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Showing posts with label Robin Johns Grant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robin Johns Grant. Show all posts

Friday, July 1, 2016

Summer's Winter by Robin Johns Grant

21807601
Summer’s Winter
Robin Johns Grant

Jan 2014
Inspirational romantic fiction
Story Merchant Books
ISBN 978-0989715430

buy on US Amazon
UK Amazon
Canada Amazon
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US$2.99 eBook
US$12.9 paperback

When Jeanine finally connects with film star Jamie Newkirk, the object of her obsession, will it be a dream come true? Or will she be pulled into his family's nightmare of secrets, control, and death? 

At age ten, preacher's daughter Jeanine fell in love with young movie star Jamie Newkirk and the character he played--Danny Summer. Jeanine believed God Himself promised Jamie would be part of her life--that he would rescue her from boring rural Georgia. But eleven years later, she's graduating college and about to settle into the dreary nine-to-five life with no word from Jamie or God. 

And then Jamie bursts into her life in an amazing way. There are plans to resurrect the Summer series of books and movies, and Jeanine is right in the middle of it all. Jamie seems to be falling for her, just as she'd dreamed. And yet... 

She never expected all the dark undercurrents. Jamie is hiding out in Georgia following the suspicious death of his former girlfriend. And isn't it odd that he found his mother dead of a supposed suicide in that same house two years before, and that both women had the same strangely-shaped burn on their bodies? And who knew there would be so many sinister characters involved in Jamie's life, and in the Summer series? There's his young co-star, Charlie--the Summer author died in an unexplained fire at his house. And Jamie's stepfather, Elliott, and uncle Richard seem to be in a vicious competition for control of the Summer series and of Jamie's life. 

Jamie is obviously hiding things--about his family, about the deaths of his mother and girlfriend. The media and the public have declared him guilty. Jeanine longs to prove his innocence. Unless she can, Jamie's dark secrets may shatter her dreams, her faith--and her life.

My review
I love Grant’s way with words and her sense of story. It’s not breathless when it doesn’t need to be, and gradually sets up story in a way that’s a luscious down comforter and not a bumpy, worn blanket. Since reading Jordan's Shadow, I knew Summer's Winter would be just as good.

Young Adult fiction can cover a great deal of circumstances and settings, but the genre involves exploration of self, growth, and a lot angst getting there. Skillfully melding twists and romance, blurring the lines between bad guys and good, and identifying and taking responsibility for bad behavior without glorifying it, Grant has published a great story about a young lady with gifts on a sure path guided by the only One we can truly trust, and her obsession, a movie star from another continent portraying a beloved character in a series of motion pictures. While Jeanine may not truly believe that she’ll receive the longings of her heart, she has a firm foundation that the Giver of all good things has a plan for her.

Within the realm of believability, the movie star, Jamie, comes from a similar-enough background to feel guilt over actions he controls, as well as events that he cannot influence…or can he? It’s this sense of responsibility that bring Jamie and Jeanine together, yet keep them frustratingly apart.

Told in multiple points of view, Summer’s Winter is a story will keep readers of romantic young adult fiction turning pages. Set in contemporary America, the story has a genteel feel, despite the despair and drug use and less savory actions hinted at behind the scenes. The characters are rich and multi-layered, adding a satisfactory denseness to the beautiful settings and even the less than beautiful events. Star-crossed lovers? Sure, but emotionally satisfying and with just enough questions left over that make me drool for a sequel.

About the Author

While waiting for her writing to pay off, Robin Johns Grant did a lot of crazy fan stuff and was way too involved with books and movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars, which helped her dream up Jeanine and Jamie for Summer's Winter.

With a degree in English and a mid-life crisis coming on, she returned to school and earned a master's degree in library and information science. She now has her best day job ever as a college librarian, which keeps her young by allowing her to hang out with students.

Robin was named 2014 Author of the Year by the Georgia Association of College Stores, and Summer's Winter won a bronze medal in the Romance - Suspense category of the International Readers' Favorite Book Awards.

Robin lives in Georgia with her wonderful husband Dave and formerly feral felines Mini Pearl and Luna. She is also surprised to find herself part owner of a sweet pit bull puppy named Pete who showed up as a stray at her mom's house.

Friday, May 1, 2015

John 3:16 Book Review: Jordan's Shadow by Robin Johns Grant

Jordan’s Shadow
Robin Johns Grant

Jordan's Shadow 
February 2015
Print 12.99
E book: 2.99
Buy on Amazon

From the Publisher:
The Crosby family has a frightening problem. Is it psychological? Supernatural? Or something entirely unexpected?

In 1984, seventeen-year-old Rose and her fiancĂ© discover an injured girl with no memory. The girl, Jordan, is in Rose’s life for a brief time but leaves her world shattered.

Years later, Rose Crosby’s fifteen-year-old daughter Ginny can’t understand why her relationship with her mother has fallen apart. Ginny could swear that Rose is terrified of her lately.

Then one terrible day, Ginny overhears Rose confessing that she truly is terrified of Ginny—because to her, every day Ginny grows more and more like Jordan, the girl who's been dead many years. In fact, she swears that somehow, Ginny is turning into Jordan.

Is Ginny’s mom insane? Is there a ghost in their house, threatening to possess Ginny? Or is the demon in Rose's past, forcing her to confront what happened on that horrible day in 1984 when Jordan was killed? 

My review:
A must-know page turner.
It hurt when I had to set this book down. It’s not a quick read...just a heads up.

Jordan’s Shadow is a YA mystery paranormal thriller that will glue readers of all ages to their favorite reading chairs. I thought I had the mystery pretty well sewn up—and then Grant would take me back in time and prove me wrong. I’m the kind of reader who normally reads the end when I think I’m right, but this is one book where I didn’t skip and I was glad I didn’t.

This multi-generational dysfunctional family drama will make you cheer and boo until the last curtain. The lingering question of mental illness keeps the reader on her toes with the question of who do you trust when the story of deaths in the family begin to appear. I loved the paranormal aspect of moving through time and I got a kick out of mulling the questions that remain.


Well-done sophomore book from talented author Robin Johns Grant. Great characterization, terrific setting and dialog. Told from the viewpoints of Ginny and her mother back and forth between twenty-five years, Jordan’s Shadow will keep you reading. Recommended for those who like family dramas, teen angst, faith-based YA with a twist of fantasy.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Two Generations - One Mysterious Girl - Jordan's Shadow by Robin Johns Grant

Today I am featuring Robin Johns Grant as she talks about her new book "Jordan's Shadow." When I offer to feature authors on the John 3:16 blog, I never know what I will receive. When I read Robin's feature, I was hooked. What a compelling premise, especially as a mother. I can't wait to read "Jordan's Shadow." Here is Robin in her own words.

*~*~*~*



My second book, Jordan’s Shadow, just came out a few days ago. Whenever people find out I’ve published a book, they generally ask one of two questions: How long did it take you to write it? And…where do you get your ideas?

So I’ll just assume that if we were face to face right now, you might want to ask me those questions about Jordan’s Shadow—even though the answer to at least one of those questions is a little embarrassing.

Where do I get my ideas? Usually I invent characters first, get to know them gradually, put them in various situations until a plot emerges. This involves the highly technical skills of make-believe and daydreaming, skills only writers or young children can truly master.

Jordan’s Shadow was a little different. A thought struck me one day (while I was daydreaming), that mothers don’t really know what their babies will be like or look like when they grow up. Those babies gradually change over time as they settle into the adults they become.

Well, I like a little spine-tingling creepiness in a story, so I started to think…what if a mother saw her child growing and changing and gradually turning into someone she used to know? And what if it was someone she didn’t like? Someone she had shared a terrible experience with in the past?
Now for the embarrassing part: how long did it take me to write this? Not years…decades! And I don’t mean just to get it right. It took me decades to get a first draft.

I thought this premise was so intriguing I couldn’t let it go, but I also had nothing but a premise. No characters, no plot, no spiritual take-away. Who were the mother and daughter going through this? What was the terrible experience in the mother’s past? And other than shock value, why did this story matter?
Answering those questions took me many years. And even when I had a skeleton plot and characters, the story was taking place in two different time periods, which was a challenge to my writing skills.

As for the spiritual component, that grew naturally as the other parts came together. As I got to know the family I was subjecting to this madness, I “discovered” that the family matriarch was a no-nonsense pragmatist who didn’t believe in anything beyond the physical world, and wouldn’t let her daughters be exposed to any such foolishness, including the church. Starving her family for God and the spiritual led to tragic consequences.

Now that it’s finally done, I’m glad I stuck with Jordan’s Shadow. It has some important take-aways not just about the God-shaped vacuum in all our lives, but about mother-daughter relationships, about the importance of family, and that it’s never too late to redeem the past.

Plus it’s as much fun as a spooky ghost story around a campfire!

If I’ve made you curious by now, stop by Lorilyn Roberts blog tomorrow to read an excerpt!

Robin Johns Grant published her first novel, Summer’s Winter, in 2014, and her second suspense novel, Jordan’s Shadow, has just been released. Summer's Winter won a bronze medal in the Romance - Suspense category of the International Readers' Favorite Book Awards, and Robin was named 2014 Author of the Year by the Georgia Association of College Stores.

Family and friends are happy that Robin’s imagination is finally paying off. She’s always had way too much of it. She started making up stories before she could write them down (dictating them to her mother) and always had her head in the clouds. She was obsessed with books and movies like Harry Potter and Star Wars and did a lot of crazy fan stuff, which helped her dream up Jeanine and Jamie’s story for Summer's Winter. It’s a romantic suspense novel, but as John Granger (author of The Deathly Hallows Lectures) said, it’s also “a romance-thriller about fandoms…and explores the important intersection of literature, spirituality, and imagination.”  

As a Christian, Robin can’t help but explore spirituality in her writing, but wants to do so in a way that reflects the awe and wonder of God and eternity.

With a degree in English, several non-fulfilling jobs under her belt, and a mid-life crisis coming on, Robin returned to school and earned a master's degree in library and information science. She now has her best day job ever as a college librarian, which keeps her young by allowing her to hang out with students.

With her wonderful husband Dave and formerly feral felines Mini Pearl and Luna, Robin lives in Georgia.  She is also surprised to find herself part owner of a pit bull named Pete, who showed up as a starving stray puppy at her mother's house.

Keep up with Robin at these sites:

Amazon (read about and purchase her books): http://amazon.com/author/robinjohnsgrant
Website and blog:  http://robinjohnsgrant.com