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Shades of Morning by Marlo Schalesky

Slips of paper, notes of regret. And a boy who sees through it all. Marnie has her life just where she wants it. At least that’s what she tells herself – her past is hidden, her regrets locked tightly in a box on her shelf, and her bookstore and coffeeshop business is booming. No one knows what she’s done, who she’s been. That is, until the man she once loved finds her again and brings startling news – she’s now the guardian of her 15-year-old nephew, a boy she never knew existed. To make matters worse, when the boy arrives, she discovers he has Down Syndrome. The past collides with the present, the box of regrets is exposed, and Marnie’s world shattered and rebuilt through the love of one special boy who makes all things new. Shades of Morning – Coming June 15, 2010!

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About Marlo:

Marlo Schalesky is the award winning author of seven books, including her latest novel, Shades of Morning, which combines a love story with a surprise ending twist to create a new type of novel that she hopes will impact readers at their deepest levels.

Marlo’s other books include If Tomorrow Never Comes, Beyond the Night, Veil of Fire, a novel about finding hope in the fires of life, Empty Womb, Aching Heart- Hope and Help for Those Struggling with Infertility, and Cry Freedom.

She’s had over 600 articles published in various Christian magazines, including Focus on the Family, Today’s Christian Woman, Decision, Moody Magazine, and Discipleship Journal. She has contributed to Dr. Dobson’s Night Light Devotional for Couples, Tyndale’s Book of Devotions for Kids #3, and Discipleship Journal’s 101 Small Group Ideas. She is a speaker and a regular columnist for Power for Living.

Marlo is also a California native, a small business owner, and a graduate of Stanford University (with a B.S. in Chemistry!). In addition, she has earned her Masters in Theology, with an emphasis in Biblical Studies, from Fuller Theological Seminary. Marlo lives with her husband and five young children in a log home in Central California. When she’s not changing diapers, doing laundry, or writing books, Marlo loves Starbucks white mochas, reading the New Testament in Greek, and speaking to groups about finding the deep places of God in the disappointments of life.Visit Marlo's website for more info: http://www.marloschalesky.com

Do you feel safe at home?

So, a few years ago, every time I visited the doctor, she asked, “Do you feel safe at home?”

Now, being a person who feels very safe at home, and a bit of a cynic, I have to admit some rather sarcastic replies entered my head.

Not when my husband takes off his socks.
Not when my boys decide to cook.
Not when my daughter has a high need for Dr. Pepper.

But I do realize that it’s a serious question. So, I seriously answer. Yes. I feel safe at home.

Until….

Well, see, our family is going on vacation out of the country this year, and we need to update our passports. My husband, being a frugal guy, decided we could take our own passport pictures.

It was very revealing.

I took one look at these shots and decided….

I live with convicts.

Meet Big Sal.

Yeah, he’s the brains behind the entire operation. He doing time for breaking his parole agreement, exacerbated by his role in the Great Cleaning Revolt, the one he staged after this year’s Prom Party. He’s got the whole joint under his thumb. You gotta pay him in Doritos.

Then there’s Big Sal’s Enforcer:

Knuckles McGee 

Knuckles lives to hurt…others. Knuckles has a record as long as a football field, honing his skills early by laying in wait for his victims and pouncing upon them from high places, like the sofa, or the kitchen table. Now he simply mows them down as they emerge from the bathroom, the basement, and especially on the football field. He may be paroled in two years with good behavior. It’s doubtful.

The most notorious criminal in the Warren Big House is Slick, Fastest Fingers in the North.

Watch it, he’ll steal your plate of macaroni and cheese right out from under your nose while you’re letting the dog in. Shoes, shirts, hats and gaming accessories mysteriously end up in his possession. He’s got a five year sentence.

Last, but not in any way the least dangerous is the beauty of the bunch, Tootsie.

Don’t be fooled, she’s Trouble. Fast driving, fast-talking, fast Face-booking, she’ll sneak up on you, use her charm and suddenly you’re missing your wallet. Worse, she’ll announce on a Thursday that she’s having a prom party for twenty plus kids the next night. (Followed by that oh-so-devious smile and a destruction zone worthy of a state of emergency declaration). She’s created so much havoc we’re hoping she succeeds in her escape attempt next year.

Yeah, they scare me. Okay, I’ll admit that I love my convicts.

Although the dog and I might make a break for it.

See, she doesn’t feel safe at home either.

Signed,
Warden Warren

Almost Forever by Deborah Raney

A Hanover Falls Novel from Howard/Simon & Schuster

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free? Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam. Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer...

Deborah Raney books always captivate me! Almost Forever is a beautifully written and enthralling read. It made my heart sing, dance, cry, and turn more than a few flips! ~CindyWoodsmall, New York Times best-selling author

As a fan of the very talented Deborah Raney, I expected a great read and I got it in the richly emotional Almost Forever, a story of faith, forgiveness and redemption. It began with a gripping scene and proceeded to hold me enthralled to the end. Don't miss this one!

~Karen Young, author of Missing Max and Blood Bayou

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away. Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com Order her books here: http://snipurl.com/raneybooks

I have a complaint.

See, I’ve been traveling this past month – quite a lot (hello Louisiana, and Oklahoma and Portland!)  And I was thrilled when I was able to work in a quick trip down to Minneapolis to see my newborn niece, Ellie Lund.  She’s adorable! 

However….

Well, I’m not sure what’s going on here but….

Here’s a picture of Ellie and me…

 

Now, I’d like you to just compare it for one moment to the picture of my son Peter, holding Ellie.

 

Okay, what’s the deal here? 

Probably I need to fill her in on a few things. 

First, Ellie, you need to know that Peter has issues with destroying things.  Like pens.  And tennis balls.  Someday, when you’re older, you might walk into your dad’s office (with his two gigantic computers), and discover a gel wrist supporter.  I’ll have you know that your cousin tore one of these apart to examine the insides, and carried the gooey, jelly contents around the house for a month, depositing it in his carpet, his bedding, his walls. 

You might think this is cool.  Your mother won’t.  Stop smiling. 

You might also want to consider the fact that he is, at heart, a football player – having made varsity in 9th grade.  Which means, at any given time, he might drop into a three point stance, and, well….hike you.  At the very least, if you hear the words – “Go long!” you should start to tremble.  Stop smiling. 

And then there’s the fact that, at the age of 15, he still has a woobie, a smelly ripped blanket that he rolls himself into at night like a burrito.  Again, you might think this is cute, unless you get near enough to smell it.  I assure you, Ellie,  that his charming smile doesn’t make up for the odor seeping from his teenage boy room.  Don’t be duped. 

Stop smiling.

I, on the other hand, am kind and bring you gifts and know how to burp you without even ONE urge to do a lateral out to the running back. 

C’mon Ellie, work with me. 

Oh, Ellie, Ellie, Ellie…this isn’t helping at all. 

*sigh*

Signed, shaking my head in Minnesota

Calculated Revenge by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

ABOUT THE BOOK:
It’s been eighteen years since Laney Thompson’s sister was abducted and killed, but the pain Laney feels
has never faded. And now the murderer is back, taunting Laney with mementos of her sister and threatening Laney’s young daughter. School principal Noah Ryder is her best hope for protecting her daughter—if she can convince the former investigator to take the case. As the threats accelerate, a string of clues leads Laney to uncover old secrets. Unless Noah steps in with his expertise, how can she piece together the puzzle before her child—like her sister—is lost to a killer’s revenge?

READER REVIEWS:
I just finished your book. I love Christian Suspense books and this one is the best one I have read in a while. I never figured out the solution until it was evident to all. Wonderful suspense weaving throughout the book. Thanks, I will look for more books by you. I could not put it down once I got started.

Excellent, excellent book! It caught my attention from the first page and was so hard to put down! Keep on sharing God's love and gospel thru your writing - it is important to those who need encouragement as well as need to know our precious Savior!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an award-winning author of mystery
and suspense. She writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. She and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild.

Visit Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s website at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com for excerpts, book giveaways, and contests.

You can order this book directly from your local bookstore, retail
stores such as Walmart, or online here.