If you love a gripping story with solid faith content and a bit of time travel (who doesn't love time travel, right?), look no further than Sarah Hanks' Time Sailors series. Listen in as we discuss the second book in her series, Braving Fiery Waters.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

I loved the first book in this series, so I'm confident this second one will be even better!

Braving Fiery Waters by Sarah Hanks

Her husband died in a fire. Now she's heading straight into one. Marina Stone planned an ideal family vacation, perfect for reconnecting with her two teenagers after their father's death. But those plans go drastically away when she time sails to the White Cloud in the year 1859. Now she must face her greatest fears and complete a mystery mission before she can return to her life and children. But what if they no longer truly need her or want her?

A family vacation to South Haven, Michigan, was the last thing Aiden wanted for his summer. Having just been dumped by his girlfriend and ticket to his future, he'd rather numb his mind with adventure. But when he connects with Nevaeh, a girl whose beauty is only matched by her faith, he might find there's no place he'd rather be. When his sister runs away, he must work with Nevaeh to help guide her home. In this second book in the Time Sailors series, new friends join the old in a faith-filled time travel novel you won't soon forget.

Learn more about Sarah on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

The charming Amish district of Stoney Ridge has new residents. Listen in as Suzanne Woods Fisher and I chat about this latest book, A Hidden Hope, and the fun she had writing it.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Chats with Suzanne Woods Fisher are always lovely. We talked about this book and about her love of writing about outsiders and how they find their place in the world.

A Hidden Hope by Suzanne Woods Fisher

With the arrival of three unexpected newcomers to Stoney Ridge comes an array of secrets and emotions brewing just beneath the surface. Supervising two newly minted medical residents might be the toughest challenge Ruth "Dok" Stoltzfus has ever faced. Wren Baker, sharp and ambitious, graduated at the top of medical school with a hidden agenda in tow. Charlie King, at the bottom of the class, is determined to succeed--though Dok isn't convinced he's got what it takes. Then there's traveling nurse Evie Miller, whose quiet love for Charlie doesn't go unnoticed, especially by Wren. Boarding at Windmill Farm, the trio struggles to balance modern medicine with Plain living. Between medical emergencies, cultural misunderstandings, and brewing romantic tensions, Dok finds herself juggling far more than she bargained for. Soon the stage is set in the small Amish community of Stoney Ridge for plenty of professional and personal complications. PRAISE FOR A HEALING TOUCH "The author perceptively sketches her characters' emotional arcs as life's challenges yield unexpected gifts, speaking to the power of second chances, faith, and love."--Publishers Weekly

You can learn more about Suzanne from her WEBSITE. Also, follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

For those who loved Becca Wierwille's Road Trip series, she's back with chapter books for young readers--mysteries, no less! Listen in to see why I'm eager to read the Scout and Barnaby series myself.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Don't forget that book one, Book 1 The Case of the Four-Legged Friend just came out. You can get it on Kindle, paperback, or audiobook!!!

The next book releases February 4th and the third on March 4th!

Scout & Barnaby Mysteries by Becca Wierwille

The Scout & Barnaby Mysteries are funny, heartwarming Christian chapter books for kids ages 6-10 by award-winning children's author Becca Wierwille. These lightly illustrated mysteries star a girl and her unusually perceptive dog who team up to solve mysteries at a Christian wilderness camp using her love of big words and his super sniffer.

Written as a bridge between chapter books and longer middle-grade works, these books combine fun whodunit mystery elements with faith and humor. Books feature larger font for emerging readers and stay short at approximately 15,000 words.

Learn more about Becca on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

And listen to her PODCAST HERE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

When I read that Julie Klassen's Whispers at Painswick Court was perfect for lovers of Austen and Agatha Christie, I knew this was the book for me, but the story of her visit to Painswick... yeah, sold me. Listen in to see why.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

After talking to Julie, I'm now eager to read the book, of course, but I want to go to Painswick, preferably in a Tardis about three years back. Because, come on! Staying there? EEEP!

I'm also fascinated by the nursing book she mentioned, and will probably be checking that out as well.

I think my favorite part of our conversation was comparing just how similar the people in our "very different" worlds, only a couple of hundred years apart, are.

Whispers at Painswick Court by Julie Klassen

She expected her return to Painswick would bring memories of the past--not danger and romance. Anne Loveday, a surgeon's daughter, is determined to live a single, useful life. To escape her matchmaking stepmother, she accepts an invitation from an old friend to return to Painswick, the place where she and her sister spent many happy summers until that last, fateful year. Soon after arriving, Anne is asked to serve as sickroom nurse to Lady Celia, who forbade her nephew to marry Anne's sister years before. Pushing aside resentments, Anne moves into Painswick Court, a shadowy old house rumored to be haunted. Also in residence are Lady Celia's spinster daughter, her handsome adult nephews, and a secretive new lady's maid. Two local doctors visit regularly as well, one of whom admires Anne while concealing secrets of his own. As an escalating series of mishaps befalls her patient, Anne realizes someone is trying to kill the woman. But who? When Anne finds herself a suspect and her resolution to avoid romance challenged, can she discover the real culprit--and protect her heart--before it's too late? Agatha Christie meets Jane Austen in this compelling Regency-era novel laced with intrigue, love, and English village charm for fans of historical romance and whodunit mysteries.

Learn more about Julie on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Don't miss the Regency Facebook Group HERE!

Whispers at Painswick Court is available at 30% off with FREE US shipping from BakerBookHouse.com

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

Don't know about you, but America's 250th anniversary has me a bit obsessed with finding all the best Christian fiction focused on the War for Independence. Megan Soja's Scars of the Revolution will definitely make my reading list. Listen in to hear why.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

It's easy to forget just how torn this country was before it was even it's own country. Neighbors held opposing opinions (kind of like politics today, no?). But unlike today, falling for the wrong person could be seen as either treason or disloyalty.

Scars of the Revolution by Megan Soja

Some scars are born from duty, others from rebellion—theirs were carved by both.

Libby Caldwell has been in love with Isaac Harrison for years, ever since her late father befriended him. While her head knows there is no hope of sharing her life with a British soldier, her heart is much more difficult to convince, especially now that he is quartering in her home. With Boston under siege and battle looming, each day together forces her to recognize how deep her feelings truly are…and how forbidden.

Bound by duty to both his family and country, Isaac is determined to serve honorably in the King's army, despite never wishing to be a soldier. But quartering with the widow and daughter of his old friend places another obligation on his shoulders—that of their well-being. The more time he spends with Miss Caldwell, the more that duty begins to feel like something personal, something he cannot allow.

As the siege of Boston tightens, Libby finds herself drawn into a dangerous game of espionage that could save the Patriot cause—and destroy any chance of a future with the man she's growing to love.

Will betrayal and war keep their two worlds forever apart? Or will they look to the One whose love knows no bounds to bring them healing and a future?

Don't miss the first interview with Megan about the first two books of the series HERE.

The America 250 website is available HERE.

Learn more about Megan on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

I'm a sucker for a Christmas play novel, and second chances? Listen in to see why I'm eager for Kelli Galyean's I Know the Feeling. #BecauseChristmas!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Don't we all know someone who doesn't know when to quit? The shock that comes the one time they could keep pushing... and don't? Yeah that! OY!

I Know the Feeling by Kelli Galyean

They say timing is everything.

ER Nurse Maddie Reed is barely keeping her head above water at work. She certainly doesn't have time to take over directing the children's Christmas play at church. But when the director is put on bedrest at the last minute, Maddie can't say no. The children are counting on her!

Maddie agrees to step up, prepared for the worst. Turns out "the worst" is worse than she thought. Her new assistant director is Chris Calvert, the most obnoxious man on the planet. To say they have history is an understatement.

Maddie braces for a disastrous month of pranks and shenanigans, but something about Chris is different. Working with him wasn't supposed to be good, much less great. And when Maddie's painful past shows up, Chris' friendship proves steady again and again.

Maddie wrote Chris off a long time ago, but now she wonders. Is it possible to leave behind the old and let something new grow?

Learn more about Kelli on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

The only thing better than historical Christian fiction is possibly... historical Christian fiction at Christmas? One full of faith and possibility? Listen in as Heidi Gray McGill talk about her Discerning God's Best series and her new release, A Place to Belong.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Don't miss tomorrow's release Before We Belong--the PREQUEL to the whole series FREE from Heidi's WEBSITE.

A Place to Belong by Heidi Gray McGill

Some fresh starts begin in silence… others begin with a baby's cry. Josephine Blake has run out of places to hide. Pregnant and burdened by secrets, she flees the whispers of Philadelphia, clinging to the hope that her former boardinghouse roommate in Shumard Oak Bend will take her in. When a weathered but kind-hearted miner offers her a ride west, she dares to believe she might finally outrun her shame. But hope comes at a price… and Josephine isn't sure she can afford it. Jeremiah Remington lost everything in the war—his family, his home, even one arm. Now a quiet fixture in the growing town, he avoids entanglements, content to live on the edges of community. But when Josephine arrives with wary eyes, an iron will, and a child on the way, Jeremiah is drawn to something he thought he'd given up for good—a second chance at family. As Christmas nears and the town orphanage opens its doors, Josephine is offered a new beginning—not just for herself, but for her daughter. But when the past threatens to unravel it all, she must decide: keep running… or stay and fight for the place—and the man—God may have prepared for her. A marriage of convenience. A scandalous past. A baby who changes everything. And the kind of love only a Savior can give. If your heart longs for stories of quiet redemption, fierce hope, and homes built one act of grace at a time, A Place to Belong will welcome you in. Fans of Misty M. Beller, Liz Tolsma, Karen Witemeyer, and Jody Hedlund will feel right at home in this heartfelt Christmas novella. A Place to Belong is a standalone Christmas companion novella in the Discerning God's Best series, following Healing of the Heart (Book 5).

Learn more about Heidi on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Don't miss Heidi's YOUTUBE Channel where you can listen to some of her books FREE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

All authors put a bit of themselves in their books. They can't help it. But while chatting with author Joy Crain, I saw it in a whole new way. Her books in the Royals of Andelar series are her story--and not. But they are. Listen in to see what I mean and to hear her amazing life story.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

What happens when an author lives where internet is tightly regulated? We get creative. My usual recording program? Not allowed. Zoom? Nope. Finally, I recorded us with "print screen video." Of course, I had to extract the audio separately and all but... we got there in the end.

What a great conversation!

The Cost of the Crown by Joy Crain

Missy Hanson never dreamed of falling in love and living happily ever after. In fact, she doesn't know what she wants to do after she graduates from college; nevertheless, she's content working as a journalist for her local newspaper and assisting at her aunt's California bakery. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity emerges for her to visit the southeast Asian country of Andelar, Missy is thrown into the world of royalty as the special guest of the king and queen—and it's clear she doesn't belong, despite her family ties to the area. But the royal family isn't without its mysteries. Rumors abound that a secret prince is hiding amid Andelar's society, and Missy is determined to find out who he is. Aiden Waverly never wanted a crown or a title. He craves a normal life, but being a secret prince of biracial background is difficult enough and would create chaos amid the tabloids if the press learned about his parentage. After years of traveling the world to help those in the greatest of need, he's faced with a life-altering decision: take his place as crown prince or walk away as a commoner. With no clear path that will satisfy him and the royal family, the tug between following his heart and doing his duty to Andelar becomes harder every day.

Learn more about Joy on the WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

Author Jessica Wakefield has pulled together a Christmas romance extravaganza. Calling it "Gilmore Girls meets Romeo and Juliet" (sans unintentional death pact), Wakefield offers a Christmas party like no other. Listen in to see what I mean.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Full of fun tropes, It Shouldn't Be You is exactly what the Christmaws doctor ordered.

It Shouldn't Be You by Jessica Wakefield

To revive his stalled career, jaded journalist Declan Collins is assigned to cover the Hamiltons' extravagant Christmas party—the same Hamiltons who are demolishing the community centre where Declan spent some of the best moments of his childhood.

Addey Bennet, the event planner behind the party, needs everything to go perfectly. Her business is on the line, and so is her chance to mend a strained relationship with her powerful parents—the ones footing the bill.

Neither of them expects the spark between them.

Addey never planned to fall for the man who resents everything her family stands for. Declan never imagined he'd be drawn to the Hamiltons' daughter. But as tensions rise and emotions deepen, their unexpected connection could cost them everything they've worked for—and maybe even a shot at love.

It's Gilmore Girls meets Romeo and Juliet in this heartfelt, kissing-only story, combining humor and faith, with sparks flying off the page.

Learn more about Jessica on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!

Nothing hurts more than family turning against you--unless it's God's family. Listen in as author Sarah Hanks and I talk about her Brave Authors anthologies, why she organized them, and more.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Large publishing houses have to be careful with what they offer the public. Taking risks is a fine way to ensure they go under. But many readers want the tougher stories, the grittier, "this hurts but we can do something about it" tales that go beyond, "it was a difficult time" and works to debride the wound through story. Hanks and her anthologies dealing with difficult topics like church hurt and abuse and abortion and trafficking... they do just that.

Every Voice Heard by Sarah Hanks & Others

Praise Through the Pain by N. Y. Dunlap

She walked away from the church. He's finding his way back. One year after the tragedy, their paths cross, and God's not finished with either of them. A poignant Christian romance about rediscovering faith, and the kind of love that gently leads you home.

Rapha by D.T. Powell

After leaving her home church several months ago due to malicious rumors, Rebecca is tired of searching for a new congregation. When she settles on a church to visit through the holiday months, she discovers that her newest supervisee at work is the pastor. And not everyone is eager to have him behind the pulpit.

For the Love of Truth by Sarah Hanks

Candi loves her role as personal assistant to megachurch pastor Richard Blake. But when she meets Justice, he exposes the flaws of her "perfect" church family and she discovers her pastor isn't who he seems to be. Freedom lies on the other side of truth, if only she'll allow Justice and the Lord to lead her there.

10% of all proceeds go to beEmboldened, a non-profit that exists for the prevention of and healing from spiritual abuse.

Don't miss the Brave Author Website!

Learn more about Sarah on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

• Apple
• Castbox
• Google Play
• Libsyn
• RSS
• Spotify
• Amazon
• and more!