Teresa's Fantastic Favorites for 2012

My List in No Particular Order

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A Bride's Flight by Murray Pura

This book by Murray was a pleasant surprise.

It was the perfect story, it had the right amount of murder and mayhem and the perfect cowboy to take care of the lady in distress. It reminded me of the good ole days of watching cowboy movies with my dad on Saturday mornings.
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A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

Julie Lessman wows us once again with another sweet love story from the Winds of Change Series. To say this one was extra special is an understatement, all of Julie's books are that, but this one brings to a close the story of a family I have come to love...The O'Connors. 
I'm going to miss them all!    

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Before the Scarlet Dawn by Rita Gerlach

What a amazing book this was, Rita truly captured my heart with this story and kept me hanging on until the very end. It will take you through a gamut of emotions. This is book one in the Daughters of the Potomac Series, the second is Beside Two Rivers and it was also excellent. Please take time to read these, I promise you won't be sorry.

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Double Blind by Brandilyn Collins

This book by Brandilyn had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. 
If you like good old fashion suspense bordering on terror you will love this book.
I can't wait for her next book.

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Hunter's Prize by Marcia Gruver

I loved this story, it has a lot of mystery and what I really liked the most was how she dealt with a disorder that effects a lot of children. 
Her characters were charming and I really fell in love with Ceddy.

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Love’s Reckoning by Laura Frantz

Once again Laura takes you back in time to a beautiful place 
that will bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. 
I came to love Laura's work when I read the Frontiersman's Daughter, 
and I have enjoyed everyone of her books since.

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The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins

This is the first book I have read by Ace Collins and hopefully it will be the first of many. This is the story of a beautiful custom made car that seems to be cursed from the moment it rolls off the production line. 
If you love mystery, suspense and a happy ending this is a tale for you.
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The Christmas Star by Ace Collins

When I read this beautiful story by Ace I was so excited. It's the perfect Christmas story that's destined to become a classic. As you can see I have read two stories by Ace this year and loved them both.

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Veil of Pearls by MaryLu Tyndall

Since the first book of MaryLu's I picked up in the library years ago to this one I have never been disappointed in any of them. This one will take you to the beautiful city of Charleston, SC during its ultimate heyday before the Civil War and it will lay bare the horrors of slavery. It will have you wiping tears of sorrow and joy before it's over.

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Injustice for All by Robin Caroll

Robin certainly knows how to write a wonderful suspense novel. From the first you know that the good guys aren't always good and then it just gets better from there. This one had me frantically flipping pages until the end. It was so good!

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A Change of Fortune by Jen Turano

Oh what a fun story! I enjoyed this book from the first page until the last. Jen had me hooked from the very beginning with the lovely Lady Eliza. Eliza will have you rolling with laughter with her antics, I could so appreciate how the harder she tries to do something the more difficult it becomes. Having lived through a few of those episodes myself, I can fully understand Eliza's dilemmas. 

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Lily, Song of the River Series

By Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver

I loved this beautiful story of a young lady that loved the mighty Mississippi so much she doesn't let anything stop her dream of owning a riverboat, not even a handsome gambler.

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Saving Hope by Margaret Daley

Book one in The Men of the Texas Rangers series.

In this fast paced tale Margaret tackles the serious subject of human trafficking and the abuse of young girls. This was a book that was filled with things that make us uncomfortable to think about but the good part is there is a handsome Texas Ranger that will stop at nothing to rescue these girls. 

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A Light in the Window by Julie Lessman

This book by Julie is a story that truly is the epitome of what the Christmas spirit is all about. It explains the beginning of the O'Connor family, and what a family this is. ~sigh~  Thank you Julie for sharing with us how Marceline chooses the love of her life.

Teresa Mathews Reviews The Christmas Star by Ace Collins

The Christmas Star

The Christmas Star 
by Ace Collins
5 Stars~*****

Reviewed by Teresa Mathews

In this nostalgic Christmas story Ace Collins leads us back in time to post-war Arkansas. There we meet 16 year old Jimmy Reed, a young man with a huge chip on his shoulder yearning to grow up and make a name for himself. But as we all know teenagers even in 1945 have been known to make wrong choices.

Jimmy Reed is trying his best to cope with the life he has been dealt; a father that died fighting a war in a foreign land, although a hero, Jimmy is angry that his father had to die. Now he watches as his mother works so very hard to try to make ends meet. All because of that day in May 1942 when they received word that Robert Reed, beloved husband and dad had been killed, nothing has been the same for Jimmy or his mother, especially Christmas, the day that used to mean the world to the Reed family. Now at Christmas instead of reading the Christmas story and happily putting up their traditional star on top of the tree his mom now put up his dad’s Congressional Medal of Honor in its place. Even hearing that his dad was a hero doesn't make it any easier.

Jimmy is struggling to do the right thing with his life and the more he hears about his father the more he feels he can never measure up especially now that he has committed to do something that will forever change his life and possibly send him to jail. When a complete stranger comes to town and tells Jimmy and his mom another unbelievable story of his father‘s courage, the more Jimmy wants to be the son his father would be proud of. Is it too late for Jimmy to change what he has done? Will Jimmy get a Christmas miracle??

Ace Collins sure knows how to draw you into his stories with his characters that literally pop out at you from the pages. This was a beautifully written story that will have you wanting to cry one minute and then cheer the next. This is definitely an uplifting Christmas story that will warm your heart and make you smile. Ladies this would make the perfect stocking stuffer for the guys in your life. Thank you Ace for writing a story that deserves to become a Christmas Classic!                                                                                                                                                                 

*I was given an arc of this by the publisher, Abingdon Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

You Can Find This Treasure and more books by Ace at Amazon, CBD and LifeWay and other bookstores. You may also purchase Ace's books at his website www.acecollins.com

GIVEAWAY: A book by Ace Collins of your choice and format*. Leave a comment and your email to be entered in the contest. *International winners ebook only.

Teresa Mathews Reviews The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins

The Yellow Packard

The Yellow Packard

by Ace Collins
Barbour Publishing, 2012

Reviewed By Teresa Mathews

5 Stars*****

In this winding tale Ace Collins takes us on a strange journey where we find ourselves being driven to read a story of a supposedly cursed yellow Packard.

The year is 1936 and Helen Meeker is a brilliant young lady aspiring to be an FBI agent in the days when women were not allowed in J. Edgar’s men’s club.  So Helen through family connections becomes is an assistant to FDR himself.  While visiting the Packard Manufacturing Plant, Helen watches a bright yellow Packard having the finishing touches added to it, when to her horror she sees the straps that are holding it break and crush one of the workers. If that wasn’t bad enough before the car could make it to the person that special ordered it, it was involved in another accidental death; this is where the rumor gets started of the car being cursed.

Abigail Watling, a sweet elderly philanthanpest bought the beautiful yellow Packard for a song since it seemed no one wanted it after hearing of its history. After a short time of having it she is found dead in her house. Is there more to her death than first thought?

George and Carole Hall have just welcomed their new baby girl Rose into the world. When his car breaks down the night before picking up his girls from the hospital, George visit’s a local auction and he finds a beautiful yellow Packard sitting alone in a corner of the garage where the auction is taking place. Thinking how much he would like to bring his girls home in this beauty, he places a bid on it knowing there is no way he could win. To his surprise he wins! But will the car’s curse follow the Hall family? The day Rose is kidnapped it appears the rumors are true. After the kidnappers take the ransom money and they steal the Packard all without giving Rose back, the Halls are devastated. Will Rose ever be found?

Helen Meeker, who has now been given an experimental position with the FBI, is working with Agent Henry Reese on the kidnapping case of little Rose Hall. During this time there are very few leads as to what happened to Rose but guess what does show up once again? Yes, the infamous yellow Packard, could the rumors really be true, is the car cursed? Or is God using it to uncover another sinister deed long forgotten?

This is the first novel I have read by Ace, it has a good storyline. It has a lot of details that you have to pay close attention to, and a lot of twists and turns, much like sitting in that luxurious Packard, taking some hairpin turns, you know they are coming but you know it’s ok because that’s just part of the ride. It will keep you guessing, just when you think you have figured it out, there’s another hairpin turn! There is also a thread of hope and faith woven throughout the story and all that together makes for an enjoyable read. Great Job Mr. Collins!

*I was given an arc of this by the publisher, Barbour Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Giveaway:  Any of of Ace's books in choice of available format. Intenational winners, ebook only.  

Ace's Books Can Be Found At CBD, Amazon and Lifeway and other bookstores. You can also purchase Ace's books at his website www.acecollins.com

Ace Collins Interviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Ace Collins

Ace Collins is the author of The Yellow Packard, The Christmas Star and more than sixty other fiction and nonfiction books.

Ace, welcome to Overcoming Through Time – With God’s Help.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

I actually quit my job in the real world to embark on a freelance writing career when I was in my late twenties. My wife was a school teacher and we had just had our first child. Logic would tell you this was not a smart time to start a new career, especially one that had no income guarantee. But I just felt called to do it. It was a struggle for more than a decade just to pay the bills. I wrote for small publishers for smaller pay, tried to land magazine features. On top of that I substitute taught and officiated basketball games. I can’t tell you how many times we came close to starving out. Even though I felt this was my calling, I think I would have quit if it hadn’t been for two incredible women. The first was my wife Kathy. She made a sign to hang over my desk that said, “Don’t Sink.” It was her way of reminding me that with faith we can walk on water. The other was country music entertainer Louise Mandrell. She not only constantly told me that I had been given a talent by God and I had to use, but whenever it seemed we didn’t have enough money to make it until the end of the month, Louise found a magazine that needed a story for me to write or hired me to write a production show for her. Louise really put her faith in me into action.

I look back on those times now and can honestly say that there is no way we should have been able to make it. There simply wasn’t enough money. And yet we did. The fact that the Lord seemed to always give me a chance to land a gig just when I was ready to quit gave me the faith to try for another month. One month led to the next and soon it was years. Then, after more than a decade, I wrote a magazine piece on Lassie that led to my getting a chance to write the official Lassie story for Viking-Penguin. Lassie A Dog’s Life was the turning point.

There were other things that kept me going during this time that proved that driving old beat up cars and not having vacations or evenings out was worth it. I had letters from folks who had found something I had written and those thank you notes, including two who came from people that shared they were going to commit suicide until they read something I had written, also validated that God wanted me to do what I was doing even in the faces of the bills, the sacrifice while our friend were prospering and the overwhelming odds against success.

The book that actually fully established my career came more than 15 years after I’d walked away from the real world to try my hand at writing. When Zondervan offered me a contract on “The Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs Of Christmas” and it became a bestseller, it changed everything. I love the fact that this book was the one that really established my career because it mirrored my struggle in the business. I shopped that idea for over a decade and received 27 rejections. So now I can show those in any business or those who just trying to witness to others about faith, you don’t give up after one attempt, in fact, you don’t give up ever.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Right now it is Matthew 25:35-40. I look at those verses as being a directive to how each of us should live. We reflect Christ not in what we say as much with what we do for those who have nothing. By reaching out to the “least of these” we live a sermon than never needs words. I think those verses have impacted me to such a great extent that the message is evident in even the novels I write.

The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Most of my books over the past decade have come out in audio formats and there are a few that have appeared in large print. Now what is available varies on a book by book basis, but in time it seems all of them are now being released in audio.

Ace Collins' book covers 2012

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

Well, in truth, they must be entertained. If you don’t entertain the reader then you have lost your chance to really make an impact in other ways. Past the entertainment part, my characters struggle with finding callings. They are not strong, they have their doubts and fear, and thus I feel that readers will identify with them in a way that they would identify with a friend. When the reader is finished with the book, I hope they have an urge to look around and find someone who needs to be lifted up.  I also hope they realize that the “least of these” are not just in developing nations, but are really all around us. 

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

I love the research elements of any project. I just have fun digging into the past. I love to find the story behind things. But in the case of these two books, one that is set in the Great Depression and the other just after World War II, the strength of the human spirit during those really dark days amazed me. These people were struggling in ways I have never had to struggle and they didn’t give up. They pushed forward as much for others as they did for themselves. The people from these eras were about living and sacrificing for others in ways that few of us could imagine. And the other element that is strangely comforting is that we think of those in the past as being towers of faith. Yet when you read about them they had the same fears and doubts as we do. They became towers by working through those. We have that same potential.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?  

Without meaning to, I seem to always interject stories into my books that can serve as teaching tools for those struggling with doubts, depression and insecurity. My characters are usually dealing with the same issues. They are far from perfect and have to step back from their lives to fully grasp that the Lord working in them. Thus as leads like Helen in The Yellow Packard or Jimmy in The Christmas Star are flawed, insecure and struggling, the way they deal with their problems is something that I feel can teach and inspire. In my next release, Darkness Before Dawn, we really go into a character study of a person dealing with rage, depression and a need for revenge. Thus that book hits has greater potential to be used for therapeutic influence than possibly anything I ever written.

Thank you Ace for agreeing to answer these questions!

Website www.acecollins.com

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My books can be purchased at all online sellers, at bookstores and via my website.