Christian Fiction Blog's Birthday Giveaway Weekly Bash: #1

Happy Birthday Christian Fiction Blog!! (click above to listen to me sing Happy Birthday lol) My Baby is five years old. Waaaaa!!!! Before we begin Kindergarten let's celebrate. Every day this week I will give a book. The books I will give away our books where the author acknowledged either me(Dee) or the blog.

Today I am giving away Amy Wallace's Enduring Justice. If you read the book you will know why she acknowledged me.

About the book:

A painful past

Hanna Kessler’s childhood secret has remained buried for over two decades. But when the dark shadows of her past threaten to destroy those she loves, Hanna must face the summer that changed her life and the man who still haunts her memories.

A racially-motivated killer

As a Crimes Against Children FBI Agent, Michael Parker knows what it means to get knocked down. Difficult cases and broken relationships have plagued his entire year. But when the system fails and a white supremacist is set free, Michael’s drive for retribution eclipses all else.

A life-altering choice

A racist’s well-planned assault forces Hanna and Michael to decide between executing vengeance and pursuing justice. The dividing line between the two is the choice to heal. But when the attack turns personal, is justice enough?

About the Defenders of Hope series:
Visit http://www.defendersofhope.com/

To participate in the giveaway, you need 1 of 3 do three things:

• Share this contest on your Twitter page and submit the link
  
• Share this contest on your Facebook page and submit the link
• post this contest on your blog and submit the link

submit your links in the comments section. winner will be announced July 1, 2009.

Check in tomorrow for the next book I'll be giving away by subscribing to Christian Fiction Blog in the sidebar or right here Subscribe to christianfiction by Email

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BookClubs are Taking Orlando by Faith

THE 2009 FAITH and FICTION RETREAT FEATURES 4 BESTSELLING CHRISTIAN FICTION AUTHOR in ORLANDO, FLORIDA

ATLANTA, GA, June 23 / --Amidst dwindling book sells in the publishing industry, Christian books, specifically Christian novels continue to outsell literary competition, according to Publisher's Weekly. Therefore it was no surprise that during the summer's heavy reading season Christian Book Clubs rallied to bring the much anticipated third annual Faith and Fiction Retreat to sunny Orlando, Florida.

The Faith and Fiction Retreat is an annual luxury event where book clubs relax, relate and read with bestselling authors. The retreat will be held at the The Villas of Grand Cypress in Orlando, FL. Bestselling featured authors this year are: Reshonda Tate Billingsley(The Devil is a Lie, Simon & Schuster,) Tiffany L. Warren(The Bishop's Daughter, Grand Central Publishing,) TiaMcCollors(The Truth about Love, Moody,) and Angela Benson(Up Pops the Devil, Harper Collins.)

The 2009 retreat will bring brand new panels for book clubs, publishing 101 for authors and late night book discussions for TEENS. The retreat will take place in family vacation spot Orlando, FL at The Villas of Grand Cypress (www.grandcypress.com). Features of The Villas of Grand Cypress include exceptional grounds, free transportation to Disney and Universal Studios, and horseback riding. Other authors presenting panels are: Pat G’Orge Walker, Sherri L. Lewis, Dwan Abrams, Bonnie Hopkins, Shana Burton, Ashea Goldson, Daphine Glenn Robinson, Donna Deloney, Linda Leigh Hargrove, Sherryle Jackson, and Poet Stella Alexander.

The retreat will open its doors to Orlando and surrounding residents for it's first Saturday Summer Session & Author Book Fair. Barnes and Noble Orlando store will host the book fair and author signing. Visit Florida Faith Fiction Fair for more information.

ABOUT THE FAITH AND FICTION RETREAT -

The Faith and Fiction Fellowship started in 2005 when Christian Fiction author, Tiffany L Warren, invited several of her sister-authors on a tour to share the ministry behind their writing. In August 2007, the Faith and Fiction Retreat debuted in St. Simon's Island, GA. . In 2008 The Faith and Fiction Retreat visited Destin, FL! Featured authors were Victoria Christopher Murray, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Kendra Norman Bellamy, and Michele Andrea Bowen. Delegates from the following book clubs attended : Prominent Women of Color (Jacksonville, FL), Circle of Friends II (Atlanta, GA), Sip N Read Cafe (Atlanta, GA), Glory Girls (Rochester, NY), Sisters With a Purpose (Baytown,TX) Spirit of Sisterhood (Atlanta, GA), Phenomenal Women Book Club (New Orleans, LA), Q.U.E.E.N.S of Mississippi (Jackson, MS), The REGAL Sisterhood (Dallas, TX.) Learn more about the retreat at http://faithandfictionretreat.com/

SOURCE

Dee Stewart
DeeGospel PR
PO Box 392833
Snelville, GA 30039
770.298.7539
deegospelpr@gmail.com
Twitter: @deegospel

3 Steps to W.O.O for Writers Contemplating Giving Up

Singing in the Rain Courtesy of Jillybug

This weekend I attended my lil sister's commencement. I must say that I never attended one like this one before. Yall it felt like church. A gospel quartet sang the National Anthem, the Dean gave the invocation, a graduating student shared her conversion testimony, the president of the college preached. Y'all it felt like church. And I thank God, because He knew I needed some church in my life. How about you?

Are the dismal sales numbers in publishing seeping a little doubt in your quest to becoming published? Are the horror stories from published authors about their publishing houses publicity department's lack of marketing effort causing you concern?
How about the cost to hire someone like me, even if you could afford me in this economy would extra help, actually help?

If those questions are causing you pause, then you need some (W.O.O.) Wonderful Options and Opportunity. Here's three simple steps to get the W.O.O.

Continue reading "3 Steps to W.O.O for Writers Contemplating Giving Up " »

Give the Dads in Your Life Some Spotlight for Father's Day

Because mothers admittedly do more of the heavy lifting in most homes, most families wind up rolling out the red carpet on Mother's Day and do well to hand Dad a cheap tie on Father's Day. This year, try to recognize the importance of fathers by going an extra mile. It could be help to your relationship with your spouse or partner and encourage them to bond with the kids too.

Here are some ideas:

1. Make an event of the celebration - get out of the house for a family activity.

2. Have the children (including you when honoring your father or father figure) take part in selecting the gift.

3. Make sure to express what you and the children specifically appreciate about his contributions to the family.

4. Save constructive criticism for next week - trust me, the day of honor will buy you the right to be a little more blunt the next time he falls short.

5. And if he doesn't do enough to deserve #s 1 through 4, do something to acknowledge him and encourage interaction between him and the children. You'll eventually be glad you did.

Xavier Knight is the Christian fiction pen name for Author C. Kelly Robinson, including the best-selling novels God Only Knows, No More Mr. Nice Guy and the critically acclaimed Between Brothers (Random House.) He lives outside Dayton, Ohio with his wife, daughter and son. He is hard at work on his next novel and on a nonfiction project. Visit him on Twitter at @xavierknight at The Knight's Table

Related Posts:

• Wildcard: God Only Knows
• God Only Knows Reviewed
• Steven Curtis Chapman, The Williams Brother
  

White Rose Story Contest: Hearts Crossing

What’s missing from this cover?

Your Name!

Introducing a new contest from White Rose Publishing.

“HEARTS CROSSING”

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, we’re giving you a picture plus a synopsis—and that’s worth 20,000-25,000 words plus a publishing contract. All you have to do is fill in the synopsis blanks to create your own unique plot, and then write the story to go with it.

THE RULES:

(Read below and/or CLICK TO DOWNLOAD A .PDF COPY OF THESE RULES & GUIDELINES )

Weekend Chat: Can Book Bloggers be Trusted?

The great myth of the digital age was that once we got rid of those expensive printing presses there would be no barriers to entry and costs would come down. But guess what? It costs a lot of money to build a system like Amazon's. An even bigger barrier to entry is brainpower. You need armies of smart engineers to build and run these online stores. There simply aren't enough of these brainiacs to go around.

-Don't iTune Us by Daniel Lyons for Newsweek

This weekend chatterbox question comes from a lot of chatter in the blogosphere regarding the future of monetized blogging. Amazon. com and the state of North Carolina are at a crossroads now that NC wants to tack on a sales tax for any items sold in Amazon affiliate blogs that have NC mailing address. Amazon is threatening to drop NC from participating in the affiliate program.

North Carolina is the latest state to go after the low-hanging of e-tail taxation. Facing a budgetary gap in the billions, North Carolina is hoping to pass a bill that would force out-of-state Internet retailers such as Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) to charge and collect sales tax on orders originating in the state...

North Carolina is arguing that the Amazon Associates program -- through which the leading online retailer pays commissions to website and blog operators for sales arising from their direct referrals -- gives the company a physical presence in the states where those operators live.

Amazon is fighting back. It's threatening to eliminate relationships with all of its affiliates residing in North Carolina before it has to begin adding 4.5% in sales tax to orders placed in that state. The tax is not just a hassle for Amazon; it would put the company at a pricing disadvantage to rival online merchants who don't run affiliate programs.

-"Why Does North Carolina Hate Amazon?" by Rick Aristotle Munarriz of Motley Fool

Who's winning this debate? And for product review bloggers- which includes book review bloggers who are also Amazon associates, how will it affect them?

The Internet is becoming so rife with paid blogging that the Federal Trade Commission, which guards against false advertisements, is examining whether it should police bloggers. As it updates nearly 30-year-old advertising guidelines, the FTC is proposing that bloggers, and online marketers and companies that compensate them, be held liable for misleading claims. A decision from the commission is expected this summer. If it approves the guidelines, violations could spur investigations that in turn force bloggers to discontinue deceptive practices. If the deceptions don't stop, the FTC may require companies to repay customers.

-Paid to Pitch: Product Reviews By Bloggers Draw Scrutiny by MIGUEL BUSTILLO and ANN ZIMMERMAN for the Wall Street Journal

so according to this post full disclosure is imperative to blog advertorials, endorsements or paid reviews. However for the novice blogger or member of a book blog alliance will they know what is required of them?

This year I limited my book reviews on Christian Fiction blog for seven reasons:

1. conflict of interest. I reviewed the book for a magazine and must honor that contract.
   
2. conflict of interest. The book is being considered for a book awards.
   
3. conflict of interest. The author, publishing house or lit agency & I have a business relationship.
4. the book doesn't fit the blog.
5. the author, publishing house or publicist did not ask to be reviewed
6. the author, publishing house or publicist never sent the book to be reviewed
7. The publishing house, author or publicist demanded too much for a review here.
   

None of those reasons were because I didn't receive payment for the review.

Christian Fiction Blog is monetized, because I am a BlogHer reviewer. Those cute ads in my sidebar pay for a spot on the blog. Perhaps I'm old school I think ads are reserved for the sidebar or at the end of a blog post and very separate for you to see the difference.

Although I have been offered opportunities to review a book for payment, I have yet to take that offer. Which is sort of good, afterall I'm a cheap blog date. Offer me a good book to review, understand that I may not review it, and wait to hear from me.

What is a surefire way not get a book reviewed here is to give me conditions on how and what to post. I don't charge to give book reviews, because personally I think it's unethical and also because I want to make a clear distinction between this blog and DGP. But most importantly, I want readers of Christian Fiction Blog to trust my reviews. There are no ulterior motives tied to the review. I spotlight what I like. I review what befits the blog. I don't always give a great rating. I have no problem giving a book a poor rating, but I always find a good quality in the story. I do review books based on story and packaging. I read the entire book, starting at the last chapter and then going back to Chapter one. I don't read prologues or epilogues. I don't. And that's what you can trust about a review from me.

Now back to the Weekend Chatterbox question:

With all these pending new rules, regulations and changes concerning blogging do you think any of them will make life better for you or worse?

Dee