Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Rain Song


This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Rain Song

Bethany House (October 1, 2008)

by

Alice J. Wisler



MY THOUGHTS

This book reminds me of times I spent visiting my great grandparents in Arkansas. While they weren't as prim and proper as Ducee, the grandmother who raised the main character in this book, Nicole, they represented the 'Southern' state of mind. I could easily see myself sitting on a porch drinking sweet tea or lemonade and listening in on the down to earth discussions between Nicole, Ducee, and others in this book.

Alice Wisler's first book examines our need to face our fears and our past so we can become whole. She draws us into the story of Nicole, who can't remember life with her missionary parents in Japan. At a very young age, Nicole survived a fire which killed her mother and left her father in a decades long state of depression. Nicole subsequently spent most of her time in North Carolina with her grandmother. When unwittingly faced with the opportunity to meet a childhood nanny she can't remember, Nicole must make a life-changing choice. Will she overcome her fears to discover her past?

I enjoyed the varied personalities woven through this story -- Monet, the 'wild child' who can't be diagnosed; Iva, the neurotic aunt; Grable, trying to mother Monet appropriately while her marriage disintegrates; and the ultimate Southern Belle, Ducee, a woman of wisdom and tradition.

I imagine this book will cause me to think about life's 'coincidences' and our need to face our fears with God's help for a long time. I am looking forward to the sequel!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Nicole Michelin avoids airplanes, motorcycles, and most of all, Japan, where her parents once were missionaries. Something happened in Japan...something that sent Nicole and her father back to America alone...something of which Nicole knows only bits and pieces. But she is content with life in little Mount Olive, North Carolina, with her quirky relatives, tank of lively fish, and plenty of homemade pineapple chutney. Through her online column for the Pretty Fishy Web site, she meets Harrison Michaels, who, much to her dismay, lives in Japan. She attempts to avoid him, but his emails tug at her heart. Then Harrison reveals that he knew her as a child in Japan. In fact, he knows more about her childhood than she does.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rain Song, go HERE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alice sold her first story to David C. Cook for a take-home Sunday School paper called Sprint. The year was 1988, this was her first submission to a paying market, and the check sent to her was for $125.00.

She was on her way!

Since then, Alice has sold articles and devotions to the Upper Room, Alive Now, Standard Publishing, ByLine magazine and others.

In 2006 she sent her novel Rain Songto Bethany House...and the rest is history! She signed a two -book deal and the second, How Sweet It Is will be out in 2009.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this!

~ Alice J. Wisler
author of RAIN SONG
and HOW SWEET IT IS