Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Purrfectly Framed (A Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery) by Ruth J. Hartman

About Purrfectly Framed

Purrfectly Framed (A Mobile Cat Groomer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Indiana
Publisher: Level Best Books (May 14, 2024)
~275 Pages
Amazon and Goodreads Links – Coming Soon

When mobile cat groomer, Molly Stewart, asks her friend Evan to photograph her new feline clients, they both get more than they bargained for when the body of Evan’s old art teacher is found bludgeoned to death in his photography studio darkroom. After one of Evan’s photos catches suspicious activity in the background, Molly is ready to call the authorities with the newest piece of information. However, an anonymous phone call which threatens not only her, but Evan and their pets, convinces Molly to clam up and find the murderer herself. Will the tenuous situation end up being picture perfect or a photo bomb?

About Ruth J. Hartman

Ruth J. Hartman spends her days herding cats and her nights spinning mysterious tales. She, her husband, and their cats love to spend time curled up in their recliners watching old Cary Grant movies. Well, the cats sit in the people’s recliners. Not that the cats couldn’t get their own furniture. They just choose to shed on someone else’s.

Ruth, a left-handed, cat-herding, farmhouse-dwelling writer uses her sense of humor as she writes tales of lovable, klutzy women who seem to find trouble without even trying.

Ruth’s husband and best friend, Garry, reads her manuscripts, rolls his eyes at her weird story ideas, and loves her despite her insistence all of her books have at least one cat in them. See updates about her cozy mysteries at Ruthjhartman.com.

Author Links

Website http://www.ruthjhartman.com

Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063631596817

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ruth.j.hartman/

Twitter/X https://twitter.com/ruthjhartman

Purchase Links – Coming Soon!

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 20 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

May 24 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading – REVIEW

May 25 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

May 26 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 27 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

May 28 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 29 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 31 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

June 1 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT

June 2 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read! – REVIEW

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: BOOK BLAST Audio Book Grounds for Murder: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries by Lena Gregory Read by Eleanor McCormick

Audio Book
Grounds for Murder: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries
by Lena Gregory
Read by Eleanor McCormick

Grounds for Murder: Coffee & Cream Café Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Watchogue, Long Island, New York
Audiobook (May 21, 2024)
Publisher – Tantor Audio
Listening Length – 6 hours and 55 minutes
ASIN : B0D324Q1S7
Audio CD
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZ2KWM4M
Gemma Halliday Publishing (November 21, 2023)
Number of Pages 226
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CCLT922F

From author Lena Gregory comes a tasty new mystery with a killer twist…

Danika Delaney is thrilled to have taken over her uncle Jimmie’s old fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island and is working hard to make it her own. In an effort to increase business, Danika invites a mystery writer to the Coffee & Cream Café for a discussion and book signing. Things seem to be going well, until a guest shows up and confronts the author, accusing him of plagiarizing his work. Embarrassed by the incident, Danika goes to the inn where the writer is staying the following morning, hoping to apologize and offer him another chance to return. What she finds instead is his dead body—beside a cup of poisoned coffee! Now it’s up to Danika to find out who wanted to silence the author… before the killer decides to write Danika a not-so-happy ending!

About Lena Gregory

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

Author Links

Newsletter: http://lenagregory.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9765d0711ed4fab4fa31b16ac&id=49d42335d1.
Website: http://www.lenagregory.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lena.gregory.986
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lena.Gregory.Author/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LenaGregory03
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14956514.Lena_Gregory?from_search=true
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lenagregoryauth/

Purchase Links

Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Audiobook Coming Soon!

Release Date June 25, 2024

GROUNDS FOR MURDER AUDIO RELEASE BOOK BLAST PARTICIPANTS

May 21

Guatemala Paula Loves to Read

Maureen’s Musings

FUONLYKNEW

Sarah Can’t Stop Reading

Eskimo Princess Book Reviews

Reading Is My SuperPower

Cozy Up With Kathy

StoreyBook Reviews

Celticlady’s Reviews

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

May 22

Ruff Drafts

Socrates Book Reviews

Girl With Pen

Literary Gold

Christa Reads and Writes

Baroness Book Trove

Hearts & Scribbles

Christy’s Cozy Corners

Brooke Blogs

MJB Reviewers

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The Amish Quiltmaker's Uninvited Guest (The Amish Quiltmaker #5) by Jennifer Beckstrand

Esther’s distant cousin, widower Menno Eicher, needs to be hard-headed and practical. Swamped by family and farm responsibilities, he must find the perfect wife as quickly as possible, so he’s shown up in Colorado—with “finding a wife” on his To-Do list! Esther’s community has many women who could match his ever-growing requirements. Yet after a chance meeting, Menno keeps coming back to baker Joanna Yoder. Hard-working, honest, and forthright, she’s distracting Menno from his search, opening his heart—but refuses to believe he’s falling hopelessly in love with her . . .

Happily busy inventing and selling delicious desserts, Joanna has no time for someone as ridiculously exacting as Menno. After all, what sort of man thinks choosing a wife is like picking a pie at the general store? But once she sees the surprisingly kind heart, doting father, and understanding man beneath his hard-to-please ways, she has second thoughts. With faith and genuine love, might the few things they have in common overcome the differences between them—and prove precious enough to risk a future together?

Amazon

About The Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the USA Today Bestselling author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series, The Honeybee Sisters series, The Petersheim Brothers series, and The Amish Quiltmaker series for Kensington Books. Two of Jennifer’s books were nominated for the RWA RITA® Award, and she is a #1 Amazon bestselling author. Jennifer has written twenty-eight Amish romances and the nonfiction book, Big Ideas. She has also written two Western historical and two contemporary romances as Jen Spencer. She and her husband have been married for thirty-seven years, and she has six children and eight adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

http://www.jenniferbeckstrand.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jenniferbeckstrandfans

Instagram: j.beckstrand

My Review

A man comes from a small Amish community to see if he can find a wife and mother for his two little girls, and he has given himself a month to find a new wife. Wow, a girl should be really flattered to have a man, no real relationship, want to marry her. Well, I know for a fact that this does happen!

We journey with Menno and Joanna, will they ever see what is in front of them? Will one of the forward girls win his heart?

Will Menno stop putting his foot in his mouth?

I love the sweet father with his daughters, and how the community rally around this young family, and seem to want to help his bishop and have him remarry!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Zebra, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Widow's Unexpected Suitor (Pinecraft Seasons #2) by Lenora Worth

She thought she’d never find love again

Until he built a foundation for it…

Amish widow Lilah Mehl wants to make sure her daughter has the wedding she’s always dreamed of—even if it means building a new gazebo. Hiring widowed carpenter Noah Lantz to work on the project is easy, but ignoring their attraction proves more challenging than expected. As the gazebo takes shape, so do new feelings…but is love more than they bargained for?

Amazon

About The Author

Lenora Worth is an ACFW Honor Roll member. She writes inspirational fiction for Harlequin's Love Inspired and sweet romance for Tule Publishing. She also writes for Kensington Books. She helped launch the Rodeo Knights Western Romance imprint. Her LIS Body of Evidence made the NY Times Bestseller list and she is also a USA Today and Publishers Weekly Bestselling author. In 2016, she received a Romantic Times Pioneers of Fiction Award. Three of her books have been nominated for the ACFW Carol Award and she is an RWA RITA finalist. Lenora has written 80+ books and has an estimated 3 million books in print. She loves cheesecake, shoe shopping, walking on the beach and reading.

My Review

A story that reflects love! We have love of children, of spouse, even when they are deceased, love of a new bride and groom to be, and the love of a family.

The setting is Pinecraft Florida, and Lilah Mehl's daughter is getting married, and all the excitement and business that goes along with the coming event.

When the bride, Sara, finds someone to be build a gazebo, this families life is changed forever.

Noah Lantz is a master carpenter, and still reeling from the loss of his wife. Noah is now in charge of building the wanted gazebo.

What a journey we begin, with a pending wedding and missing those that won't be there. Will these people continue to live in the past and not move beyond their grief, or accept the gifts that are being offered.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin, and was not required to give a positive review.

Unforgiven: (Amish Romantic Suspense Story with Forgiveness and Second Chances) by Shelley Shepard Gray

Ex-con Seth Zimmerman has spent the last three years making amends by helping the vulnerable in his former Amish community. Lately, this mission includes calling on Tabitha Yoder, whose divorce from her abusive husband has isolated her from the community. Even though she never comes out of her house to talk to him, Seth knows she watches him from the window while he chops wood, clears her driveway, and drops off food.

An uneasy friendship is just starting to take hold between them when small gifts begin to appear at Tabitha's home--gifts that can only be from her ex-husband. Seth might be Tabitha's only hope at maintaining her hard-won freedom from the man whose violent outbursts had almost cost her life. But coming to her rescue might mean he ends up behind bars once again.

Get swept up in this emotional story of two outcasts who may be each other's only hope for happiness and redemption from New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray.

Amazon

About The Author

Shelley Shepard Gray is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author. She's published over a hundred novels and has over a million books in print. She currently lives in northern Ohio and writes full time.

Shelley lives just an hour from Holmes County, where many of her Amish-themed novels are set. She currently writes contemporary romance and Amish fiction for a variety of publishers. When not spending time with her family or writing, she can usually be found walking her two dachshunds on one of the many trails in the Cleveland area.

She also bakes a lot, loves coconut cream pie, and will hardly ever pull weeds, mow the yard, or drive in the snow.

Shelley also spends a lot of time on line! Please visit her website, www.shelleyshepardgray.com to find out her latest news or to sign up for her newsletter. Shelley can also be found on FaceBook, Instagram @shelley.s.gray, or on Twitter @ShelleySGray.

My Review

Shelley Shepard Gray has done it again, what a great read, a different look at an Amish Community.

Two innocent outcasts find each other, well it is more like reunite! A teacher and a student, but now they are adults and really only three years apart in age.

Certain rules are not to be broken and these outcasts did, but what would we do under the same circumstances?

I enjoyed how this story played out, scary at times, and you wonder if all will survive!

There are a few other relationships that we are offered and we follow, and we see how these people deal with accidental death, and prison, along with divorce, a big no no.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revel, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Medicine Woman of Galveston by Amanda Skenandore

Caught in the great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, a female doctor who’s joined a traveling medicine show to support her disabled son is forced to weather the storm and its aftermath in a town hostile to the troupe’s unconventional ways but desperate for their help.

Once a trailblazer in the field of medicine, Dr. Tucia Hatherley hasn’t touched a scalpel or stethoscope since she made a fatal mistake in the operating theater. Instead, she works in a corset factory, striving to earn enough to support her disabled son. When even that livelihood is threatened, Tucia is left with one option—to join a wily, charismatic showman named Huey and become part of his traveling medicine show.

Her medical license lends the show a pretense of credibility, but the cures and tonics Tucia is forced to peddle are little more than purgatives and bathwater. Loathing the duplicity, even as she finds uneasy kinship with the other misfit performers, Tucia vows to leave as soon as her debts are paid and start a new life with her son—if Huey will ever let her go.

When the show reaches Galveston, Texas, Tucia tries to break free from Huey, only to be pulled even deeper into his schemes. But there is a far greater reckoning ahead, as a September storm becomes a devastating hurricane that will decimate the Gulf Coast—and challenge Tucia to recover her belief in medicine, in the goodness of others—and in herself.

Amazon

About The Author

Amanda is a historical fiction writer and registered nurse. Her first novel, Between Earth and Sky, won the American Library Association’s Reading List Award for Best Historical Fiction. She grew up in the Colorado Rockies but now lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle Lenore.

My Review

A story of a tough woman whom back in the late 1890’s not only became a woman doctor, but did so with honors. She tried to make it in a man’s world, but was beaten down.
We meet Dr. Tucia Hatherley when she is really on the down and out, trying to work in a factory and take care of her handicapped son, but she is ripe for a con man to take more advantage of her.
We meet Huey and the band of troopers, or performers, and we travel with his medicine show, and soon learn what they and Huey have in common.
The author gives us a bit of everything, including some sweet romance, a hurricane, and some very unscrupulous people. This quickly became a page turner, and will be looking for more by this author!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review.

Monday, May 20, 2024

Celebrate Lit Presents: Scandals and Mercies Epic Book Launch

About the Book

Book Title: Scandals and Mercies

Author Name: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: April 23, 2024

He’s a reporter determined to uncover the truth, but the secrets he finds could crush her family—and their second chance at love.

Taken from her family’s farm to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle, Nora Armstrong has accepted that not only will she never realize her dream of becoming a teacher, she’d also rather be a spinster than submit to her cruel aunt’s society selection of a suitable husband. The one man who caught her eye betrayed her best friend. And she’s got enough on her hands, hiding her sister’s shameful secret from her aunt.

When the local home for unwed mothers burns down, the arson investigation brings big-city reporter James Cooper back to Stone Creek—and back into Nora’s life. James also has a meddling aunt who raises more questions than she answers about his past. Not to mention, he can’t figure out why Nora constantly rebuffs him. When his reporting casts aspersions on the local church and lays the blame for the fire and a series of robberies at the wrong feet, he risks losing his new position at the paper.

As they seek to unravel the town’s mystery, rescue endangered mothers and children, and navigate their own family secrets forced to light, James and Nora increasingly turn to each other for help. But can they overcome James’s lack of faith and the disapproval of Nora’s guardians to find a second chance at love?

Book Excerpt

Nora made her way through the kitchen and out the side door. She only waited to close the wrought-iron gate behind her before she took off in a run, the sack swinging beside her.

***

James leaped off the back of the volunteer fire wagon before it barreled onto the path running alongside Hope’s Place. Smoke poured from the rear of the building, above the unforgiving flames. He steadied himself, pulled his pad from his inner suit coat pocket, and

scribbled down a description of the horrifying sight. Then he placed his pencil behind his ear. With a handkerchief, he covered his mouth and nose, seeking relief from the acrid odor of burning wood and plaster. Young women, wrapped in blankets, huddled together. They backed away when he tried to approach them.

A scream pierced the air as a girl tumbled out of the front door, coughing, her nightgown aflame. A nurse pushed her to the ground and pulled the blanket from her shoulder. She wrapped the girl, which put out the fire.

Firemen scrambled to unwind the hose, and another shoveled coal into the belly of the steam pump. A rather stout volunteer fireman pulled a ladder from the truck and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

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About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Muffalettas and Murder: Small Town Girl Mysteries by Jann Franklin

Muffalettas and Murder: Small Town Girl Mysteries
by Jann Franklin

About Muffalettas and Murder

Muffalettas and Murder: Small Town Girl Mysteries
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Louisiana
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rougarou Press (January 30, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8987739402
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BPQYJQ3T

Evangeline Delafose is finding Graisseville, Louisiana just as she remembered—boring and uneventful. Until her brother Nate asks her to help solve a murder.

Follow Ev as she navigates clues, dead bodies, and quirky small-town residents to solve a mystery. And of course, show her little brother that she’s still got it.

If you like cozy mysteries with twists and turns, deep South settings, and a hint of romance, you’ll love this series! Let’s not forget quirky yet charming characters who remind you of family—sometimes you want to hug them, and sometimes you want to disown them. Enjoy small town Graisseville with Ev as she solves crime with help from her family and friends. This is a clean faith based read with no profanity, sex, or graphic violence.

This book is the first of the Small-Town Girl Mystery Series.

About Jann Franklin

Jann Franklin is a faith-based cozy mystery writer living in Grand Cane, Louisiana with slightly less than three hundred other people. Many of her stories are based on the tales she hears from residents.

She and her husband John enjoy Sundays at Grand Cane Baptist Church, dinner with family and friends, and watching the lightning bugs in their backyard. Their kids come to visit, when they aren’t too busy living their big-city lives. Visit her at www.jannfranklin.com

Author Links

Webpage: https://jannfranklin.com

Blog: https://jannfranklin.com/blog

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jannfranklinauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jannfranklinauthor/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22583014.Jann_Franklin

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org –

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 16 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 17 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading – REVIEW

May 22 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 23 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

May 24 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 25 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 26 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 26 – Bigreadersite – REVIEW

May 27 – FUONLYKNEW – RECIPE

May 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

May 28 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

May 29 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

May 29 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

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Sunday, May 19, 2024

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: The Seafarer’s Secret by Carol Ann Collins

The Seafarer’s Secret
by Carol Ann Collins

About The Seafarer’s Secret

The Seafarer’s Secret
Cozy Mystery
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beaufort Books (March 26, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0825310288
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0825310287
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZBCSG86

Secrets are revealed. Lies are exposed. And in order to have a future, William and Eva will have to delve into the past.

William Templeton, widower and police chief of Eden, North Carolina is working the scene of a local woman’s drowning when the body is found with an old gold coin in her pocket – identical to a coin that was discovered on Catherine’s body, his estranged wife, over a year ago. Catherine’s case, originally deemed a tragic accident, has been reopened, forcing William to step down as police chief.

Historian and Blackbeard expert, Eva Knightly, is brought into the investigation to help identify the coins and can’t understand why her good friend Catherine never mentioned anything about it. When more coins surface at a local church, Eva and William know it’s more than mere coincidence. With the entire town whispering about Blackbeard, cursed coins, and lost treasure, it becomes hard to separate what is true and what is a myth.

The Seafarer’s Secret is a thrilling cinematic mystery featuring the exigent slow-burning romance between William and Eva as they work together to reveal the secrets and lies of Eden, North Carolina. Though, in order to have a future, they’ll have to look deep into the past to keep from being a modern-day killer’s next victim.

About Carol Ann Collins

Writing allows Carol Ann Collins to combine two of her favorite things, history and romance. Her work is a combination of historical fact, pure fiction, and a vivid imagination. Though she is an introvert who had no problem staying inside during quarantine, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two adult children. In her spare time, she is an avid book collector and bargain shopper who loves to combine the two. To date, her favorite find is an 1869 edition of Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain purchased for $10.

Author Links

Website: https://www.carolanncollins.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcarolanncollins/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23031966.Carol_Ann_Collins

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org – Kobo

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 15 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 15 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 16 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – REVIEW

May 17 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 17 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH SPOTLIGHT

May 18 – Jemima Pett, Author – REVIEW

May 18 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

May 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

May 20 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT

May 22 – Ruff Drafts – REVIEW

May 22 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read! – AUTHOR GUEST POST

May 23 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 24 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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Saturday, May 18, 2024

Celebrate Lit Presents: The Crooked Daughter Author: D.M. Griffin

About the Book

Book: The Crooked Daughter

Author: D.M. Griffin

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: March 28, 2024

Choices her father made before she was even born reached a bony finger into her life, clouding her future with hopelessness. Her father’s cold heart had no room for her. He easily cast her aside when the Law permitted it. Defined as an outcast because of a physical infirmity, Priscilla was told death was her destiny. Despite the limited perspective brought about by years of adversity, Priscilla fought to keep hope alive and wait for the Lord’s timing.

Aquila lost his father at the most critical time in his life. Battling against grief and bitterness, Aquila uncovers a secret about his father’s death that undermines his faith in a religious system that once defined him. Driven from his homeland, Aquila becomes someone he no longer recognizes.

Two people whose perspectives are skewed by adversity become divinely intertwined in mysterious ways. As they wait upon the Lord for His timing, would Priscilla and Aquila ever find the truth that would lift their eyes to the hills so they could see the purpose of life, not only between a man and a woman but between God and His creation? A poignant story about how God uses adversity for good in the lives of those who truly love and trust Him.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

D.M. Griffin is the author of several Biblical Fiction novels as well as devotionals, prayer journals, and Bible studies. She will be releasing a Christian Fantasy series in 2025. She currently resides in Northern California with her husband. They met in middle school a few days after she was transplanted to the West Coast at the tender age of twelve. She has three adult children who have been an endless source of delight and inspiration. She also has a precious new grandchild who brings her joy.

As a native New England girl, she fondly remembers spending her summers there as a child. Thick accents, small towns, and fascinating weather stirred the imagination of a young heart. She has always had a fondness for stories thanks to her imaginative mother who would make up wild, adventurous tales to tell when tucking her into bed as a child.

She truly believes that a book that sits on a shelf unread is like a planted seed that never blossoms. Nothing delights her more than sharing a story.

More from D.M.

My inspiration for writing The Crooked Daughter is multi-faceted. First of all, I was intrigued by the unnamed characters in the Bible who had a single extraordinary encounter with Jesus. The woman who was bent over for eighteen years was one of the four that I selected for The Encounter Series.

Though there were few verses dedicated to this woman, I felt the deeper pull of a story tucked inside the folds of those verses describing Jesus healing her on the Sabbath. I wondered what her story was. What led her there that day? Did she go searching for Him or did Jesus pick her out of the crowd?

Reading that the woman was in that condition for eighteen years is worthy of pondering. I think a lot of times when we read Scripture, we miss the impact of time’s passage. As someone who has suffered from back pain for many years, I could relate to the crooked woman’s story. Eighteen years is a long time to be bent over. The longest I had to remain in a bent position was three weeks. It is extremely difficult to move through the world when the only thing you can see is the ground. Pain is bad enough to endure. Pain for eighteen years must have been excruciating. I know when I am in pain my mood and attitude definitely need adjustment. I would have been a monster after eighteen years!

Developing Priscilla’s character challenged me as a writer. As someone who suffered an early rejection in life only to endure physical infirmity on her own, I didn’t want her to become embittered the way most would after enduring such a trial. There was a delicate balance between lamenting her fate and holding onto hope as it slipped away. Therefore, I introduced the playful, furry character – a dog named Patch.

Aquila’s character was complex and layered. While he was physically able-bodied, his heart was agonizing with grief, responsibility, and disillusioned faith. He was a man who could stand straight even while his soul was bent over.

I have always been intrigued by Aquila and Priscilla in the Bible. As an inspirational couple who served the Lord together, I enjoyed weaving the threads of their story into the fictional account about the crooked woman. I believe that love soothes the wounds of suffering. Falling in love straightens the crooked perspectives of circumstances. Who doesn’t enjoy a good love story that culminates in a strong, enviable marriage?

In The Crooked Daughter, the main character’s condition is symbolic of the political climate of those days. The religious leaders were the ones who were bent over, their perspective about God’s acceptance of people horribly skewed under the heaviness of pride. They could not lift their eyes to the heavens to recognize the Messiah in their midst. Their hearts were hunched under the weight of selfish ambition and prejudicial attitudes. Condemnation was the chain that kept them bound, unable to see the horizon of eternity.

Physical infirmities are horrible to endure. Even worse are the infirmities of the soul. So many things can truly bend us away from God – rejection, selfishness, anger, grief, regret. Thankfully, Jesus is more than a healer. He is our Savior. I truly enjoyed exploring these themes throughout The Crooked Daughter. I hope that readers come away from the story with hope as an anchor for hard times. God truly uses all things for good when we trust in His plan.