The Newest COTT Champ, Stone of Destiny by Mary Ball

A hearty congratulations to the winner of last week's Clash of the Titles, Mary Ball, author of Stone of Destiny!

And a special thank-you to these authors for entering their great new releases:

Bonnie Doran, author of Dark Biology
Laura V. Hilton, author of Awakened Love
Maddy Lederman, author of Edna in the Desert
Julie Cantrell, author of When Mountains Move

{About Stone of Destiny}

Taylor has given up on everything but her work. After becoming the youngest CEO of Mugful’s Beverage Company, she believes life is complete--until her grandmother asks her to oversee the renovations of the family home, in addition to searching for a missing heirloom.
Her first contact with what she believes is an insignificant ring, lost for fifty years, sends her life spinning. Taylor experiences strange. Unexpected feelings surface that she doesn't understand. Thoughts that should remain unspoken are voiced. Taylor’s emotional journey begins, testing a heart as cold as the ring itself and forcing her to question everything she believes. Is this a fairytale, or simply her soul reaching out for a different world--a life she can only find through faith and a divine trust in God?

{What Voters Had to Say}

Mary L. Ball, I am looking forward to reading Stone of Destiny! The story sounds amazing.

Mary, your title sounds interesting. I like the idea of following the trail of an heirloom.
Stone of Destiny is one I look forward to reading.

Mary does such great work. What a mind ! I have been looking forward to her new book ever since I first heard about the storyline.

Mary Ball's Stone of Destiny excerpt takes a Christian believer out of the box.

Mary Ball is an excellent author. I am looking forward to her next book.

Stone of Destiny is good reading. You'll love it.

To to a wonderful beautiful lady Mary L. Ball keep on writing you are the best and your books are wonderful

{About the Author}

Mary Ball is a member of ACFW and lives in North Carolina between the wondrous mountains and beautiful beaches. When she’s not writing, Mary enjoys supporting her husband’s ministry,singing, fishing, and reading a good novel.

For more about Mary visit her at http://MaryLouwrites.weebly.com
Find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/inspires4mary <https://twitter.com/inspires4mary
and facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspirational-author-Mary-L-Ball/

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks
Prism Book Group

Clash of the Titles October New Releases Winner Announced

The Winner of our October New Releases Clash is:

A Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes

A hearty congratulations to Laurie Alice!

We had a tremendous response for this Clash. So many said they wanted to vote for and loved all of the books. A special thanks to the other authors for their wonderful books and for being a part of this week. 

Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley
A Merry Little Christmas by Anita Higman
Callie’s Mountain by Katt Anderson
Murder in Marietta by Deborah Malone

{About A Flight of Fancy}

Her head is in the clouds. His feet are planted firmly on the ground. Can love cover the distance?

Cassandra Bainbridge may be a bit of a bluestocking, but when Geoffrey Giles is near, love seems a fine alternative to passion for Greek and the physics of flight. With his dashing good looks and undying devotion to her, the Earl of Whittaker sets Cassandra’s heart racing with his very presence. It seems his only flaw is his distaste for ballooning, the obsession that consumes so much of her thoughts.

When a terrible accident compels her to end her betrothal, Cassandra heads for the country to recover from both her injuries and her broken heart. With time on her hands and good friends to help her, she pursues her love for ballooning and envisions a future for herself as a daring aeronaut. But when Lord Whittaker slips back into her life, she finds her heart torn between her love for flight and her abiding love for the man she fears will no longer want her once he knows of her hidden scars.

{What Voters Had to Say}

“I love Laurie Alice’s deft use of craft and I love her spunky (though not anachronistic!) heroines.”

“Fabulous read of a passionate couple. Well done. Laurie Alice Eakes”

“All the books sound great, but I’ve read Flight of Fancy, and it’s a wonderful story.”

“Title is adorable. Very creative.”

“Keep writing! I love reading and love your books.”

“Love this book! It's one of Eakes’s best.”

“Every book I’ve ever read by Laurie Alice Eakes, I've loved.”

{Great Review for A Flight of Fancy}

Romantic Times gave Flight of Fancy Four Stars

“Eakes has a charming way of making her novels come to life without being over the top. The second Daughters of Bainbridge House story has romance, mystery, suspense and characters who transcend the stereotype of stiff English formality.…”

{Endorsements for A Flight of Fancy}

“Eakes seamlessly blends romance and intrigue, faith and history, into a story that readers won’t want to put down.”
— Booklist

“Masquerades, English manners, romance, and intrigue abound in this historical series. Regency romance aficionados and fans of Nicole Jordan will adore this.”
— Library Journal

“Eakes weaves the fine silk threads of historical richness, dangerous intrigue, and forbidden romance into a flawless literary tapestry . . . that will leave readers breathless.”
— Louise M. Gouge, award-winning author of At the Captain’s Command


{About Laurie Alice Eakes}

Bestselling, award-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes used to lie in bed as a child telling herself stories so she didn’t wake anyone else up. Sometimes she shared her stories with others; thus, when she decided to be a writer, she surprised no one. Family Guardian, her first book,  won the National Readers Choice Award for Best Regency in 2007. In the past three years, she has sold six books to Baker/Revell, five of which are set during the Regency time period, five books to Barbour Publishing, as well as two novellas to Barbour Publishing and one to Baker/Revell. Seven of her books have been picked up by Thorndike Press for large print publication, and Lady in the Mist, her first book with Revell, was chosen for hardcover publication with Crossings Bookclub. She also teaches on-line writing courses and enjoys a speaking ministry that takes her from the Gulf Coast to the East Coast.

Laurie Alice lives in Texas with her husband, two dogs and two cats, and is learning how to make tamales.

{Buy Links for A Flight of Fancy}

Christian Book.com

Amazon/Kindle

Barnes and Noble/Nook

Family Christian Stores

Lifeway.com

Parable.com

Books A Million


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shared by Clash of the Titles Hostess Gail Pallotta
 
After a career as an editor and article writer Gail started to follow her dream of writing fiction. In 2004 the American Christian Writers Association named her a regional writer of the year. In 2010 an excerpt from Love Turns the Tide, her first romance, won the Clash of the Titles Challenge in the best nature / weather scene category. She published her first short story, “Lifeline,” in Splickety Magazine in January 2012. When she isn’t writing, she loves to bargain shop with her daughter, swim, read and visit with friends and family, especially at the beach.

COTT's Winning May Release Christian Fiction Novel

Today's host: Jennifer Slattery


This has been an exciting clash! Two debut authors--Katie Ganshert with Wildflowers from Winter and Dineen Miller with Soul Saver--entered the ring, sparring with three of Christian fiction's greats, the very talented, multi-published Deborah Raney, Martha Rogers, and Lynette Eason. Talk about an exciting clash! 


This competition was very close. Soon after we opened the poles, our two debut authors rose to the top. The victor won by one vote. 


You, our ever-faithful readers, have spoken.


The winner of our May Release Clash is ....

Katie Ganshert with Wilflowers from Winter! Congrats, Katie! You've been automatically entered in our prestigious Laurel Award contest and sent directly to Round 2.  

Wildflowers from Winter:

A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park teen years. Until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan.

Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. So when Bethany is left the land, he must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away.

For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace she’s not even sure exists?

Read the first chapter here. 

Praise for Wildflowers from Winter
“Katie Ganshert knows how to wring the heart of a scene in order to place her reader within a character’s pain and wonder. Wildflowers from Winter is a romantic beauty-from-ashes story – and a promising series starter from this debut author.”

- USA Today

“In this novel rich in details and well-thought-out characters, Ganshert offers something for everyone: romance, secrets, a few laughs. The reader will come away with the knowledge that even in the arms of grief, hope emerges after loss.”

- Romantic Times 

“Themes of loss and redemption, believable characters, and a realistic view of life’s challenges make this debut a worthwhile, gut-wrenching read. Recommended for fans of Francine Rivers.”

-Library Journal 

Buy the book at: 
Amazon: Paperback Kindle
BarnesandNoble.com


Get to know Katie:
Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the Midwest, where she writes stories about finding faith and falling in love. When she’s not busy plotting her next novel, she enjoys watching movies with her husband, playing make-believe with her wild-child of a son, and chatting with her girlfriends over bagels. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from the Congo. You can find her online at her blog and on Facebook.  


Q & A with Katie 


If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Hands down, I wish I could apparate like the witches and wizards in Harry Potter. In case you don’t read those books, apparition is the ability to think of a place you want to go and *poof* you’re there. Do you know how amazing that would be? Seriously. No more spending time in traffic. No more paying for gas. No more ears popping in planes. And if I wanted to write a story set in Novosibirsk, Russia, do you know how easy it would be to research? Okay, so maybe my editor is happy I can’t apparate. 

If you could witness any event in history, which event would you choose?
Something to do with Jesus. Either His birth or His resurrection. I don’t think I could handle His death.  

If you could be an animal, what animal would you be?
I’d be an octopus. They don’t have many predators, do they? Or maybe a jelly fish. Something where I could explore the depths of the ocean and meet Nemo. I also want to know if mermaids are real.

What was your favorite book growing up?
Hands down, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It was the first book that swept me up and transported me into a different world. I absolutely could not put it down. I have so much nostalgia for this book that when I taught 5th grade, I read it to my students each year. The story has so much word play and symbolism that went over my head as a kid, but I can appreciate now as an adult. Plus, the message is beautiful. Don’t let the old-fashioned cover scare you off. It’s such a fun book. 

When did you start writing?
In third grade I wrote this epic, life-changing story about Mr. and Mrs. Leaf. In fact, it was so epic and life-changing, my 3rd grade teacher read it out loud to the class and everybody clapped and cheered. Okay, so maybe not. But it was at least good enough to read out loud. And so a love-affair was born. I found something I could do well. From there on out, I wrote all kinds of stories and bless my parents for being so patient, they listened as I read every single one of them out loud (sometimes with an accent).

Where do you get your ideas?
Usually in church. While most of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are listening and self-reflecting and confessing and pondering the vastness and greatness of God, I’m the weirdo who’s thinking, “This would be a great spiritual arc for my character.” 

What are three of the hardest things about being a writer?

• Sitting in the chair and putting my hands on the keyboard on days when inspiration refuses to cooperate. Talk about torture.
• Waiting. There’s always something to wait for on this journey. And since I’m an impatient person, this doesn’t come easily.
• Sharing my stories. Enter fear and trembling. Because what if people don’t like them?

What are three of the best things about being a writer?

• Sitting in the chair and putting my hands on the keyboard on days when inspiration flows so fast I can’t catch it all. What a rush.
• Waiting. Because through the long moments of nothing, I’m reminded again and again to surrender my hopes and dreams to Him.
• Sharing my stories. Enter excitement and anticipation. Because what if people like them? 

Thank you to all of our talented competing authors who helped make this a phenomenal (nail-biting) clash! 


Voters, what hooked you most, the blurbs or the covers? For me, it was a combination, but the intriguing covers really grabbed me. ALL of these novels instantly moved to my "must-read" list.  

Clash of The Titles News

Guest blogger: Jennifer Slattery

Sometimes Clash of the Titles highlights great talent. Other times we get to "discover it." This is exactly what happened with our speculative fiction unpub'bed clash.

Join me in welcoming Chawna Schroeder to the COTT family!

There's nothing like discovering great talent before it goes to print! And I have a feeling we're going to see our latest COTT champion's books on bookshelves very soon. When we do, we can all say, "We saw her on COTT first!" And this clash--a battle for best speculative fiction unpub'bed--was even more exciting because the winner has been invited to submit a full proposal to Asraea Press for immediate review!

Her winning excerpt was pulled from the pages of Metamorphosis, a gripping tale of a Beast and her master:

Once upon a time there lived a Beast…
Not in a shining castle, but among a pack of dogs.

For as long as Beast can remember she has lived among her master’s dogs. With them she sleeps. With them she eats. With them she fights and struggles to survive. But through hunger and cold, she dreams of one day becoming Master’s favorite, earning bones with meat and a place beside the fire.

Then strangers attack. Her pack scatters. Fire eats the village. And Beast knows: Master is no more.

Alone and unprotected, Beast tries to defend herself against slavers scavenging for any leftovers. But she is only one, and they are strong.

Tracked by men, sold as a monster, is Beast only prey to be hunted…
…or something more?

A few comments from readers:

"I enjoyed both excerpts! I am curious about the world created in A, but B really got me in the gut."

"Great job! Keep writing!"

"God has given you a gift. Your TRUE fans will always be there for you!! Never give up and follow your dreams!!! I am sending up a prayer for you and your family!!!"
Join us March 19-23 for a fun Flash Clash!

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I also need to share that the winner of last week's drawing on A Passion For Pages was Diane Estrella. She gets to pick whatever book she would like from my Book Giveaway Page. :D