We have a winner!

What a great weekend for the the Fall Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! More than eight hundred readers participated. Wow! Hope you enjoyed getting to know all 31 novelists and our newest books. I know we all very much enjoyed getting to know you! A winner will be randomly drawn and contacted today (Monday), October 29. No need to submit your completed clue quote, unless you receive that exciting email. If that happens, be ready to provide the completed clue quote, gathered from all 31 stops. Because of Hurricane Sandy, the response deadline to that important email has been extended to Thursday, November 1st.

And here’s the winner my own drawing for a free book, a can of Illy coffee, biscotti, and Florentine stationery! Drum roll please! Our winner here is Jasmine A!

Thanks to random.org for selecting from a whopping 362 entries. I enjoyed all your comments here on the blog, Facebook posts, and Tweets. And to the 100+ new friends I who have joined my Author page at Facebook, welcome, welcome! I promise to use our time together there wisely.

Jasmine A, please give me an email shout-out at susanlmeissner (at) gmail (dot) com!

And thanks again, everyone, for being a part of this hunt. It really was such a pleasure to get to know new friends. Looking forward to being a part of your reading world!

Welcome, Scavengers!

Greetings, Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunters! If you stumbled upon my blog today and are wondering what all the hoopla is about, my blog is Stop Number 31 for the 2012 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt that began on Lisa T. Bergren’s blog. Follow through all the linked blogs on the Hunt and you will not only be treated to great exclusive content about 31 brand new novels but you will also have the chance to win them all and a new Kindle Fire. Pretty cool, huh? Start with Lisa’s blog post and you will end up back here where you need to be to complete the hunt! Your word clue for this stop – which you need to finish up the hunt and head back to Lisa’s blog – is hidden in this post!

I’m the lucky author who gets to host Lisa and her new novellas, Bourne and Tributary. And get this. They are set in Italy! So I am already in love.

Lisa T. Bergren

In these follow-up novellas to the best-selling River of Time Series (Waterfall, Cascade and Torrent)—in which two girls time travel back to medieval Italy—the She-Wolves of Siena are back in a big way. In Bourne, readers find out what has happened to wounded warriors returning from battle, to the Betarrinis, fighting for the men who’ve captured their hearts, and what will happen to them next…

A year later, in Tributary, Lia struggles to overcome the fear that constant battle has heaped upon her; Gabi and Marcello face an unexpected crisis; and Lord Greco may be ready to leave the grief and loss of his past behind him, so that he might grab hold of the future… Full of romance, action and adventure, this is a series that mothers and teen daughters can both love.

And now it’s my pleasure to welcome Lisa T. Bergren!

10 More Places I Want to See In Italy
By Lisa T. Bergren

I adore Italy. But then, if you’ve read any of my books, you probably know that. I’ve been four times, and I’m not sick of the country…in fact, I’m more in love with it than ever. And after taking the Rome—Tuscany—Venice trek several times, I’m eager to explore her coasts. Italian food and charming people plus a view of the ocean? Where do I sign up?? Even looking at pictures of this luscious country gets my creative juices flowing…

Here’s why I want to visit these amazing towns or regions:

#1 Cinque Terre: Five towns, linked by train or hiking trail, with brightly colored buildings clinging to the steep slope above small, turquoise-colored coves? Mmm, yes, please. I’ll hike and picnic with my husband as we meander from town to town.

#2 The Isle of Capri: Hidden among the cliffs is a place called “the Blue Grotto.” If you kayak to it, and hunker down, when the tide is out, you can just squeeze in and inside, there’s a cave with psychedelic-blue water, lit from below, somehow.

#3 Sorrento: I’d ride a bus to get along the Amalfi Coast—that winding road would be terrifying to drive—but I’d want to stay a while in Sorrento. Sun-washed, white buildings, winding vines of bougainvillea, and spectacular sunsets. Mmm, yes. That’s amore.

#4 Abruzzo: Tuscan-like, with amazing, rugged mountains. Need I say more?

#5 Puglia: Down near the bottom of “the boot” (Italy’s shape) is this special town with her unique trulli—huts with stacked stone roofs in conical shapes. I’m a sucker for unique stuff like that.

#6 Lake Country: There’s a reason George Clooney has a villa along the shores of Lake Como. I wouldn’t mind seeing it, but friends have raved about Lake Garda, and Lake Lugano shares a border with Switzerland. How cool is that?

#7 Assisi: First, it’s in Umbria, which seems like Tuscany, but less touristy. I want to explore every sector of it. My thought is that it would have all the deliciousness of my current favorite place in Italia, but with fewer crass, American tourists ruining my travel mojo. (Please, if you go, don’t be one of those…try to fit in. Quieter. More appreciative. Dare to venture off of the tourist menu! If the menu’s in English, you’re not experiencing true Italy! But I digress…) Second, it had Christian connections—St. Francis of Assisi—I’d like to know more about him.

Susan here: How wonderful it would have been if St. Francis had left a JOURNAL! Si! That is your STOP # 31 word clue, hunters! “journal.”

#8 Sicily: Because I want a Sicilian pizza, in Sicily. It’s that simple. And it reportedly has it’s own unique vibe. I want to check it out. Preferably while headquartered in a private villa, overlooking the Mediterranean…

#9 Ravenna: Byzantine ruins and mosaics…yes, please.

#10 Elba: It’s one of seven islands that make up the Tuscan Archipelago. Doesn’t just the name, “Tuscan Archipelago,” make you want to go? Yeah, me neither.

So…now all I need is thousands of dollars and a month of unclaimed time, and my dream will be made. It may be after my kids are out of college…but it’s fun to dream! Someday, Italia, someday. Ci vediamo di nuovo.

Lisa T. Bergren is the author of more than forty books that have sold over two million copies combined. She writes in a variety of genres–children’s books, YA, adult fiction, devotionals and more. Lisa lives with her husband, Tim, three children, and a fluffy white dog in Colorado. To find out more about her go to LisaBergren.com, or follow her on Facebook.com/LisaTBergren, or Twitter (@LisaTBergren).

Hunters: Circle back to Lisa’s blog with all your word clues and follow the directions to be in on the drawing for 31 great fiction reads and a Kindle Fire!

BONUS GIVEAWAY! Want to win a copy of THE GIRL IN THE GLASS? (my newest novel set in Italy) Leave a comment here and you’re in the running for a can of Illy coffee (the best!), Florentine stationery, biscotti, and the book to enjoy it all with! If you tweet about #TheGirlinTheGlass or mention it in a Facebook post, and/or LIKE me on Facebook, your name will be entered a second, third and/or fourth time. Good luck! Winner will be chosen randomly at the conclusion of the BIG Hunt!

Bel giorno!

One of my favorite places in San Diego, even when I don’t have a new novel set in Florence, is Little Italy. Nestled on India and Kettner streets in between Cedar Ave and Grape Street, Little Italy is the perfect place to go if you want to escape to a place where Italian cuisine is as plentiful as oxygen. I couldn’t have picked a better location to celebrate the release of The Girl in the Glass. When I first started talking to Susan McBeth, the founder of the amazing Adventures By the Book, about having an event to coincide with the release of this book, I asked her if she thought there was a restaurant in Little Italy that would work for a book launch party. She got right to work on it, and wow, did she ever find a great place. I was able to talk about all things Florence last Friday while twenty readers enjoyed an amazing pasta meal at Buon Appetito. Here are just a few photos, courtesy of Adventures By the Book… Enjoy!

Getting ready for the guests to arrive…

The outside of our magnifico restaurant.

Me and the Girl!

Readers enjoying amazing pasta dishes.

Delish!!

Lyrical and readgainable!

I love a book that uses the power of subtle metaphor to deliver the goods and that’s what you get from native Southerner Kimberly Brock‘s new book, T he River Witch. There are so many whispers of things being more than they are in this lovely debut novel- the river, a blind alligator, pumpkins, an herb garden, sacred harp music – so many delicious ones that I simply must read it again.

In a nutshell the story is this: Roslyn Byrne’s career as a professional ballet dancer is ended by a car wreck. Add to that heartache a miscarriage and it’s no wonder she is lost in a fog of dashed dreams. In desperate need of a change in perspective, Roslyn heads to Manny’s Island, Georgia, one of the Sea Isles, at the coaxing of her mother. On the island Roslyn meets a meddlesome yet heart-tugging ten-year-old girl named Damascus – an audacious name (she was named for the river) that is a lovely metaphor for the hope that innocence adds to any story. The girl’s family, the Trezevants, whom Roslyn rents a house from, are perfectly imperfect; the ideal quirky bunch that a hurting gal like Roslyn must meet if she is going to find her way out of the abyss of grief and reconnect with the music of her soul.

It was this umbilicus to music that drew me more than anything. And for good reason. Music has always been maternal to me. Kimberly has a wonderful blog post on She Reads Book Club (The River Witch was a recent pick there) where she details how music played a role not only in the story but also in the writing of it. Check out the music Kimberly listened to while she wrote.

Kimberly Brock

I love what one endorser wrote about The River Witch; it pretty much summarizes my thoughts exactly. “With lyrical prose, Kimberly Brock explores the hidden places of the heart. The River Witch is a magical and bewitching story that, like a river, winds its way through the soul. In the voices of her wounded characters, Brock takes us through both the breaking and the healing of a life.” -Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Perfect Love Song.

Now to go listen to some sacred harp…

Mark your calendars!

If you love fiction, then you won’t want to miss the Fall 2012 Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt that the remarkable Lisa.T. Bergren is hosting later this month. Mark your calendars now, book-lovers! Thirty-one authors (including me) are participating, which means 31 just-released books will be given away to the grand prize winner. Thirty-one! And not only that, but a jazzy new Kindle Fire as well! Is that amazing or what?

By visiting each of the 31 blogs on the hunt and collecting word clues, you can grab the goods to get in on the drawing (the word clues) but you will also be treated to blog posts that we authors have written for you that you won’t find anywhere else. Yep, exclusive content you won’t have read by us on another blog or another interview another time. I will be hosting Lisa on my blog, and get this, her newest release, Bourne & Tributary, is set in Italy!! And just wait until you see the pictures she has sent to include with her post. Cappuccino, anyone? The lovely Nancy Moser will be hosting me, and I will be sharing on Nancy’s blog how you almost got a different ending in The Girl in the Glass. One statue in Florence changed the ending!

Is your interest sufficiently piqued? Do it now. Get your day-planner or phone or wall calendar and mark the dates: Oct 25-28. It’s going to be great!

Les Miz!

I had the rare and wonderful opportunity to see the London performance of Les Miserables in the early 90s. We were living in the UK when my husband was active duty Air Force and we had three glorious years to soak in British culture. Trips to London to see plays were high on my To Do list. When I saw Les Miz I was smitten to my core with the story, the music, the characters – everything about it. I immediately bought the soundtrack and have now listened to it so many times I can sing the bawdy “Master of the House” in my sleep and I really don’t want to. I bought the piano score so that I could play “I Dreamed a Dream” all I wanted and whenever I hear the phrase “Who am I?” I want to shout out “2 4 6 0 1!!!”

I compare every performance of Les Miz with that London performance and I’ve not come across one I love as much. When a film version came out a few years back with Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean I had serious doubts Hollywood could pull off Victor Hugo’s masterpiece the way the London cast did. I came away from that screening more assured than ever that no one can touch the London cast’s version. Ever.

But now I am not so sure. I think maybe the upcoming newest film version is going to knock my snooty socks off. I saw the trailer last night for the soon-to-be-released film version starring Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, and Russell Crowe as Javert (Oh, Javert, you tortured, tortured soul!) and Oh. My. Goodness. The trailer is already tugging at my socks. The cast sings all the takes live. The musical numbers aren’t voiceovers of studio work the actors did months before they starting filming. They are singing live takes with all the emotional pathos that the real scene brings: Watch for yourself:

Is that amazing or what?? Are you a fan of Les Miz? Where were you the first time you saw it? What was your favorite moment or line? You tell me yours and I will tell you mine!

Worth the wait

When I saw Florence the first time, it was just for a day. My husband and I were on a 7-day cruise of the Mediterranean and the ship was only docked in the closest port to Florence for twelve hours. We arrived at the port in Livorno at dawn and we left at dusk. In the in-between were the hours allotted to us to get on a coach, get to Florence, and get back.

There was so much to see in such a short amount of time. How can you possibly see it all?

You can’t, of course. You have to look at your map and look at your watch and make choices. I didn’t see the real statue of David on that first trip. I saw the copy that stands outside in the sunshine of a very busy piazza. And I thought I was okay with that since I saw so many other amazing things that day, including the Florentine skyline from the tippy top of the Duomo.

But when I went back three years later with my mom, daughter and other female members of the family (girls cruise!!) we stood in line to see him. And I realized I hadn’t really seen Florence until that day…

Intrigued? Read more in my article at Novel Crossing.

And do make sure you enter to win the drawing of the gorgeous print of Florence. You’ve got one more week to enter!