Off the Bookshelf: RASPBERRIES AND VINEGAR, by Valerie Comer

This sweet, inspirational romance by Valerie Comer was a lot of fun to read.

Jo is Green -- heavily into natural products, energy conservation, organic food, sustainable sources, eco-friendly housing. She and her friends have come to a farm they have bought -- and named Green Acres -- in the little town of Galena Landing. Their mission: Change the world.

Zachary is a veterinarian with a problem. He was dating the daughter of the vet he was interning for, and hoped to work for, but when her demands didn't match his morality, suddenly he was out on the street, with lies told about him, and no chance of a recommendation. Not good for his career. Zach came home to Galena Landing to take care of the homestead while his father dealt with sudden, serious illness. Jo and her friends moved in next door.

The clash between the health food girl and the guy who loves junk food is predictable in some ways, unpredictable and fresh and fun and surprising in others, and heartbreaking in still others. You'll ache for them both by the time they get things straightened out, in their lives, their hearts, and their souls. It's a romance, so you know how it will end, but it's the JOURNEY that's so much fun. Of course, there are more stories about Jo's roommates, so ... more fun awaits!

Off the Bookshelf: POWER ELEMENTS OF STORY STRUCTURE, by Rebecca LuElla Miller

Today's book report is on a wonderful little -- as in short, fast read -- book on the basics and essentials in writing. POWER ELEMENTS OF STORY STRUCTURE applies to all levels of writing experience. I've heard Rebecca LuElla Miller's name for years now in ACFW, and seen her name on various loops and groups, but haven't talked to her or communicated -- and I'm starting to think I've been missing out. She knows how to teach without making you think you're utterly stupid and in need of remedial lessons before tackling her class or book. Have you run into teachers like that? Don't they make you want to just throw down your pen or turn off your computer and walk away for good?

Miller does NOT do that. Far from it.

For beginners, this is a great book of advice and guidance distilled down to the basics, with examples. Planning, story structure, suspense and tension, the hook, assembling the plot, backstory, description -- it's all there, in plain language and simple explanations. Whew!

For those of us with more experience, this is a great refresher course. I like books that remind me of what I've already learned either by reading other books or by trial-and-error, and yet present it in a different angle, a different viewpoint, different words. Sometimes doing that makes things "click" and you get one of those "Ah ha!" moments ... and you wonder why you struggled so long. Yeah, that kind of book.

Read it. Learn from it. And if you get a chance to attend a class Miller might happen to be teaching in the future ... I'll see you there!

Off the Bookshelf: RISE OF THE MACHINES, Human Authors in a Digital World, by Kristen Lamb

If you only read ONE book this year on establishing a digital presence, an online image, THIS is the book to read.

Of course, you have to do more than read it -- you need to apply it. Lamb gives lots of homework, but she explains why, she explains how, and she gives lots of examples.

The most important thing is to establish a presence, an image, so people know you, like you, make positive associations with your name, so they consider you a FRIEND. Someone they want to get to know through your books. So they don't think you're only there to sell them something.

You need to be real, more than just an author with a book to sell. Become someone who makes readers feel like they're real to you, that you are there, online, interacting with them, present and listening and feeling and caring.

Tall order to fill. Lamb helps you understand why, what to do, and sometimes more important, what NOT to do -- for example, automatic messages. You know how irritating robo-callers are, on the telephone? Yeah, a lot worse in the online communities. You'll get a reputation in no time ... but not the reputation you want!

Read the book. Apply it. Repeat as often as necessary.

Thanks to Michelle Huey, who led an incredible workshop at the Writing for Success conference this year, and recommended the book for those of us attending.

Off the Bookshelf: HYBRID by Brian O'Grady

Don't everybody have a heart attack -- those of you who are still checking in, anyway -- TWO book reports in a row? A sign life's frantic pace is easing up enough to actually let me READ often enough to do a book report each week. Let's see how long it lasts!

HYBRID was another Free Book Friday find on Nook. This is science fiction/fantasy mixed with suspense and action/adventure, with a hook taken from current headlines.

Essentially, a terrorist group has an insidious, long-range plan to devastate the US by spreading a horrific disease worse than Ebola. However .... two people have already survived early outbreaks and have been changed. Mutants, super-heroes, super-villains, it all depends on where you stand during the battle that ensues. Amanda is our heroine -- she has been living off the grid ever since she got away from government officials who consider her a threat to the health and future of the country. She has ... powers. Let's leave it at that. Then there's Karl, who is working with the terrorists, but has his own crazy-man vision of what the world will be like. He doesn't want to wipe out just the US, but most of the human race.

It's a race against time to find the terrorist plants waiting to release the disease, find Karl, find Amanda, convince the authorities to work together and not hunt down the wrong people, and then educate and train the people who are starting to change, to take sides in the coming battle. And then, there's the question of what to do with the people who survive infection. It's a strange new world coming. Will there be more books in this story line? There's already one called "Amanda's Story," a prequel. Check the author's list and see.

Off the Bookshelf: THE GUARDIANS, Book 1: THE GIRL, by Lola StVil

Okay, this was a free Nook book. I downloaded it because it looked interesting, because I'm trying to write some more YA/NA type fantasy books. And free is always good, right?

Let me say right off that this author is brave and creative and has a hugely detailed world. Brave because she's writing in present tense, and that is NOT easy. I avoid it. I counsel people I edit to avoid it, because consistency of voice is crucial and it's too easy to slip out of present into past tense. Most present tense books are first person, so there's the problem of showing scenes and plot developments when the POV character isn't around.

That said ... StVil has created a whole new cosmology or theology or whatever you want to call it. There are angels, but they're not the kind I was brought up with in Sunday school. The main character, Emmy, is surrounded by the Guardians, angels charged with finding an item in a massive scavenger hunt/game of keepaway with the forces of evil. These angels are teens who died in terrible, heart-rending ways, and they are caught between heaven and hell -- only they aren't called heaven and hell, and ... it's complicated.

My personal tastes, my theology, got in the way of wholeheartedly jumping in and enjoying the story. I kept saying in my head, "Uh, no, angels don't do that," etc., etc. If you can get past that problem, you'll probably enjoy this cleverly thought out and executed series of books. Especially since on the last page of the first book, one of the Guardians violates a rule and it seems the entire world has just ... stopped.

Off the Bookshelf: C.S. LEWIS - A Life Inspired, by Christopher Gordon

Anybody who has known me for a while knows I adore C.S. Lewis. I have fond memories of discovering Narnia through a Sunday school paper when I was maybe in third or fourth grade. We got an actual chapter of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" every week .... I wish I still had those papers!

I graduated to his apologetics, and found them very intense, requiring lots of thought, and I'm sure I could reread those books every couple of years and still learn something from them. It's silly, but I really want to meet up with him in Heaven someday and say, "So, did I do a good job? Did you like any of my stories?" because he inspired me in many ways to write the kinds of books I write. He challenged me to write in fantastical genres and use them to explore matters of faith and spirit. I honestly hope I get at least a nod and a smile. Hmm, do you think we'll still be writing books and reading them in Eternity? Hope so!

So when I discovered a new book about the Master, I had to get it. I'm pretty sure it was either on sale or free at the time. It was refreshing to sit down and take small bites of this book -- because I've been so busy the last few weeks I haven't had time for any reading! -- and reacquaint myself with his life, his education, his spiritual rebirth, and an overview of his books. In many ways, this book can be considered an introduction, as it covers Lewis's life and writing very lightly. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested, but doesn't want to dive into a 400-page biography! Next on your reading list, I recommend "Surprised by Laughter," a study in Lewis' humor and writing, by my grad school adviser, Dr. Terry Lindvall.

Off the Bookshelf: FESTIVE IN DEATH, by JD Robb

I've been a really good girl -- productivity-wise. So when the latest paperback in the In Death Series was available, I didn't feel guilty -- too much anyway -- about indulging and buying a new book.

FESTIVE IN DEATH takes place at Christmas. Amid all the strain of preparing for Roarke's annual blow-out Christmas party, and navigating all the social obligations and niceties of gifting and holidays and decorations, Lt. Eve Dallas has to deal with the murder of a personal trainer.

Gee, hasn't everybody wanted to kill their personal trainer at one time or another? The thing is, this personal trainer deserves to die. He's a user. A blackmailer. A manipulator. An ego-maniac. And as Eve investigates all the people on his client list and then the secret list tied into the huge wads of cash found in his locker, she discovers he's also a rapist. The kind of rapist who convinces himself his victim wanted it. Yeah, he deserved to die. But the thing is, that kind of decision should be left to the courts, so that's where Eve Dallas comes in. Despite everything, she has to stand up for the dead.

I love the characters in the In Death series. The interactions. The relationships. And the process of tracking down the murderer and even understanding, a little bit, why ....