The Moon in the Mango Tree has a little of everything within. It begins in the 1920’s and delves the reader deep into what life was like for women in those days.
Barbara has a beautiful voice, is training with the best teacher possible and has dreams of singing in the opera. She gets so far as to be given the opportunity to train with one of the biggest opera stars of the day. However, Iife never turns out quite like we think it will and Barbara soon finds herself married, albeit happily, and thousands of miles away from the opera stage.
Her life as the wife of a missionary doctor starts out rough, but eventually her husband, Harvey, ends up as the royal physician in Siam. The story takes the reader from the streets of the US to the jungles of the Orient and on to pre-war Europe. The book keeps readers guessing as the Barbara and Harvey travel around the world seeking to help each using their unique talents.
Based on a true story, The Moon in The Mango Tree is a great look at the life of women at the beginning of the twentieth century. Readers will identify with the characters search for their place in the world. As they travel across the globe chasing their dreams, they come to realize that God fulfills our desires in ways we ourselves could never even dream of.
Posted by admin, in Book News, Misc, Nikki Arana, Reviews, Women's Fiction
Shelley has a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California at Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. She sold her master’s thesis to a major commercial publisher after she graduated in 2002, and it subsequently became a double finalist in the 2004 National Readers Choice Awards. Grounds to Believe, her debut novel from Steeple Hill Books and the first book in her Elect Trilogy, won the 2005 RITA Award for Best Inspirational Novel of the Year from the Romance Writers of America. The second book in the trilogy, Pocketful of Pearls, became a RITA Award finalist the following year. Between books, Shelley enjoys playing the piano and Celtic harp, making historical costumes, and spoiling her flock of rescue chickens rotten.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana
Author Jane Kirkpatrick is a clinical social worker who spent years directing a mental health clinic, then more years working on an Indian reservation with families of children with special needs. She says, “When I was old enough to know better, my husband and I moved to 160 acres of rattlesnake and rock in eastern Oregon to try our hand at ‘homesteading.’”
Her writing achievements include winning an award for the Outstanding Western Novel of 1996 (an award won by Barbara Kingslover and James Michener among others); having that same book, A Sweetness to the Soul be named to Oregon’s Literary 100: 1800-2000 identifying the 100 best books published about Oregon in the past 200 years. Other books have received awards such as BookSense 76 National Bestseller Pick and Best Novel of the West from Western Writers of America. Also, Literary Guild, Doubleday, Book of the Month and Crossings Book Club selections.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana
MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of pirates and ships during her childhood days on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. Her love of history and passion for story drew her to create the Legacy of the King’s Pirates Series which includes the three books, The Redemption, The Reliance, and The Restitution—not only book titles, or the names of pirate ships, but themes depicting God’s mighty intervention in the lives of heroic and often misguided characters. Even before being published, The Redemption was a finalist in both FTHRW Golden Gateway and Vintage Publishing Inspirations contests. Most recently, The Redemption is a Christy award finalist. MaryLu now writes full time and makes her home with her husband, six children, and two cats on California’s coast, where her imagination still surges with the sea.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana
Deb Raney is at work on her seventeenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers’ Choice Award and the Silver Angel from Excellence in Media. Playing by Heart was also a finalist for the Christy Award. Deb’s first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. She also serves on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Deborah Raney, Nikki Arana
I first met Sharon Dunn about four years ago at a writers’ retreat. Sharon is the author of the award winning Ruby Taylor mysteries. Her books can be summed up as: A little mystery, a little romance, a whole lotta fun. The first book, Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves was a finalist in the Inspirational Novel of the Year and book two, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, won the Book of the Year award from American Christian Fiction Writers. Her newest release Death of a Garage Sale Newbie is the first in the Bargain Hunters mysteries. Sharon lives in Montana with her husband of 20 years, three children, three cats. When she isn’t writing, she is taking kids to activities, making pets out of the dust bunnies under her furniture, and working part time at a college.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana, Sharon Dunn
Author Wanda E. Brunstetter’s books are wildly popular, have been on numerous bestsellers lists, and have won many very prestigious national awards. I’ve done book signings with her and can tell you she has a huge following of devoted readers. She enjoys writing about the Amish because they live a peaceful, simple life. Wanda’s interest in the Amish and other Plain communities began when she married her husband, Richard, who grew up in a Mennonite church in Pennsylvania. Wanda and Richard take every opportunity to visit Amish communities around the country and have become friends with several Amish families. Wanda hopes her readers will learn to love the wonderful Amish people as much as she does. Wanda has written more than 25 novels, as well as several hundred articles, stories, poems, and puppet plays. She’s also written an Amish devotional and an Amish cookbook!
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana
This month I had the pleasure to interview bestselling author, Tricia Goyer. An incredibly busy author, I appreciate so much her taking the time to chat. She’s written five novels, two non-fiction books, and one children’s book. Tricia was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference “Writer of the Year” in 2003. In 2005, her book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion. Also in 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW’s Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of a Thousand Nights also won Book of the Year for Long Historical. She’s written over 250 articles for national publications and hundreds of Bible Study notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible. Tricia lives in Montana with her husband and three kids where she homeschools, leads children’s church, and mentors teenage mothers.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana, Tricia Goyer
This month I had the pleasure to interview bestselling author, Kristin Billerbeck. A fourth generation California girl who’s made a name for herself writing Chick Lit !
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Kristin Billerbeck, Nikki Arana
“Oh, I never read ‘Christian’ fiction. It doesn’t hold my interest.”
Being an author of Christian fiction, I was surprised to hear this comment from an avid reader at a recent book signing. I winced, but recognized an opportunity to spread some good news.
What this reader, like many who haven’t tried Christian fiction lately, didn’t realize is that things have really changed over the past few years. Today Christian fiction is one of the fastest-growing fiction markets. I guarantee the broad selection of top titles will hold your interest.
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Posted by admin, in Articles, Nikki Arana
