her coat collar to keep the cold from invading. She hadn’t been to worship in years, but something about the solid stone building beckoned her.

This Christmas Eve she’d never felt more alone. She had relocated because of a new job. Old friends were far away. She had no family.

But the old church smiled at her one day as she walked by on her way to work. How else could she describe it? Its double doors were open wide and she heard laughter coming from inside…

Click here to read them in full http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/best_multicultural.html

2011 INSPY Award Winners

The INSPY Advisory is pleased to announce the 2011 INSPY Award Winners:

Creative Nonfiction: Passport Through Darknessby Kimberly L. Smith

In Passport Through Darkness, Mrs. Smith portrays sacrificial Christian living as the absolutely normal and healthy choice for all Christians. She and her husband are willingly transparent with their weaknesses and present a realistic picture of what a Christian living looks like: hard, messy, and painful, but right and worthwhile. Passport Through Darkness is a powerful story that can change who you are at a fundamental level.

General Fiction:City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell(Henry Holt & Co, September 2010)
We chose City of Tranquil Light because it tells a compelling story with complex characters that feel true to life, characters we care about. Bo Caldwell’s prose is lyrical.

The characters live a very real faith. Everything they do has Kingdom service in mind, yet they never come across as preachy. Their faith is organic. Serving Christ is what they do, it’s who they are. Because of that, this book’s appeal goes beyond that of the Christian community.

Literature for Young People: Saint Training by Elizabeth Fixmer (Zondervan, 2010)

Saint Training is realistic in its examination of religion without stereotype or fundamentalist views. An inspiring read, relevant to young readers and a stand out in its genre. Mary Clare is very down to earth and anyone will be able to relate to her struggles.

Mystery/Thriller: The Bishopby Steven James

Steven James did not shy away from the “tough” questions about God and we appreciate that an author – a Christian author at that, would be up-front and center with the real tough spiritual questions. The Bishop treats the reader as intelligent and with a mind of her own. The plot was engaging and the characters felt real.

Romance:Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Cathy West (Oak Tara, March 2011)

Catherine West gives us a gritty and moving account of the Vietnam War as experienced by an intrepid journalist providing innovation of the setting, time period and subject matter. The edgy realism and poignant honesty that flow from West’s pen in Yesterday’s Tomorrow place it head-and-shoulders above some of biggest bestsellers on bookstore shelves today, and it easily fulfills all the requirements set forth to make it the INSPY Award Winner for Romance.

 
Speculative Fiction: The Falling Away by T.L. Hines (Thomas Nelson, September 2010)

Non-linear plot lines that all converge without being predictable, responsible treatment of mental disorders without cliche; self sacrifice, demonic encounters and the power of Grace; all these reasons and more make The Falling Away by T.L. Hines the speculative INSPY winner. In his own distinctive “noir bizarre” style, Hines explores powerful truths about life, death and redemption. The author managed to tackle a familiar subject (spirituals warfare) in a most unconventional way. Full characterization meshed with a tight plot that is engaging even for newcomers to the supernatural thriller. Ultimately, more than one character learns important truths about the fallen world we live in and the spiritual dangers one may face from without and within. This novel is an embodiment of the concept that God’s power is made perfect in human weakness.