Christian fiction

Celebration Day! NO SAFE PLACE has been released into the wild book world!

September 20, 2023 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Today is release day for my newest novel, NO SAFE PLACE! It may not be as dramatic as giving birth to a real-live baby, but it is pretty exciting for this author to see the characters I imagined and created slowly come to life in their own suspenseful, nail-biting story.

Sometimes a story nearly writes itself. This one certainly did not. It took long months, days, and hours of one step forward and two steps back. I always find it interesting once I’ve completed a novel, to go back and look at the notes and plans I had for my original story. NO SAFE PLACE was so much different then. Sort of like the struggle grapevines need to go through to produce the finest wine grapes, my story had to go through a drought where I barely managed to write a few sentences a day, my brain wouldn’t shut down at night thinking about my character’s journey, and when the words finally came thick and fast, the delete key played a wonderful part in thinning out the confusion. Finally, there was a story worth far more than if I’d just gone with the first scenario I’d come up with.

My dear friend Joy was a wonderful sounding board in the early days of creating No SAFE PLACE. We met for breakfast and shared our works-in-progress many times. She was always so encouraging, helpful, and supportive. I wish she was here to read the finished story. I know she would have enjoyed discussing it over a pot of coffee at Perkins. If there is coffee in heaven, I’m sure she’s raising a cup in celebration.

Download NO SAFE PLACE today and mark off a few hours of quiet time to immerse yourself in the story of a woman afraid to live life outside the walls of her house, but finds that inside is even more terrifying.

No Safe Place by Barbara Ellen Brink

When tragedy strikes acclaimed mystery writer L.E. Stanfield, she is left without ballast or sail, floundering in grief and a crisis of faith. Dealing with agoraphobia and fear of the outside world, she locks herself away in a computerized smart home. But when her secure system is taken over by an unknown perpetrator and details from her work-in-progress are used to terrify her, she finds her safe place no longer safe. ~

Thanks for stopping! Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Barbara

A book deadline to die for…

August 29, 2023 By Barbara 1 Comment

Bookblurb:

An acclaimed mystery writer finds her words brought frighteningly to life…

After her fiancé is violently murdered walking home from the gym one night, celebrated author L.E. Stanfield flees the crime-ridden city of Minneapolis to settle in the comparative safety of smalltown rural Wisconsin. Dealing with agoraphobia and a crisis of faith related to her grief, she lives in a gated, computerized, smart home where she feels safe from the outside world, locked inside by debilitating fear and anger at God, isolated and alone.

When her New York editor is killed in a traffic accident, the publisher quickly assigns a new editor to help meet the deadline on her novel. Carson Scott is handsome, smart, and easy to work with, and she quickly connects with him online, but is there more to his story than meets the eye?

Living under her real name and never leaving the house, no one in town could possibly connect Liya Sharapova to her non-de-plume. But someone has hacked her security system and is busy turning her safe place into a living nightmare by using scenes from her own work-in-progress.

Will Liya release her death grip on the need to control and protect her life and let God transform the ashes of her past into a future ripe with promise?

A psychological Christian thriller with page turning tension in every chapter right up to the surprising twist that you won’t see coming. ~~

As it has taken me so long to get this baby out of my head and into book form, some of you might die from sheer happiness at the thought that it is finally available for #preOrder and will soon be released for your actual reading pleasure. Others, may just die from shock that I actually finished the thing. Either way, NO SAFE PLACE (formerly known in my head as The Death of Nikita), is available now at all online bookstores for PreOrdering.

All you have to do is click the PreOrder link to purchase and on September 20th the book will be automatically downloaded onto your reading device or phone app or computer or whatever you read on. It’s as simple as that.

It’s been a couple of years since I released a book, so please help me out by clicking that PreOrder button. You won’t be charged until the day of release, but it starts the process of algorithms, ratings, and all that jazz to allow more people to see the page. And share this blog or the link to the book on Facebook and X with your followers and friends to get the word out. I would greatly appreciate it!

No Safe Place is a psychological Christian thriller that will have you rethinking those digital devices we are all so attached to. What’s not to love about an agoraphobic author who hasn’t left her smart home for over a year being stalked by a scary computer hacker who has full access to her home and life? But don’t worry, it’s not all dark and scary. I have added a touch of romance and a cute stray dog to bring a few lighter moments to the story.

The links above are for Amazon kindle, but here is a link that will take you to all of the other bookstores where it is available to purchase > No Safe Place

Thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment and let me know what you think about the cover or blurb or just to say hi! Don’t forget to go PreOrder today! And share, share, share!

Barbara

Spring Fever book promo/kindle giveaway, Day 8 Author Regina Rudd Merrick

March 7, 2018 By Barbara 1 Comment

Welcome to DAY 8 of SPRING FEVER!

Regina Merrick is a writer, church musician, wife, mother, and grateful follower of Jesus Christ. Having lived most of her life in Western Kentucky, she dreams of the sound of crashing waves and sandy beaches. Married to her husband of 30-plus years, she is the mother of two grown daughters, and the keeper of a 100-year-old house where she lives in the small town of Marion, KY.

Regina Merrick began reading romance and thinking of book ideas as early as her teenage years when she attempted a happily-ever-after sequel to “Gone With the Wind.” That love of fiction parlayed into a career as a school librarian and then a public librarian, where she served as a director for thirteen years. She began attending local writing workshops and continued to hone her craft by writing several short and novel-length fan-fiction pieces published online, where she met other authors with a similar love for story, a Christian worldview, and happily-ever-after.

Her first novel, Carolina Dream, is book one in the “Southern Breeze Series,” and Carolina Mercy, book two in the series, will be released in July 2018 by Mantle Rock Publishing, LLC.

Connect with Regina online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Regina-R-Merrick-512257938964888/

Twitter: @trmerrick64

Instagram: reginamerrick

Website: https://reginamerrick.wordpress.com

Carolina Dream

Book blurb:

Sarah Crawford wants more from life than to attend the wedding of her ex-fiancée. An unexpected inheritance in South Carolina comes at the perfect time, just as Sarah is willing to use any excuse to get out of town. When she meets potential business partner Jared Benton and discovers that a house is part of the inheritance, she is sure that God has been preparing her for this time through a recurring dream.

But will a dream about an antebellum mansion, many rooms to be explored, and a man with dark brown eyes give her the confidence to take a leap of faith, leaving friends, family, and her job behind?

Link(s) to purchase book(s):

Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Dream-Southern-Regina-Merrick/dp/1945094133/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1503621953&sr=1-1

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Dream-Regina-Rudd-Merrick-ebook/dp/B06XF1HK4L/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1503621953&sr=1-1&dpID=51-lUjAuRUL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

Spring Fever special: Sign up for my newsletter and receive a PDF document, “Special Features From Carolina Dream,” which includes the inspiration for the story as well as pictures of the places that inspired the location.

Carolina Mercy, book 2 of the Southern Breeze Series has been submitted and will release in July of 2018. I would love to talk about that!

Secret word of the day is… Beach

ENTER Now> a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for stopping! Leave a comment and let us know how you’re enjoying Spring Fever!

Barbara

Spring Fever Promo/kindle Giveaway, Day 7: Author Kimberly Rose Johnson

March 6, 2018 By Barbara Leave a Comment

SPRING FEVER Author Feature #7

Kimberly Rose Johnson

Faith Hope and Love Reader’s Choice Finalist, Kimberly Rose Johnson, married her college sweetheart and lives in the Pacific Northwest. From a young child Kimberly has been an avid reader. That love of reading fostered a creative mind and led to her passion for writing. She especially loves romance and writes contemporary romance that warms the heart and feeds the soul.
Kimberly holds a degree in Behavioral Science from Northwest University in Kirkland, Washington, and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. ~

Kimberly’s book, The Reluctant Groom, is a modern day marriage of convenience story that takes place in Seattle, Washington. Because I went to college in the Seattle area I felt like I had a pretty good feel for the area. I discovered I was wrong last spring when my husband and I went to visit our son who attends college in the same area.

It didn’t take long for me to realize the Seattle I remembered had changed in the past twenty-five years. For starters, it was louder and dirtier than I remembered. I noticed the smells, sounds, and energy of the city on this trip, and guess what? I needed to do some re-writing. I’m glad I held off on publishing this book since I needed to change a few things to make it believable.

The biggest change I had to make regarded an ally that’s in the story. I had it written like alleyways in my hometown. Big mistake! The other thing I did was add the scent of garbage and the sound of seagulls.

All that being said, the story remained the same. Then the unthinkable happened. I discovered another book that was very similar to mine, so I was afraid to publish mine. To be honest, I was devastated. I tucked the story away and pretty much forgot about it. Then one day I remembered and brought it up in my Facebook readers group. They encouraged me to publish it anyway.

I truly love this story and I hope you will as well.

Here’s the back cover blurb:

When everything goes wrong, can two friends discover true love?

When Ray O’Brien’s world is turned upside down, Katie Fairchild wants to help, but the personal cost is high. Neither desires a marriage of convenience, but when Katie blurts the first thing that comes to her mind Ray can’t dismiss her offer of marriage. It would solve all his problems except for one thing—they aren’t in love.

Can these two friends team up for the greater good and perhaps find love along the way, or are their expectations impossible?

This book is currently listed for $1.99 but the price will rise to the regular price $3.49 sometime in the next thirty days.

Purchase link: The Reluctant Groom http://amzn.to/2FoJ00s

You can sign up for Kimberly’s newsletter via her website at: http://kimberlyrjohnson.com/index.html

Social media links you want shared: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KimberlyRoseJohnson

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kimberly-rose-johnson

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krose1990/

Website: http://www.kimberlyrjohnson.com

*For another chance to win in the Spring Fever Promotion, Today’s secret word is Seattle

ENTER NOW:a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~

Thanks for stopping! Hang out and leave a comment!

Barbara

Spring Fever giveaway: Day 4 with author Johnnie Alexander!

March 3, 2018 By Barbara 1 Comment

Johnnie Alexander imagines heart-tugging stories in multiple genres. Her award-winning debut novel, Where Treasure Hides, is a CBA bestseller which has been translated into Dutch and Norwegian. She’s also the author of the popular Misty Willow Series: Where She Belongs, When Hope Arrives, and What Hope Remembers. Since talking about writing is so much fun, Johnnie hosts Novelists Unwind, which features videotaped interviews with inspirational authors. Sharing Johnnie’s vagabond life are Griff, her happy-go-lucky collie, and Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon. Connect with her on her website or on her Facebook Author Page.

Where She Belongs (Misty Willow Series #1) / Purchase Link: http://bit.ly/WSBPage

Shelby Kincaid is ready to move on from her grief. With high hopes for the future, she longs to purchase her family’s ancestral homestead so she can raise her young daughters in the only place she ever truly belonged. She plans to transform the abandoned house into the perfect home of her memories. But she’ll have her work cut out for her.

AJ Sullivan never wanted the homestead. Inherited as a punishment from his grandfather, it has sat empty for fifteen years and fallen into ruin. He’s glad to finally unload it. But a clean break isn’t possible when he can’t get the young widow Shelby off his mind.

Welcome to Misty Willow, a place that will have as great a hold over the reader as it does over its inhabitants.

The Misty Willow story continues in When Love Arrives and What Hope Remembers.

*Sign up for Johnnie’s newsletter on her website and receive the first chapter to Where She Belongs.

~For another chance to win, today’s Secret Word is: imagine~

ENTER NOW: a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Author Joy DeKok is tomorrow’s featured author in the Spring Fever Giveaway! Visit this link for more chances to win! HERE

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Spring Fever giveaway: Day 3 with author Lindsey P. Brackett

March 2, 2018 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Welcome to Day 3 of the Spring Fever book promo and Giveaway!

Lindsey P. Brackett writes southern fiction and cooks big family meals, but she complains about the dishes. Her debut novel, Still Waters, released in 2017. Someday she hopes to balance motherhood and writing full-time. Until then, she’s just very grateful for her public school system.

Connect with Lindsey online:

Facebook Author Page

Lindsey’s Instagram

Author Website

Still Waters blurb:

Cora Anne graduated from college with a plan that didn’t involve her grandmother’s ramshackle beach cottage or Tennessee Watson, a local builder dedicated to the preservation of Edisto Island—and her heart.

Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Waters-Lindsey-Brackett/dp/1946016233/ref

Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/Still-Waters-Lindsey-Brackett-ebook/dp/B0749S8WDW/ref

Coming soon to newsletter subscribers—A Lowcountry Setting, recipes inspired by Still Waters.

Edisto Beach is our family place—My mother grew up spending summers there, I grew up spending summers there, and now my children experience it. For more about Edisto and its history visit ExploreEdisto.com.

~Lindsey is currently working on the next book and a novella for release later this year.

*Fun fact from Lindsey—Currently I’m a community “star” in Dancing with the Stars for Hope, our annual fundraiser for Circle of Hope, a domestic violence shelter. You can vote for my team, Plot Twist, at www.dancingwiththestarsforhope.com/vote –every $1 vote goes to charity and helps us win the People’s Choice award. My partner is my friend Jeremy and we’re using our theater backgrounds to create an epic number sure to please. The performance will be showcased on March 17!