I’m not sure how I feel about this Bible. Have any of you read it?  What do you think of it?  Do you recommend it?

I was leery of The Living Bible so I’m really leery of a book that condenses the Bible to a 100-minute read.

If you haven’t heard of this Bible, you can read about it HERE.

After thinking about it, I think my problem is that the book is referred to as a Bible.  I’d probably be more open to it if it had another title.  Unfortunately, I can’t think of one.

What do you think?

Not me, exactly.

I received a letter in the mail today from an editor at Grand Central Publishing informing me that they had an overstock situation with the hardcover version of The Amen Sisters.  I think this is code for the hardcover is being taken out of print, but don’t quote me.

Anyway, given the overstock situation, I’ve been given the opportunity to buy copies of The Amen SIsters for $2.00 plus $0.50 shipping for a total of $2.50.  Pretty good deal, huh?  Well, it depends.

Guess how many copies I get to purchase from this excess inventory?  You’ll never guess, so I’ll tell you — 8.  Yes, 8.  I had to do a double-take myself.  They must not have had much of an overstock, huh?

I guess I’ll go ahead and buy the 8 but it hardly seems worth it.  I may make a call tomorrow to make sure the 8 wasn’t a typo or something.

I’ve been doing a few booksignings. This past weekend I had a couple.  I want to thank all the readers of this blog who showed up to spend some time with me–Sherri and Rhonda, especially folks I had only met online.   That’s you, Jennifer! 

I’ll blog later about the booksignings (and give more shout-outs) but I wanted to share something with you that was made clear to me again this weekend.

Booksignings are about people, not about books. 

If you know what I mean, give me a shout-out.  If you think I’m wrong, let me know why.

When I participated in the Soul Expressions tour last month I had a chance to catch up with some of the romance authors who started this journey about the time that I did. In celebration of the ground-breaking work they did for the African-American romance genre, I asked a few of them to participate in what I’m calling, Romance Pioneer Week. I asked each of them three questions and I’ll be sharing their responses over the next week or so. It looks like about five will participate. Note these are traditional romance authors, not Christian romance authors.

Next up, Francis Ray.

Francis Ray

http://www.francisray.com

Francis Ray is a native Texan and lives in Dallas. A graduate of Texas Woman’s University, she is a School Nurse Practitioner with the Dallas Independent School District. Ms. Ray’s titles consistently make bestseller’s lists such as Blackboard and Essence Magazine.. INCOGNITO, her sixth title, was the first made-for-TV movie for BET. She has written thirty-one titles to date. Awards include Romantic Times Career Achievement, EMMA, The Golden Pen, and The Atlantic Choice.

How long have you been published and what’s your key to longevity in the publishing business?

My first book, FALLEN ANGEL, was published in 1992 by Odyssey Books. If there is a key, I think it is writing consistently and writing what you love. Publishing can go through phases of what’s hot. If a writer isn’t careful he or she will try to follow the trend instead of their heart. But a trend can also become a staple of publishing. A writer thought of something “different” and the reader embraced it. And that brings me to what I believe is THE most important factor in longevity, loyal readers who love your work and aren’t shy about letting others know.

A lot of your books are series or are connected in some way. Tell us a little about the series you’ve written and why you write them.

I honestly didn’t start out to write a series. Readers wanted to know about Matt Taggart when he appeared in FOREVER YOURS. His story became ONLY HERS. Daniel Falcon took off his hat in ONLY HERS and set women’s hearts aflutter and thus HEART OF THE FALCON was written. Daniel’s sister tried to break up his wedding and therefore had to find her own happiness in BREAK EVERY RULE. Dominique and Daniel’s cousin, Luke Grayson, was noticeably displeases at her wedding. It was then, and only then, that I decided to do a series, The Graysons of New Mexico about a match-making mother marrying off all of her children from the oldest, Luke, to the youngest.

Reader response was fantastic. They wanted to know what happened to the other characters they’d met in the five books - UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, YOU AND NO OTHER, DREAMING OF YOU, IRRESISTIBLE YOU, ONLY YOU - in the Grayson series. Since I wasn’t ready to leave the series, Grayson Friends Series is the result. Book One, THE WAY YOU LOVE ME, is scheduled for release August 26, 2008. Six more books are planned. Book Two is NOBODY BUT YOU which is slated for release April 2009.

What do you envision for yourself and the romance industry over the next five to ten years?

I truly hope there is more diversity in the buying habits of readers. A good book is a good book regardless of the hue of the character’s skin or language. I don’t know what will be in vogue, but I do believe romance in its traditional form will always find a place in reader’s heart and on their bookshelf.

Thanks, Francis!

Today is the 12th so I’m blogging at Blogging in Black, now ReadersRooms.com. You can probably guess what my post is about given the title of this one.  Come on over and see if you’re right.

There was a post by a New Orleans resident (Farrah Rochon) at BIB earlier this week about Gustav. You can check it out HERE.  Baton Rouge resident Lynn Emery talks about her experience HERE.

Romance Pioneers will resume on Monday.

Last week (September 3-5) I participated in my first Christian Fiction Blog Alliance (CFBA) Blog Tour.  My publisher, HarperCollins, provided copies of Up Pops the Devil to somewhere around 50 - 60 CFBA reviewers who, in return, were to participate in the blog tour.  CFBA reviewers may post the generic review provided by CFBA or they can write their own personal review.  As of today, 62 CFBA reviewers have participated in the tour, with 14 of those reviewers providing personal reviews of Up Pops the Devil.

I would like to thank the reviewers who requested Up Pops the Devil for review.  A special thanks goes to the 62 who participated in the tour and my deep appreciation to the 14 who took the time to read Up Pops the Devil and provide a personal review. I apologize to those reviewers who haven’t yet received their copy of Up Pops the Devil or who received it too late to post a review during the tour.

In addition to getting Up Pops the Devil into the hands of readers who had never read me before, this tour also allowed me to get to know some new blogs and bloggers.  It’s been a great experience.  I’ve provided the list here so that you can check some of them out for yourself.  I’ll be updating the list over the coming weeks as new reviews of Up Pops the Devil are posted.

Enjoy!

50 Reviewers from CFBA List

Alexis at Ramblings From Life

Amy at My Life (with review)

Andie at frommipov

Angela at One Baby, Seven Dogs, and a Mommy

April at Projecting A (with review)

April at Living In A State Of Constant Kansas

Bonnie at Bonnie Writes

Caleb at Reviews Plus+

Camy at Camy Tang

Carol at Blogging With Carol (with review)

Carolyn at Serenity

CeeCee at Book Splurge (with review)

Cheryl at Writing Remnants (with review)

Dave at Dave Rhoades

Dave at Novel Spotlight

Deanna at Deannna’s Corner (with review)

Debra at Soul Reflections

Deena at A Peek At My Bookshelf (with review)

Delia at Gatorskunkz And Mudcats

Erin at Life Around Here

Janis at The Nearsighted Bookworm

Janna at Cornhusker Academy (with review)

Jeni at Allen Family Circus

Jennifer at So Many Books…So Little Time

Karen at Mommy of Three (up, review coming later)

Karla at Ramblin’ Roads To Everywhere (not up yet)

Kelly at A Disciple’s Steps

Kelly at Scrambled Dregs (with review and interview)

Kim at Window To My World (with review)

Kristi at Stamped With Grace

Kristinia at Loving Heart Mommy

Kristy at I Need To Read

LaShaunda at See Ya On The Net

Leah at Ponderings From My Heart

Margaret at Creative Madness (up, review may be coming)

Marilynn at Rhythms of Grace (not up yet)

Michelle at Edgy Inspirational Author (up, review coming later)

Michelle at Just A Minute (up, in the sidebar)

Michelle at Michelle’s Great Blogs

Nora at Finding Hope Through Christian Fiction

Pam at Pam’s Private Reflections (up, review coming later)

Pam at Daysong Reflections (with review)

Rachelle at Stifled Squeal

Rel at Relz Reviewz

Rulan at Fiction Showcase

Sean at Bookmark Cafe

Tabitha at 123pizza’s Weblog

Takiela at Beauty 4 Ashes

Tara at Tara’s View Of The World (with review)

Ty at CB Reviews (with review)

14 Additional CFBA Reviewers I Found

Jill at Christian Work at Home Moms

Marcia at Writer-lee

Todd at A Place Called Fiction

Diane at Spunk on a Stick’s Tip

Jenny at My Buckling Bookshelf

Ashley at Ashley - A Daughter of the King

Laura at Laura Williams’ Musings

Patricia at Readin N Writin with Patricia (with review)

Georgiana at Georgiana Daniels

Trish at Books and Book Reviews

AmyAnne at Sprightly

Carolina Chritian Writers Blog

Christy at Split Ends

Brandy at Brandy Bruce

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Wounded: A Love Story
David C. Cook (September 2008)
by
Claudia Mair Burney

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Claudia is the author of the popular Ragamuffin Diva blog and the David C. Cook novel Zora and Nicky: A novel in Black And White. She is also the author of Death, Deceit, and Some Smooth Jazz, and the Amanda Bell Brown Mysteries and the Exorsistah series for teens. Her work has appeared in Discipleship Journal magazine, The One Year Life Verse Devotional Bible, and Justice in the Burbs.

She lives in Michigan with her husband, five of their seven children, and a quirky dwarf rabbit.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SHE HAD A VISION OF CHRIST PLACING TWO PERFECT RED ROSES IN HER HANDS…AND THEN SHE WAS WOUNDED!

If a miracle happened to you, wouldn’t you tell everyone? What if they thought you were crazy?

Gina Merritt, poor in health and rich in faith is the last person to expect a miracle to happen to her. As she sits in a pew on Ash Wednesday with throbbing pain in her knees and a raging migraine, she turns her concentration elsewhere and silently prays, “Share with me, Jesus.”

Instantly she has a holy vision of the Son of God kneeling before her. As tears fill her eyes, Christ kisses Gina’s hands, leaving two perfect red roses. When the vision fades, Gina’s hands are bleeding.

Anthony Priest, the junkie sitting beside her, instinctively touches Gina when she cries out, but she flees in shock and pain. A prizewinning journalist before drugs destroyed his career, Anthony is stunned that he is suddenly overcome with a sense of well-being and he instantly knows that he is cured of his addiction. Wanting an explanation, Anthony follows Gina home.

Is it a miracle, or just a religious delusion? It seems like everyone who knows of the mysterious stigmata has an opinion, and it’s not always favorable. Putting aside their difference and their mutual distrust, Gina and Anthony embark on a search for answers. Along the way they encounter an uncertain evangelical pastor, a gentle Catholic priest, a certifiable religious zealot, and a transvestite drug dealer, all of whom lend their voices to the tale. It’s a quest for truth, sanity, and grace…and an unexpected love story.

If you would like to read and excerpt from Wounded: A Love Story, go HERE

What’s a community organizer? 

The answer, according to community organizers: HERE

Organizers again (two minutes, forty seconds):

These descriptions lead me to an idea for a new book.  Not my next one since it’s due in a month but maybe the one after that.

We have a female community organizer of the Democratic persuasion and a male city official of the Republican persuasion, both Christians. I’ll give each one of them an Independent friend, not sure if the friends will be Christians. The goal of the story will be to put on display the tensions between faith and party allegiance, regardless of your party affiliation. 

The challenge with this story would be to resist the urge to turn it into an issue book.  Issue books are preachy and boring.  In this book, I’d have to trust my characters and give them the freedom to develop naturally.  Doing that means the book could take me somewhere I didn’t plan to go.

I wonder if such a book would be too heavy or too controversial for readers.  I’d really focus on the romance angle and show the two folks coming together to address some community problem and in the process having to reconsider some of their political and religious positions.

This is how my ideas start.  Who knows where this one is going to end.  I’ll keep you posted.

Where would you take the idea or would you drop it?  Do you know of other books that have tried to do this? Let me know your thoughts.

UPDATE: You know, I think the story will be more interesesting if the woman is the Republican city official and the man is the Democratic organizer.  What do you think?

Gustav hit, it just didn’t hit New Orleans.  This time Baton Rouge got most of the damage.  People evacuated New Orleans this time, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t in trouble.  Ponder these questions:

Where would you go if you had to evacuate, pack up and leave your home?

Would you be able to afford the travel, housing and food costs associated with having to leave home for more than a week?

To be honest, I never really thought about these questions until I spoke with someone from Baton Rouge (hopefully she’ll be blogging about Gustav this week; her Internet service hasn’t been that reliable) and later got an update from someone in New Orleans who pointed me to this article (hopefully she’ll be blogging when she returns home)  – HERE

Just because Gustav wasn’t as devastating to as many people as Katrina was doesn’t mean it wasn’t devastating to those it did affect, including those in the Caribbean.  Let’s do what we can to help.

NOTE: Romance Pioneers will continue on Friday.

When I participated in the Soul Expressions tour last month I had a chance to catch up with some of the romance authors who started this journey about the time that I did. In celebration of the ground-breaking work they did for the African-American romance genre, I asked a few of them to participate in what I’m calling, Romance Pioneer Week. I asked each of them three questions and I’ll be sharing their responses over the next week or so. It looks like about five will participate. Note these are traditional romance authors, not Christian romance authors. 

Next up, Beverly Jenkins.

Beverly Jenkins

http://www.beverlyjenkins.net

Beverly Jenkins has written sixteen books to date and has received numerous awards for her works, including: the Detroit Free Press Book of the Year, three Waldenbooks Best Sellers Awards; two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times Magazine; a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer’s Guild, and in 1999, Ms Jenkins was voted one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the 20th Century by AABLC, the nation’s largest on-line African-American book club. In May of 2002, Ms. Jenkins published her first historical novel for young adults, titled: Belle and the Beau. Her second YA, Josephine and the Soldier followed in 2003. 

How long have you been published and what’s your key to longevity in the publishing business?

My first novel Nightsong was published in 1994. I attribute my longevity to giving readers my best effort with each book.

Angela: I attribute Beverly’s longevity to the details of African-American history that permeate her historicals.  She’s known as a very sexy writer, but she’s also known for writing books that teach you something about history that’s not found in your typical history book.  If that intrigues you but the sexy turns you off, then try her young adult titles: Josephine and the Soldier and Belle and the Beau.  IMO, they’re the same as the adult historicals, but without the sexy. These books are being re-issued by Kimani TRU next year as Josephine and Belle, respectively. 

A lot of your books are series or are connected in some way. Tell us a little about the series you’ve written and why you write them.

My books are not series in the real sense. Some of my secondary characters have gone on to get their own books, but they can function as stand alone titles. Topaz brought forth Always and Forever, and A Chance at Love. Taming Jessi Rose brought forth Something Like Love which brought about Wild Sweet Love which is also related to Nightsong. It can get complicated. LOL Indigo is related to Through the Storm and Winds of the Storm with descendants who show up in one my romantis suspense title Deadly Sexy. My historical characters live on through their descendants in my 5 titles of romantic suspense. Like I said - complicated.

What do you envision for yourself and the romance industry over the next five to ten years?

For myself I hope to keep writing. For the industry, continued diversity in the stories that are marketed.

Thanks, Beverly!