Sandra Byrd's "Mist of Midnight"--a Gothic Victorian treat

I've become a slightly more impatient reader in recent years.  If a book doesn't grab me fairly soon after I open it, I have trouble making myself keep reading.

Mist of Midnight, by Sandra Byrd, offered no such problem. As soon as the reader meets Rebecca Ravenshaw, then finds out her extraordinary quandary, you're in.

This from Amazon.com:

"In the first of a brand-new series set in Victorian England, a young woman returns home from India after the death of her family to discover her identity and inheritance are challenged by the man who holds her future in his hands.

"Rebecca Ravenshaw, daughter of missionaries, spent most of her life in India. Following the death of her family in the Indian Mutiny, Rebecca returns to claim her family estate in Hampshire, England. Upon her return, people are surprised to see her...and highly suspicious. Less than a year earlier, an imposter had arrived with an Indian servant and assumed not only Rebecca's name, but her home and incomes."

Rebecca is a likable heroine, and I kept turning pages to find out how she would deal with her plight and her growing attraction to Captain Luke Whitfield, who has taken over her family's estate. In true Gothic novel fashion, we have to question whether the handsome captain is friend or foe. (We're hoping it's friend, because we're a little in love with him ourselves.)

In fact, the entire story has that Gothic atmosphere that I used to enjoy in writers like Victoria Holt.

About Sandra Byrd

Sandra Byrd

Sandra Byrd first drew me in with her contemporary French Twist  series about a young woman who becomes a pastry chef in France,  Then I loved her Tudor series, Ladies in Waiting.  I'm not surprised that her Victorian series, Daughters of Hampshire, should be any different.

I've read dozens, if not hundreds, of Christian fiction books.  Sandra Byrd has that something extra that makes a writer stand out in the genre.  Faith is naturally infused into her books in, as she once told me in an interview, an "organic" way.

Most of all, her books have the quality I ask for of any writer:  Make me care about the story and characters.  Give me the sheer enjoyment of reading that makes me keep turning the pages.  Sandra Byrd does that, in spades.

Disclosure: I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.  This is my honest review.

A beloved Christian writer finally gets her due

On my now "paused" book blog, Cindy's Book Club, I posted about a book I loved when I was in high school: Not My Will, by Francena H. Arnold.

I included "Not My Will" is a list of 15 Books That Will Always Stick With Me.

Here's a description of the book from the Moody Publishers website:

Eleanor's secret love for Chad could mean losing her inheritance and giving up a life long dream. Will she follow her own will, or make the hard choice to submit her life to Christ's leadership? Now available with a contemporary new look, Not My Will is a classic story of love, loss, and surrender, with more than 500,000 copies sold.

Interestingly, I just got this comment on my original post:

I am Steve Buttry, Francena Arnold’s grandson, and wanted to thank you for including "Not My Will" in this post. I cited it in Grandma’s Wikipedia entry as an example of the enduring impact of the author's work, four decades after her death. I also told more about Grandma in a longer version that I used on my own blog. 

She was a remarkable woman and an outstanding writer. I'm pleased that you have honored her by inclusion on this list.

Steve's blog post is particularly interesting, as it recounts how he and his family decided their grandmother really should have her own Wikipedia page...and everything he had to go through to make that page a reality.

Francena Arnold as a young bride, with her husband Frank in their wedding photo

An Enduring Tale

A few years ago, I re-read "Not My Will."  Yes, it was originally written in 1946, so you can't read it expecting it to feel or sound like a current novel.  But I  found it just as engrossing and inspiring as when I originally read it as a teen.

I also enjoyed the sequel, "Light in My Window," and a few other of Arnold's books, including "Then Am I Strong."

Another blogger, Jendi, wrote this in 2010:

I got to thinking while searching for information about Francena Arnold. She does not have a website, and only an empty Facebook fan page. There is not a lot of personal information about her, but her first book [Not My Will] which was originally written only for family is all over the web and the world. Her encouraging and thought provoking stories have endured the test of time.

I couldn't agree more.

At least she does have a Wikipedia page, thanks to her persistent grandson. And if you really would like to know more about this remarkable writer, I suggest you read Steve Buttry's original draft for the Wikipedia page.  It's rich with detail, insight and even writing tips from Francena Arnold.

Saturday Review of Books: Nightmare,, by Robin Parrish

I'm not one for horror movies or anything Satanic, but I have to admit--I'm a sucker for a good ghost story.

And I've always wondered--what's the deal with ghosts anyway? As a Christian, I believe souls go directly to heaven or hell when they die. So what are these things that creditable people have obviously seen?

Robin Parrish's Nightmare takes a look at such questions, and from a Christian worldview--while delivering a suspenseful and often quite scary page-turner of a tale.

The story centers around Maia Peters, a young criminal justice major whose parents are renowned paranormal investigators--or "ghost hunters," a term she doesn't like.

Maia has decided to walk away from such investigating and plans to go into law enforcement.

Then a fellow college student, the very wealthy and beautiful Jordin Cole, makes Maia an offer she can't refuse--generous payment for taking Jordin to the most haunted spots in America in an attempt to touch the paranormal.

Jordin's reasons for this quest unfold as the two take trips to places like the Stanley Hotel (famous for Stephen King's The Shining). Gettysburg, Alcatraz, and other spooky sites. And they get more than their share of paranormal evidence...leading Maia to believe that Jordin is a magnet for such activity.

The story culminates in a fast-paced, thrilling showdown between good and evil that leaves no doubt as to Who will be the winner in any such face-off.

Like some reviewers, I would have like to have seen the characters developed a bit better. I had a bit of trouble connecting with and even liking Maia initially, although she does grow more sympathetic as the tale progresses. But ultimately, that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all.

I especially liked--and was simultaneously creeped out by-- the chapters dealing with Maia and Jordin's visits to the haunted sites. They didn't just visit--they spent nights there. Alone. Very creepy, chilling, scary and well-written chapters.

If you like a good ghost story, this one is for you.

Join the Saturday Review of Books, hosted by Semicolon!

My latest book trailer

As a professional voice-over artist, one of my favorite things to do is voice book trailers. This is my latest.

I'm resurrecting my book blog!

Given my love of reading and all things book-related, I decided to resurrect my long-dormant blog, Cindy's Book Club.

The blog used to be attached to an actual book club. For a few months, a few years ago, I hosted a book club as part of my radio job with 101QFL.

Although it provided a lot of fun and fellowship during its short life, the book club was eventually discontinued.

However, the blog site remains...and I've decided to do something with it. Cindy's Book Club will be a site where I put my book reviews, book discussions, and pretty much anything to do with books.

Initially, I'll bring some of my older author interviews (which are transcribed--not in audio form) to the blog.




These books are no longer new--in some cases they go back as far as 2003, when my other blog, Notes in the Key of Life, began--but they are certainly worthy of some new publicity!

Today, I highlight Jane Kirkpatrick's Tender Ties series.

I'll also use this blog to link to reviews on other blogs and sites, so if you have a book blog, please give me your link in my comments section, and I'll make sure I follow you and put you on my blog list!

Check out my latest book trailer narration!

What is a book trailer, you ask? Well, it's pretty much like a movie trailer, except it promotes a book.

One of the hats I wear is "professional voice-over artist," and I really enjoy when a book trailer narration comes my way.

This trailer was produced by Misty Taggart of Trailer to the Stars, who always does a beautiful job.

Some wonderful books you may want to read

A round-up of some of my book reviews and author interviews

OK, I'm a reading addict. I think that fact has been properly established.

In the nearly seven years that I've been keeping this blog, I have blogged about MANY books...most of them Christian fiction books but with a smattering of nonfiction thrown in as well.

In keeping with my desire to NOT let this blog die on the vine, I decided to round up some of my book reviews for those of you who might want to check out some quality reading that will not only entertain you, but reinforce your faith and values.


Note: Some of these post contain audio links that are unfortunately no longer available.


Here they are, in no particular order:

Fiction

Third Time's a Charm, by Virginia Smith
North! Or Be Eaten, by Andrew Peterson
Breathe, by Lisa T. Bergren
Daisy Chain, by Mary DeMuth
Rachel's Secret, by B. J. Hoff
Dark Pursuit, by Brandilyn Collins
Bon Appetit, by Sandra Byrd
With Endless Sight, by Allison Pittman, and Shadows at the Window, by Linda Hall
Auralia's Colors, by Jeffrey Overstreet
Deception, by Randy Alcorn
Return to Me, by Robin Lee Hatcher
Remember to Forget, by Deborah Raney
Embrace Me, by Lisa Samson
A Mending at the Edge, by Jane Kirkpatrick
Whence Came a Prince, by Liz Curtis Higgs

Non-fiction

Valentine Promises, by Leann Weiss
A Year of Blind Dates, by Megan Carson
Scars and Stilettos, by Harmony Dust
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment, by Tim Challies
Do I Know God, by Tullian Tchividjian

Happy reading!

Check out some of my interviews...

Here are some links to interviews/excerpts/mini-interviews I've done in the past few years that you might want to take a listen to. They've been featured before on my blog, but maybe you just haven't had a chance to check them out.

--Scott MacIntyre of American Idol: Part One and Part Two

--LeeAnn Weiss, author of Valentine Promises: Heartfelt Reminders of True Love

--Christian novelist Virginia Smith

--Guideposts editor Edward Grinnan

--Megan Carson, author of A Year of Blind Dates

--Brooke Elliott, star of Drop Dead Divs

--Singer/songwriter/author Andrew Peterson

--SingerDanny Gokey

--Singer Mandisa

Why I love Andrew Peterson--and sort of a belated Easter post!

"...the early Christians... didn’t need faith to believe Christ’s resurrection like I do... They saw him. They ate fish with him. They walked and talked with the man who just a week ago was strung up like a criminal and dead as a doornail. For them it wasn’t blind faith. And that’s why the word spread like wildfire. Hundreds and hundreds of people laid eyes on the one human being since the beginning of time who kicked down Death’s door and made it out alive again."--Andrew Peterson

I've blogged about Andrew Peterson before. I've had the privilege of interviewing him a couple of times, seeing him in concert, and reading his richly imaginative fantasy books, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten.

But I have to talk about Andrew again today, because my daughter just let me listen to a song from a future CD, Resurrection Letters, Volume One (typical of Andrew's quirky, humorous approach to life, Resurrection Letters, Volume Two, was released first.)

Andrew is a poet. His lyrics are lovely and poetic, but deeply infused with Scripture and meaning. If your soul responds to such things,as well as to a rather folksy musical style, you will also love Andrew.

The song Elizabeth had me listen to was "Risen Indeed."

Had I heard it before Easter, this would definitely have been my Easter post, because both the song and Andrew's accompanying post celebrate Resurrection Day beautifully and profoundly.

In his Easter Sunday post, Andrew writes:

I long to see him face-to-face. I long to put my hand in his side, and touch the scars. I want to thank him and to worship him without this confounded veil between us. Just fighting to believe can make you weary, and faith is hard to hold. But we are given moments of reprieve. Easter comes around and the pews are full of every-Sunday sinners and once-in-a-blue-moon saints. The ice melts. The daffodils glow like little suns. We remember the earth-shaking fact of the resurrection of Jesus, and hope comes galloping in from the east, trumpeting the tune of victory.

You can scroll down Andrew's post to hear "Risen Indeed." I love how he struggles with tears as he sings certain parts of the song.

Christian singers are human, flawed sinners. I don't ask them to somehow be better or holier than the rest of us. But it sure is nice to find one who is "the real deal."

Andrew Peterson's faith is obviously unashamed and genuine. I'm a fan.

"...as I write this on Easter morning, when I think of the pain and death and sorrow that surrounds me and my community, I believe it, because I have seen a light the shadow cannot touch. I have seen healing, and unexplainable faith; I have seen quiet mercy stop evil in its tracks.

...The stories are true.

Let wonder infect you."--Andrew Peterson

Monday Melange

Main Entry: mé·lange
Pronunciation: \mā-ˈläⁿzh, -ˈlänj\
Function: noun
: a mixture often of incongruous elements

--It appears my blog is "Lost"-centric again today--understandably, since the show returns for its final season tomorrow night?

You can go here to list five of your favorite Sawyer nicknames...although I must say, some of my favorites aren't even among the options. I loved when he called Sayid "Al Jazeerah" and when he called Daniel Faraday "Twitchy."

I wonder if there's a list somewhere of all the nicknames he's used? Sawyer's nicknames are one of my favorite little things about "Lost."

--So apparently the polar bears were not as big a deal as "Lost" viewers have made them. One more interview with the producers.

--Couple of really good Christian fiction reads I've recently enjoyed: "A Lady Like Sarah," by Margaret Brownley, and Colleen Coble's "The Lightkeeper's Daughter."

--Don't you just hate that?--One of my favorite bloggers ever, Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee, talks about a book that lists some of those things you "just hate." This one, among many others, resonated with me:

Not being able to throw out an old magazine because it has an article you want to read that you know you're never going to read.

Yes, I just hate that! I have way too many magazines in my home as a result.

--Do you ever wonder what makes women stay with their very high-profile straying husband? One of the best Christian writers, Angela Hunt, collaborated with Gayle Haggard on "Why I Stayed." I haven't read it yet, but it sounds like a very good read.

Got something interesting going on at your blog? As long as it's family-friendly, feel free to leave a link in my comments section!

Titletrakk.com: Your Christian book, music and movie terminal

"We want TitleTrakk.com to be...a website where people of all walks can discover the amazing options available to them in Christian entertainment today"--from the site's "About Us" page

I interview Titletrakk.com co-creator and author, C.J. Darlington

(Go here to listen to my interview with C.J.Darlington)

How do you get word about new releases from your favorite Christian authors and musicians? Would you be interested in an online one-stop shop, so to speak, where you could get all the information on the latest books, CDs and movies...along with reviews, interviews and contests in which you can actually win some of those products?

Then Titletrakk.com is definitely for you.

The brainchild of sisters C. J. Darlington and Tracy Darlington, Titletrakk.com is one of the most varied and comprehensive websites featuring current info on books, music and movies that fall into the Christian genre.

"Tracy and I were both free-lance writers, and we had different interests...Tracy's interest was mostly Christian music, and I was more interested in the books," C.J. Darlington told me in a recent phone interview.

"We kind of were wondering how we could put our interests together, and we thought, 'Let's do a website."

The site started in 2006 with book and music info, eventually branching out into movies.

Titletrakk.com is updated every week, and typically will feature a new author interview and music interview.

A strong interactive element keeps the site popping, with reader surveys and frequent contests in which site visitors can win books, CDs and movies.

C.J. Darlington's Thicker than Blood



Since I had C.J. on the phone, I took the opportunity to ask her about her first published book, Thicker Than Blood.


She says the book was birthed when she was a 15-year-old homeschooling student, so having it published after years of revisions and rejections was particularly rewarding and exciting.

In 2008, she submitted the manuscript to the Operation First Novel contest. C.J. writes on her website:

I submitted the manuscript to the contest, and in November I found out it was a finalist. On February 19th, 2009 I was amazed when Jerry B. Jenkins announced Thicker than Blood as the winner of that year’s contest. The winner received a contract with Tyndale House, and I couldn’t be more blessed with the way the Lord brought it all about. I almost gave up on this novel. I almost put it away in a drawer. Goes to show persistence is vital in writing.

My review?

Thicker Than Blood grabbed me immediately with its tale of two very different sisters.

May is about to lose her beloved ranch, but is struggling to keep it together with the help of tenacity and faith. Christy is estranged from her family, trapped in a violent relationship, and miserable.

Adding interest and suspense to the story is the fact that Christy and her abusive ex-boyfriend Vince are antique book dealers, and Vince is involved in shady dealings that threaten to bring Christy down.

The characters are real and engaging--I found myself pulling for black sheep Christy even when she was at her worst--and the faith element is strong and believable.

And as someone who has sisters that she loves very much, the family aspect of the book was relatable and appealing.

I heartily recommend Thicker than Blood.

Go here to listen to my interview with C.J. Darlington

My interview with author Lisa T. Bergren

"What would it be like to be 'chasing the cure,' to be so sick that you would leave your home and travel...to get to a place where you're hoping to be well again? What does that mean on a physical level, but then also an emotional and spiritual level?"--Lisa T. Bergren

I recently blogged about Lisa T. Bergren's terrific Breathe: A Novel of Colorado. Today I had a great conversation with the author herself.

If you check out Lisa's bio, you find that she's been involved in just about every aspect of Christian fiction, from editor to bookseller. I'm sure she was just great in each of those roles, but I can tell you that she really shines as a writer.

Lisa and I talked about how, as a resident of Colorado Springs, she was prompted to write a book focusing on how the town was a haven, in the late 18-hundreds, for consumptives--as people who suffered from tuberculosis was then known. She found the research into how people "chased the cure" fascinating--and so did I as a reader.

We also talked about the main characters in "Breathe," who will also be featured in the remaining two books of the trilogy. They are siblings Dominic, Odessa and Moira St. Clair. Lisa's skilled pen brings their very different, flawed but appealing personalities to life.



Lisa doesn't avoid Christian content in her novels, but she likes it to rise "organically" from the story. And it does--imparting spiritual truth, but never feeling forced, cliched or heavy-handed.

You can hear the entire interview here.

Strong story, appealing characters make "Breathe" a great read

As a radio interviewer, I get a lot of Christian fiction crossing my desk. Most of it I enjoy. But frankly, some books I abandon because, even though they're not terrible, they just don't "grab" me.

Breathe: A Novel of Colorado, by Lisa T. Bergren, certainly doesn't fall into the latter category. This book grabbed me from the very first page and kept me reading way past my bedtime--for me, a sure mark of a teriffic read.

I've read lots of fiction featuring people with tuberculosis--or "consumption," as it was called in the 18-hundreds--but never one in which the "consumptive" actually recovered and went on to live a healthy life. That's just one of the intriguing things about "Breathe."

Set in Colorado Springs in the late 18-hundreds, this is the first in a series about the St. Clair family--two sisters and a brother who journey by train from Philadelphia for one of the siblings to "chase the cure" and open a bookstore for their wealthy publisher father.

Apparently Colorado Springs was highly sought-after by people suffering from tuberculosis in that era because of its beneficial climate.

The beginning of the book plunges us immediately into the action: just as the St. Clair's train is about to pull into Colorado Springs, their sister Odessa is on the brink of death.

The scene establishes the three main characters: Odessa, gentle, ladylike and courageous; Moira, loving but flighty and ambitious; Nic, determined to protect his sisters, but frustrated by the role thrust upon him by his father and anxious to find his own place in life.

As we follow Odessa's recovery and budding romance at a sanatorium, Moira's involvement with the town's tyrannical sheriff, and Nic's secret life as an alcohol-swigging boxer, there's a strong subplot involving murder and mystery that would keep you turning the pages even if the interesting characters didn't.

Lisa T. Bergren is an excellent writer. A Colorado Springs resident herself, she infuses the story with the feel of authenticity and a strong sense of place.

Best of all, she's not afraid to acknowledge Christian faith throughout the story, and she portrays it in a way that is neither preachy nor cheesy.

I highly recommend "Breathe," and I can't wait for the next book in the trilogy.

By the way, I'll be interviewing Lisa T. Bergren for my radio show, and I'll be sure to blog about it.