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Posts Tagged ‘novel’
Download a FREE Sample Chapter of Caged Dove
The first chapter of Andrea Rodgers’ highly anticipated novel Caged Dove is now available for free. You can access this sample preview here.
Synopsis: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
Twenty years ago, Aniston Kline learned that childhood rhyme wasn’t true after being bullied in junior high. Now a newspaper reporter, Aniston returns to her hometown—a place she thought she would never return to—prepared to write an article about a boy’s story that echoes her past. Aniston wants nothing more than to slip in and out of Savanna Shores unseen and unrecognized by anyone who might still remember her; however, a brutal snowstorm ushers her into town and leaves her stranded in a snowstorm with her high school crush, Arjay.
Arjay Mason was once the handsome quarterback of the high school football team. Now a police officer in Savanna Shores, he has yet to find lasting love. He realizes he already missed one opportunity with Aniston and doesn’t want her to leave again—but how could she stay in a town that once caused her pain?
As Aniston faces her own demons from her past and sifts through old emotions with Arjay, the fate of a teenage girl named Maddie becomes intricately intertwined with the two adults’ to reveal a much grander plan for everyone involved. While it seemed like it was just coincidence that brought together Aniston and Arjay, the two begin to understand there’s a reason they were brought together again . . .
$.99 SALE: One Day Only!
For 24 Hours we’re offering a brand new fiction title for just $.99! Pick up Hannah Buckland’s new book Rebecca Stubbs: The Vicar’s Daughter at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $.99 on Kindle!
Synopsis: Rebecca Stubbs, the beloved daughter of a conscientious village vicar in Victorian England, has always enjoyed a sheltered, idyllic childhood. Her parents work tirelessly for their small farm community, aiding both the church and the poor. When an unexpected outbreak of fever rages through the town, Rebecca must face growing up alone.
As she matures into womanhood, Rebecca finds that she is ill-prepared for her new world. With no home, no family, and few prospects, she is determined to make her own way in life. As a housemaid at Barton Manor, she struggles to find her place in a world of double standards and man-made rules.
Can she keep her faith strong amidst a lonely life of domestic service? Must she always be a bystander, watching other people’s lives unfold and flourish? Or is there something else in store for her servant heart? BUY NOW
Powerful Novel Aims to Bring Attention to “Bullycide”
Author’s Real-Life Experience woven Through Caged Dove
For immediate release: Caged Dove was not written without tears, says author Andrea Rodgers. Although the idea for the story has been floating in her mind for two decades, Rodgers says it took time to gather the courage to revisit those painful memories from her past. “Bullying and suicidal thoughts were something I once dealt with and overcame,” she explains. “But I believe it’s also our duty to stand up for those who are currently going through similar situations.” Caged Dove (Ambassador International; October 2015; $13.99, paperback) follows the story of journalist Aniston Kline assigned to cover a tragic story that echoes her own past.
While bullycide is a prominent theme in the novel, Rodgers continues her trademark style of writing about dark topics without being too dark, a skill seen with her first novel The 20th Christmas. Much of Caged Dove is a light-hearted love story. “If you ever had a high school crush than you can relate to the giddy and silly memories of the main characters,” says Rodgers. “School crushes were a bright light for me. I kept one high school journal so it was fun to read to get back into that mind-frame!”
Caged Dove begins with Psalm 55:6, “I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.'” The verse fits the novel’s plot perfectly says Rodgers, whose faith was significantly strengthened during her own bullying experience. “It really helped to have the perspective that Jesus was bullied and therefore knew exactly what it was like and was on my side. Looking at what he’d endured, I had motivation to rise above my own situation,” says Andrea who spent a year as an atheist. “But once I realized he was with me every single minute at school—I wasn’t on my own, he was watching everything and would help me through it—life got amazingly better. I wore cross necklaces to school and, when the kids were mean, I’d hold on to the cross and feel Jesus standing beside me. He was not only my friend, but gave me the most strength I’d ever had.”
About the Author: Andrea Rodgers is a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She worked in the television and radio industry prior to being a stay at home mom, but her life-long dream was to be an author. A few months after her oldest child started kindergarten, she wrote her first published novel, The 20th Christmas. Her second book, Caged Dove, follows one year later. Andrea lives near Des Moines with her husband, son, and daughter.
To receive a review copy of Caged Dove or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].
$1.99 SALE: One Day Only!
For 24 Hours we’re offering a brand new fiction title for just $1.99! Pick up Robert Parlante’s book Patch Town: Up From the Ashes at a discounted rate for the Kindle during our one-day sale event. After Thursday the price will go up to $2.99 through the weekend, and then it will return to regular price. So don’t wait- pick up this book right now for just $1.99 on Kindle!
Synopsis: Someone is trying to harm Martin Gilmore. First a white jalopy with a missing tailgate tries to run him down. He encounters road rage involving a dark blue van. Then an oversized black truck stalks him for the final kill.
As Martin follows clues leading to the suspected killer, he receives startling news. His young daughter Ruthie faces a diagnosis of breast cancer. Martin’s world collapses, having lost his wife three years earlier to cancer. And now will Ruthie face a similar nightmare?
Employed by a real estate development company, Martin is drawn into a web of corporate deceit as Ruthie’s illness overwhelms him, and the killer zeroes in on him.
Martin must confront hard choices: be a supportive dad to Ruthie, try to live as an ethical believer, and deal with his feelings for his friend Linda. In the end, Martin faces an inferno of hatred where his life hangs in balance and his trust in God is challenged. BUY NOW
Learning to Trust God When Life Spirals Out of Control
New novel follows life of a hopeful college student navigating turmoil and tragedy
For immediate release: Samantha Jordan planned on enjoying her senior year at Brenton College. With her stepmom, Bay Harris, soon to add another precious addition to her family of four, the future is looking bright and exciting. However, when tragedy strikes the midst of her family, Sam must come to terms with her relationship with God and reevaluate her life. In From Driftwood to Sapphire (Ambassador International; August 2015; $14.99), Sam is forced to uncover shocking secrets that completely disrupt her quiet mountaintop life. The question is, will these new changes be accepted?
rom Driftwood to Sapphire is author Kathy M. Howard’s second novel, the anticipated follow up to her 2014 book From Dishes to Snow. “From Driftwood to Sapphire brings Samantha Jordan’s point of view into light. She is the daughter of Wren Jordan, the main character’s love interest in From Dishes to Snow,” explains Howard. “Samantha grew up without a mother, until her father married Bay Harris – a mother without her children as a result of a tragic accident. All of the lives are interconnected in some way or another, with God and View Top Mountain as commonalities.”
Sam’s journey may start out with a tragic loss, but it will also end up with a surprising addition. With the discovery of a long-lost mother and a potential half-sister, Sam’s plan for a quiet senior year is about to take an unexpected turn. “It’s easier to trust God with our lives when things are going well, when we are happy and healthy,” says Howard. “But, when life spirals out of our control, trusting Him is much more difficult. We want answers and reasons for why situations occur. We want the easy way out or to press rewind and change our life’s direction.”
Howard says the book is a very clear example Proverbs 3:5-6, which tells us to trust God and to not lean on our own understanding of a situation. “We need to trust Him whether we understand the whys or not,” she says. “That is a lot easier said than done, but if we will stop trying to fight Him, stop trying to swim upstream against the current, He will see us through, having a greater faith and a more peaceful spirit.”
About the Author: Kathy M. Howard makes her home in Blackshear, Georgia, with her husband and two daughters. She has been involved in education since 1998 as an elementary school teacher, a private school principal, and presently, as a homeschooling mom. Driftwood to Sapphire is her second novel.
To connect with the author or request a review copy of From Driftwood to Sapphire please contact publicist Alison Storm at [email protected].
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‘Twas the Week Before Christmas Sale: Day 2
It’s day two of Ambassador’s ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas Sale! Here’s a little poem to explain how it works:
Each day the price on another book will dwindle.
So readers everywhere can enjoy them on Kindle.
With a seven day sale, you’ll find books you need.
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good read!
Our sale began with The 20th Christmas by Andrea Rodgers. We’re continuing this week of great deals by lowering the price of Kathy M. Howard’s book From Dishes to Snow. Check back tomorrow for another incredible deal on a great read from Ambassador International!
Gripping Novel Follows Young Orphan As She Navigates Tragedy
Despite Devastating Loss, Young Girl Resolves to Let Hope and Love Prevail
For immediate release: Witnessing her family die in a flood could have been enough to ruin Callie Mae McCauley, but she doesn’t let being orphaned at the age of eight destroy her tender spirit. The River Keeper (Ambassador International; October 2014; $14.99, paperback) follows young Callie as she navigates the stream of life. Through gentle ripples and vengeful rapids, she finds healing living with her grandmother in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Set along the banks of the New River in North Carolina in the 1940s, author Sarah Martin Byrd artfully writes about the rugged hillsides and idyllic meadows with familiarity that can only come from someone who has called this place home. Believed to be one of the oldest rivers in North America, the author has woven its natural history into the story of The River Keeper. “I have probably done more research on this one story than I’ve done on all my others,” explains Sarah, who has fished, swam and paddled through miles of the river. “The New River is so rich in history and folklore.”
Based on actual events, The River Keeper tells the story of the 13-year battle to protect the New River from development. In 1965 Appalachian Power filed an application with the Federal Power Commission for permission to build a two-dam hydroelectric and pumped-storage facility. This project would have flooded over forty thousand acres of rich bottomland, displacing as many as 3,000 people, destroying hundreds of cabins, churches and cemeteries and one of the most important archeological areas in the eastern United States.
The River Keeper is Byrd’s third project with Ambassador International. In 2012 Ambassador International published Byrd’s novel The Color of My Heart, which pushes readers to contemplate whether they believe heart matters more than skin. In 2013 Byrd released The Manger Mouse, a touching children’s book about a tiny mouse’s big role in the Christmas story.
About the Author: Sarah Martin Byrd is a graduate of The Institute of Children’s Literature. She is a published novelist, newspaper columnist, blogger, and former Advertising Manager for a regional newspaper. Sarah loves sharing her life story with children of all ages. She speaks at schools, book clubs, libraries and book festivals. Sarah lives at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina with her husband of 38 years. Her only daughter and grandchild live close by. When not creating new stories she loves camping, canoeing, fishing, her daily walks, and spending time with her family.
To receive a review copy of The River Keeper or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].
Heart-Wrenching Novel Tells Story of Christmastime Kidnapping
The 20th Christmas Filled with Two Decades of Emotion
For immediate release: “Write this– it’s time.” Awoken after a vivid dream that revealed the plot for author Andrea Rodgers’ latest novel, the voice of God very clearly told her this story needed to be told. In The 20th Christmas (Ambassador International; October 2014; $13.99, paperback) a joyous day spent shopping for gifts on a cold December morning turns tragic as Arianna Tate’s toddler Chase goes missing from a coffee shop.
Rodgers takes readers on an emotional, two-decade long journey. Set in Des Moines, Iowa, this fictional kidnapping makes reference to the well-known Johnny Gosch case, a 12-year-old newspaper carrier who disappeared during his route in 1982. The abduction put parents across the state on edge and sparked a fear campaign in the Iowa schools.
Instead of helping her son make his first gingerbread house, Arianna is fielding questions from authorities about his disappearance. Two days before Christmas Chase’s friends, family and complete strangers gather in frigid temperatures for a candlelight vigil outside the coffee shop he was last seen. Living in a fog of guilt and pain, the Tate’s celebrate Christmas after Christmas longing for the return of their precious son. With their marriage on the verge of destruction, the Tate’s must find a way to live with the grief of losing their son.
Meanwhile a drug addicted, mentally unstable woman reconnects with her estranged sister, this time with a child. After her sister’s death, Lydia and her husband adopt the little boy, raising him alongside their own four children. The 20th Christmas begins in 1994 with Chase’s disappearance, and ends in 2014 with an answer to Arianna’s repeated question to God, “why?”
About the Author: Andrea Rodgers knew from a young age that she wanted to be a novelist. Her passion never wavered, even when she put creative writing on hold for “a real job.” Andrea majored in journalism and mass communication at Iowa State University and worked at a Christian music station prior to being a stay-at-home-mom. She’s thrilled to be doing what she feels is her purpose in life. Andrea resides near Des Moines with her husband and two children.
To receive a review copy of The 20th Christmas or to connect with the author please contact publicist Alison Storm by email at [email protected].