Out and Around the Web
I’ve been featured on several Websites over the past few weeks and wanted to share some of the links with you. I know I’ve been, uh, rather absent from my blog over the last several months, but I have the best intentions to start being more consistent in my posting here. So, as a start to that, some fresh reading:
Watch Over Me is She Reads (www.shereads.org) March book club pick. If you leave a comment or sign up for the She Reads newsletter, you’ll have a chance to not only win a copy of Watch Over Me, but also a beautiful handmade pottery vase (if you’ve read the novel, you know one of the main characters is a potter).
If you don’t know about She Reads, check it out. From its website:
She Reads exists to honor Christ by connecting readers with novels that:
- inspire through excellent writing
- explore deep issues of faith
- initiate change in the reader’s life
Each quarter, the She Reads book club will offer three current titles as featured selections. Readers have vast differences in taste and for this reason diverse genres and authors will be chosen, with a total of twelve books per year.
Why should I join She Reads?
Readers who join She Reads receive a number of benefits, including:
- Connection with other readers on the She Reads blog who are passionate about great fiction and uplifting stories.
- Information via the She Reads newsletter that will keep readers up to date on their favorite authors, and books, with a few surprises thrown in for fun.
- Reviews of newly released titles written by a variety of readers, writers, and industry professionals.
- Options to create a She Reads book club or bring an existing club under the She Reads umbrella.
- Relationships developed within the intimate setting of a regular book club meeting.
- Fun planned study guides with activities and interesting facts developed specifically for the She Reads book club.
- Online Community for those who can’t participate in a monthly meeting (or don’t live near an existing club), via the She Reads blog and Facebook group.
- Pre-selected novels they can trust and appreciate – an important aspect in today’s economy where every buying decision requires a second thought.
- Access to authors they love through print interviews, meet and greets, conference calls, etc. Each selected author will participate in two conference calls with the first 100 guests (per call) who sign up. This will be a free service and a chance for readers to have their questions answered by the authors themselves!
- Free books from time to time via contests, giveaways, and publisher promotions.
Who is running this thing anyway?
On a large scale, She Reads is an offshoot of Proverbs 31 Ministries, helping bring God’s peace, perspective, and purpose to today’s busy woman. As an organization, Proverbs provides leadership and technical support.
On a daily basis, She Reads is run by Marybeth Whalen (Director) and Ariel Lawhon (Assistant Director), pictured below.
Keep checking back all through the month of March, as there will be other goodies – recipes, interviews, etc. – posted regarding Watch Over Me and my writing.
Speaking of Proverbs 31 Ministries, yesterday it featured a devotion I wrote. Encouragement For Today, the daily online devotional ministry of Proverbs 31, “reaches approximately over 300,000 people all over the world every day at no charge through email. These inspirational messages written by our team of speakers and writers draw women (and men) into the powerful and relevant truth of God’s Word.” You can sign up to receive Encouragement For Today through email.
The devotion I wrote, “Too Many Eyes,” focuses on who we were made to be in Christ, and how God has created each one of with unique gifts and talents (and quirkiness!) that fit exactly into His plans for us and those around us.
On Valentine’s Day, She Reads posted the story of how two fiction authors “just happened” to fall in love and get married. Well, one of those authors happens to be me. The other is my wonderful husband of almost 5 months, Chris Coppernoll. I know, some of you are saying, “I didn’t even know there was a wedding!” There just didn’t seem a way to announce it without fanfare – and those who know me in real life know I’m not much for fanfare. But, it *is* a great story, if anyone is interested.
If you want to learn more about Chris’ latest novel, Screen Play, She Reads also featured it in its Worth Reading section.
Relz Reviewz: WATCH OVER ME
From Relz Reviewz:
Christa Parrish’s writing is a breath of fresh air in Christian publishing. Watch Over Me is just as impressive as her debut story, Home Another Way, written with heart to touch your soul.
Perceptive and authentic, Christa peels back the layers of the disintegrating marriage of Benjamin and Abbi Patel, revealing two hurting souls fearful healing their relationship is beyond them. Highlighting the isolation of battle trauma that has altered Ben’s personality and the corrosive affect infertility has on Abbi’s self worth, this is a painful yet ultimately uplifting read yet not in the way you expect. Other complex relationships are explored in the home of Matthew Savoie as the young teen struggles to overcome his disability and find acceptance from his dismissive Aunt and troubled cousins. Christa’s literary gifts are many but her unerring ability to write authentically about the human heart and genuine spiritual struggle sets her apart from most of her contemporaries. Watch Over Me is a journey that will linger in your heart and mind long after the final chapter ends.
As a side note: Rel does a amazing job reviewing Christian fiction. Please stop by her blog and read her posts – I’m sure you’ll discover authors you’ve never read, but will enjoy.
And the Title of Book Three Is…
…The Air We Breathe.
Many of you know about the, uh, arduous task of titling Home Another Way. Watch Over Me came a little easier (even though I loved my working title – Things Found in the Morning – but no one else did). But this process was so simple, I was quite shocked. My working title had been The Air I Breathe – which I didn’t love, but it was okay. I submitted it with about four other ideas to Bethany House Publishers, and a few days later received an email telling me The Air We Breathe had been approved. A slight tweak, but very close to the original. Maybe I’m just getting better at knowing the market.
All three titles have some relationship to songs.
I already have a working title (and synopsis) for book four (and the title has nothing to do with a song, as far as I know). As soon as I finish up The Air We Breathe, my agent and I will begin the proposal process all over again.
WORLD Magazine Review of Watch Over Me
From WORLD Magazine – reviewed by Susan Olasky:
Watch Over Me | Christa Parrish
This novel has lots of story threads—an abandoned baby, an eating disorder, a failing marriage, an unloved teen. Christa Parrish redeems those gritty plot elements with a story about grace for troubled people with messy lives. She has drawn believable Christian characters who face marital discord and personal demons—and try to cope with them on their own strength. The facade they’ve built keeps others from knowing how deep is their despair—and it takes an infant to begin to turn them outward. Throughout the novel the main characters run from God, but Parrish shows (not tells) how God pursues them, even through terrible heartache. She writes with sensitivity and grace.
Watch Over Me Book Launch, September 19th
Please join me for the book launch of Watch Over Me on Saturday, September 19th at the Lighthouse Bookstore, 4 S Western Ave, #3, Queensbury, NY 12804, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Also, I’ll be signing again that afternoon at Milk & Honey, 16 Exchange Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Watch Over Me – 4 Stars from Romantic Times!
From the October edition of Romantic Times:
Mainstream
Watch Over Me by Christa Parrish
* * * * (Compelling – Page Turner)
Parrish’s deft characterization pulls readers into a storyline filled with raw emotion. At first it’s unclear how the third character fits into the plot, but when it’s revealed, the story comes together seamlessly for an unforgettable conclusion.
Deputy Benjamin Patil’s life changes when he finds a baby in a plastic bag and he and his wife, Abbi, take the child into their home. But this home is anything but happy. Benjamin suffers from depression after a tragic tour of duty in Afghanistan, and Abbi hides her secrets and pain in an eating disorder. But their love for the baby bridges the gap between them, forcing them to confront themselves and their marriage. What happens if they find the baby’s mother?
Watch Over Me – Available for Preorder!
Yup, I was checking Amazon for something else, and decided to see if Watch Over Me was listed yet. It is. On top of that, Bethany House sent me the tentative back cover copy today:
Her Rescue Might Be the Miracle They Needed
Things like this don’t happen in Beck County.
Deputy Benjamin Patil is the one to find the infant girl, hours old, abandoned in a field.
When the mother can’t be located, Ben and his wife, Abbi, seem like the perfect couple to serve as foster parents. But the newborn’s arrival opens old wounds for Abbi and shines a harsh light on how much Ben has changed since a devastating military tour.
Their marriage teeters on the brink and now they must choose to reclaim what they once had or lose each other forever.
Poignant and powerful, this novel confirms Christa Parrish as one of the most talented new voices to emerge in inspirational fiction.
I’m almost starting to get excited.
Hallo, Home Another Way!
Home Another Way is being translated into Dutch and German for publication in the Netherlands and Germany. How cool is that? Hallo mean hello (obviously) in both languages. I can remember that.
