The Arc

On this episode Joy and Adam talked with the author of Freedom's Ring, Heidi Chiavaroli. Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, and grace-clinger who could spend hours exploring Boston's Freedom Trail. She writes Women's Fiction and won the 2014 ACFW Genesis contest in the historical category. She makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Visit her online at heidichiavaroli.com. More about Freedom's Ring: Boston, 2015 Two years after nearly losing her life in the Boston Marathon bombing, Annie David is still far from “Boston strong.” Instead she remains isolated and defeated—plagued by guilt over her niece, crippled in the blast, and by an antique ring alongside a hazy hero’s face. But when she learns the identity of her rescuer, will he be the hero she’s imagined? And can the long-past history of the woman behind the ring set her free from the guilt and fears of the present? Boston, 1770 As a woman alone in a rebellious town, Liberty Caldwell finds herself in a dangerous predicament. When a British lieutenant, Alexander Smythe, comes to her rescue and offers her employment, Liberty accepts. As months go by, Alexander not only begins to share his love of poetry with her, but protects Liberty from the advances of a lecherous captain living in the officers’ house where she works. Mounting tensions explode in the Boston Massacre, and Liberty’s world is shattered as her brother, with whom she has just reunited, is killed in the fray. Desperate and alone, she returns home, only to be assaulted by the captain. Afraid and furious toward redcoats, Liberty leaves the officers’ home, taking with her a ring that belonged to Alexander. Two women, separated by centuries, must learn to face their fears. And when they feel they must be strong, they learn that sometimes true strength is found in surrender.

Joy and Adam talked with Eva Marie Everson, author of Five-Brides and The One True Love of Alice Ann. Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning, best-selling author of over 30 fiction and nonfiction titles, including Five Brides, The Road to Testament, The Cedar Key series, The Potluck Club series (with Linda Evans Shepherd), God Bless Us Every One, Reflections of God's Holy Land (with Miriam Feinberg Vamosh), and others. She is the president of Word Weavers International, the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference, and a member of a number of writers organizations. She and her husband make their home in Central Florida where they are owned by a small black doxie. Learn more about Eva at: https://www.evamarieeversonauthor.com/

On this episode Joy and Adam talked with Navpress Acquisitions editor Caitlyn Carlson. Learn more about Navpress at Navpress.com.

On this episode Adam talked with Melanie Dobson. Melanie's latest book is Catching the wind, which released in May of 2017. More about Melanie: Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of sixteen historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels including Chateau of Secrets and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor. Three of her novels have won Carol Awards; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010; and The Black Cloister won the Foreword Magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year. Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn't writing, Melanie enjoys teaching both writing and public relations classes at George Fox University. Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls. Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com.

On this episode Joy and Adam talk with author Tracy Groot. Trace is the author of many Tyndale books including Flame of Resistance, The Sentinels of Andersonville, and her latest The Maggie Bright. They talked about Tracy's writing process, how she got started writing, how she researches, and got a peak into her upcoming book Madman. To learn more about Tracy's visit TracyGroot.com More on The Maggie Bright: England, 1940. Clare Childs knew life would change when she unexpectedly inherited the Maggie Bright—a noble fifty-two-foot yacht. In fact, she’s counting on it. But the boat harbors secrets. When a stranger arrives, searching for documents hidden onboard, Clare is pulled into a Scotland Yard investigation that could shed light on Hitler’s darkest schemes and prompt America to action. Across the Channel, Hitler’s Blitzkrieg has the entire British army in retreat with little hope for rescue at the shallow beaches of Dunkirk. With time running out, Churchill recruits civilian watercraft to help. Hitler is attacking from land, air, and sea, and any boat that goes might not return. Yet Clare knows Maggie Bright must answer the call—piloted by an American who has refused to join the war effort until now and a detective with a very personal motive for exposing the truth. The fate of the war hinges on this rescue. While two men join the desperate fight, a nation prays for a miracle. Buy the book here: https://www.tyndale.com/p/maggie-bright/9781496422569

Tessa Afshar returns to the podcast to talk about her new book Bread of Angels. Joy and Adam also talk to hear about her writing process, what goes into researching her characters, and how Bread of Angels connects to Land of Silence. More about Tessa: Tessa Afshar was voted "New Author of the Year" by the FamilyFiction-sponsored Readers Choice Awards in 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. Her second book, Harvest of Rubies, was nominated for the 2013 ECPA Christian Book Award in the fiction category and chosen by World magazine as one of four notable books of the year. Her novel Harvest of Gold won the 2014 Christy Award for historical fiction. In the Field of Grace, based on the biblical story of Ruth, was nominated for the Grace Award. Tessa was born in Iran to a nominally Muslim family and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She moved to England, where she survived boarding school for girls and fell in love with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University, where she served as cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. Tessa has spent the last seventeen years in full-time Christian work in New England and the last fourteen years on the staff of one of the oldest churches in America. Visit her online at www.tessaafshar.com.

On this episode Joy and Adam talked to DiAnn Mills. DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne du Maurier, Inspirational Reader's Choice, and Carol Award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian fiction category for Firewall. DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, International Thriller Writers, and the Faith, Hope, and Love chapter of Romance Writers of America. She is the co-director of The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She also speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own beans. She's an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.

On this episode Joy and Adam talked to KariAnne Wood, author of the upcoming Tyndale book So Close to Amazing (September 2017). KariAnne writes the decorating and lifestyle blog Thistlewood Farms from the back porch of her vintage farmhouse in the rolling hills of Kentucky. She followed God's call for her heart and jumped with her family from the busy Dallas metroplex to the middle of the country, where she lives with her husband and four children. If you turn down the winding country road to KariAnne's farmhouse, you might find her painting mismatched chairs, listening to the music of the crickets in the pasture, singing Scripture, or walking hand in hand with her knight-in-shining-armor husband as the sun sets over the river. She loves sweet tea with lime, thunderstorms, good books, milk glass, and yard sales, and she is an imperfect DIYer saved by grace. Thistlewood Farms is full of stories of family and faith, and features hundreds of home decor projects KariAnne creates every week for readers. The blog was awarded the 2012 Country Living Blue Ribbon Blogger Award for decorating, was named one of the top ten decorating blogs by Better Homes and Gardens, and was voted one of the best DIY blogs of 2015. KariAnne has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens' Christmas Ideas, Country Living, Flea Market Décor, Country Woman, HGTV Magazine, Cottage Journal, the Chicago Tribune, Reloved Magazine, and This Old House, and on popular websites including the Today Show, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, Apartment Therapy, Good Housekeeping, Mediakix, Bob Vila, and BuzzFeed. KariAnne has made numerous appearances on television, including Nashville Channel 5's "Talk of the Town" and Channel 8 Dallas.

In this episode we talked with a panel of five Tyndale employees who recently went on a company sponsored missions trip. The group traveled to the Caribbean to work with the crew aboard the Logos Hope, a ship that is apart of the ministry of Operation Mobilization.