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  • Episode 375: A Chat with Steven A. Guglich

    Episode 375: A Chat with Steven A. Guglich
    2024/10/25
    The world could always use more fantasy novels, and after my chat with Steven A. Guglich, I'm sure Piercing the Veil is a great addition to the genre. Listen in to learn about how he wrote this series and what's to come. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. By nature, fantasy novels are about journeys--to places, to things, to ideas... but journeys. Steven Guglich has a new twist on it (well, it's new to me!) with fantasy that explores what happened when magic left the human race and what it will take to bring it back. One thing that fascinated me most about his writing process is how he wrote all the backstory and history of everything. Dwarves, gnomes, gods, legends...He created it all so that he'd have it when he needed it to weave into the story but we won't get great, heaping infodumps of world-building. Because worldbuilding is such a huge part of fantasy, but authors too often build within the story instead of tell the story that came from the world they already built. Piercing the Veil by Steven A. Guglich They say that legends are born, not made. But for Jeremy Goodson and Masaru Hagen that is far from the truth. Confronted by something that neither of them can explain, two complete strangers from opposite sides of the world embark on an unforgettable journey that will forge them into living legends. It has been almost 4,000 years since magic disappeared from the Earth. Hidden from humanity by the Veil, those who possess magic live in ancient settlements across the globe. Over the centuries, these beings have pierced the Veil, leaving behind glimpses and shadows of the fantastic and arcane. Fueled by distant memories and humanity’s desire for wonder, familiar stories of myths and legends have been passed down for thousands of years in nearly every culture and nation. Jeremy Goodson, an average, overweight teacher in New York City finds his entire world turned upside down when a stranger tempts him to leave everything behind and start a journey that will test Jeremy’s mysterious gift and bring magic and hope back to humanity. Masaru Hagen, the adopted son of American tech entrepreneurs living in Tokyo, has been guided by an unseen voice all his life. On the eve of his twentieth birthday, the voice leads him across thousands of miles, on a mysterious and perilous mission he alone can undertake. But there are principalities of this world that will do whatever they can to stop Jeremy and Masaru and keep magic out of the hands of humanity forever. One of these men will bring hope to the world; the other will bring death. The world they once knew will be changed forever, not only for themselves, but for everyone on Earth… and maybe not for the best. Learn more about Steven on his WEBSITE and follow him on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!
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    50 分
  • Episode 374: A Chat with Liz Johnson

    Episode 374: A Chat with Liz Johnson
    2024/10/22

    A chat with Liz Johnson is always a lot of fun, but a chat about another Red Door Inn book? Listen in to learn what you'll find in Meddling with Mistletoe

    note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

    Okay, so we talked about more than Meddling with Mistletoe. Yes, we learned what we'll find in that book, but... we also had to have a chat about Christmas at the Red Door Inn (a personal favorite) and about her new series coming next year!

    Meddling with Mistletoe by Liz Johnson

    Whitney Garrett is preparing to enter culinary school in the spring, but first she has to sell enough homemade pies at the local Christmas markets to pay her tuition. When her oven breaks, Whitney asks Marie Sloan, proprietor of the Red Door Inn, if she can use the inn's kitchen to keep up with her orders. Marie agrees, with a catch: Whitney has to watch the three Sloan children and cook breakfasts for the Red Door in return.

    The inn is busy with holiday guests--including Aretha Franklin Sloan's perpetually single nephew Daniel and Ruby, a businesswoman in town to purchase Aretha's antiques store. Intent on making a Christmas match for the two, Aretha enlists Whitney's help in her schemes. But the deeper Whitney gets, the more she realizes that Ruby is definitely not the right woman for Daniel--and the more she thinks that she just might be his perfect match.

    Cuddle up for some warm holiday cheer as New York Times bestselling author Liz Johnson explores the unforeseen consequences of meddling with mistletoe when love is on the line.

    You can still get Meddling with Mistletoe for 30% off and FREE SHIPPING from BakerBookHouse.com

    Find out more about Liz on her WEBSITE. And follow her on BookBub and GoodReads!

    Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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    47 分
  • Episode 373: A Chat with Kit Tosello

    Episode 373: A Chat with Kit Tosello
    2024/10/18
    I have a special place in my heart for debut novels, and I especially love ones that deal with broken people who find healing in Jesus and His people, so imagine how excited I was to hear about The Color of Home by Kit Tosello! Listen in to learn more about her, her books, and even how her home town inspired her fictional town! note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Okay, so there's a lot to love about Kit Tosello, and not all of it has to do with a debut novel that had me hooked from the first paragraph of the synopsis! I mean, down to her last nerve? That's my life these past two weeks! But more than a story about family, connections, the difficulties of caregiving for loved ones with dementia, and connection with the Lord... Kit Tosello is just a cool person. How do I know? She gets TEA. She is all about TEA. She even has a company... Suttle TEA in Oregon. Check out her WEBSITE for more. I know I have a huge order sitting here waiting for me to have half a minute to place it. EEEP! The Color of Home by Kit Tosello Audrey Needham, Bay Area interior designer to the rich and pretentious, is down to her last nerve. Her boss is impossible to please, her future is in jeopardy, and her great-aunt Daisy needs support as her husband descends into Alzheimer's. When Daisy enlists Audrey's help preparing for a move to assisted living, Audrey risks her career to return to the idyllic small town of Charity Falls, Oregon, the summer stomping grounds of her childhood. But Charity Falls was also the place that broke her heart when her father was killed in a tragic fire at the Sugar Pine Inn thirteen years ago. Despite Audrey's intent to avoid emotional entanglement, the pull of home is hard to resist. Something should be done about the deteriorating inn. A local girl with an incarcerated father needs a friend. And handsome local do-gooder Cade Carter is coloring Audrey all shades of uncertain. Join award-winning writer and debut novelist Kit Tosello in this lyrical and often humorous exploration of how God redeems brokenness and draws us to the life we're meant to find. The Color of Home is also available from BakerBookHouse.com at 30% off with FREE US shipping. Don't miss her December release, The Kitchen Devotional that you can get at 40% off with FREE US shipping until early December from BakerBookHouse. Learn more about Kit on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!
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    32 分
  • Episode 372: A Chat about Christmas in the Cascades

    Episode 372: A Chat about Christmas in the Cascades
    2024/10/15
    Listen in and learn about how bell towers won out over clock towers and became a big part of each of the novellas in the Christmas in the Cascades collection. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. In this episode, I chatted with April Kidwell and Marline Williams about their collection set in the Cascades in Oregon. All centered around a bell tower and... Christmas of course. We talked about them getting to know each other, about how they learned about bells, how they created this fictional community, and how they kept everything straight. Don't forget to find out about the Dane's Creek Christmas Cookbook! And this is that song I mentioned about the three bells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5pH7l3qdPw Christmas in the Cascades by Marissa Adams, April Kidwell, Marline Williams, Chris Daniel, and Cali Black Christmas In The Cascades Ring in the holidays with five sweet stories of love and hope through the decades in Dane’s Creek, Oregon. 1874 – Glad and Golden Hours When her father's injury prevents him from founding the town bell, Eleanor Craven's bleak Christmas is cheered by the arrival of the charming Silas Fairbanks. But no sooner does their romance begin than it is endangered by a startling revelation. 1910 – The Thrill of Hope Widow Zaidée Cross, an outsider in Dane’s Creek, faces eviction from Bell Tower Cottage. Compelled to aid her wild schemes, Deputy Sheriff Björn Bergstrom fears he may lose his job and his heart. 1967 – Wild and Sweet Haunted by a near-miss campfire kiss a decade ago, Rory Adams spends the summer of ’67 fleeing her boring Philadelphia country club life. Her solo train trip to photograph historic Oregon Trail bell towers offers a fresh start—and a second chance at the love of a lifetime. 2000 – Romancing Her Home Montana horse breeder Slim Steadman relies on lessons passed down from his granddad to remain calm as the Y2K approaches causing many around him to panic. But his faith is challenged when Jenny O'Malley, the fiery red head he’s fallen in love with, comes face to face with a crisis neither of them can bridle. 2024 – Finding Home Mayor Jared Carter has no idea how to revive his dying town. When celebrity baker, Sass Kelleman agrees to come and bake the cake for the town’s 150th anniversary celebration on Christmas Eve, the shocking secret she carries with her leads to a sweet happily ever after. Learn more about the authors on their websites! https://marissaadamsbooks.com/ https://aprilkidwellauthor.com/ https://marlinewilliams.com/ https://www.authorcaliblack.com/ Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!
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    40 分
  • Episode 371: A Chat with Kathleen Rouser

    Episode 371: A Chat with Kathleen Rouser
    2024/10/11

    An heiress, a widow, and a fish-out-of water walk into a series... Listen in and see who you'll meet in the Stone Creek Brides series.

    note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

    Kathleen Rouser's Stone Creek Brides series offers strong heroines, each with something they'd rather keep quiet. This latest novel, Scandals and Mercies, dives deep into the conflict between expectations and obligations and how the Lord handles those.

    Scandals and Mercies by Kathleen Rouser

    He’s a reporter determined to uncover the truth, but the secrets he finds could crush her family—and their second chance at love.

    Taken from her family’s farm to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle, Nora Armstrong has accepted that not only will she never realize her dream of becoming a teacher, she’d also rather be a spinster than submit to her cruel aunt’s society selection of a suitable husband. The one man who caught her eye betrayed her best friend. And she’s got enough on her hands, hiding her sister’s shameful secret from her aunt.

    When the local home for unwed mothers burns down, the arson investigation brings big-city reporter James Cooper back to Stone Creek—and back into Nora’s life. James also has a meddling aunt who raises more questions than she answers about his past. Not to mention, he can’t figure out why Nora constantly rebuffs him. When his reporting casts aspersions on the local church and lays the blame for the fire and a series of robberies at the wrong feet, he risks losing his new position at the paper.

    As they seek to unravel the town’s mystery, rescue endangered mothers and children, and navigate their own family secrets forced to light, James and Nora increasingly turn to each other for help. But can they overcome James’s lack of faith and the disapproval of Nora’s guardians to find a second chance at love?

    Learn more about Kathleen on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

    Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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    36 分
  • Episode 370: A Chat with Ann Swindell

    Episode 370: A Chat with Ann Swindell
    2024/10/08

    I've discovered a ridiculous love for castles that probably originated when author Cathe Swanson lived in one and I visited. But Ann Swindell has ramped it up a huge notch with her fictional kingdom of Lethersby, a historical secret, and of course, Christmas! Listen in and see why I can't wait for more from her!

    note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

    Look, one book about castles and fictitious kingdoms, and hundred-year-old mysteries is pretty awesome, but learning it's the first in a series? EEEP! I can't wait.

    I had a blast talking through Anne's creation of the kingdom, her characters, and what readers will find in upcoming books.

    Christmas in the Castle Library by Ann Swindell

    Ellie Sawyer has always felt more comfortable with books than people, which explains why she’s a PhD history student neck deep in research and trying to complete her doctoral dissertation in time to graduate. But the final books she needs are half a world away in the tiny European kingdom of Lethersby, and the only time she can access the secretive Royal Castle Library is during the Christmas holiday.

    Ellie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery that has eluded Lethersby scholars for more than 100 hundred years by figuring out what happened to their long-lost queen, a young royal who disappeared shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. With the help of Mark, a handsome castle staff member who shares her love of history, she might be able to unravel the queen’s story. But Mark is keeping his own secret from her, and what they discover together could change everything for Ellie—and the entire kingdom.

    Learn more about Ann on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

    Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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    33 分
  • Episode 369: A Chat with S.F. Baumgartner

    Episode 369: A Chat with S.F. Baumgartner
    2024/10/04

    After listening to her Buried Secrets on Audible, I couldn't wait to chat with S.F. Baumgartner about her latest book in the Mirror Estate series, Hidden Secrets. Listen in and see what we'll see in this next thriller in the series!

    Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

    If you love suspense and thrillers without all the romance, this is the series for you! While there are romantic elements to some of the books, Baumgartner leaves it minimal, focusing on the suspense primarily.

    Also, don't forget her audiobooks on Audible!

    Hidden Secrets by S.F. Baumgartner

    Abducted. Trapped. Hunted. Grace Benson must find a way out… or die trying.

    After her harrowing escape from a kill order, Grace thought she’d return to a normal life, only to be abducted from her home.

    Meanwhile, FBI investigations into the murders of a congressman and his staff uncover a shocking link to Grace's abduction, threatening international stability.

    Desperate to survive, Grace allies with an unlikely partner—a child who knows the bunker's secrets—but as they navigate the treacherous tunnel system, a misplaced step echoes through the corridors, alerting a deranged captor who now closes in, gun in hand.

    If you like Alex Cross, Gabriel Allon, you will like this unpredictable, fast-paced suspense thriller.

    Learn more about Sylvia on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

    Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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    25 分
  • Episode 368: Melody Carlson

    Episode 368: Melody Carlson
    2024/10/01

    No one does Christmas like Melody Carlson, and her latest Christmas release, The Christmas Tree Farm promises to be one of her best. Listen in and see why I was so excited to read it that I opened my mail while we chatted to get it!

    note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

    Melody was such a trooper, fighting all kinds of technological glitches (that thankfully you can't hear!) and learning new things to get me recordings and such. I so appreciate her.

    We talked about themes of forgiveness and releasing control to God, working out relationships, and more.

    Inspired by seeing how the Oregon fires affected tree farms over the state, Melody wrote a story of a neglected tree farm, the travesty happening next door (tongue firmly in cheek, but not according to her character!), and the fractured relationship between two sisters.

    She also gave a hint of what's coming next spring! EEEP!

    The Christmas Tree Farm by Melody Carlson

    When Madison McDowell returns from several years teaching overseas, she has high hopes of picking up where she left off at her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon. But between damage from a recent wildfire and the neglect due to her sister Addie's unwillingness to invest, the farm is in sad shape. In fact, Addie is intent on selling the property. And to top it off, her former high school flame, the now-widowed Gavin Thompson, has plans to break Madison's heart again by turning his neighboring property into a dusty, noisy dirt bike track for his daughter.

    With the odds stacked against her, Madison decides there's only one thing to do: double down on her dreams. It will take a ton of hard work--and some help from an unlikely ally--to save the farm she so dearly loves. But it may take a miracle to restore her relationship with her sister.

    Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson charms and delights with this uplifting Christmas story full of old memories and new beginnings.

    You can get The Christmas Tree Farm for 30% off and maybe with free US shipping from BakerBookHouse.com.

    Learn more about Melody on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

    Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

    • Apple
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    • and more!
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    27 分