September 2006 Releases

More Than Love – Lynn LaFleur (Rom-Contemp)
A Kind of Magic – Susan Sizemore (Rom-Hist/Pnr)
Prince of the Wind – Charlotte Boyett-Compo (Paranormal)
Tides of Time – Sonya Kate Childers (Rom-Contemp)

Upcoming October 2006 Releases
(Release schedule subject to change)

Men In Chains – Virginia Reede (Fantasy)
A Taste of Heaven – Janina Henderson (Rom-Contemp)
No Bull – Kelsy George (Mystery)
Shadowlord – Charlotte Boyett-Compo (Futuristic Romance)

Upcoming November 2006 Releases
(Release schedule subject to change)

That Which Survives – Ciana Stone (Romantic Suspense)
Tasting Nightwalker Wine – Janet Miller (Paranormal Romance)
Cold Turkey – Janice Bennett (Mystery)
Tainted Hearts – Cyndi Friberg (Futuristic Romance)
Intimate Deceptions – Lise Fuller (Romantic Suspense)

Janina Henderson
A Taste of Heaven

     Beneath the exterior of a busy suburban soccer mom and day-care operator beats the heart of a romance writer named Janina Henderson. Married 12 years, this mother of two daughters, ages 11 and 9, has been working in childcare since she was 19. “I tried other jobs,” she says, “but they bored me to tears, and they really stifled my creativity. I have a lot more freedom working for myself.” Working with children, she says frees her mind to write in her head. “First the people come to me, then the scenario.”

     The kinds of characters who interest Janina are people with human frailties and flaws. “Who wants to read about a perfect person? I want my characters to have things tough so they have to work to reach that rainbow,” she says. “As a reader, I need to … get emotionally involved with the characters.”

     Many of her own characters, she says, have emotional difficulties related to their parents. “I had a rough relationship with my father for a while, and I can draw on those emotions in my writing. They aren’t necessarily the same hang-ups, but the feelings are similar, and I can empathize.”

     Though she likes to put her characters through the emotional mill, Janina likes her happy endings—in life and in books. “I have a wonderful relationship with my dad now,” she says. And she’s married to a wonderful man. “He’s more of a romantic than I am. I still get candy and flowers, and surprise trips. I really got lucky.”

     They met after answering each other’s ads in a local newspaper. “I’m not a big drinker, so I never went to bars, and I worked in daycare. Plus I was shy, so it was hard for me to meet men. Putting an ad in the paper was an easy way to screen men.”

     In her writing, Janina aims for the kind of drama that arises from real-life situations and the ways people respond to them. The heroine in A Taste of Heaven is a spoiled, emotionally immature woman who tries too hard to distance herself from the man who rejected her when she was younger. “She tries to make him jealous by acting like she’s been around,” says Janina. But when events conspire to put her into his world for a while, she sees another side of him and starts to understand his true character and the reasons he rejected her.

     “I hope people just enjoy the characters,” says Janina. “It made me laugh; it made me cry while I was writing it. I hope it does that for readers. I hope it pulls at their heartstrings a little bit and makes them sigh at the end and say, ‘that was a good book.’ That’s how I want to feel when I finish reading a book.”

Lighting a path through the dark times
By Susan F. Edwards

     When the bad times come, Sonya Kate Childers does not give in to pain and despair. Instead, she turns to love, hope and country music.

     First the love: That would be her very first published romance novel, Tides of Time, an inspirational tale of two musicians struggling to succeed in the competitive world of country pop music.

     Then there’s the hope: raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the hope of saving children some of the pain Sonya herself has endured.

     And finally, the country music. Well, that’s just always been one of Sonya’s biggest passions.

     Now she has brought all three of her passions together to light a path through the dark times, not just for herself, but for others as well. The story of how it all came together is as inspiring as Sonya herself.

     When Sonya had a stroke six years ago at the age of 33, she could hear her children screaming, but she could not move or talk. Though she recovered her mobility, she discovered that she had suffered from undiagnosed Lupus and Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome her whole life. The doctors told her she had seven “good years” left. Since that time, Sonya has vowed to do as much good as possible in the time she has left. Two years ago, she wrote, “Some days the pain slices through my bones and organs like a knife, so excruciating it is unbearable and my limbs are useless.”

     Unfortunately, she says, that description still holds true today. “Lupus is a horrible disease. On most days to look at me, you wouldn't think there is anything wrong, but inside, I'm a mess.” She recently suffered a mini-stroke and her right side went limp again, but she is regaining use once again and continuing to focus on her passions.

     Through it all, she says, a woman she has never met in person has given her caring friendship, prayers and moral support. Sonya met the woman, named Virgie, when she joined the fan club of country music artist Steve Azar. “I heard his songs on the radio and when his music videos came out, I could see how much passion he had for his work,” she says. “His ‘Waitin on Joe’ video made me cry and touched my heart.”

     Through their mutual admiration of Steve Azar, Virgie and Sonya began an email and phone friendship.

     When the hard times hit, Virgie was there for Sonya and still is. “Virgie and her husband Joe pray for me every morning. When we finally get to meet in person, I know it will be like being reunited with a long-lost family member.”

     What Sonya didn’t discover until later was that Virgie is Steve Azar’s mother. Sonya wrote a special dedication in the book to Virgie and her family, saying: “Although we’ve never met in person, whenever those bad days come, Virgie has been there, lifting my tired spirit through e-mails, phone calls and prayers.”

     Steve was so touched by the book and dedication that he agreed to let Sonya package his love song, “Lay Your Heart Next to Mine,” with her debut romance novel for a special promotion.
For Sonya, it was like a dream come true. But she still has a bigger dream. She hopes that someday auto-immune illnesses like hers can be detected in children at an early age, and she wants to help.

Country music artist Steve Azar Photo: Margaret Malandruccolo

     To help make that dream come true, Sonya is donating a portion of the money from her book sales to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She has also been working with the Lupus and Anti-Phospholipid foundations. They have launched a letter-writing campaign to get her an appearance on the Montel Williams show. Although he has multiple sclerosis, lupus is in the same autoimmune disease family, she says. The two foundations “feel that it is important for me to tell my story and how I cope from day to day to give everyone else suffering with the illness something positive to focus on.”

     Sonya is a role model for everyone seeking a positive focus in hard times. Through all her hardships, she continues to keep her attention on the healing power of hope, love and country music.