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.

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.

Book Review: 'Dying for a Date' by Cindy Sample

"A certain delight comes with reading a book set in a familiar area, so long as the author remains true to the flavor of the locale. If you know the geography, you can easily visualize the movements of the characters against a richer background than a strange locale. This is certainly the case with “Dying for a Date” by Cindy Sample.

California's Gold Country sets the scene for 'Dying for a Date'

Sample has woven a comedic romantic-mystery set in historic gold country of  El Dorado County, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Her book is a smart, sassy recounting of a divorced woman who gets involved in murder investigations through her presence on a dating-service date with each of the victims at the time of the murders. She must convince an uncooperative detective and his handsome partner of her innocence, even as the evidence builds against her."

Click here for more on this book.

Book Review - 'Coming Back Stronger' by Drew Brees and Chris Fabry

'Coming Back Stronger' by Drew Brees and Chris Fabry

"On February 7, 2010, Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to their first-in-franchise-history Super Bowl win. That single concise sentence sums up a football season; it can’t sum up a life. It can’t express the joy felt by longsuffering fans. It can’t describe the boost that win provided to a scarred city.

To look at those additional aspects, you need a book. The book should be thorough and thoughtful and lets people see the importance of keeping after a goal and looking to God for the right goal. 'Coming Back Stronger' is such a book."

Chris Fabry

For more on this outstanding New York Times bestseller, click here.

Opinion - Paging Diogenes...Where is Truth?

The election process degenerates with each passing election season. The 2010 California general election only proves my point.

Once upon a time, candidates came before us stating what they believed, what they wanted to accomplish, what they planned to do to get there. Now, I have no idea of what most candidates believe, except what they believe about the other candidates.

Lay Off the Layoffs

I’ve heard business leader-candidates chastised for layoffs in the past, as though he or she woke up one morning and decided to see how many lives could be ruined. To the best of my knowledge, layoffs are not a unilateral decision. The Board of Directors and department heads mandate or at the very least agree with the action. The CEO is more visible, but not solely responsible.

At no time have I heard anyone point out that layoffs and outsourcing come in the name of profits and profits benefit stockholders. Stockholders like me. I own a few shares in a mutual fund. And I’ve been the subject of a layoff. You might say I can see both sides of the issue. 

I’m not wealthy. I’m not even ‘employed’ anymore. I do a little independent contracting, but I’m not making anywhere near what I was making before the layoff. And those mutual funds form an important part of my retirement strategy, since my income is reduced and that wreaks havoc with my future SSN benefits (if there are any SSN benefits to get when I get there). 

Eliminate the Edits

File videos edited to make a candidate look foolish make me crazy. Multiple repetitions of a split-second clip should be illegal as a form of torture. We’ve got one commercial featuring a variety of citizens in Hawaiian shirts – the thing is poorly written and poorly filmed. Besides that, it’s plain annoying! 

I’ve heard all my life that you can use the Bible to prove anything if you take the verses out of context. Obviously the editors of political spots heard the same thing and adapted it to video clips and news stories. 

Stop, already! Give us the whole clip or leave us alone. With the presence of the Internet, any campaign has the ability to offer a complete clip at minimal cost. But how can I believe you when I can tell you’ve edited the tape to an unknown degree?

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

When a candidate spends an entire ad bad mouthing the opposition, I learn nothing about his position. Candidate A may plan to encourage 25,000 new businesses by leasing unused government office throughout the state at bargain basement rates to start-up firms and offer tax cuts for documented volunteer hours, but if she spends her air time maligning Candidate B, I’ll never know.

Exposing weaknesses in the opposition is important, but no more so than displaying your own strengths. Come out of the shadows with what you stand for so I can make an active and informed decision.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, I am so thoroughly disgusted by the candidates and their trash campaigns that I almost want to pass on voting. I would guess that a lot of so-called “voter apathy” is really voter repulsion caused by the negative campaign styles so rampant today. 

I’ve made a personal decision to not allow my vote to be silenced. I will cast my vote in a thoughtful manner and pray that the next crop of political aspirants will be more civilized in their methods.

Book Review - "Too Rich for a Bride" by Mona Hodgson

Readers first met the Sinclair sisters in “Two Bride Too Many,” which recounted the adventures of Kat and Nell Sinclair as they headed to Cripple Creek, Colorado as mail order brides. Ida Sinclair, the eldest of the four sisters, takes her turn center stage in “Too Rich for a Bride.” 

Ida finished business school back east. She received a rude awakening in a crude proposition from a trusted professor. Her disillusionment with the business world of the east coast leads her to join Kat and Nell in Cripple Creek. Unlike her sisters, Ida isn’t looking for marriage – she’s wants an opportunity to practice the business skills she learned and make her fortune. She aligns herself with maverick businesswoman Mollie O’Bryan and begins the process of acquiring wealth and influence in the booming mining town.

Some people in Cripple Creek questions Mollie’s business practices. Is it jealousy of her success or something more? Will Ida’s future be colored by her association with Mollie?

One of the townspeople Ida meets is an itinerant preacher-turned-iceman, Tucker Raines. He is everything Ida doesn’t want. He fights to save his family’s business as his father’s ill health creates more debt. He befriends ordinary people, rather than cultivating those who could benefit him. His sense of style leaves much to be desired. Handsome, well-dressed attorney Colin Wagner seems a more suitable companion for an up-and-coming business woman. 

Ida has as much to learn about life as she does about business, and Hodgson doesn’t hide the lessons in fancy clothes. We see Ida’s faults as well as her virtues and dreams. Through the pages of “Too Rich for a Bride,” we see sinfulness, redemption, restitution, forgiveness and hope. Hodgson reminds us of the boundless love of God in a framework of historic romance.

The reader will find actual historic figures scattered in the story, adding to the richness of the tale. The locale experiences its own growing pains even as the characters grow. Hodgson provides a delightful look at a raucous period in American history and shows us the people who lived through it. The book is fun to read and quite addictive. Set an alarm clock if you have an appointment to keep - you easily could lose all track of time once you begin reading.

You’ll find “Too Rich for a Bride” at Wal-Mart stores in its limited initial release. General release will come in 2011. If you love historic romance fiction, you won’t want to wait!

“Too Rich for A Bride” by Mona Hodgson

Published by WaterBrook Press

ISBN 978-0-307-72988-0