Friday Features

Featuring books by other authors including Christian and clean fiction, romance, YA and middle-grade genres.

Friday Feature: Blast from Her Past

/ Carol Underhill / 2 Comments

September’s Theme is Hometown Pride. I’ll be posting a chapter each week of my own sweet romance about the high school quarterback and valedictorian who reconnect at a high school reunion.

Today’s featured book is also about two classmates who end up working together a few years after school. They have both been changed by their life’s circumstances and must find a way to put the past behind them.

Here’s today’s Friday Feature:

Author’s Inspiration:

I love the “forced proximity” trope, so this book began with my vision for the scene where Sydney and Grant are trapped in a stalled car together in the middle of winter. I enjoyed writing how Sydney’s walls slowly tore down after that experience, and the rest of the story eventually took shape.

About the book:

After a disastrous failed engagement, Sydney Hampson is leaving her past—and her faith—behind to focus on her career instead. However, following through with her new, albeit misguided, resolution proves easier said than done when former classmate, and reformed bully, Grant Williams signs on with her company, and they must work closely together.

Grant Williams gave up his teenage antics years ago, and now he’s looking forward to a future that includes a strong relationship with God. When he realizes he’ll be working with none other than Sydney Hampson—the girl he had a secret crush on throughout high school—he couldn’t be more thrilled. Until he discovers she’s not the same caring, compassionate woman she used to be.

When a business trip gone awry leaves the pair stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, Grant sees his chance to make things right and put their past wrongs behind them…if only Sydney can get over her distrust of men. And with a conniving coworker working to destroy Sydney’s happiness, no matter the cost, can she put her faith back in God and learn to trust in Grant before she loses her chance at happiness?

Excerpt:

They sat on the beat-up couch, with an entire cushion between them. “Sorry. The living room is one of the next things on my to-do list. The kitchen and bathroom were a lot to tackle, so I had to stop and focus on replenishing my funds for a while.”

Sydney laughed. “You don’t need to apologize. I think you’ve done an amazing job with this place. It’s unrecognizable, really.”

“Hmm.” Grant leaned over to put his glass on the coffee table. “Kind of like you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Unrecognizable. I mean, I literally didn’t know it was you when I saw you at the Snowball Reunion last month. It took a few minutes for the fog to lift.”

“That’s because I lost some weight and started using a flatiron on my hair,” Sydney said with a playful smirk. “So, what did you think when you realized we’d be working together?”

“Honestly?” Grant asked, and Sydney nodded. “I couldn’t believe my luck. I knew I’d missed my opportunity with you in high school. And I know people change. Clearly, we both did. But I figured our connection might still be there.”

“Our connection?” Sydney asked, her tone incredulous. She almost wondered if she’d heard him right. “What high school did you go to?”

“I know, I know. But you get what I mean, right? If circumstances had been different, I believe we really could have clicked back then. Don’t you?” Grant paused, but Sydney couldn’t give him the validation he was after without it being a bald-faced lie, so she shook her head and gave him an apologetic look.

“Well anyway, I guess I was excited that I might have a second chance to see if something could happen.”

Sydney struggled with how to respond to his confession. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man who was insinuating that they had chemistry. Was she ready to admit the same?

“So, what did you think of me after spending some time with me in the office?” She hoped her question would force him to confess how horrible she had become as a person. Self-sabotage, Sydney. Atta girl.

After a pause, Grant replied, “Well, I knew I was right.”

“In what way? That people change? I guess I wasn’t the person you remembered, was I?” Sydney asked somberly.

“No, I mean I knew I was right that we would have clicked.”

About the author:

Katy Eeten lives in southeast Wisconsin with her husband, Jason, and their two sons. She works full-time crunching numbers and analyzing data, but her true passion is writing. She has four contemporary Christian romances and a Christmas novella due out this winter. When she’s not working or writing, she enjoys taking walks or bike rides, baking goodies, and spending time with her family.

Learn more about Katy at her website — https://katyeeten.wordpress.com/

Author media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatyEeten/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KatyEeten

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KatyEeten/

Website: https://katyeeten.wordpress.com/

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Katy-Eeten/e/B0796L1CVK

Buy link:

Friday Feature:

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

Mackenzie Goode Makes a Mistake

Author’s Inspiration:

The Mackenzie Goode Books are a series: Mackenzie Goode Makes a Mistake. To date, there are three in the series:

  1. A Big One
  2. In the Kitchen
  3. On the Basketball Court

The genesis of Mackenzie’s first mistake was lifted from my own childhood—I couldn’t keep my mouth shut while the principal read our class a story.  I got in BIG trouble—with a punishment that likely didn’t fit the crime:  In a dark classroom, my teacher scolded me: “If you were my child, I would hit you.”

My mother was appalled. Certainly, by my behavior, but even more so by the behavior of my educator. Mom told me, in no uncertain terms: “Nobody has the right to touch you, hit or, or threaten to do so.”

Mom had her own talk with the principal and assigned me her own punishment too: I had to write an apology letter to the principal for my rude behavior. My teacher never apologized to me. I always wish she had because we all make mistakes. I wrote the ending I wished for: for me, my kids, and all kids! We must own our mistakes, address them, and learn from them—grownups and kids, alike.

About the book:

Eight-year-old Mackenzie Goode has a sense of humor that always gets her into trouble.  But in third grade, she makes the ultimate promise to herself: no more mistakes. Mistakes are for babies and the last huge mistake she made, back in second grade, caused her a forever grounding and to see a look in her parents’ eyes she never wants to see again: disappointment. When the principal of the school visits Mac’s class as a mystery reader, (some of the children were expecting teen pop idol Baylor Fast) Mackenzie’s will is tested. Instead of listening to the principal read, Mac sings her best friend, Cheese, a song she makes up about their friendship. Right in the middle of class!

Mac winds up in the worst sort of trouble!  The see-you-after-school kind of trouble. The kind of trouble that is sure to create that look in her parents’ eyes she was trying so hard to avoid. Fixing this sort of mistake won’t be easy, but with the help of Cheese (and her parents) Mac tries.

Excerpt:

Mackenzie Goode looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and tried to brush her hair for the first day of school. ”Wrong,” she said. “Just wrong.” She used water. She used her sister’s fancy hair gel. But nothing worked, and her hair wouldn’t lie flat. Mackenzie was blessed with a great sense of humor, but had eight—count them, eight—cowlicks, those things that made her hair look crazy no matter how many times she brushed it.

On the first day of third grade Mackenzie’s cowlicks were not agreeing with her at all, especially the one above her left ear. That’s why she wore two pigtails every day in second grade. But this was third grade and Mackenzie Goode promised herself she would not wear pigtails in third grade. Pigtails were so last year. The kids would make fun of her. She would shoot a joke back at them. And who would get in trouble? Mackenzie. That’s who. And that would be a mistake. And there was another thing Mackenzie promised herself: she would not make any mistakes in third grade.

About the author:

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. The first book I ever wrote is called The Bunny and The Eggs.  This character driven tale is about the Easter Bunny, his hard work, and his love for the holiday. I bound it with masking tape and my mother wrote The End in cursive.  To me that was exactly how a real book was supposed to look!

I grew up in Tenafly, NJ, attending Ralph S. Maugham School, Tenafly Middle School and Tenafly High School.  I graduated in 1983 and went on to Villanova, but not before my high school guidance counselor looked at my grades and said, “Boy, I thought you were smarter than that.”  At the tender age of 16 I was a bit devastated.  I have since learned that we all excel at different things and at different times.  Academically, I blossomed in college.  I have been fortunate enough to pursue what I love—writing.  When you find the thing you are passionate about, do it.  If you are lucky enough to make a career out of it, that is success.

I write across genres, including romance, women’s fiction, middle-grade and chapter books. There is nothing I like more than telling stories (and mining golden nuggets from my own life). My hope is that my audience enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

Author media links:

Website:

www.judithnatellimclaughlin.com

Twitter:

@judynmclaughlin

Insta:

judithnatellimclaughlin

Buy Link:

Friday Feature: Safe on Solid Ground

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment
Safe on Solid Ground by [Chrissy M. Dennis]

About the book:

Fourteen-year-old Kaitlyn Myer dreams of becoming a basketball champion, but making her high school’s varsity team quickly turns into a living nightmare when a gang of bullies targets her. As their abuse erodes her confidence, Kaitlyn slides into destructive patterns and isolates herself from the people who love her most. If God is so good, why is her life so bad?

Taryn Thompkins, fifteen-year-old daughter of a heroin addict, is just settling into a group home when an experienced foster family offers to take her in. Embraced by the Myer family, Taryn begins to understand for the first time what family really means. But when Kaitlyn’s rebellion threatens everyone’s peace, Taryn is caught in a crossfire of mistrust and judgment and left wondering if she ever should have agreed to live with them in the first place.

Terrified of the repercussions, Kaitlyn cannot speak the truth, and no one’s listening to Taryn. But as secrets, half-truths, and lies upheave the family, one thing is certain: Truth alone will set their feet on solid ground.

Excerpt:

I stare at the brown bottle clasped in my hand. I lose track of how long I sit there, my hands shaking. God, help me. I never thought my life would go this way.

Tears fall as I twist off the cap and bring it to my nose. It reeks of memories I’ve tried to forget. My mother hurling into the kitchen sink… staggering across the house…passing out in a pile of bottles… me mopping up the beer she spilled in her drunken meandering. I swore I’d never do that to myself, but look at me now.

I bring the bottle to my lips and struggle to put back a few sips. I cough and sputter as the bitter taste attacks my tongue.

How does my mother—how does anyone—do this night after night? What am I doing? This isn’t me. I am not my mother. I will not become this person who turns to alcohol to feel better. I can’t get rid of this garbage fast enough.

In the bathroom, I crank the tap on high to disguise the sound of me dumping the rest of the bottle down the drain. I feel like I might cry, but now it’s a mix of agony and triumph. Maybe I’m destined to hold on to my pain—and everyone else’s—like a cancer for the rest of my life. Maybe it will take root somewhere deep down and fester until it becomes something so big, I can’t handle it.

But for now at least, I can handle it. I can hide this empty bottle of misery under my bed, where no one will find it. I don’t know where I’ll find the strength to carry all that’s been thrown my way, but at least for tonight I’m strong enough to resist my mother’s legacy.

About the author:

Chrissy M. Dennis lives in Saskatchewan, Canada with her foster daughters and calico kitty.  She is a full-time mom and a part-time administrative assistant for Renovaré Canada. Chrissy also loves to read, crochet and, of course, write, trusting the Lord will use her books for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom through the healing work of the Gospel.  

She carries a Masters of Divinity in Youth and Family Ministry. She loves working with teens, and has felt the call of God to minister to the needs of youth in this culture. She hopes to continue writing, specifically regarding issues relevant to today’s teens, offering a message of salvation and hope. Her first novel, The Lion Cubs, received positive reviews and deals with themes of abuse and abandonment.

Author media links:

Where can readers find you online?

www.chrissymdennis.com

www.facebook.com/chrissymdennis

www.twitter.com/chrissymdennis

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826990.Chrissy_M_Dennis

Buy link:

Friday Feature: Dear Maddie

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

About the book:

Maddie is a love lorn columnist for a newspaper.  She is asked to run a contest where one of her readers wins a date with her as the prize.  She thinks it’s a lark, but when she has to pick a winner it’s not as easy at it seemed to be.  Especially when she’s finding she attracted to the top three.  How will she ever choose?

Excerpt:

“Since Jason had reminded me, I went through the few emails we’d received so far to the initial question and set two of them to run in Thursday’s column. They were lame, weak and not enticing  I ended the column with a few scathing words:

Really guys? I guess no one really wants a date with me if this is all I’ve

got to go on. Let’s crank it up a little, shall we? Get my attention!

I went home, seriously debating showing up for work the next day.  As I walked into the foyer of my apartment building, I remembered there was a quart of my favorite triple chocolate ice cream in the freezer.

…

I turned the corner to my office—there wasn’t any stranger with flowers. There was Tonya and Brent standing outside my door, holding a stack of what looked like envelopes and laughing.

I rolled my eyes and pushed through the two of them to open my door. I tossed my purse and coat in a pile then plopped down on my chair, and suddenly realized that my keyboard had a couple of envelopes that looked suspiciously like mail.

I looked up at Tonya and Brent as they stood in the doorway, awaiting my reaction.

“We got actual mail?”  I didn’t count the few emails we’d gotten the day before as mail.

They both grinned. “Oh, yeah.”

Brent handed Tonya his stack and she walked over, dumping the envelopes on top of the ones already on my keyboard. “Here’s a couple more and we’ve also been getting more emails.”

I stared at the letters in delight and shock. I’d been saved. I wasn’t going to have to leave town in shame… Someone actually wanted to date me. Or, they wanted their fifteen minutes of fame.

…

“Dear Maddie,” I read out loud. “What is your idea of a romantic date?What a pathetic question. Of course that’s a question a girl would pick. What about what a guy would think of? Like what’s your favorite food or sport—” I crumpled the letter in my hand, wishing the guy’s face was there instead.

…

Tonya grinned wryly before reading hers. “Dear Maddie. I think this is a strange way to get a date, but hey, I’m good for a night out on someone else’s dime. I’ve always thought you were a fox, so here’s my answer. My idea of a romantic date is a dinner for two out of the back of my pickup truck overlooking the Columbia River Gorge with the sun setting over the water. After dinner, it would be off to a drive-in theater with great seating, popcorn and soda and the stars overhead. My pickup is cool… “ her voice trailed off.

About the author:

G. Parker has been writing since she was 12.  She loves anything dark chocolate, romance stories, romantic movies, her husband and family, painting, reading almost anything, and cooking when she has a chance.  She has self-published a series called The Hibiscus Ladies; illustrated a book called Sorry the Stork Takes No Returns, and can be found selling her art and books at various locations around the state of Utah.

Author media links:

gparkerartwork.com

etsy.com/gparkerartwork

facebook.com/gparker-artworks-dear-maddie

Buy link:

Friday Feature: For the Love of Bigfoots and Butterflies

/ Carol Underhill / Leave a comment

April’s theme is SPRING MIX, which means the featured books will be from a variety of genres. To start off the month, my first Friday Feature is a book written by Michigan author, Joselyn Vaughn. For the Love of Bigfoots & Butterflies is a romantic comedy with a mysterious element to it. The story takes place in a fictional town in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Author’s Inspiration:

I love hearing stories and watching shows about mysterious creatures and definitely got hooked on Finding Bigfoot. So when we were driving through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, my husband made a joke about looking for Bigfoot, and then I knew that my main character had to be an amateur Bigfoot researcher. And the story went from there.

About the book:

Fighting for an endangered butterfly is what makes Jane Meeth tick and Tall Oaks Development is her biggest adversary. Little does she know that the CEO of the company, Marshall Linden, is none other than the handsome hiker she meets while running on the trail.

After Marshall discovers evidence of Bigfoot, he wants to establish a sanctuary to protect the creature, but he must keep it secret from the protesters of his Tall Oaks projects. He didn’t count on falling in love with Jane making his plans nearly impossible.

When an environmental disaster threatens both of their dreams, they must throw away their prejudices to make the world safe for Bigfoots and butterflies.

Excerpt:

She expected the giant-sized man. Or a bear. Or a bobcat. Or even a less predatory animal like a doe and fawn. Or a squirrel. The smell…like rancid road kill. She slapped a hand over her nose. Sweat stung her skin as her heart rate skipped along too quickly to count. She squinted at the creature. What she saw was…Bigfoot?

About the author:

When not writing, Joselyn spends all her free moments researching bearded dragons and unicorns and playing Fortnite. Oh wait, that’s her kids. Joselyn can be found either running on Frank, her affectionately-named treadmill (since he has been cobbled together from parts) or keeping her sewing machines busy. You can follow her craziness on Instagram at @joselynvaughn.

Author media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorJoselynVaughn

Instagram @joselynVaughn

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joselynvaughn/_created/

Buy Link:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bigfoot+and+butterflies&ref=nb_sb_noss