Coloma, CA Provides the Setting for 'Sourdough Creek' by Caroline Fyffe

"Stories about Gold country usually contain greed, treachery and sometimes violence. When Carolyn Fyffe writes about Gold country, she includes the beauty of the area, a mystery or two, and a love story. Her knowledge of horses adds deep richness to the story."

Read more here.

Atlanta Sets the Stage for Murder in Tina Whittle's 'Darker Than Any Shadow'

Georgia author Tina Whittle visits the world of competitive performance poetry in "Darker Than Any Shadow," sequel to her earlier "The Dangerous Edge of Things." This edgy mystery combines vivid characters and elegant word play for a satisfying romp in Atlanta.

Gun-shop owner Tai Randolph has deepened her relationship with former police officer Trey Seaver. She's learning to deal with the personality quirks that dog him since a near-fatal automobile damaged resulted in brain damage. He's learning to survive her impetuosity.

Heat up Atlanta with Tina Whittle here.

Bob Rawleigh's latest album offers plenty of love songs to love

Valentine’s Day is more than candy and sentimental greeting cards. It’s a day for expressing your deepest emotions. Local song stylist Bob Rawleigh delivers a calorie free but most satisfying album of classic love songs guaranteed to help the most tongue-tied suitor get the message across.

Rawleigh’s mellow sound combines the best of cool jazz and smooth ballads on "Classic Songs For The Love Of My Life," his fifth album. He is a mixture of Perry Como, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. He has chosen an intriguing blend of songs and arrangements to express the facets of love.

Learn more here.

El Dorado County Wineries Give Napa and Sonoma Competition

Mention California wines and most people think of Napa Valley or Sonoma. The award-winning wineries in El Dorado County, nestled along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, work hard to shatter that stereotype.

With a wide assortment of varieties grown and amenities offered, these wineries provide an easy-to-visit alternative to the valley-bound wineries. From dozens of locations across the county, visitors can chooses the type of wine or type of environment and be assured of finding a suitable selection, without the traffic hassles of Napa. Here are a few examples, in alphabetical order.


Check out the vineyards here.

Movie Review - "Joyful Noise"

Dolly Parton (G.G. Sparrow) and Queen Latifah (Vi Rose Hill) lock horns as two opinionated members of a small town church choir in "Joyful Noise." The pair fights against and beside each other in the quest for a national music title. Georgia's Pacashau Divinity Church Choir has lost at the regional level repeatedly through the years and the death of the long-time choir director darkens this year's prospects.

The cast includes Keke Palmer (Olivia Hill) as Queen Latifah's daughter, Jeremy Jordan (Randy Garrity) as Dolly Parton's bad-boy grandson, Courtney B. Vance as Pastor Dale, Angela Grovey (Earla) as a pivotal choir member and a brief appearance by Kris Kristofferson as Dolly Parton's husband. Dexter Darden plays Walter Hill, Olivia's younger brother and an Apserger syndrome sufferer, in a touching performance.

Join the song here.

Casual fine dining at Cameron Park's Snooty Frog

Fine dining often implies a dressy or snobby restaurant; casual dining usually indicates a more laid back environment. At Snooty Frog, the menu offers fine dining while the restaurant provides a comfortable, cozy experience.

We attended the restaurant on a Thursday evening. While there were a few parties in the establishment, there were several open tables (the restaurant seats 80). The host quickly showed us to a table. He returned to take our order rather than a waiter.

Jump into more information here!

Bagels Shops Worth the Search in Placerville, CA

Placerville, CA offers many amenities. A abundance of bagel shops is not among them. But like the area's gold nuggets, you can find some real treasures if you look.

For the star of Placerville bagel shops, look to Bagel Works. Complete with art on the walls and soft background music, this shop allows conversation or concentration as the customer chooses. The staff offers friendly service and maintains a gleaming facility. The bagels are tender inside and toasted to perfection, not charred into coal.
Check out the bagels here!

'The God Who Sees You' by Tammy Maltby

Author Tammy Maltby introduces us to “The God Who Sees You” through Scripture and anecdote in her new book. She begins with the story of Hagar, the runaway maidservant of Abram and Sarai. Hagar felt invisible until God told her that He saw her and she praised Him as “the God who sees me.”

From there Maltby takes us through other scriptural references, other evidences that God not only sees us but He sees what we need, He sees what happens to us and He sees our hearts. She also uses quotations from other authors to remind us of how very much we mean to God, and what that means to us in day to day life. Maltby speaks out of her own pain and shares her own experiences of a time when she was feeling invisible.

"The God who sees you" offers comfort and inspiration that is sorely needed in today's technological and isolating world. It reminds us that we are never truly abandoned or alone; it reminds us that we are treasured to the One who created us.

In the rear of the book, Maltby provides a detailed list of notes referencing the various sites and verses she has quoted, making it easy to follow-up for further study. "The God Who Sees You" offers far more than just a reminder that God sees us. It provides the documentation to prove it.

The book’s organization makes it a great choice for small group study and its uplifting theme makes it an excellent choice for a book club. Easy to read, the book presents the information in understandable form and easily digestible portions. You may find yourself seeing portions of Scripture in a new light as you study the implications of what your visibility to God really means.

"The God Who Sees You" by Tammy Maltby with Anne Christian Buchanan

Published by David C Cook

ISBN 978-1-4347-6799-8

Return to Seaside, NJ for 'Shadows on the Sand' with Gayle Roper

"Author Gayle Roper returns to the New Jersey barrier island town of Seaside for “Shadows on the Sand.” Readers soon learn there are things happening here that sound more like major metropolis than sleepy little resort town in the off-season."


If you read Roper's four previous Seaside books, you'll want to check out this latest addition.

Click here to read more.