Born Of Gilded Mountains By Amanda Dykes

Born of Gilded Mountains

by Amanda Dykes

Publisher: Bethany House

ISBN: 9780764239519

I've never met an Amanda Dykes story I didn't thoroughly get lost in! When I saw her next book was coming out, I couldn't wait to read it. I'm on her launch team and received the book for review.

Summary:

A lost treasure. A riddled quest. The healing power of friendship.

Legends are tucked into every fold of the Colorado mountains surrounding the quaint town of Mercy Peak, where residents are the stuff of tall tales, the peaks are taller still, and a lost treasure has etched mystery into the very terrain.

In 1948, when outsider Mercy Windsor arrives after a scandal shatters her gilded world as Hollywood's beloved leading lady, she is determined to forge a new life in obscurity in this time-forgotten Colorado haven. She purchases Wildwood, an abandoned estate with a haunting history, and begins to restore it to its former glory.

But as she does, her every move tugs at the threads of the mountain's lore, unearthing what became of her long-lost pen pal Rusty Bright, and the whereabouts of the infamous Galloping Goose Railcar No. 8, which vanished years ago--along with the mailbag it carried, whose contents could change the course of countless lives. Not to mention the fabled treasure that--if found--could right so many wrongs.

Among the towering mountains that stand as silent witnesses, the ghosts of the past entangle with the courage of the present to find a place where healing, friendship, and hope can abide amid a world forever changed.

My Review:

Once again, the author has managed to pull me into a world of her imagination and bring every bit of the story to life!

I honestly don't know where to even start to describe everything in this story. I loved the different writing "pieces" in the story (wait until you discover them!). The characters will make you feel ALL of the emotions. It was so fun getting to know the girls through their penpal letters.

We meet Mercy who has left Hollywood under suspicious circumstances. The details unfold throughout the story. She makes it to Mercy Peak where her dearest friend and penpal, Rusty is from. Rusty is from Mercy Peak and through her letters convinces Mercy to come to her town one day.

Neither of the girls have lived easy lives, but through their letters, they encourage one another.

You absolutely get the small town feel through the author's writing. All of the added characters bring it to life. The people we meet on Mercy's journey to unravel the mystery of a lost treasure adds so much richness to the story. You get the sense of them all making her one of their own - in the best way possible.

We also get to know Rusty through the letters she exchanges with Mercy. She's cut from the mountain and tough as they come. She's a straight shooter who tells it like it is. Rusty is exactly the person you want in your corner. Unfortunately, her life took an awful turn, leaving Mercy to go it alone.

When Mercy arrives in town, the residents realize she's the one who now owns Wildwood, the estate of Randolph Gilman who the townsfolk basically despised and sadly, for good reason. He was one of the four boys who make a pact in regard to any future treasure they found. Life doesn't always go the way we plan and that's played out in the lives of these 4 young men as they grow older and tragedy strikes.

There's so much to the heart and meat of this story. Renewed hope, restoration (of SO many things), forgiveness, trust, and belonging. As a reader, we're reminded that the Lord can restore and He has a plan.

This story is so rich, deep, and sometimes poetic, I am honestly not doing the story justice with the review. It took me a while to read the story, longer than usual, because I didn't want to miss a single word. So, I took my time and savored it. I can't recommend it enough!

About the Author:

Amanda Dykes's debut novel, Whose Waves These Are, is the winner of the prestigious 2020 Christy Award Book of the Year, a Booklist 2019 Top Ten Romance debut, and the winner of an INSPY Award. She's also the author of Christy Award-finalists All the Lost Places, Yours Is the Night, and Set the Stars Alight. Find her online at AmandaDykes.com.

Resurgence of Dawn By Brett Armstrong Interview + GIVE AWAY

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Resurgence of Dawn by Brett Armstrong hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Resurgence of Dawn
Series: Quest of Fire #5
Author: Brett Armstrong
Publisher: Expanse Books
Release Date: December 12, 2023
Genre: Christian, Epic/High Fantasy, Young Adult

Haunted by tragedies and failures, Anargen and Jason each struggle to find their way. Night has fallen in the Lowlands and neither teen has an easy road ahead. In Anargen’s Era, Monarch Ilyron’s powers and influence grow, forcing Anargen and his dwindling list of allies to travel the length of the Lowlands in a desperate attempt to keep the Quest and all they hold dear from falling into ruin. 

Jason meanwhile must find Aria and her grandfather to help unite the Knights of Light from across the Lowlands against his brother, Dorian. But agents of darkness and painful vestiges of his past mix with vindictive new enemies to make the hope of seeing the dawn of the longed-for King’s Day ever so faint. If either teen gives in and surrenders, doom will come swiftly on their world.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books in This Series

     

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Author Interview

1. What do you find is the hardest part of writing a story like this: the setting, the culture, the characters,

etc?

I think for me the most difficult part of writing Quest of Fire books, Resurgence of Dawn included, is

keeping all of the character's reactions to events and developments in the story authentic. Making

sure they don't overlook something that would be startling to them, because I know what's

happening next or I know what it means in the long-term. Allowing them to process emotions,

particularly negative ones in a way that is realistic is also tricky. The characters are facing things that

are truly heartbreaking at times and experience disappointments and doubts and just letting those

things play out without trying to cut them off too early because I care about the characters is difficult

some times. There's a conflict between two characters in Resurgence of Dawn that I desperately

wanted to end or avoid but knew I couldn't. There’s also another character who makes choices that

put him on a path to destruction that I kept trying to find a way out of for him, but altering things in

either situation would've been too intrusive and diminished the story. Portraying every emotion

rightly and accepting them as they need to be for the story and series is definitely the roughest part

for me and what I stress over most.

2. What's your process of including a thread of faith into your stories? Do you pull from Scripture or do

you decide on a faith topic and let it work its way into your story?

There have been a few times where I started with a passage of Scripture and wrote a story from there,

my first published novel Destitutio Quod Remissio is 100% a meditation on Colossians 3:12-13. Almost

all of the others have been more along the lines of getting a general idea of the plot and then

following the path from point to point I see certain themes naturally weave in. Characters experience

things that lend themselves to introducing a particular scriptural truth. Though overall, the entire

Quest of Fire series features a consistent exhortation to keep true to what the Apostle Paul said: “I

have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up

for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day,

and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”*

Seeing the Lord Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords is so key too. And “For the word of God is

living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of

joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”**

Not to mention, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus

let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”***

* 2 Timothy 4:7-9, ESV

** Hebrews 4:12, ESV

*** Hebrews 12:28, ESV

3. Do you read your story to your wife before it's published or do you let her read it during the process?

Early in my publishing career she read my manuscripts before they were published, but I tend to write

in genres that aren't my wife's favorites (or even on the same map as her favorites). She doesn’t tend to read them anymore. Though somewhat recently she did read and enjoy my novella in The Near Distant collection. More often when something is particularly tricky, I'll pass the premise of a scene or story by her to get her feelings on it. She's also a big help with reviewing cover art and I basically can't

do my social media without her. But until I finish the contemporary romance I have squirreled away in

my story folders, I don't know that I'm going to pique her interest.

4. Where do you find the names for your characters such as Monarch and Anargen? Is there a book with

made up fantasy names?

I get ideas for names from a pretty diverse array of sources. Anargen is one I made up (heavily

influenced by the name Aragorn from Lord of the Rings). There are a few names out there that come

from the phonetic sounds evoking a particular feel that I want based on who the character is as well.

Others are real-world names that carry some significance to the respective character like Cinaed and

Seren. Some are composites of words in other languages that carry a particular meaning, like Monarch

Maldes Ilyron. Though he's a special case, because I actually put his name out to a vote for readers to

pick from a list of options the best name for the Middle Era villain. Among my favorites are some I've

gotten from my son while we're playing together like Professor Goulder and in place names the town

of Cattingsford. Anytime I'm picking names for people and places in stories it's a really personal

experience, because that name becomes a part of who the character is and starts to shape how they

fit in the story world.

5. When you begin a series, do you typically know how many books will be in it or do you let it play out

naturally and you allow it to be as long as needed?

Most of the time I have an idea at the start and then revise my expectations as I go. For Quest of Fire, I

started very early on thinking it would be three books and then four. Then I got the idea to intersperse

the more personal and smaller scale supporting stories in the three novellas/short novels. That way I

could add more depth to the cultures and some of the characters that I couldn't put into the main arc

novels because of word count and pacing concerns. Quest of Fire has been a seven-book series in my

mind (and with my publisher) since at least 2018 and I've had the names for every release and a

general arc (including the final chapter of the series) since 2019. I’m currently writing the final book in

the series and seeing what I’ve been imagining for years coming to its conclusion is so surreal.

6. Do you find inspiration for your stories in your day-to-day life? If you have a conversation with

someone or see a situation, do you ever think, "Oh, that would fit great into my story"

Oh, definitely. It was more so for my Tomorrow's Edge series than Quest of Fire. In Quest of Fire I try

to capture some normal moments or a facsimile of them in the stories to ground them some. The

more fantastical a setting and plot is the more the reader needs some moments that remind us of the

real world and day-to-day life. So, there;s a dinner date scene of sorts in Resurgence of Dawn and a

scene where a character goes through a marketplace low key looking for a gift for another character.

In Tomorrow's Edge, which is a near future dystopian story, everything was fair game in that series,

from mall trips to ordering fast food to a hospital stay. All with a slight futuristic twist. The first book

in that series is probably the best example of me pulling real life into fiction, because the opening

scene and the entire premise for the series came from me standing alone on the steps to the English

hall at my undergrad university and looking across the campus in the rain at the library in the

distance. That moment and the motifs it inspired and questions of what would happen to that library

if all the books were digital only all came together to launch that series for me.

About the Author

Brett Armstrong has been exploring other worlds as a writer since age nine. Years later, he still writes, but now invites others along on his excursions. He’s shown readers haunting, deep historical fiction (Destitutio Quod Remissio), scary-real dystopian sci-fi (Tomorrow's Edge), and dark, sweeping epic fantasy (Quest of Fire). Every story is a journey of discovery and an attempt to be a brush in the Master Artist’s hand. Through dark, despair, light, joy, and everything in between, the end is always meant to leave his fellow literary explorers with wonder and hope. Always busy with a new story, he also enjoys drawing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and son.

Connect with Brett at brettarmstrong.net to follow him on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each win a $25 Amazon gift card, a print copy of Resurgence of Dawn, and a digital poster of the Lowlands!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 24, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 1, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Coal Black Lies By Cindy K. Sproles + GIVE AWAY

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Coal Black Lies by Cindy K. Sproles, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! Cindy has become one of my favorite authors in the past couple of years. I feel like she's one of those authors more of us need to be talking about. Check out the excerpt from the story below and enter the giveaway!

About the Book

Title: Coal Black Lies
Author: Cindy K. Sproles
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release Date: June 18, 2024
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Believing the bitter lies you tell yourself leaves little room for the sweetness of truth 

Coal miner Joshua Morgan managed to do the impossible--he broke away from the stranglehold of the iron-fisted Barton family and the Company Store, to whom all the miners in the Appalachian Mountains are indebted. But it cost him the life of his young daughter, who was run down by a posse led by Thomas Barton while coming to collect Joshua's payment to the store. 

Five years later, a sweet but slow-witted young girl lands on his doorstep, and Joshua's desire to protect her from the clutches of the Bartons increases his thirst for vengeance. Joshua sets out to discover where the girl came from in order to take down the Barton family once and for all. 

His journey leads him to the truth about the day his daughter died, a reality he finds hard to accept. But when confronted by Thomas Barton himself, Joshua is forced to rethink the dark lies brewing in his heart. If he broke away, could Thomas have also? Despite his misgivings, can Joshua join forces with a man he once despised to free the miners from the tyrannical Barton family and forge a future of peace for both the young girl and himself?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop

Also Available

 

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Book Excerpt

The music left Raney’s soul when Anna died, and her mouth grew parched and tight. She rarely spoke unless she had to, and she’d smile from time to time. But when she turned away, the smile left and her face returned to pinched and painful. Raney never recovered, and I could never give her another child—the one thing she lived to have. 

I wanted my life back. I wanted my wife back, and I wanted my daughter. If a body could have a wish, I’d wish that day away. 

All me and Raney had done was bury the pain. Instead of us grieving together, we hid the pain deep to protect each other. It was senseless because we still wallowed in the sadness—only alone. When you suffer alone, things fall apart. You draw away from one another, and that’s what we’d done. We’d grown apart instead of looking to each other for comfort. 

I slid the coin between my fingers. The longer I held it in my hand, the more determined I was to make a change. 

“It ends today, Anna. I’m gonna do my best to let this guilt go.”

About the Author

Cindy K. Sproles is the author of devotions published in newspapers across the country and a teacher at Christian writers conferences. She spent her formative years showing off her beloved Appalachian Mountains to others, and she and her family still live in the mountains of East Tennessee.

Connect with Cindy at cindysproles.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will win a print copy of Coal Black Lies plus book-related swag!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 17, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 24, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Love For A Lifetime By Mandi Blake

Love for a Lifetime

by Mandi Blake

Publisher: Independent

Series: Love in Blackwater

ISBN: 978-1953372505

It was incredibly easy and quick to become a fan of Mandi Blake's writing. If I want a story that's filled with romance, I'm definitely turning to her stories! They're ones that will give you butterflies for the characters and get your heart racing as they start to fall in love! I want to thank Mandi for sending me a copy of her book for review.

Summary:

They’ll always be friends, but they can never be more. 

Dawson Keller has held a torch for his best friend’s little sister for as long as he can remember. He might be a flirt, but his heart will always belong to Olivia.

Olivia Lawrence lives to serve others and work on the family farm. Helping people and tending animals keep her mind off the one thing she wants but can’t have—a family.

Her brother’s best friend might joke that they’re meant to be, but he doesn’t know how little she has to offer a husband. Especially a man like Dawson who loves kids and makes everyone laugh.

On top of that, Olivia’s best friend is head over heels for Dawson, and hurting her friend is out of the question.

Dawson keeps showing up to save her at all the wrong times. From a disastrous wedding date to an unfortunate camping incident, Dawson is always there when Olivia needs him.

When Dawson finds out her secret, and her friend feels betrayed, Olivia is at risk of losing them both.

If you loved the Blackwater Ranch series and the Wolf Creek Ranch series, get ready to fall in love all over again in Blackwater, Wyoming.

My Review:

Where are all my lovers of romance? You will want to put Love for a Lifetime at the top of your tbr list!

We meet Dawson in Love in the Storm (book one) and he was a fun character. To see him as the main character in this one was fantastic! He can charm the socks off of anyone... except it seems his best friend's sister, Olivia. Olivia on the other hand has had heart eyes for Dawson for as long as she can remember. I just love these storylines where they go from lifelong friends to more! Of course there's more. Who are we kidding?

Dawson is the police officer we all want to be pulled over by. He's kind and caring which makes him the perfect match for Nurse Olivia. I appreciated how the author tackled the difficult topic of Liv's secret. Very well done! How the two of them were able to keep their feelings for each other secret was beyond me! HA! I suppose when you're bff's with someone, it can be difficult to see that the other one might want more. But as they warm up to the idea of the possibility of "Dalivia" (what could be their couple name) the secrets come to the surface! Their romance though... don't go into this story without having a fan around so you don't swoon! I will admit that I got a bit twitchy with how often he called her "my queen." hahaha I'm not a "nickname" kind of gal, but I do love romantic fellas like Dawson.

I thought it was fun for them to have their wildly popular social channel. I mean, who doesn't want to watch a super cute guy with goats and a beautiful woman with chickens? It makes sense for contemporary fiction to include these relevant topics.

And who doesn't like revisiting a town that has familiar friends? That's what you get when you head back to Blackwater. It's the kind of town where people feel known and protected. I would say that it's important to read the previous story (goodness, the previous Blackwater Ranch series for the full emersion into the town)!

We can't forget about the incredibly strong thread of faith throughout the story! The prayers that are said, the imploring of the Lord, reminders of trusting Him, etc are everywhere and it's perfect! You want a faith-filled story, here it is in spades. Just the way I like them.

I'm very interested in the next story. Got ourselves a "bad" guy who has GOT to have a good redemptive arc, right? I would love a story for Anna, Olivia's best friend. I'm sure there are others that "need" their own story, too. The way the author writes these little towns, she could have us all champing at the bit for one more story!

About the Author:

Mandi Blake was born and raised in Alabama where she lives with her husband and daughter, but her southern heart loves to travel. Reading has been her favorite hobby for as long as she can remember, but writing is her passion. She loves a good happily ever after in her sweet Christian romance books and loves to see her characters' relationships grow closer to God and each other.

JustRead Rendezvous + GIVE AWAY!!

Welcome to the Blog Tour for JustRead Rendezvous 2024, hosted, sponsored, and organized by JustRead Publicity Tours! I'm so excited to head to this author/reader event, especially since The Christy Awards are in person this year and we'll be able to hobnob with the cool kids aka authors (separate tickets required).

You are Invited

JustRead Rendezvous
November 15, 2024
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center Chicago-Downers Grove

Join fellow readers and authors at the JustRead Rendezvous to celebrate Christian fiction and sweet reads. This event, modeled after the Christian Fiction Readers Retreat, aims to sweeten reading and storytelling experiences with fellowship and encouragement. Activities will include corporate worship, speaker sessions, author panels, small group discussions, games, giveaways, a pop-up book shop, and author signings. 

Baker Publishing Group fiction imprints (Bethany House and Revell), Enclave Publishing, and Kregel Publications have joined JustRead Publicity Tours as event sponsors.

Learn more about the 2024 JustRead Rendezvous

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Participating Authors

first row: Amanda Barratt, Amanda Cox, Amanda Dykes, Angela Ruth Strong, Becky Wade, Elizabeth Goddard, Elizabeth Musser, Emily Conrad, Gabrielle Meyer. second row: Janilise Lloyd, Kate Breslin, Katie Powner, Kimberley Woodhouse, Kristi Ann Hunter, Laura Frantz, Linda MacKillop, Lisa Phillips, Lynn Austin. third row: Mesu Andrews, Nancy Mehl, Nicole Deese, Robin W. Pearson, Ronie Kendig, Sara Brunsvold, Sara Davison, Sara Ella, Sara Watterson

Keynote speakers include Amanda Dykes, Becky Wade, and Ronie Kendig. Kimberley Woodhouse and Lisa Phillips will lead worship. More authors will be added to the event as reader registration increases!  

Check out recent releases by participating authors in the JustRead Amazon Storefront.

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Register

The registration fee (including a book tote, lunch, afternoon snack, and more) is $124 for readers. We’re nearing the reader registration mark to add more best-selling, debut, and indie authors to the 2024 event. Tell your friends and register today to pave the way by August 1! 

Subscribe to email updates and learn more about each author on the JustRead Rendezvous website. Connect with other attendees and hopefuls in the Rendezvous Roomies & Logistics ’24 private Facebook group to arrange shared experiences or cost-sharing opportunities. 

Register Now

P.S. Join us on Thursday at the same location for the Art of Writing conference and The Christy Award Winners Gala. The Christy Award honors and promotes excellence in Christian fiction and is a program of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Visit christyawards.com for more information and registration.

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Giveaway

(1) winner will receive one paid registration to JustRead Rendezvous 2024 courtesy of '23 Rendezvous author Tamara Leigh
(1) winner will receive a canvas tote bag, an A6 journal notebook with a ballpoint pen, a 12 oz enamel mug, a scented candle, and a reading blanket
(5) winners will receive a $10 egift card (Baker Book House, Christianbook, or Amazon)

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 4, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 11, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for physical prizes. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!