Today, Essie felt confident, in charge, in control.

But all that could change so easily…

In a matter of seconds, two small children replaced Essie’s short-lived illusion of control with reality of their reign of chaos. When did happily-ever-after begin? Where was her fairy-tale rescue? There must be more to life, to motherhood, than this. All the trials, the temper tantrums, the disasters must lead to a glorious ending eventually. There simply must be more significance to the routine, the mundane, the hassles of raising children. She ached to find it.

Can Essie continue to juggle her job, her motherly duties, her impulsive husband, and a forlorn father-in-law who has taken up residence in a dilapidated sailboat?

For every well-meaning, time-starved wife and mother, Essie in Progress is a clever foray into a life so harried and yet so familiar. Writing with a unique style and genuine Southern sensibility, author Marjorie Presten offers a stirring message about discovering and embracing life as it’s meant to be lived–the life God wants for you.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world’s leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father’s unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this futuristic thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking theology. The Last Christian is a provocative “what if?” novel from David Gregory, best-selling author of Dinner With a Perfect Stranger.

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Orphaned four years earlier when their parents–active in the African National Congress (ANC) Movement against apartheid, were murdered–16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother Masozi now live and work on an Afrikaner family’s farm.

When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owner’s son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and culture. When cultures clash in life-or-death struggles, Chioma must choose between violence and revenge–or forgiveness and selfless love.

Loosely based on historical events and set near Pretoria, South Africa, in the violent upheaval prior to ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990 and his ascendance to presidency of South Africa, this story of forbidden romance produces and likely martyr who is replaced by one even more unlikely.

Kathi and I discussed a lot during our interview from catching up from old times to her two recently released novels No Greater Love and More than Conquerors and finally discussing whats next for her. Check out our Interview…

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Post a comment below for a chance to win a copy of Kathi’s novel No Greater Love.

With violent crime on the rise and the political climate changing throughout certain parts of Mexico, the opportunity for open Christian witness–particularly in some areas of Chiapas State–is rapidly decreasing.

Despite increasing difficulty and persecution, Hector Rodriguez carries Bibles deep into Mexico, where those with Mayan beliefs grow more hostile as 2012 approaches. While Hector lives and pastors a small church on the outskirts of tourist-popular border town Tijuana, his mother, Virginia, lives in the village of San Juan Chamula, in the heart of the Mayan hostilities. She uses the Scriptures to teach reading to the families who are open to it–until she disappeares.

Hector must decide if he will continue his work despite his worries about protecting his wife and children and his search for Virginia. His young protege from California, Marty, wants to help Hector expand his ministry, but wonders if he and his future family can bear the persecution they, too, will likely face.

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“Blessed are the children, for they shall inherit the earth”

Need a manual on raising children and having healthy relationships? Refer to the Bible. That’s what Deidre Collins’ inner spirit is telling her to do now that Andre, her son’s father, is back in town after deserting them eight years ago.

At fourteen years old, her son, DeAndre, is struggling with his own issues–peer pressure, problems at school, and figuring out how to navigate his first crush.

When DeAndre gets suspended from school for ten days, Andre sees it as the perfect opportunity to get to know his his son–and to get closer to Deidre. Can this couple overcome the past for the sake of their son’s future?

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Can you run far enough to outdistance truth? A story of prodigals chasing their dreams. Will they turn toward home before it’s too late?

How much are your dreams worth? Can wealth and fame satisfy your heart as deeply as family and faith? Award-winning author Lisa Bergren’s latest novel, Sing, explores the lives of two prodigals who must decide if they are willing to pay the price their dreams demand. Moira and Nic St. Clair have both defied their father’s desires for them and instead travel to the edge of their dreams and find themselves standing upon the precipice of decisions that will alter their lives forever.

Bergren first introduced the St. Clair family in the novel Breathe. Maintaining her strong and well-researched story line in Sing, she immediately transports readers to the end of the 19^th century and weaves the plot amid scenes from Europe, Brazil and Colorado. Moira St. Clair takes center stage in this dramatic saga, as the reader follows her on a treacherous journey across the Atlantic into a lifestyle that proves to be even riskier and more daring than her life upon the stage of the European opera. Believing the promise that she could become “the perfect specimen of modern womanhood,” Moira travels farther and farther away from her family’s heritage of faith. When she encounters a deadly nemesis from her past, she must quickly decide what she values most in her life, before it’s too late.

Bergren takes the reader on a suspense-filled and arduous spiritual journey as she weaves the lives of the three St. Clair children into an unforgettable prodigal story. Her award-winning prose is a strong voice showcasing God’s mercy and grace in the lives of defiant believers, and her characters and their trials will be remembered long after the final pages. Sing is a brilliant addition to Bergren’s Homeward Trilogy, and fans will be eager to learn what comes next in the lives of the St. Clair family.

Sing by Lisa Bergren (Book Two in the Homeward Trilogy)

David C Cook/April 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6707-3/400 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com ~ www.lisatawnbergren.com

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A lot can happen to the heart, mind, and soul in…fifteen years.

Having overcome a rough childhood and teenage years to rise to the top of the corporate ladder, it looks as though Josiah (JT) Tucker knows exactly what it means to forget those things that are behind and look only at what lies ahead.

However, at one of the highest points of his life, JT finds himself at his lowest, and it’s clear he has not forgotten.

He has not forgotten the many forgotten the many foster homes he’d been in and out of as a child. Nor the Smiths, the one foster care family who loved and cared for him, giving him a sense of stability and imparting spiritual truth in his life. He has not forgotten the years of working, while going to school and worrying about his birth, wondering when she would come home and in what condition. Nor the news he received the day after his high school graduation.

It was years later and it was all behind him. But the memories were present, torturing him in his brokenness.

When he finally realizes that sometimes moving forward means going back, he goes on a journey. JT’s faith is challenged as he discovers secrets about his past and the love he’s been longing for.

About the author: Kendra Norman Bellamy is a national bestselling author and founder of KNB Publications LLC. Her award-winning titles have been featured in Essence, Upscale, EKG Literary, and HOPE for Women magazines. She has been a contributing writer for Precious Times and Global Woman magazines, among others. Kendra is also a motivational speaker, the organizer of Visions In Print and The Writer’s Hut, and the founder of Crusin in Christ. Kendra is the author of One Prayer Away, Crossing Jhordan’s River, and A Love So Strong. A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kendra now resides in Stone Mountain, Georgia with her family. For more information, visit www.knb-publications.com.

Kathy Herman’s The Right Call, the third book in the Sophie Trace trilogy, has made the April ECPA Fiction bestseller list.  All three titles in this trilogy are now bestselling books. Additionally in the Amazon Kindle store, The Real Enemy was listed the #1 bestseller in fiction, #1 in Literature and Fiction, #1 in Mystery, #1 in Genre Fiction, and #5 bestseller in all Kindle books.

Would you like to try your chances at winning a FREE copy of The Right Call?

Post a comment below!

Kathy Herman is no newbie when it comes to being a guest on Books A Latte, check out this veteran in our interview…

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In The Right Call, Herman looks at the topic of addictions and obsessions. Based on 2 Peter 2:19b: “For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him,” The Right Call demonstrates how we’re all slaves to something—either to God and righteousness or to the flesh and its pitfalls. Filled with heart-pounding suspense that delivers heart-changing truth, The Right Call uses the perilous story of a young college student to reinforce the importance of walking closely with God, to be armed with wisdom and strength in order to face the toughest of circumstances.

The Right Call by Kathy Herman

David C Cook/March 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4347-6784-4/390 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com www.kathyherman.com

I’ve always loved Ginger Garrett, she breathes life into history for people like me who think history is dead boring. Ginger is an awesome author and woman of God.

Listen to our interview…

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Do you love Ginger Garrett too? You can have a chance of winning a FREE copy of her latest book Chosen by simply posting a comment below!

Based on the historical account of Queen Esther of Persia, Chosen, by Ginger Garrett, is a contemporary account of this beloved and ancient story. Uniquely written in first-person diary format, renderings of Esther’s thoughts and experiences are interspersed with current-time news excerpts, which show how Esther’s tale is woven into our own lives.

Chosen tells the story of Queen Esther, the young woman with the future of her nation in her hands. Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him as queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther’s mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of an entire nation.

Chosen by Ginger Garrett

David C Cook/April 2010/ISBN: 978-1-4347-6801-8/304 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com www.gingergarrett.com

You’re probably asking yourself the same question I asked when I initially saw the title of this book, “how do you pronounce this?” Just listen to our interview and you’ll find out!

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If you like what you hear, post a comment to win a FREE copy of Glaen!

In a world where love is romanticized by vampires and far-off adventures of undying love-at-first-sight, audiences don’t always have the opportunity to read stories that reflect God’s design for love. Author Fred Lybrand takes an in-depth look into relationships and dating, plus a little common sense for the real day-to-day world, in his latest book, Glaen.

Lybrand has chosen a unique and effective way to present his knowledge of human relationships and romance by creating a storyline that allows readers to walk alongside believable characters as they discover and explore an exciting and more effective way to relate to those with whom they will share life’s most intimate relationships. Having spent more than twenty-four years as a pastor, Lybrand is deeply involved in caring for people, and he wants others to know the freedom that can be found in relating to others truthfully and without pretense.

Glean introduces the character of Annie Hughes just as she suffers the loss of one of life’s foundational relationships—her parents’ marriage. As a graduate student, Annie suddenly finds herself at a loss to understand how any relationship finds and maintains lifetime staying power, especially a relationship as intimate as marriage.

When Annie meets her professor new writing professor, a rather unconventional teacher named Glaen, her life is set upon a path of both self-discovery and the exploration of romantic relationships. She begins this class with the intention to help others but quickly learns that she must first develop a teachable spirit, and her own faith proves to be the pivotal starting point for her journey. Annie then begins to honestly explore how men and women relate to one another as God designed them to do.

Lybrand’s character development of Annie Hughes allows him to outline several foundational truths. Using Annie’s “research” and “journal” entries as the vehicle to present thought-provoking ideas to the reader, Lybrand first uncovers the lies of a secular world-view and then counters those lies with the truth of God’s design for the marriage relationship. These observations are made even clearer as the reader observes Annie’s interaction with other couples and friends who are in the process of dating and considering marriage. As she questions her friends’ choices, she also takes an honest look at the relationships she is developing within her own life.

Annie’s discoveries are both simple and profound, and truth itself proves to be the foundation upon which all relationships hinge. The discovery that truth can only operate effectively within a relationship when people relate to one another without pretense and unrealistic expectations proves to be life-changing for the characters in many ways.

The life changing principles found in Glaen are the gems Lybrand wants readers to take from the story and experience in their own lives and relationships. Thus, Glaen is a book that demands a second reading, as those who read its story will want to go through it again and highlight and examine the truths Annie uncovers throughout her journey. This book will serve as a great teaching tool for parents to use with their children as well as for church leaders guiding couples who are seeking a more satisfying marriage relationship.

Glaen by Fred R. Lybrand

The Barnabas Agency   February 2010

ISBN: 978-0-578-04652-5/softcover/171 pages/$14.99

Website: www.glaen.com ~ Blog: www.glaen.wordpress.com

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Is the Measure of a Man Found in His Actions, Deeds or in Who He Really Is? COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., — What is a hero? Is it defined by your actions at one particular point in time or is it defined by who you are? First time novelist Graham Garrison explores the idea of what defines a hero and when a person crosses a nebulous line to become a bona-fide legend in his debut novel Hero’s Tribute.

Check out my interview with Graham Garrison…

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The small town of Talking Creek, Georgia, has a hero—Michael Gavin. As a teenager, Michael made a name for himself as Quarterback of the local High School football team, the Eagles. As a young man, he earned a regional following when he played for the University of Georgia. Post-college, Captain Michael Gavin earned the Medal of Honor for distinguished service in Iraq further cementing his position at Talking Creek’s resident hero.

So when he was diagnosed with cancer, the town immediately rallied behind the Gavin’s. On his deathbed, Michael makes a radical decision and asks a complete stranger, local sports reporter Wes Watkins to deliver his eulogy. With absolutely no idea why the famed Michael Gavin would ask a complete stranger to delve into the intimate details of his life, Wes digs into this project as he would any other story. Who knows, perhaps it would generate some decent bylines and get picked up by the AP. In fact, this could be his ticket out of the small town life.

But what Wes discovers catches him totally off guard. His typical reporting tactics aren’t going to work in this situation and as he uncovers some secrets in Michael’s past, Wes begins to see him as he really was rather than the larger-than-life legend the town has created. The closer he gets to the truth, however, the town begins to close ranks. Struggling to find the words to accurately and completely describe Michael, Wes must examine his own life and decide what will define him. Finding the whole truth could cost Wes everything. Who was this man that Talking Creek revered?

About the Author:

Graham Garrison is a writer and editor who lives in suburban Atlanta. He has covered high school and college football games as a newspaper reporter, completed an internship with the U.S. Army at its National Training Center in the Mojave Desert and tested WaveRunners and Runabouts as the managing editor of a national boating magazine. He’s written about battlefields for America’s Civil War, interviewed medical innovators for Georgia Physician and even penned an editorial for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. When he’s not writing, he’s chasing his two-year old son Nicholas and their Beagle, Baxter around the backyard with his wife, Katie. Visit his website at www.grahamgarrisonwords.com.