Under contract with Barbour for release in the spring of 2011...
FOUND IN TRANSLATION (book one in the Altered Hearts series)
[Endorsements]
Kim Hartlinger—eighteen and spoiled—arrives on a mission trip to Mexico and discovers, to her chagrin, that she’ll be doing construction in a tiny remote village without plumbing and electricity, rather than evangelism in a medium-sized town with a McDonald’s. . . “Roughing it” isn’t exactly what Kim had in mind when she signed up for this trip. As if that isn’t enough, the group is without a translator, and Kim’s “dual-language” Bible turns out to be Spanish-only. After breaking her arm the first morning on the job, Kim struggles to find a way to help her team and share the truth of God’s Word with the villagers. Will Kim be able to touch the villagers’ hearts with the Gospel? Or will her time in Mexico be up before she gets the chance?
PRANCING ON PEBBLES (book two in the Altered Hearts series)
Kim Hartlinger returns home home from Mexico only to find that her mother has died in a car accident coming to pick her up from the airport. Kim suffers guilt, depression, and nightmares because she believes she's to blame for her mother's death. Will God use an invitation to help with a mission project at a men's prison in California help to restore Kim's emotional health?
My work(s)-in-progress...
OUT OF ORDER (tentatively book three in the Altered Hearts series)
Aleesha loses the audition for a special class by insisting on doing her own thing rather than compromising to show that she understands the basics. On a mission trip to Nicaragua, she learns that her special talents don't prevent her from having to prove herself capable of small tasks before being assigned to greater ones.
DO I EVER!
A divorced couple must pretend to still be married to keep the best friends who introduced them from finding out they've split up. As they fall in love all over again, they confront a new challenge. Their friends are splitting up! Can they save the other couple's marriage while renewing their own relationship?
Other completed manuscripts...
WHEREFORE ART THOU RAMON?
In this loose adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, two teens must end the feud they unwittingly started between their fathers. The feud's about whether the sancutary's elegant new curtains should be drawn to cut the glare through the fancy new windows--one a contribution of Ramon's papa, the other of Julianne's dad. But when the feud threatens their budding romance, the teens must take some drastic steps to reunite their families. But do the ends justify the means?
ROSA NO-NAME (prequel in the Mission: Altered Hearts series)
Orphaned, uneducated, and ignored by the residents of her tiny Mexican village, Rosa No-Name naively seeks a better life in San Diego with her in-name-only husband, Tomás. Instead, she finds herself captive to his egotistical whims and violence. When compelled to return to her home village after discovering the truth about her background, can Rosa overcome the village’s ignorance and prejudices to win their acceptance, solve a generations-old problem, and meet a more immediate need? Will Rosa’s acceptance of Christianity enable her to acquire a name she can be proud of?
THE LADY & THE IMPRACTICAL JOKESTER
An off-beat love story about Maria and Robbie, two middle-aged best friends. While it's obvious to everyone else that they're the "perfect couple," they're both afraid of destroying their friendship by revealing their love to one another. Robbie overzealously uses his fondness for jokes and puns and his musical expertise to create a special surprise for Maria, whose unexpected reaction threatens both their friendship and their hoped-for romance. Can a local deejay save their relationship in this humorous tale of hidden identities?
THE DEVIL & PASTOR GUS
A whimsical, yet thought-provoking Christian spoof about the tempestuous relationship between the Rev. Mr. Gus Gospello and the Devil. Middle-aged Pastor Gus is obsessed with leaving a significant spiritual legacy to future generations: a novel ridiculing Satan. The Devil is obsessed with restoring his tarnished reputation by acquiring Gus's soul and delivering him to the fires of Hell. But can anyone win this battle of wills once Satan unwittingly provides Gus with more power than he realizes?
A TWISTED RAINBOW
A coming-of-age novel about two young men who are trying to free themselves of their Christian upbringing. Joel is a Preacher's Kid who suffers terrible pangs of conscience just for being human. His best friend, Roberto, is a Nicaraguan immigrant who despises Christians because of the hypocrisy of those who brought his family to the United States. Together they seek the American Dream. But which will have the greater effect on their lives--winning a $5 million lottery or losing it again?
FIFTY-FIFTY
An off-beat novel about Bryan Centuria, adopted son of a Protestant pastor. Convinced by a childhood encounter with an angel that God has promised him strength and a century-long lifespan, Bryan successfully pursues wealth and prestige while using people and ignoring God. Bryan's mid-life crisis convinces him that God's promise is just his own wishful thinking and nothing can prevent him from dying before his fiftieth birthday. Retiring to a houseboat to await death, Bryan confronts voices from childhood, including one that forces him to make an impossible life or death decision.
