Black 'n' Gold Girl's Book Spot

For all those who need to unplug from our high tech world, Clash of the Titles presents a novel about reconnecting with those dearest to us, about turning off the cellphone and living in reality. Although written from the perspective of a new teen, Edna in the Desert applies to all ages. About Edna in the Desert: Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna's determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?

To all our fans of historical fiction, Clash of the Titles introduces Jennifer A. David’s latest novel, Restored Hearts . It’s the perfect stocking stuffer.  Pre-order your copy today at ChristianBook.com ! About the book: Peter McCord Can't Believe His Ears. Young, handsome, and heir to one of Pittsburgh’s wealthiest fortunes, Peter McCord couldn’t imagine a life without privilege and a long line of eligible ladies vying for his attention. Until his grandfather’s will is read and his life changes unexpectedly. Now disinherited, Peter leaves his controlling family, certain he can make something of himself, by himself…and hoping he can find the anonymity and fresh start he desires. Anne Kirby’s heart is broken. . .by a terrible secret. While her job as a university librarian takes her away from her pain, she’s determined to keep the truth guarded, even if that means remaining a spinster. When love brings Anne and Peter face-to-face, revelations regarding b...

The Clash of the Titles Blog Alliance is proud to share great August release with its readers. Ink still damp from the presses, Living in Harmony by Mary Ellis, currently sits on a store shelf near you! Want more good news? It’s the first in a series—perfect time to jump on board. PURCHASE THE BOOK ON AMAZON PURCHASE THE BOOK AT B&N About the book: Living in Harmony is the first book in bestselling author Mary Ellis's New Beginnings series. It's about fresh starts and love...and how faith in God and His perfect plan for our lives provides us with the peace and joy we desire. Amy King--young, engaged, and Amish--faces difficult challenges in her life when she suddenly loses both of her parents in a house fire. Her fiancé, John Detweiler, persuades her and her sister Nora to leave Lancaster County and make a new beginning with him in Harmony, Maine, where he has relatives who can help the women in their time of need. John's brother Thomas and s...

This Thursday, Aug 16, Clash of the Titles announced the 2012 Laurel Awards winner.  It's a much anticipated day, and COTT judges have three amazing finalists to choose from. Our judges are readers who have no connection to the publishing industry. It's the love of an engaging and spiritually uplifting (or challenging!) story that brought them to the COTT judges bench, and we thank them for it. The judges are basing their scores on the first two chapters of  the participating novels, and from what we hear, they're loving their job! Sound like something you would like to do? You can! The Olympia (our new contest for unpublished writers) is just around the corner, and with more and more authors participating, we're going to need more judges! If you're interested, follow this link to learn more. It's simple, fun, and rewarding. And it's not everyday you get a chance to influence what might very well be the next great novel to hit your book sto...

Clash of the Titles has a BIG week coming up!  Wednesday marks the beginning of our June Releases Clash, hosted by the lovely Gail Pallotta. She'll introduce you to five amazing new books, so get your voting finger ready. Saturday, we'll announce the three finalists in the 2012 Laurel Awards. Our judges have been raving about the books, saying they wished they had more than just the first two chapters. Remember, this year's judges are readers like you, who have no connection with the writing or publishing world. You could be one of them! If you're interested in being a judge for the upcoming Olympia Award, please email us at contactcott(at)gmail(dot)com. Our current judges are still sending in their score sheets, but by Saturday, we'll have the final tally! In the meantime, we'd like to pass along that Astraea Press is having a HUGE  Summer Sale . Almost all of their stock is available for $.99 on Kindle and Nook. To whet your appetite, he...

Get Ready to Spar! Dust off those swords (in the Spirit, of course) and put on that literary armor,  because Clash of the Titles has an announcement. The Laurel Award is expanding, and we know you’ll be excited about it. We are creating a NEW annual literary contest, and it’s strictly for unpublished writers!   Also, authors will no longer need to be a previous Clash Champion in order to compete for the crown.  Submissions for this contest open October 29, 2012 ,  but first we must name it. That’s right! We want your help naming this exciting, new branch of Clash of the Titles. After reading about it, please take a moment to click on which name you think most fitting for this contest—The Spartan OR The Olympia. (Use survey below.) About this new contest : All never before published writers of Christian fiction may submit their work. $10 Entry fee. First two chapters will be judged. Final scoring by a select panel of beta-r...

*guest post by April W Gardner This week, Clash of the Titles is featuring five novels new to bookstore shelves. You don't want to miss a single one! They're already getting great reviews. Check them out on Amazon by clicking the cover images. You can also use the survey below to let us know which you're most likely to read first. Which one is going to the top of your TBR pile? COWGIRL TRAIL by Susan Page Davis Alex Bright is torn between supporting the cowboys who want to strike or the rancher who gave him his start. The boss’s beautiful daughter complicates matters when she organizes an all-woman outfit to replace the striking men. THE RESTORER'S SON by Sharon Hinck Cast out by those he trusts and preferring to cross swords with the One rather than yield to His will, Kieran flees to enemy Hazor, only to find that the One knows no borders. Pursued by his calling, Kieran finds a boy without a home, a king with burning questions, and a nation torn by...

  **Guest post by Michelle Massaro In the recent Leading Ladies Clash, Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux and High Desert Haven by Lynnette Bonner  went into the ring on Clash of the Titles . After the public vote, the winning title was....   HIGH DESERT HAVEN by Lynnette Bonner!!     We're happy to announce that High Desert Haven has been added to the list of COTT Champ titles! And we also want to extend our congratulations to the author. I'm sure we're all eager to add this book to our summer to-be-read pile!   In response to her win, author Lynnette Bonner said: It was an honor just to have been chosen as a clasher, in the first place, and then to have won… wow, I’m totally blessed by that. I’m still fairly new at this, and putting my stories out to the public is, to say the least, a daunting experience. So every little bit of encouragement and affirmation gets tucked away for days ahead when I w...

*Guest post by Jennifer Slattery When our daughter was young, I was very cautious of the television shows and movies she watched. It wasn’t just the language or violence that concerned me, but the image of women they portrayed. The media seemed to convey a constant message: “Women’s value is only skin deep.” I was probably overly cautious, but the discussion still holds merit. What do our choice of heroine’s say about our values as a society? At the risk of sounding cliché, we’ve come a long way … in but a short period of time. The other day my daughter showed me a page from her magazine. On it, there were five models, each with different skin tones and body types. Hurrah! I believe the heroine’s in Christian fiction are changing, too. I’ve read novels of women with disabilities, vices they need to overcome, backgrounds they’re not fond of. I’ve read of women doctors, single moms, those facing divorce. To me, a sinner saved by grace, it’s encouraging to read of...

IS THERE A BOOK YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE COMPETE ON CLASH OF THE TITLES? PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO ENTER THE TITLE IN OUR QUICK SURVEY, BELOW! *by COTT Sr. Editor, April W Gardner January is in full swing, starting 2012 off with a bang. At Clash of the Titles , you can take that quite literally! For the next two weeks, we’re featuring Death. That’s right. Death. Death has the power to intrigue and terrify, and it’s that power that a good book taps into, often leaving a permanent mark on the reader’s memory. Visit Clash of the Titles today, to read two Death excerpts and vote for the one that impacts you the most.  Remember that every book you send to the Champions Ring will have a shot at our Laurel Award, handed out at the end of our Tournament of Champions. Coming October 2012! Between now and our October Tournament, we'll have a slew of exciting clashes—some, old reliables; others, brand new.  Here’s  what's on the COTT calendar: Almost Kiss --  (Feb, acc...

~by Gail Palotta Thank you to our blog alliance partners Jessica Keller works from an office her husband set up for her in their Chicago home. Using a bright orange laptop she posts five days a week. She blogged big-time in college, garnering a huge following. She says, “It got to the point where people I didn’t know would walk up to me and start talking…about my life because they were addicted to my blog.”  After graduation she ended that blog and went to work in the records department of law enforcement. She figured her blogging days were over, but she started writing novels. She thought about author blogs she loved and wanted to “create a place like that so…someday when a novel-length piece is published…” she’ll already have a blog. Her blog reflects her love of baking, her communications and Biblical studies degree and her enthusiasm for books. She’ll read over one hundred this year. On Mondays she muses about life in general. Tasty Tuesdays give cooking advice ...

*Guest post by Michelle Massaro Congratulations, Lisa T. Bergren , author of Waterfall ! Lisa's winning excerpt was discovered by COTT's new Talent Scout, Katie McCurdy. You can read Katie's review here . This YA title is being highly-praised by adults and is only the second YA title to win at Clash Of The Titles. Visit Lisa's site to learn more about her. About the book : Gabriella has never spent a summer in Italy like this one. Remaining means giving up all she’s known and loved… and leaving means forfeiting what she’s come to know…and love itself. Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Bentarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives with their parents, famed Etruscan scholars, among the romantic hills. Stuck among the rubble of medieval castles in rural Tuscany on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds… until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an anc...

Guest post by Michelle Massaro The winner of this week's COTT battle is.... Joanne Sher! Joanne joins the notable COTT Conquerors family as a pre-published author. Her writing passion is Biblical and historical fiction—paving rough roads with God’s presence. Joanne says her dream is to be able to submit to Clash of The Titles as a published author. We are confident that day will come. Find her at http://www.joannesher.com/ Her winning excerpt came from her manuscript entitled Handmaiden to a Princess : “Don't you have to leave now?” Mama took a sip of water and looked out at the sun. Rivka's eyes followed her mother's. The colors of the sunrise were already beginning to fade into the blue of the Israeli sky. Rivka nodded. “Good bye, Mama. Off to the gardens.” She half-jogged toward the next part of her morning ritual. Rivka’s sandals flip-flopped on the dirt, her steps brisk and light. The scents of the lilies of the valley and hyacinths slowed her pace the closer sh...

Attention! Ann Gaylia O'Barr has been crowned CHAMPION at Clash of the Titles! For her excerpt from Singing in Babylon , Ann Gaylia O'Barr garnered favor in a Clash against fellow contender Dee Smith for Best Antagonist. Both excerpts showcased sinister adversaries. As one reader put it: Both antagonists were well described, and both gave me a chill up my spine. Another assures us: Both are VERY creepy! But only one can claim victory, and that honor falls to O'Barr this time around. How did she do it? Ann believes a good antagonist elicits a measure of sympathy from the reader so that we are both drawn to and repulsed by his character. It must be true because it secured her the win. In her interview with COTT staff member Amanda Flower, Ann shares how she spent years country-hopping for her work as U.S. Foreign Service officer and collected plenty of raw material for her antagonists by her immersion in Muslim-dominated culture. Wow! Want to know who her favorite fictiona...