     Nancy Mehl | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 07:48 am 
Here it is, finally. My review from Library Journal:
As a child, Cally Jo McAllister testified against
Albert Boone, the janitor at her family's church, and
sent him to prison for murdering her mother. Now in
college, Cally works part-time as a sketch artist for
the police, creating eerily realistic portraits of
criminals from the basic facts provided by witnesses.
Detective Dan Christopher thinks that she taps into a
higher power, but Cally has always scoffed at the
idea-until recently. Her childhood nightmares have
returned, and she gradually realizes that she may have
sent to wrong man to prison and that the real killer
may be her estranged father. As Cally struggles to find
the truth, a mysterious stranger seeks her out. Will
her slowly developing faith help her heal the wounds of
the past and create a future, or has the past returned
to claim another victim? Mehl's solid debut mystery
will appeal to mainstream and secular audiences,
especially fans of Dee Henderson, Terri Blackstock, and
Lorena McCourtney's Whirlpool.
Melanie C. Duncan |
| Vickie Adkins | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 08:00 am
Oh My! Congratulations Nancy Mehl! YOU GO GIRL!!!!! :d
Best,
Vickie |
| laurelj | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 08:06 am
WOW. No need to ask if I'm impressed, because OH MY - I am!! That was great. Praise from Caesar. I was never able to figure out how to get LJ to review my book...so alas it will never be. But aren't you pleased, Nancy? I bet you're smiling. You asked how to put the LJ review on amazon. On your own book page from your home PC I assume you mean. I have never figured out how. Amazon wont let me. So I do it from another computer. One of us could post if for you if you want maybe??
Laurel |
| Scott Grueninger | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 08:16 am
Nancy,
That's great news! It sounds like you had to wait a while, but it was well worth the wait. I thought the Library Journal had a pre-release policy for materials. Did you sent them proofs or did you send them a finished book? Congrats on your review.
Scott |
| Nancy Mehl | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 10:09 am
Scott,
Sent them a finished book. I made the connection with them through my "other" publisher. The reviewer there knew of them, and let me send my book.
Of course, now that "other" publisher is no more. Haven't told the woman from LJ about it yet - but I think we have developed our own relationship now. Anyway, I hope so.
Nancy |
| Nancy Marie | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 11:24 am
Nancy Mehl - Congrats!
Anybody wanna see mine, got it today also. Didn't want to bore you guys with another review, though. But it was good, also.
smiles and blessings, Kitty |
| laurelj | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 02:23 pm
Yes I like to read reviews. Shows me what I'm up against with all you talented folks.
laurelj |
| Gloria Marlow | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 02:39 pm
Congratulations, Nancy! You and the book deserve it!
Gloria |
| Nancy Marie | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 03:02 pm
Okay, here's my Library Journal review, also received today.
From LJ 4/1/02:
Marie, Nancy. When You Wish Upon a Star.
PublishAmerica. 2002. c.281p. ISBN 1-58851-620-2. $24.95.
After suffering years of abuse from her husband, Paige Brookhart packs up her daughters Becky and Jess and sneaks away in the night. When she sees a shooting star, she makes a wish: "I won't tell, but my wish is never to be beaten again. Do you hear me, God, if you're even up there, never, never again." Fragile and terrified, she wants only to find a safe place when her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere Wyoming. Lance Parrish, owner of the Circle Bar C ranch, finds the Brookharts and offers them temporary shelter. As Lance learns more about Paige and her girls, he begins to feel a call to return to his faith and ministry, which he abandoned after the deaths of his wife and sons. Paige is also drawn to the Lord for the strength to face her past and build a new future, but she never expects that the revelation of her secrets will be so devastating or that her husband will track down to make good on his threat to kill her. Marie makes an exciting debut on the Christian fiction scene with this tale of romantic suspense, which should appeal to fans of Dee Henderson's O'Malley series and Terri Blackstock's Cape Refuge.
Sincerely,
Melanie C. Duncan
Library Journal, Christian Fiction Columnist |
| laurelj | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 03:52 pm
Well hooray for you, too, Kitty! Your head must be spinning with all your honors lately. I'm smiling ear to ear here, for both you Nancy's. 
laurelj |
| Gloria Marlow | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 06:31 pm
Congratulations, Nancy Marie! I haven't read your book yet, but can't wait to! I need to go to B&N and order a whole list of books.
Gloria |
| Vickie Adkins | Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 08:48 pm
Kitty,
Congrats to you too! You and Nancy put me to shame! BTW, I got a message from Amazon that your book is on the way. Can't wait to read it.
Best,
Vickie |
| Nancy Marie | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 06:08 am
Thanks Vickie for ordering it. Let me know what you think of it.
smiles and blessings, Kitty |
| Vickie Adkins | Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 07:38 am
Kitty,
I'll do that, as well as post a review on Amazon.com. I want to order everyone's eventually, well not everyone in the whole universe, but at least those I've heard about here at Mindsightseries. But my bookcase is popping at the seams right now. I'll get to it eventually!
Best,
Vickie |
| sophie | Monday, April 08, 2002 - 01:19 pm
Congrats, both Nancies, on having reviews from Library Journal. But I have a comment on reviews in general. Why do reviewers feel compelled to summarize the story? I want to read a novel without knowing what's going to happen. Why can't they confine themselves to writing, "This book has surprising plot twists" or "X grows up to find herself in an unusual profession and closer to the truth of her mother's murder." Especially in Christian novels, where the reader is almost guaranteed that the protagonist/s will be "saved." A two-line gist of what the story comprises; whether, in the reviewer's opinion, it is worth reading; and any unique merits would surely suffice. Is it to prove the reviewer has read the book? I never watch the "scenes from next week's show" on TV either. Am I the only person that thinks this is strange? |
| laurelj | Monday, April 08, 2002 - 03:09 pm
I'm not a professional reviewer, or even an experienced one, but I feel the same way you do, Sophie. I don't like to give the plot away when I review so I give my general impressions while reading it, along with a few tidbits. If a book is really really good, I might expand the tidbits into short quotes.
LaurelJ |
| Nancy Marie | Monday, April 08, 2002 - 04:14 pm
Sophie - I think the review in the library journal is written in such a way so give librarians an idea of whether or not to purchase the book for their libraries.
To be honest, I wasn't all that keen on LJ's review simply because it does give so much of the plot away.
The reviews I write do not give away the plot, just hint at it. Giving away the plot kinda spoils all the fun for the reader. At least that's the way I see it.
smiles and blessings, Kitty |
