I’m pretty excited about these 2016 releases from Tyndale House ~ cover and story wise!
Tessa is my favourite Biblical fiction writer and I’m intrigued by the story she will weave around this woman. The splashes of colour on the cover are fabulous but if I’m being particularly fussy, I feel the title font and placement is a little off. Still, can’t wait to read this one!
The contemporary and intriguing nature of Amy and Chris’ covers I adore…and the story lines? I think we are in for a real treat from both of these talented writers. I’m no Amish/Mennonite reader, as most of you know, but I won’t miss Jolina’s The Alliance. Firstly, the cover is so fascinating, refreshingly different from the usual cover art for such stories, and raises many questions I want to know the answers to. Secondly, that plot? Who wouldn’t be intrigued?!
You will never be confused about who has written Kill Devil as they are continuing on with the same theme from Mike’s previous story – at first glance, I actually thought the gun was a pen! Maybe time for me to visit the optometrist again! Carre’s also continues the series cover theme ~ I like this one, too.
Adore the quirky nature of the cover for Bill Higg’s debut novel. Fun fact ~ Bill is married to the fabulous Liz Curtis Higgs, a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction.
DiAnn’s is vintage romantic suspense and very similar to her previous covers, but with some tweaks. Has anyone noticed the penchant for yellow to be used in suspense titles? Do a search on Amazon and you will find a lot of yellow for titles and author names. The girl’s eyes are arresting but I think the guy needs a little hairstyling – LOL!
Kudos to the Tyndale House designers – I think they have done a fantastic job with these covers, overall. They are fresh, appealing, and blessedly don’t fall into many of the overused Christian Fiction styles. I appreciate that many readers want familiarity, but I’m all for unique, eye-catching designs that appeal to a broad range of readers. These go a long way to hit that mark!
What do you think, friends?
Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar
Before Christ called her daughter . . .
Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .
Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.
No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body . . . and soul?
May, 2016
Lead Me Home by Amy K. Sorrells
Amid open fields and empty pews, small towns can crush big dreams.
Abandoned by his no-good father and forced to grow up too soon, Noble Burden has set his dreams aside to run the family farm. Meanwhile, James Horton, the pastor of the local church, questions his own calling as he prepares to close the doors for good.
As a severe storm rolls through, threatening their community and very livelihood, both men fear losing what they care about most . . . and reconsider where they truly belong.
May, 2016
The Alliance by Jolina Petersheim
When Leora Ebersole sees the small plane crash in her Old Order Mennonite community, she has no idea it’s a foreshadowing of things to come. When the young pilot, Moses Hughes, regains consciousness, they realize his instruments were destroyed by the same power outage that killed the electricity at the community store, where Englischers are stranded with dead cell phones and cars that won’t start.
Moses offers a sobering theory, but no one can know how drastically life is about to change. With the only self-sustaining food supply in the region, the Pacifist community is forced to forge an alliance with the handful of stranded Englischers in an effort to protect not only the food but their very lives.
In the weeks that follow, Leora, Moses, and the community will be tested as never before, requiring them to make decisions they never thought possible. Whom will they help and whom will they turn away? When the community receives news of a new threat, everyone must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect their beliefs and way of life.
June, 2016
Jed Patrick is convinced he’s doing all it takes to keep his family safe—new names, new location, new identity. But just when he thinks he finally has his life back, trained men claiming to be CIA agents break in and threaten his wife and daughter, proving once and for all his family will never truly be safe until he eliminates the agency dead set on hunting him down.
Not knowing if Karen and Lilly are better off by his side or in hiding, Jed is determined to protect them while finding a way to use the classified information that he possesses to dismantle the Centralia Project. But he soon learns that eliminating Centralia may require compromising his own values. As danger escalates, Jed isn’t sure whether there’s anyone or anything he can trust—including his own senses.
June, 2016
The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry
The summer of 1972 was the most pivotal of Matt Plumley’s childhood. While his beloved Pirates battle for back-to-back World Series titles, Matt’s family moves from Pittsburgh to Dogwood, West Virginia, where his father steps into the pulpit of a church under the thumb of town leader Basil Blackwood. A fish out of water, Matt is relieved to forge a fast bond with two unlikely friends: Dickie Darrel Lee Hancock, a mixed-race boy, and Jesse Woods, a tough-as-nails girl with a sister on her hip and no dad in sight.
As the trio traipses the hills and hollers, Matt begins to fall for Jesse, and their promises to each other draw him deeper into her terrifying reality. One night, the wrath of the Blackwoods and the secrets of Jesse’s family collide, and Matt joins Jesse in a rescue that saves one life and ends another . . . and severs the bond of their friendship.
Years later, Matt is pulled back to Dogwood and to memories of that momentous summer by news of Jesse’s upcoming wedding. He could never shake the feeling that there was more to the story of that fateful night, and he’s determined to learn the truth behind the only promise Jesse Woods ever broke.
July, 2016
Nothing seems to change in Eden Hill, Kentucky, and that’s just fine with Virgil T. Osgood. He’s been content to raise his family and run the only service station in town. But when a new station is set to open right across the road from Virgil’s pumps, he suddenly faces obstacles in his career, his marriage, and his self-worth that he’s never even dreamed of.
Cornelius Alexander wants his new Zipco station to succeed and help establish a strong foundation for his growing family. As long as he follows the Zipco guide, he’s sure to be a success–and prove his father wrong.
Reverend Caudill wants to be a conduit for grace in his town, but that grace is challenged by the changes sweeping through in the early 1960s. For the sake of this small town, Virgil and Cornelius must learn to get along, but how do you love your neighbor when his very presence threatens to upend everything you hold dear?
July, 2016
They Danced On by Carre Armstrong Gardner
Nothing is more important to Jane Darling than her family. She’s dedicated her life to raising her children, and they all appear to be doing well. She can finally relax and enjoy life. But when her husband becomes seriously ill, Jane finds herself taking on the most difficult role of her life.
Laura Darling moved away to escape the expectations of her family. Ever since she went through rehab, they watch her like a hawk. Now she has a good job, new friends, and no one to criticize her or comment on everything she’s doing. But when everything begins to unravel, Laura’s heart turns toward home.
Follow the Darling family through triumph and tragedy as they struggle with an uncertain future.
July, 2016
Deadly Encounter by DiAnn Mills
Airport Ranger volunteer Stacy Broussard expected a peaceful Saturday morning ride around the perimeter of Houston’s airport. What she encounters instead is a brutal homicide and a baffling mystery. Next to the body is an injured dog, the dead man’s motorcycle, and a drone armed with a laser capable of taking down a 747.
Though FBI Special Agent Alex LeBlanc sees a clear-cut case of terrorism, his past has taught him to be suspicious of everyone, even witnesses. Even bleeding-heart veterinarians like Stacy. But when her gruesome discovery is only the first in a string of incidences that throw her life into a tailspin, Alex begins to wonder if Stacy was targeted. As a health emergency endangers Stacy’s community, and the task force pulls in leads from all directions, Alex and Stacy must work together to prevent another deadly encounter.
August, 2016
December 8, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Argh they all look so great! I’m particularly looking forward to Jolina’s and Carre’s next instalments 🙂
December 8, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Thanks, Kara, and I’m looking forward to YOURS! 🙂
December 8, 2015 at 11:48 pm
I’m with you, Kara 🙂
December 8, 2015 at 12:13 pm
these are all really fabulous! i find jolina’s particularly smashing. i CANNOT WAIT for carre’s and tessa’s and amy’s! SO MANY ! a decided turn from Tyndale from Histfic, eh?
December 8, 2015 at 1:58 pm
Thank you, Rachel! Can’t wait to share! 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 4:00 am
Thank you, Rachel! I can’t wait for you to read Lead Me Home, too! 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 7:26 am
Ditto, my friend xo
December 9, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Thanks, Rachel: I’m pretty excited myself!
December 8, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Another Tessa Afshar book is always cause for celebration!
December 8, 2015 at 11:48 pm
I so agree, Vanya!
December 8, 2015 at 2:40 pm
Thank you, Rel, for the wonderful introduction! Always love to visit your site. 🙂
December 8, 2015 at 11:49 pm
Thanks for dropping by, Jolina! So intrigued by both your cover and synopsis – can’t wait to read it.
December 8, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Oh wow, these covers are so unique and just plain WONDERFUL. Carre’s Darling Family series I think has my favorite covers as a whole. They Danced On, Lead Me Home, the Alliance, and Eden Hill definitely are the eye-catchers for me cover-wise! And The Promise of Jesse Woods–that sounds so intriguing!
December 8, 2015 at 11:50 pm
It’s just a great bunch of books, I think, Marie 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 3:59 am
It IS a great bunch of books!
December 9, 2015 at 6:06 pm
Speaking of great books, I JUST got How Sweet the Sound {as in, two days ago} ! I’m so excited to start it, and your new one looks just as interesting!
December 9, 2015 at 11:52 pm
Hi Marie, and I’m so grateful you got How Sweet the Sound! I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a blessed Christmas!
December 9, 2015 at 1:04 pm
Thanks Marie. Tyndale’s art department has blown me away with the covers for the Darling books!
December 8, 2015 at 3:12 pm
Definitely a great lineup of covers!
I agree with you about Tessa Afshar’s cover – I think the book title is too small, and the placement is odd, almost as if it’s a subtitle.
Interesting observation about yellow on covers – I’ve seen on designer recommend authors don’t use yellow on their covers, but the Diann Mills cover definitely grabs my attention (which could be related to the fact she’s one of my favourite authors). I suspect it’s the yellow/blue contrast, and the fact the yellow reflects the sunrise (sunset?) in the background.
The other cover I especially like is They Danced On, for the image, for the title, and for the font – it’s unusual, and fits the cover well.
December 8, 2015 at 11:51 pm
Hey Iola – lovely to have you drop in! I think all of Carre’s covers have been terrific and themed together so beautifully, too.
December 9, 2015 at 1:08 pm
I have to say I think I really landed on my feet with the artist Tyndale assigned to my covers. They’ve all turned out way beyond my expectations!
December 10, 2015 at 9:06 am
Carre Armstrong Gardner » Love hearing that, Carre. I think it must be so hard for authors who don’t love their covers.
December 9, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Thanks lola! I really like the font they chose for the Darling covers. Art is SO not my strength: I’m glad someone more visually creative than I was in charge of putting them together!
December 8, 2015 at 3:16 pm
I really like The Alliance cover!! I’m also not one to read Amish/Mennonite Fiction although I’ve enjoyed Jolina and Bob Hostetler’s work in this genre.
The Promise of Jesse Woods sounds like a great novel! I like the cover as well.
I also really like Bill Higgs cover. Very retro.
December 8, 2015 at 11:51 pm
Yes, yes, and yes! xo
December 9, 2015 at 4:23 am
So glad you like the cover for THE ALLIANCE, Staci! I sure love it, too. Can’t wait to let you take a peek at the story between the pages. 🙂
December 8, 2015 at 3:23 pm
I love everything about Tessa’s cover except the title placement. If they swapped the author name and the title I think it would make more sense.
The covers for The Alliance and The Promise of Jesse Wood immediately caught my eye! I like the crisp precision of the font styles contrasted with the faded colours and filter in the pictures.
The cover for Deadly Encounter leaves me unaffected. I don’t like when suspense books are hard to distinguish between visually, especially when they are from the same author.
December 8, 2015 at 11:52 pm
Great thoughts, Lydia – always love it when you visit xo
December 8, 2015 at 7:17 pm
Hey Rel,
My favorite of this group is Bill Higgs’ “Eden Hill.” I love the nostalgic look of the car and the title art. I do really like Tessa Afshar’s cover and the different Bible character being used. I do agree with you about the title placement, however, very strange to me. I do like the juxtaposition of the plane and the buggy on Jolina Petersheim’s cover. And you are right about it being a very different look for an Amish story, but then it sounds very different from any other Amish story. I like the picture on Amy Sorrells’ cover, but I am not a big fan of the title fonts. The two different styles just don’t go together to me. I do like Chris Fabry’s cover. Interesting to see he is continuing his Dogwood stories. This is my favorite of the Darling Family covers, but I am still not a huge fan of the light glare circles. The purple and the gold colors do go well together, however. They remind me of my high school. 🙂 I do like DiAnn Mills cover. Yellow does seem to be used more and more on suspense covers. I would guess it is used as it brings to mind things like crime scene tape and caution signs which can signal danger ahead. I am not a big fan of this cover of Mike Dellosso’s newest. I am sure the story is well done, but I wouldn’t have known it was a gun unless you had said so. And I still think it a bit strange to divide up the last name. Thanks for sharing this new lineup, Rel. Blessings to you!
December 8, 2015 at 11:54 pm
Thought you’d like Bill’s cover, Aaron 🙂 I always enjoying hearing your thoughts on covers. I think this bunch might be one where we agree on pretty much everything! Hope you are well, friend.
December 9, 2015 at 4:22 am
Hi, Aaron, I can definitely guarantee that THE ALLIANCE is a different Amish/Mennonite story. My husband even helped with the combat/action, so I could make it as realistic as possible. Before his advice, not so much. 😉
December 9, 2015 at 7:27 am
Love it, Jolina 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 3:58 am
Thank you so much, Rel, for the lovely and very fun cover reveal! I’m grateful for your support and enthusiasm for what I believe will be another unexpected and unique story for my readers. I’m learning that the books that come out of my head are a bit like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolate–you never know what you’re gonna get. But I can promise in each one–Lead Me Home no exception–readers will find a whole lot of hope in the midst of tough situations. Thanks again, Rel! I really appreciate it and all you do to support authors and readers!
December 9, 2015 at 7:28 am
Thanks so much for your kind words, Amy ~ it is truly a pleasure to feature such wonderful authors and stories. Anything outside the box always holds great appeal to me!
December 9, 2015 at 4:05 am
Random thoughts:
Interesting to have so many male characters in pivotal roles…
I don’t think I’ve ever seen laundry on a book cover before! The plot itself seems like a dark scifi doomsday scenario. Will there be zombies?
I’ve never read anything by Tessa Afshar or Chris Fabry before. I am interested in Bible based fiction, however, and the mere mention of my beautiful Pittsburgh was enough to interest me in Fabry’s book. Although the plot sounds interesting as well.
Lots for me to look forward to next summer. Though it’s still weird to be looking at these releases when we’re still in 2015.
December 9, 2015 at 4:18 am
Ha! No zombies, Sally-I promise! 😉 Immense redemption can be found in apparently hopeless situations, which I portray in THE ALLIANCE. Can’t wait to share! For more info, you can chat with me at https://www.facebook.com/jolinapetersheimauthor/?fref=ts
December 9, 2015 at 7:28 am
Sally – you haven’t read Tessa or Chris? Rectify, rectify! Brilliant storytellers, both of them.
December 9, 2015 at 6:54 am
These all look amazing! I think all but one are going on my TBR list. 🙂 Tyndale is, I think, the best publisher for Christian fiction. And, Rel, I’m even tempted to read Jolina’s this time. 🙂 That cover is great.
December 9, 2015 at 7:30 am
Haha! You won’t be disappointed with a Jolina novel, I assure you. It seems to me Tyndale are very strategic and intentional with their author/story choices. Good people, too 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Yes, they are great people. I used to work there, a couple decades ago (and I feel old, realizing how long it’s been). They were fabulous to work for then, and their fiction line has only gotten better.
December 10, 2015 at 9:05 am
Sally Bradley » So not surprised they were fabulous, and now remain so!
December 9, 2015 at 8:29 am
I agree: Tyndale’s a great publisher to work with! And thanks for giving THE ALLIANCE a try, Sally! 🙂
December 9, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Looking forward to it, Jolina!
December 9, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Beautiful covers and I thought the gun was a pen, too. 🙂 My favorite is Chris Fabry’s.
December 10, 2015 at 9:05 am
Patricia Bradley » So it’s not my failing eyesight then, Pat?! Thanks for visiting xo
December 11, 2015 at 12:04 am
A great lineup of books — so many more to add to the teetering TBR pile. My favorite cover is Eden Hill by Bill Higgs. Is he the hubby of Liz Curtis Higgs? Thanks for the post.
December 11, 2015 at 1:08 am
So excited to see another Chris Fabry novel coming. Since Dogwood was my favorite, it’ll be interesting to see what he does with it this time. 😉 Intriguing cover too.
I like the covers of Eden Hill, They Danced On, and the threatening simplicity of Kill Devil. (I’m behind on my Dellosso reading – haven’t got Centralia yet.)
(How are you, Rel? 😉 )
December 13, 2015 at 9:23 pm
I feel like I’m in the minority, but (covers aside) I am looking forward to Amy Sorrells, Lead Me Home. While reading the synopsis, I connected right away and wanted to hear more. I rarely feel connected so quickly when a novel is predominantly a male POV. Maybe there’s some hormones involved (haha,) but just the synopsis moved me emotionally.
I, also, want to read some work by Mike Dellosso. I took notice during his last release and wanted to find one of his books to start with. I just haven’t done it yet. Any suggestions for a Mike Dellosso starter book?