Interview with Jill Potts Jones of Iambelievinggod’s Blog

As a part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I am interviewing a fellow blogger. Jill blogs at Iambelievinggod's Blog. She lives in East Central Alabama.

It is easy to see her strong Christian faith in her blog posts. She also reviews mainly Christian nonfiction. I asked Jill a few questions and here are her answers.


How did you come up with the name of your blog?  

When I was starting my blog, I was taking a Beth Moore class and one of the lessons was about believing God is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do...  I was struggling with my faith in this particular area at that time.  Naming my blog iambelievinggod was a reminder to me to always look to Him first instead of at my problems.

When and why did you begin blogging?  

I started blogging when I was unemployed and looking for a job.  It was a form of release mainly--just a way to put my thoughts out on paper...I never really thought anyone would read it...then, I discovered blogging for books....several publishers, namely,  Thomas Nelson Publishers and NavPress accepted me early on and then I applied for Tyndale House's program and most recently, Strang.  I also accept requests directly from authors.  I learned about their blogging programs through friends on Twitter who are also book bloggers.

You mention that you work outside the home, what do you do?  

I am a legal secretary....it's a good job with little stress...I work for an attorney that is very easy to work for, understanding about family issues and I get a lot of time off.

Where do you get the books you review?  

Usually through the Blogging for Books programs from Thomas Nelson, Tyndale House, NavPress; however, if I read a book I like and I really want to review it, I'll do that, too.

I see that you review mainly nonfiction. Do you read any fiction?  

Occasionally.  I reviewed "Darlington Woods" by Mike Dellosso and "The Last Operative" by Jerry Jenkins.  I have also reviewed "Caught" by Harlan Coben for Associated Content and didn't put on my blog--primarily because it was not in the Christian genre.  I considered starting another blog for non-Christian books but I don't know if I'll get to that or not.

After reading about your busy life, I wonder, where do you find time to read and blog?  

I read everywhere--doctor and dentist offices, during lunch, at night before bed--sometimes I take a Sunday and do nothing but read.  I find time to blog when I go to work early, during my lunch hour and sometimes when my boss is in court or away from the office if I don't have anything going on.

I note that you blog about personal/family issues in addition to books. Do your husband and teenager read your blog? Have they begun to “pull their weight” in your quest to get household duties done?  

No, my husband and my teen do not read my blog--that I'm aware of....sometimes my husband will.  As to household duties, no.  It's a battle of wills between them.  My daughter has Asperger's Syndrome (I have a separate blog for that at http://aspieparent18.wordpress.com) My husband has paid someone to do the yardwork--I am seriously considering getting a housekeeper--but somehow I just see that as a waste of money...I'd probably do the yardwork if I wasn't allergic to everything in the yard and didn't have back and neck problems.

Are you interested in writing a book yourself?  

Yes, I am.  I have a lot of ideas running through my head but I lack the confidence to actually write.  I keep thinking one day I'll have time to write but I've learned that anything you really want to do, you will make the time to do.

I want to thank Jill for taking the time to answer my questions and I urge you to check out her blog. She has lots of interesting and thought-provoking posts. Jill also writes for Examiner.com as the Montgomery Christianity Examiner and she will be writing for Suite101 soon. 


You can check out other Book Blogger Appreciation Week interviews here.

Teaser Tuesday: Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My next book is going to be Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith. This book has gotten little to no publicity on the blogs I read but I think it should. I loved her Wren series for middle graders and her Inda series for adults. Crown Duel is also a great story for Young adults. The product description intrigues me:

In this new fantasy series, a young woman takes her own destiny by the hand-and the hilt.


California girl Kim Murray is unsatisfied with grad school and restless in life. Modern men disappoint her, and she studies ballet and fencing because they remind her of older, more romantic times.


She lives with her parents and her beloved but secretive aristocratic grandmother, who speaks only French and refuses to share stories about the mysterious family she left behind in Europe, inspiring Kim to travel there and find her roots.


Kim soon finds herself swept up in an adventure of fantastic deceptions and passionate intrigue-and a shocking realization about her own bloodline that leaves her reeling.

The only thing I am not certain about is the sunglasses on the cover.

My teaser is the beginning:

Too much imagination was tantamount to lying, that's what my grandmother taught me. So when I first got that sense that someone was following me, of course I ignored it.

I am eager to find out who is following her and why. 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Sept. 13, 2010

It's Monday, What are you reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I am back in my school year pattern and trying to alternate books - one young adult and then one adult.

I began this week by finishing Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin. This was a great coming-of-age story in which a young woman had to recognize something about herself that was extraordinary or lose her life to break a faerie curse.

Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder is the latest in her Glass series and follows the further adventures of  Opal Cowen who finds she has an unusual kind of magic, loses it, and, in this book, searches to see if she can recover her magic or forge a life without it. 

Next up was a book by a YA Debut Author that I have been wanting since I first heard about it. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White follows the adventures of Evie who was a foster child who was taken in by a paranormal agency because she has a unique ability. When something begins killing paranormals and Evie meets a boy with another unique ability, she begins to question what she has always believed and begins to grow up.

Whiplash by Catherine Coulter is the latest romantic suspense novel in the Sherlock and Savitch series. The romance focuses on FBI Agent Bowie and Private Investigator/Ballet instructor Erin. They get involved in a case in which a drug company sabotages the production of a non-patent cancer drug to force patients to use a much more expensive one. Murders, kidnappings and car bombings follow in this suspenseful story.

Next up for me is another YA Debut Author's book. I have just begun Nevermore by Kelly Creagh. Here's the product description from Amazon:

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

After that, all I know for sure is that the next book will be chosen from the two stacks on the right. I am due for an adult book.

These recent arrivals are my top priorities. The two piles on the left are the YAs and the two on the right are the adult books. If I ever get the top of my entertainment center empty, I do have four milk crates of other unread relatively-recent arrivals so that I can replenish the stacks.

Review: Whiplash by Catherine Coulter

Whiplash
Author: Catherine Coulter
Publication: Putnam Adult; 1st edition (June 15, 2010)


Description: Yale professor Dr. Edward Kender's father is undergoing chemotherapy when the supply of a critical accompanying drug suddenly runs out. Unwilling to accept the drug company's disingenuous excuse of production line problems, Dr. Kender hires private investigator Erin Pulaski to prove that something more sinister is going on at Schiffer Hartwin. 

Meanwhile, in Maryland, married FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich are investigating a rather unusual case: Senator David Hoffman is experiencing a ghostly apparition with possible malicious intent. The case is baffling, and Sherlock and Savich are not sure what to believe, even after witnessing the disturbing specter for themselves. They're no closer to cracking the case when a call comes in from Connecticut: A top foreign Schiffer Hartwin employee has been found murdered behind the drug company's U.S. headquarters. 

Unbeknownst to the FBI, Erin Pulaski had uncovered a bombshell in her investigation: The Culovort shortage is set to bring in a windfall profit in excess of two billion dollars. Upon learning of the murder, Erin is certain it has something to do with her findings, but she risks exposing herself by coming forward. As the feds move in, the case becomes even more complicated for Erin, since the murder of a foreign national on federal land can mean only that the pharmaceutical house has a secret of epic proportions-one it would do anything to keep hidden.

My Thoughts: This was a nice entry into the Sherlock and Savitch series. I liked Erin Pulaski who was a combination ballet instructor and private investigator - a combination as mixed as her Polish-Irish-American heritage. Erin breaks into an office of a drug company CEO to discover if the shortage of a cancer drug is an accident or deliberate. Only a murder occurs near there and she is afraid that she will be accused since she was committing a crime in the area. Life gets even more complicated when the FBI agent in charge asks her to look after his young daughter who is one of her ballet students. She'd rather be far away from the FBI investigation but agrees so that she can find out what is going on. She and the FBI agent do begin a romance which is complicated by the secrets she is keeping. The FBI agent's daughter Georgie is quite a character and adds a lot to the story. 


Sherlock and Savitch get involved too and soon discover that the drug company is keeping lots of secrets and has an overabundance of villains. Meanwhile, the case in Washington also serves as a distraction for Savitch as he tries to figure out who is trying to kill a long-term senator.


The book was filled with action and suspense and a good dose family life. There was also a lot of family drama in the part of the story that takes place in Washington, D.C. I recommend the book to lovers of romantic suspense and to those who are following this series.


Favorite Quote: 

Crouching in a dark maintenance closet for three hours with two bottles of water and a PayDay candy bar hadn't been fun, but surely it wasn't all that illegal. What she was doing now, though, it was the real deal. She wasn't just twisting the law, she was stomping on it. She was breaking and entering.

Challenges: RYOB Reading Challenge

In My Mailbox (September 12, 2010)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

 

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the cool books everyone gets. You will discover lots of wonderful blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This week I got:

Operation: Stiletto by R. A. Ridgell from a friend who went to the Decatur Book Festival. She thought I would like it. 

Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith because I am a fan of her work. I like the idea of a modern girl who "finds herself swept up in an adventure of fantastic deceptions and passionate intrigue-and a shocking realization about her own bloodline that leaves her reeling."

Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead edited by Nancy Kilpatrick is another anthology. It also has stories by Kelley Armstrong and Tanya Huff which is what convinced me to buy it.

The Truth of Valor by Tanya Huff is the latest in her science fiction series about Former Marine Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr. I have been following along and what to know what comes next for her.

That was my variety this week. What was in your mailbox?

Review: Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

Spy Glass
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publication: Mira; Original edition (September 1, 2010)


Description: After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world.


Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood—and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or learn if they're lost forever…


My Thoughts: This third adventure has Opal trying to find what her new role in life will be now that she no longer has her glass magic. She goes on a search for some of the blood that was removed from her in the previous book and along the way she encounters a variety of villains and makes a number of new friends. Her romance with Kade gets pushed aside as she reconnects with Devlin. She is also recruited by Valek and trained by him to help her meet her goals. I enjoyed Opal's journey and was happy with the resolution at the end of the book.


A number of characters from earlier books reappeared in this book. We got a chance to see more of Nic and Eve and Janco and Ari. We also saw Mari and Leif again as Opal helps her mother get ready for their big wedding. We also see Opal's character as she helps a number of people while she is on her quest. Opal is a compulsive fixer. She can't pass by anyone in trouble.


I liked her relationship with her horse Quartz. They were partners. They communicated and Opal finally realizes that she is gathering her own herd of people who are impartant to her. 


I recommend the series - Storm Glass, Sea Glass, and Spy Glass -- to lovers of fantasy who appreciate strong female characters and a well-developed system of magic. 


Challenges: Paranormal Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

Review: Blameless by Gail Carriger

Blameless
Author: Gail Carriger
Publication: Orbit (September 1, 2010)


Description: Quitting her husband's house and moving back in with her horrible family, Lady Maccon becomes the scandal of the London season.

Queen Victoria dismisses her from the Shadow Council, and the only person who can explain anything, Lord Akeldama, unexpectedly leaves town. To top it all off, Alexia is attacked by homicidal mechanical ladybugs, indicating, as only ladybugs can, the fact that all of London's vampires are now very much interested in seeing Alexia quite thoroughly dead.

While Lord Maccon elects to get progressively more inebriated and Professor Lyall desperately tries to hold the Woolsey werewolf pack together, Alexia flees England for Italy in search of the mysterious Templars. Only they know enough about the preternatural to explain her increasingly inconvenient condition, but they may be worse than the vampires -- and they're armed with pesto.

My Thoughts: This was another wonderful addition to Ms. Carriger's series. Alexi is her usual self - polite, stubborn, curious, and adventurous. Her goal here is to find out how she was able to become pregnant and to confront her husband with the facts. She and Lord Maccon spend most of the book apart but are clearly in each other's thoughts. Lord Maccon tries to drown his sorrows. Who knew that formaldehyde had an intoxicating effect on werewolves? Professor Lyall is very busy trying to keep the pack together and investigate the disappearance of Lord Akeldama. Meanwhile, Alexia, Madame LaFloux and Floote and wandering across Europe meeting unusual characters and fighting off varieties of vampires who are determined to kill her. 


Why I enjoy the most about this series is the language and the descriptions. Ms. Carriger has the most marvelous way with extremely visual and clever phrases. The tiny supporting details add so much richness to the world. The scientific worldview presented in the stories are quite unique. I am especially fond of the ornithopter as a flying machine and amused that Alexia's main concern is that her red flannel bloomers are exposed to the world. 


This book is highly recommended to lovers of romance, humor and steampunk.  


Favorite Quote:

It was difficult to see the exact nature of his expression as, in addition to the ubiquitous mustache, the clockmaker also wore a golden-brown beard of such epic proportions as might dwarf a mulberry bush. It was as though his mustache had become overly enthusiastic and, seized with the spirit of adventure, set out to conquer the southern reaches of his face in a take-no-prisoners kind of way.

Previous books in the series are Soulless and Changeless. Book 4 - Heartless - is coming in July 2011.


Challenges: Paranormal Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge