By the Fireside

~Blog Tour – Kate’s Innocence by Sarah Holman

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What would you do if you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit?

Kate watched as her campus was torn apart by bombs and now is being accused of perpetrating the crime. As the evidence quickly stacks up against her, she begins to lose hope that the truth will come to light. Even though the handsome FBI Agent, Patrick, has taken up her cause, will they be able to prove her innocence? Will God, who she neglected for so long, listen to her prayers for help?

Patrick is an agent with a very special team of agents. He wants to help Kate prove she is innocent, but as each new piece of evidence is revealed, that goal seems harder. He wonders why he feels so compelled to help her and so sure she is innocent despite the evidence. Will he be willing to put his job on the line to help her? Can he trust in God to make sure the truth will come out in the end?

Meet Kate’s Case Files

Welcome to the blog tour for Kate’s Innocence, the first book in the Kate’s Case Files series. What is this series all about? Here are some fun facts about this new series:

~ 11 books are planned for the series

~ the next book will take place in Austin, Texas

~ each book will contain a case that the FBI team is trying to solve

~ some of the cases will be based on actual events

~ the series was inspired by the TV show Sue Thomas FBEye

~ the second book will be coming out in the spring of next year

~ Kate’s Innocence is set in November

~ each book will bring growth and change to the characters

~ in book two, you will learn the nicknames for the team members

 

Here is a sneak peek from the first chapter of Kate’s Innocence:

The building shook as another explosion went off somewhere. Screams, shouts, and panicked voices filled the stairway with renewed vigor. People started pressing forward, shoving to be the first out. Kate’s pace quickened. The night sky was now lit by the orange glow of fire coming from three buildings. Student wails and screams mixed with the sound of sirens to create a terrifying soundtrack to the horrible events unfolding like a blockbuster film.

Kate quickly headed toward the couple, running as best she could in the snow that was now littered with bits and pieces of debris. The young man was sitting on the snow now, leaning over his girlfriend. He reached toward her as if to pick her up.

“Stop! Don’t move her!” Kate yelled.

The young man turned toward her. The sleeve of his coat was smeared with blood. She assumed he had wiped his bloody nose on the fabric.

Kate closed the distance between them and dropped to the side of the young girl. “It’s okay, I have some training. I can help her. Do you have a cell phone?”

The young man stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. “Yeah.”

“Good, call 9-1-1 and get an ambulance,” Kate ordered and turned to the woman. She placed her fingers on the girl’s throat and felt for a pulse. She was relieved when she felt fairly steady rhythm. She then moved her finger under the girl’s nose, making sure she was breathing. She looked at the Asian slant to the girl’s eyes, and raven hair with streaks of brown. Her pale face appeared chilled by the blanket of snow beneath her. She was breathing, thank goodness. Kate touched the smooth skin next to a bleeding bump on the girl’s forehead. She took a handful of snow and pressed it on the wound. The cold and the pressure from her fingers would at least slow the bleeding.

The crunch of snow made her look up. The girl’s boyfriend stood there, running his hands through his curly, jet black hair.

“EMS is on the way. Do you think she’ll be okay?” He knelt down and looked at the Asian girl.

Kate glanced from his worried blue eyes to the still form of his girlfriend. She swallowed hard. The fact that she hadn’t moved wasn’t good, but she was breathing and her heart was beating. “I don’t know. It looks like a piece of flying debris hit her.”

He looked at her, his gaze unwavering. She wondered if he was dazed or clinging to her for hope. Kate placed her hand on his arm. “She’ll be okay.” She didn’t really know that, but she felt the need to comfort him somehow.

 

I’m looking forward to reading this one! Enter the giveaway to win a free signed copy of Kate’s Innocence! :)

 

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~Giveaway Winners Announced!

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At last! Esther helped me draw the winners, so I decided to let her do the announcing.

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Congratulations, Rosy! You’ve won the $10 Amazon Gift Card!

And, congratulations, Sarah! You’ll be receiving a signed copy of “Journeys of Four!”

Thank you so much to everyone who participates! Stayed tuned, because I have some more exciting things on the way!

 

To the KING be all the glory!

~Quotable Monday – How Can I?

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I know it’s my book, but this quote always convicts me… I can even remember when I wrote this part of Christine’s story. That first draft was quite a few years ago now.

– – –

From my book, Journeys of Four. When four young people, walking down completely different paths in life, are confronted with what it means to truly be a Christian, they are faced with either repentance and redemption, or a complete rejection of their faith.

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~Creating Claudius

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Claudius Rivers. The unkempt, classical music loving, rather rebellious, young cynic. Where did I find him in my imagination?

The truth is, I have no idea. Claudius Rivers didn’t even start out as Claudius Rivers. He originally went by Brent Crutch, the brother of Claudette Crutch. Until I tried writing about him. I never got farther than a sentence of actual manuscript. The moment I started writing about “Brent,” I knew that this character was certainly not Brent. He didn’t answer to that name, his parents weren’t the type to name him that, and it didn’t match his personality. I further knew that he was not even a Crutch. Instead of being Claudette’s brother by birth, he was her step-brother.

So, I stopped writing and went back to the naming board.

Since all the characters in Journeys of Four were named based on the meaning behind the name, (i.e. Christine means “Christ Follower,) that, coupled with my plans to make this character a minor antagonist, greatly limited my options. I had about two choices for naming this young man, and Claudius just fit, despite my misgivings that some people might think that no modern character should ever bear the name of an ancient Roman.

Then came the surname, for which I can’t take any credit. I couldn’t think of anything whatsoever. I thought of surnames, only to reject them. So, I sent a (probably begging) e-mail and a good friend of mine suggested Rivers. I knew the minute I heard it in my head, that it sounded perfect. When I put it to paper, it was even better.

Actually, it was his name that made me want to use Claudius a little bit more. Originally, just a ploy to give Claudette a little more depth of character, I had planned to introduce him in one chapter. Then, I think he was supposed to run away or refuse to go places with his family or something. Never to be seen again. I liked his name though and it seemed a waste to confine it to one paragraph or even chapter. Before I knew it, Claudius Rivers had become, possibly, the most complicated character in my book, threatening to take over half of my manuscript. As I kept writing, his story kept spreading and growing – and I learned to love it.

In the end, Claudius became one of four main characters in my book. For awhile, I was afraid he would crowd everyone else out, but he didn’t. Christine has her part, Claudette hers, and Peter his. The more minor characters have their roles as well. And that’s just how it ought to be.

To the KING be all the glory!

What’s in a Title – Journeys of Four

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Front Cover - 4 - Journeys of FourJourneys of Four.

I think it’s a good title, but what does it mean? Where did it come from?

Everyone knows what a journey is. It’s a trip, a time of movement, an adventure. Bilbo Baggins went on a journey with the dwarves, Nicholas Nickleby went on a journey to earn his fortune (not that it worked,) even Paul the Apostle went on (many) journeys to spread the gospel. Perhaps, most of the time then, the word refers to an actual physical trip, from one place to another.

Other times, however, it can refer to something far less physical; it can refer to journeys of a mental, character, and/or spiritual nature. Our growth towards the things of the LORD or our death in the opposite direction.

We all experience this type of journey in one way and one direction or another. We tread the pathways of our spiritual lives, sometimes with steps slow and halting, as we strain to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes, leaping and swift, singing at the top of our lungs. Or anywhere in-between.

This is the type of journey that my title refers to. Journeys of life.

As for the second half of the title, it refers to the four main characters whose journeys are chronicled. Four characters, so different in many ways, but all on similar journeys. The shy and miserable Christine, the bitter and loudmouthed Claudette, the indifferent and sullen Claudius, and the angry and escapist Peter.

Each, through their different paths, come face to face with the revelation of true Christianity – and when they do, they either face repentance, receiving redemption, or they turn their backs, rejecting Christ altogether. This is their story. The Journeys of Four.

To the KING be all the glory!