The Book Stops Here - Review of The Unfinished Gift by Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh was one of the first people I met in Denver, at the ACFW conference, as I worked the registration desk along with him and his lovely wife. And now I'm part of the blog tour for his debut novel, The Unfinished Gift. What an honor! First, a brief synopsis of the book and then I'll offer my thoughts.

Can a gift from the past mend a broken heart?

Ian Collins is an old man without his son. Patrick Collins is a young boy without his father. On his Christmas list are only three items. He wants the army to find his father. He wants to leave his grandfather's house. And he wants the dusty wooden soldier in Grandfather's attic--the one he is forbidden to touch.

Set at Christmastime in 1943, The Unfinished Gift is the engaging story of a family in need of forgiveness. With simple grace, it reminds us of the small things that affect powerful change in our hearts--a young boy's prayers, a shoe box of love letters, and even a half-carved soldier, long forgotten. This nostalgic story of reconciliation will touch your heart.


My thoughts:

First let me say I am not a huge fan of any type of historical fiction. With that disclaimer, I'll go on to say that this book made me a fan. At least of author Dan Walsh and the way he presents the past.

Patrick Collins is a little boy who just lost his mother and whose father is off at war. The only sensible thing for Child Services to do is place Patrick with his grandfather, Ian. Unfortunately, Grandpa wants nothing to do with caring for a child. In fact, he's been estranged from his son, Patrick's father, for many years. Patrick does his best to please his grandfather but he can't seem to do anything right. What it comes down to is that Ian Collins is a stubborn old mule who needs some Christmas in his life.

Dan Walsh weaves his debut novel like a pro. The main characters are well crafted, the secondary characters bring life and laughter to the story, and the plot is engaging and heartwarming. Messages of forgiveness and love abound throughout and you'll find yourself wiping your eyes (at least, I did!) as you relate to the pain Patrick experiences as a boy all alone and the heartache that lies beneath his grandfather's leathery exterior.

Most of all, this story relays a message of hope. Hope for restored relationships. Hope for healed hearts and changed lives. So, in essence, this story encompasses what Christmas is all about.

The Unfinished Gift is definitely a book for your Christmas Keepsake Shelf. I am looking forward to the sequel, The Homecoming, which is scheduled for release in June, 2010.

Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy of this book to review.




Dan Walsh is the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, a church he helped found 23 years ago. He is the author of The Unfinished Gift and lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area.

Visit his website at www.danwalshbooks.com

Breaking News...

We interrupt these scheduled blog posts to bring you a special announcement....

OK, let's be real. I'm posting this because I just have to share my wonderful news.

I WON THE FAITHWRITERS 2009 PAGE TURNER CONTEST!

'scuse me, a sec....

YAY! YIPPEE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! YEE-HAW!!!!!!!!!! WOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! HIP-HIP-HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

K, I'm back now.

Anyway, as I was saying, I WON! Of course, as anyone who enters a contest, I was hopeful. In 2007 I received a highly commended award for the first chapter of Mind over Madi. This year, with Dead Weight, I thought if I walked away with another highly commended, I'd be thrilled. But when I heard I won, it was the ultimate thrill of thrills. My prize package consists of free editing of the complete novel, free publicity and press releases if and when the book is released and $800 cash (just in time for Christmas!).

For those of you who may not know, the Page Turner contest is an annual contest exclusively created for FaithWriters 500 members. Each year, the focus switches from fiction to non-fiction. The winner of the 2007 fiction-focused Page Turner was soon-to-be-published, J.C. Lamont. Last year's non-fiction winner was Cori Smelker for her book about surrogacy. I am so honored to be among these awesome writers in the winners circle.

The two runners up this year are:

Shelley Ledfors for her entry, "Dominion" and Lisa Mikitarian for her entry, "Hundred Pocket Mirage." CONGRATS to Shelley and Lisa! Two years ago, I was one of those runners up. You may just see one of their names on top in 2011!

As for Dead Weight, my goal is to finish it by spring. I may share more about the plot of this book at a later time, but for now I'll just say it's a light mystery with a twenty-something protagonist who is a crime-show fanatic and food addict. I'm having a lot of fun with it.

I hope you don't mind that I posted on a non-blog day. As you can imagine, I am uber-excited and if I didn't share, I would probably combust or something.

All that said....

We now return to your regularly scheduled blog posts.

The 12 Books of Christmas - Allie Pleiter

I've got a full week of blog posts planned! On Wednesday and Friday, I'll be posting book reviews of two wonderful Christmas books. And no, neither one is featured as one of the 12 Books of Christmas. But you'll definitely want to pick up a copy of each this holiday season.

Next Saturday, the winner will be announced for this week's Christmas book giveaway and also for my Faithful Followers Gift Card Giveaway. You'll want to check back for that. What's that? You haven't entered? Well, what are you waiting for? You can't win if you don't enter! Click HERE to read about your chance to win a great gift card!

Now, on to this week's featured author and the awesome Christmas book she's giving away. I'm thrilled to introduce you to Allie Pleiter, author of several Love Inspired novels, as well as a couple of chick lit books published by Steeple Hill Cafe. The book Allie is offering this week is Bluegrass Christmas. Here's the back cover copy:

BLUEGRASS CHRISTMAS

#4 In the KENTUCKY CORNERS Series

An Old Fashioned Christmas...

That’s what led new believer Mary Thorpe to start over in quaint Middleburg, Kentucky. As director of the church’s Christmas pageant, Mary’s job is to bring the townspeople together, to remind them what the season is really about. But everyone is all riled up over one very handsome man: the man daring to run against Middleburg’s popular long-standing mayor. Mac MacCarthy wants change. Mary wants things to stay as they are. Is there a happy medium? Both Mac and Mary are in for one very big Christmas surprise.

Be sure to leave a comment on this blog post to be entered for this giveaway.
Good luck!

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ONE OF ALLIE'S FAVORITE RECIPES

ALLIE SAYS:

I don't bake, so I don't really have a Christmas recipe, but my family makes a goofy snack named "Reindeer Eyeballs" (really, we didn't make up the name, that's what we were told they were called). Be warned: They're addictive!

Ingredients:

1 package Christmas M&M's

1 package Pretzel Rings (Round shape, not traditional pretzel shape or stick)

1 package Almond Bark

Directions

1. cover a cookie sheet with waxed paper (rimmed works best)

2. lay out the pretzel rings in a single layer across the cookie sheet

3. Melt one or two bricks of almond bark at a time in the microwave in a pyrex cup or bowl

4. Fill the center of each pretzel ring with almond bark (a teaspoon works well for this)

5. After about 10 second, place a single M&M in the center of the "circle" of almond bark

6. Let sit for 30 minutes or place in fridge or cold place to cool faster

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ABOUT ALLIE:

An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, doing laundry, running carpools, and finding new ways to avoid housework. She grew up in Connecticut, holds a BS in Speech from Northwestern University, spent fifteen years in the field of professional fundraising, and currently lives in suburban Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing nine years ago has given rise to a career spanning two parenting books, eight novels including the multi-nominated MY SO-CALLED LOVE LIFE, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

**Contest disclaimer: Void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. Only one book allowed per person throughout the duration of the event.

Winners of Margaret Daley's Christmas books

CONGRATS to both of the winners this week in The 12 Books of Christmas!

Margaret Daley did something special and offered two of her books as giveaways, which is awesome because that means MORE of you will walk away with a freebie during the holiday season.

The winner of Together for the Holidays is...

PATRICIA!

The winner of Christmas Peril is...

DIANE!

Again, congrats to both ladies!

Check back on Monday for the next giveaway in The 12 Books of Christmas.

In the meantime, have you gotten in on my Faithful Followers Giveaway? Choose from 5 gift cards! One lucky follower will win a $15 gift card! Get all the details and enter HERE.

Faithful Followers Friday

Last year, on Cyber Monday, I held a Subscriber Monday giveaway to say thanks to those of you who follow my blog. Julie Arduini walked away with a $15 Amazon.com gift card and I'm sure she spent it on something wonderful!

This year, I can't post on Cyber Monday because of the 12 Books of Christmas giveaway going on (by the way, Margaret Daley is giving away TWO books this week and the deadline is midnight tonight, so if you haven't yet commented on THIS POST, do it now to be eligible for this giveaway). Anyway, because I can't post this special, now-annual, giveaway on Monday, I'm doing it today! Yay for you!

I've decided to allow YOU to decide your own gift card. All you need to do is post a comment on this post telling me which of the following gift cards you would choose. IF your name is selected, of course. The winner will be announced NEXT SATURDAY, December 5th, along with next week's 12 Books of Christmas winner.

FIVE GIFT CARDS TO CHOOSE FROM:

Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
Christianbook.com
Familychristian.com
eBay.com

RULES SCHMULES

* You MUST be a follower to be eligible. If you're not yet a follower, no problem! Just click on "Follow" (over there to the right) and you'll be automatically qualified. Then leave your comment.

*Only one entry per follower.

*You MUST tell me which gift card you would choose. None mentioned? No entry.

*You MUST leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you're the winner.

Winner will be selected at random, from all entries received. Gift card will be sent electronically after the winner is announced. Deadline to enter: 5:00 AM on Saturday, December 5th (Hey, I get up early and plan to do the drawing first thing in the morning).

Let me just say again how much I truly appreciate you for reading my blog. I wish I could send every one of you a gift card (but my husband would kill me).

OK. That's it! Go ahead and leave your comment.

GOOD LUCK!

Writing the Thanksgiving Meal

Last year at Thanksgiving, I blogged about websites I'm thankful for. If you've got some extra time (and you're interested), you can read that post HERE.

This year, I thought I'd do something a little different. As I'm preparing to host Thanksgiving for 12 people this year, plus a few more who may pop in at any given moment, I'm thinking about the Thanksgiving dinner and how it might relate to a writing good book. See if you agree:

THE TURKEY. Really. What would Thanksgiving be without a turkey? I know that some of you might not do the traditional turkey thing. Maybe your choice is ham or chicken. My point is, the meat is the focus of the meal, right? Likewise, we've got our plot - the meat of the story. Everything centers around it. Some plots are juicy, some are dry, some are plump, some are underdone, some overcooked. But one thing is true of the meat. It's probably the most expensive part of the meal AND the part that takes the most work (which is why I pawn off the turkey roasting to my sister-in-law). Your plot will likely cost you the most, too. If you want an exceptional novel, you need to take the time and pay the price required to craft a good story.

Now, if only there were those pop-up timers to let us know when it was ready.

THE POTATOES. At our house, the potatoes are the food item that everyone dives for after that "Amen." There's nothing quite like potatoes to go along with the meat. Have you guessed what the potatoes are? That's right. The characters. Some are lumpy, some half-baked, some cheesy, some fried. And most need to be peeled, just like the skin of our characters, to expose the good stuff. And sometimes, even the most perfect-looking potato can have a really rotten inside. Food for thought...

THE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE. Not everyone likes it, but come on. Green bean casserole is a must on my Thanksgiving table. In the same way, having a voice is a must - although not everyone will like it. That's where you have to say, "You know? Even though my mother-in-law doesn't like it, it is what it is." Hey, she doesn't have to put any on her plate, but she still has to look at it anyway and acknowledge that I made it.

THE STUFFING. This is the extra stuff. You know, like accessories are to an outfit. Some people put the stuffing inside the turkey, some include it "on the side." But ultimately, it's the padding of the story. All the subplots and aspects that make it more interesting. Again, not everyone will like the texture, but without it, at least at my house, the whole meal just falls flat.

ROLLS. I don't know about you, but for me, rolls are the feel-good food. It's what completes the meal. The bread and butter of the story, so to speak. In novel writing, I would say the rolls compare to the overall flow. The flow is what makes the story come together and seem complete.

THE TABLE SETTINGS. You probably don't even realize there's a table cloth underneath your plate, but it's what makes the meal look so pretty. The candles, maybe good china, pretty wine goblets...that background stuff you don't necessarily need in order to eat the meal but which definitely enhances your dining experience. Exactly the same way the setting of your story brings everything to life and makes it prettier.

PUMPKIN PIE. Hello. What's Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? OK, so it's not my absolute favorite (my choice is always apple or cherry - or chocolate!) but I can't imagine not having at least one pumpkin pie on the kitchen counter on Thanksgiving Day. So, of course, in relation to writing a story, dessert is the ending. Does it leave you full and satisfied? Regardless, the ending should be tasty! And the more whipped cream, the better!

PRAYER. Of course, a Thanksgiving meal should always start with prayer. And so should your story. Thank God for what He's given you (the food or the talent) and ask Him to bless it. Then get to work, either consuming that meal or writing that novel. And whatever you do, ENJOY the process.

So there's my Thanksgiving meal. Did I miss anything? Just for fun, leave a comment and let me know what foods I'd find on your Thanksgiving table.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY. THANK YOU for taking the time to read my blog. I truly appreciate you all.

The 12 Books of Christmas - Margaret Daley

Do I have a treat for you! This week, you have TWICE the chance to walk away with a free Christmas book, as Author Margaret Daley is giving away not one, but two books! I will randomly select two names on Saturday, so be sure to get in on the drawing by leaving a comment on this post.

Here are the two books that Margaret is offering this week:

Together for the Holidays
November 2009, Love Inspired
By Margaret Daley

A single mother with a traumatic past, Lisa Morgan only wants to raise her son with love and values. But lately the boy is struggling. When his basketball coach becomes a reluctant role model, Lisa is relieved. Until she learns that David Russell is also a cop. She's not ready to share her past—or her heart. And neither is the world-weary detective. Yet as Christmas comes closer, the true meaning of the holiday brings them together in ways they never dared dream.

Christmas Peril
December 2009 (anthology-2 in 1)

Christmas bells ring with danger in these suspenseful holiday stories

Merry Mayhem by Margaret Daley

When single mom Annie Coleman unexpectedly arrives in Christmas, Oklahoma, police chief Caleb Jackson suspects she's hiding secrets. He'll be watching her closely. And his protection is just what Annie and her daughter need, as danger has followed them to their new home.

Yule Die by Debby Giusti

It's hardly a happy holiday for medical researcher Callie Evans…until she

discovers her ailing patient is her long-lost brother. And he's being watched

by undercover police officer Joe Petrecelli. When the trio is abducted by a

cadre of bad guys, Joe and Callie will have to fight to keep her brother—and

themselves—alive.

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Margaret relays a special Christmas moment

I think one of the special Christmas moments I looked back fondly on was the one where my parents had a open house every Christmas Eve. Friends and relatives (children included) visited, laughed, talked and ate. My mother cooked for days and put out quite a feast for the guests. She made eggnog from scratch which was great. I love eggnog to this day because of her recipe, but of course, the store bought kind isn’t as delicious as my mom’s. And then the calories in eggnog are a lot. I have to limit what I drink each holiday, but as a kid I didn’t have to.
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Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she has won the Holt Medallion, Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, and the Barclay Gold Contest. She wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines. She has sold sixty-six books to date.

Margaret is currently the Volunteer Officer for ACFW. She was one of the founding members of the first ACFW local chapter, WIN in Oklahoma. She served as vice-president for two years in WIN-ACFW and is still on its board as an advisor. She has taught numerous classes for online groups, ACFW and RWA chapters. She enjoys mentoring other authors.

Until she retired last year, she was a teacher of students with special needs for twenty-seven years and volunteered with Special Olympics as a coach. She currently is on the Outreach committee at her church, working on several projects in her community.

You can visit her web site at www.margaretdaley.com and read excerpts from her books and learn about the ones recently released and soon to be released.

**Contest disclaimer: Void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents. Odds of winning depend on number of entrants. Only one book allowed per person throughout the duration of the event.