The American Patriot Series by J.M. Hochstetler

In this vivid retelling of the founding of the United States, the actual historical events, including the real British and colonial leaders who provided the catalyst for them, and breathtaking moment-by-moment recreations of the pivotal battles converge with two compelling characters in a suspense-filled story of espionage, intrigue, and romance. On the ruins of war and loss, Elizabeth Howard and Jonathan Carleton build an enduring legacy of love, hope, faith—and freedom—at the “crossroads of humanity.”

 

A beautiful rebel spy and a jaded British officer fight a war of wits and words . . . and a love that will not be denied.Christianbook.com
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Caught between two worlds at war, he could lose everything—his country, his faith, and the woman who holds his heart captive.

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As the patriot cause falters, can her love bridge the miles between them—and the savage bonds that threaten to tear him forever from her arms?

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Forthcoming Volumes

Crucible of War (September 2012)

Valley of the Shadow (Spring 2014)

Refiner’s Fire (Spring 2015)

Forge of Freedom (Spring 2017)

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Joan M. Shoup, writing as J. M. Hochstetler, writes stories that always involve some element of the past and of finding home. Born in central Indiana, the daughter of Mennonite farmers, Joan grew up in the Amish and Mennonite community outside Kokomo and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic languages. Her life’s ambition was to marry a nice Mennonite farmer, settle down to raise babies and crops, and become an artist.As we all know, life has a way of throwing curve balls . . .Instead, while raising three daughters, she discovered writing after an intriguing dream that begged to be developed into a novel. Several new stories followed, all gathering a collection of rejection slips. Years later she moved from Indiana to Tennessee and eventually became an editor with Abingdon Press, where she worked for twelve years before founding her own small press, Sheaf House Publishers.Joan is the author of the critically acclaimed American Patriot Series. The first three volumes, Daughter of Liberty, Native Son, and Wind of the Spirit are currently available, with four more volumes planned in the series. Joan is also the author of One Holy Night, a retelling of the Christmas story set in modern times. One Holy Nightwas the 2009 Christian Small Publishers Fiction Book of the Year and a finalist for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year.Joan is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, and Historical Novels Society. She loves to garden, scrapbook, travel, spend time with her grandchildren, and most of all read good stories and write. She and her husband, a retired pastor with the United Methodist Church, enjoy camping in their fifth-wheel trailer. They live near Nashville, Tennessee. 

 

SELLING POINTS

 

The only comprehensive historical fiction series on America’s founding, the American Patriot Series sweeps readers into a tumultuous world of revolution. Beginning in April 1775, Daughter of Liberty and its sequels, Native Son and Wind of the Spirit, set in motion the thrilling saga that will follow Elizabeth Howard and Jonathan Carleton as they face the devastation and triumphs of war—from the American colonists’ first armed confrontation with the British to the spreading inferno along the frontiers of Indian territory, through the battles raging in the Middle and Southern colonies and on the high seas, and at last to the final, decisive assault at Yorktown.

 

BLOG: http://americanpatriotseries.blogspot.com/

 

A Hint of Murder: The Writer by Lia Fairchild

To demonstrate her protagonist‘s moment at the crossroads of humanity, author Lia Fairchild has submitted an excerpt.

EXCERPT

Since the first body was discovered, she’d had nothing but heartache, worry and guilt. Alicia Fairfield prayed it was a coincidence; that the murdered young woman had nothing to do with the story she had created. A story that was played out on the big screen just last week. Perhaps making Vegas Vendetta, her tenth bestseller, into a movie had been a mistake. The Las Vegas Showgirl was fatally stabbed the night of the premiere. Alicia and her agent Edward spoke to the police the next day before Alicia returned to her million-dollar home snuggly perched in the rolling hills of Marin County.

Clutching the bottle tightly, Alicia closed the medicine cabinet and stared at herself in the mirror. A pair of icy blue eyes gazed back at her as she smoothed down her straight blonde hair. At forty-five, she was just beginning to show the signs of aging. For a moment, the stranger in the reflection hypnotized her but she tore herself away from the image and left for the kitchen. She passed through her dining room, decorated to perfection, and her hallway adorned with gorgeous paintings, some of them her own creations. When she reached the sink she filled a glass with water and took it along with the pill bottle to the other side of the counter. Setting them down next to her laptop, she took a seat at the end barstool.

Alicia glanced down at the morning paper, and reread the headline. “Copy Cat Killer Strikes Again.” The article detailed the killing of the showgirl and linked it to the recent murder of a nurse found dead behind a free clinic in Novato. A source told the paper that a page from A.J. Field’s novel From the Shadows had been left with the nurse’s body. The pen name was Alicia’s attempt to have a private life and keep her family—mainly her mentally ill son—away from public scrutiny.

Alicia set the paper down and turned to her laptop. Mesmerized by the blinking curser, she contemplated what she would write. For the first time, these would be her words. It was possible two lives had been taken because of the words she’d written in her novels. Should these be the last words anyone would ever read from A.J. Field?

The white page grew blurry as tears welled in her eyes. She rested her hands on the keyboard, sighed and began to type the incoherent thoughts that scattered in her mind:

To my dearest David, a beloved son that never found happiness, I am truly sorry. And, my agent Edward, thank you for years of support and friendship. I would never have made it this far without you. To all my faithful fans out there, I’m so grateful I enriched and heightened your love of reading. As I truly believe that our decisions—

A loud pounding at the door startled Alicia and made her jump. She sat frozen wondering what to do. The pounding came again accompanied by a loud grumbling voice. “Alicia! Alicia, open the door! It’s me, Edward!”

Fearing the dreadful tone in his voice, Alicia grabbed the pills and stashed the bottle in her purse. She raced to the door and opened it.

“My God, Alicia!” her agent said out of breath and leaning on the door jam. At sixty, he wasn’t in the best of shape. “Why haven’t you answered my calls?” He didn’t wait for an answer and stepped into the foyer. “Are you all right?” Glancing around the area, he cast a concerned look upon her and waited for answers.

“Edward, I’m fine. I just needed some time to think.” Her voice was calm; believable. Alicia grabbed him by the arm and led him to the kitchen. “Let’s get you something to drink, have you rest a bit.” Even though she saw him as a big brother—he was more than ten years her senior—she often felt the need to take care of him.

Alicia went to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher. “Tea?” she asked as Edward took a seat at the bar.

Nodding with a smile, he watched as she poured the tea. Then suddenly, Alicia gasped as she realized she hadn’t closed the keyboard before running to the door. Her hand shook uncontrollably and her calm cover had been blown. Tea splashed over the glass onto the counter causing Edward to go to her.

“Let me help,” Edward said. He removed the pitcher from her hand with care and set it on the counter. Instinctively he took her in his arms and held her close.  “You’ve heard the news I take it,” he said in a gentle tone. “It’s okay, Alicia. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here.”

She barely made a sound, yet Edward’s shirt dampened beneath her cheek. Surprisingly she had never let him see her like that and wasn’t sure how he would react. His gentle voice and strong arms were comforting and different from his routine business demeanor.

Edward walked Alicia into the next room, rubbing her back. “Here…let’s sit and talk.” He had grown expert in dealing with Alicia during difficult writing times.  Whenever she had a notion to quit it all and concentrate on her painting, or was conflicted over a storyline or character, he always skillfully talked her down. But this was different. How could he tell her everything would be all right when there were two innocent girls that had been murdered? Killed in almost the exact circumstances of her last two novels.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I am a native Californian who loves reading, writing, movies and anything else related to the arts. Writing is something I’ve thought about all my life, so the completion of my first novel, “In Search of Lucy” is truely satifisfying. I hold a B.A. degree in Journalism and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. My most enjoyable moments are spent with my family, traveling, spending time outdoors or simply laughing and being together.

 

 

SELLING POINTS

What people are saying about “A Hint of Murder: The Writer”

“Wow! All I can say is wow!!”

“I was convinced I had all the answers to the murders. How totally wrong I was. Exceptionally well written and worthy of FIVE stars.”

“I love a good murder mystery. And this one’s a good one.”

A “Hint of Murder: The Writer” is available at:

Amazon US http://amzn.to/pW5oB0

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/r1D6Mk

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/qC1dpT

Other A Hint of Murder mysteries available or buy The Anthology

Amazon US  http://ow.ly/7xiI7

Amazon UK  http://ow.ly/7xiKW

 

A Spark of Heavenly Fire by Pat Bertram

Washington Irving wrote: “There is in every true woman’s heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up, and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.”

When I read these words, I could see her, a drab woman, defeated by life, dragging herself through her days in the normal world, but in an abnormal world of strife and danger, she would come alive and inspire others. And so Kate Cummings, the hero of my novel A Spark of Heavenly Fire was born. But born into what world?

I didn’t want to write a book about war, which is a common setting for such a character-driven story, so I created the red death, an unstoppable, bio-engineered disease that ravages Colorado. Martial law is declared, rationing is put into effect, and the entire state is quarantined. During this time when so many are dying, Kate comes alive and gradually pulls others into her sphere of kindness and generosity. First enters Dee Allenby, another woman defeated by normal life, then enter the homeless—the group hardest hit by the militated restrictions. Finally, enters Greg Pullman, a movie-star-handsome reporter who is determined to find out who created the red death and why they did it.

Kate and her friends build a new world, a new normal, to help one another survive, but other characters, such as Jeremy King, a world-class actor who gets caught in the quarantine, and Pippi O’Brian, a local weather girl, think only of their own survival, and they are determined to leave the state even if it kills them. 

The world of the red death brings out the worst in some characters while bringing out the best in others. Most of all, the prism of death and survival reflects what each values most. Kate values love. Dee values purpose. Greg values truth. Jeremy values freedom. Pippi, who values nothing, learns to value herself.

ABOUT PAT BERTRAM:

Pat Bertram is a native of Colorado and a life-long resident (though she has had a couple of brief stays in other states). Bertram writes genre-bending novels that aren’t easily categorized. Second Wind Publishing liked her style and published four of Bertram’s books: Light Bringer, Daughter Am I, More Deaths Than One, and A Spark of Heavenly Fire.

Pat’s Books:

More Deaths Than One: Bob Stark returns to Denver after 18 years in SE Asia to discover that the mother he buried before he left is dead again. At her new funeral, he sees . . . himself. Is his other self a hoaxer? A doppelganger? Or is something more sinister going on? 

Daughter Am I: When twenty-five-year-old Mary Stuart inherits a farm from her recently murdered grandparents — grand-parents her father claimed had died before she was born — she becomes obsessed with finding out who they were and why someone wanted them dead.

Light Bringer: Thirty-seven years after being abandoned on the doorstep of a remote cabin in Colorado, Becka Johnson returns to try to discover her identity, but she only finds more questions. Who has been looking for her all those years? And why?

To buy Pat’s novels, go to:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002BLUHUY

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/patbertram

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/pat-bertram

To see more about Pat, go to: http://patbertram.com/ 

 

The Consummate Traitor by Bonnie Toews

 At the  Crossroads of Humanity, two women discover how treason can destroy the world, not just them. What can they do to stop a nuclear Holocaust? How can one person make a difference?

ON KINDLE for $2.99 

PAPERBACK AND KINDLE EDITION at AMAZON.COM 

PAPERBACK IN CANADA AVAILABLE HERE.

The Consummate Traitor trailer