Blog Tour review of Caller ID by Rachelle J. Christensen

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Apr 062012
 

Product Details:

  • Title:Caller ID
  • Author: Rachelle J. Christensen
  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc. (March 13, 2012)
  • Genre: mystery/suspense
  • ISBN-10: 1599559900
  • ISBN-13: 978-1599559902
  • Reviewed by: Sheila
  • FTC FYI: Review copy from the publisher

 

 

 

 

Book Description:

Publication Date: March 13, 2012
When twenty-three-year-old Courtney Beckham is abducted near her home, the search turns up more than just a kidnapping crime. FBI agent Jason Edwards investigates the ten-million-dollar ransom and stumbles upon something he wasn’t meant to find. When Courtney catches a glimpse of the caller ID in her kidnapper’s home, what she sees turns her world upside down.
My Review:
Caller ID has a great storyline with a strong female protagonist. Also, one of my favorite characters from Rachelle’s book, Wrong Number, is back in this book, FBI agent Jason Edwards. This book will keep you reading and gripping the cover. There are also some wicked twists and turns that will leave you shaking your head. Rachelle is a talented writer and has a great handle on the craft of writing a good mystery/suspense novel. There is also a little bit of romance included that is always nice!
I interviewed Author Rachelle Christensen. I hope that you will enjoy reading it.
1.What do you love about writing suspense?
I like to look at things from a different angle, to find that twist that will make the story interesting. While brainstorming for Caller ID, I gathered some ideas from a few different news stories I saw. I kept thinking about the story and wondered, What if?
I also like learning new things and that requires research. This doesn’t just happen in suspense, pretty much all novels require research. I did quite a bit, from interviewing police officers, FBI agents, and undercover drug task force members to studying into how to produce certain drugs.
2.How are Wrong Number, your 1st book and Caller ID related?
Caller ID is a spin-off from my first book, taking FBI Agent Jason Edwards and continuing his story. They can be read as a stand-alone because only one character is the same, but I will say that he was a favorite from Wrong Number that people wanted to know more about.
3.How long did it take you to write Caller ID?
About two months, but I got the idea for the story almost a year before and let it percolate. After the first draft, I went on to torture myself with revisions for the next eight months.
4.What are you working on next?
I just finished writing/editing book one of a new “Wedding Planner Mystery” series. I had so much fun writing this novel and getting to know the characters. The title is Diamond Rings are Deadly Things and it’s set in Sun Valley, Idaho near where I grew up. I’m excited for people to meet my new character.
5.What is your favorite Easter candy?
I love those Reese’s pieces bags that look like a carrot, and I wouldn’t turn down lovely pastel peanut M&M’s either.
Thanks for the fun interview, Sheila!
6.Where are the best places on the internet to learn about you?
My website, www.rachellechristensen.com and my blog www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com
Author Rachelle’s FB Page http://www.facebook.com/rachellechristensenauthor
Book Trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8ZjvmatwGo&feature=email

www.rachellechristensen.com

Guest Author Thursday: Rachelle J. Christensen

 Posted by  Guest Author Thursday, Special Features
Mar 082012
 

Since there was no Guest Author Thursday post last week, this week you get TWO. Lucky you! Read K.C. Grant’s Guest Author Thursday post HERE.

Rachelle J. Christensen is the author of Wrong Number (2010 Whitney Award Finalist) and her latest novel, Caller ID, which is being released March 13. She has also written a nonfiction book called Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage for Latter-Day Saints.

Did you know Rachelle is giving away a new Ultra Flip Video Camcorder? Read on for details!

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Why We Love to Read

I don’t have time to read, but I do it anyway.

I’m sure you’ve heard the following statement before, maybe even–*gasp*–uttered it yourself.

“I just don’t have time to read.”

It’s okay. I can respect that. It has become increasingly more difficult for me to carve out even fifteen minutes to read. If I attempt to read while any of my four children are conscious it goes something like this—

Read one sentence.

Think to myself, “Wow, this is a great book, can’t wait to see what happens next.”

Start reading the second sentence—“Mo-om, I went poop! I’m amazing, huh?”

So yeah, it’s a little slow-going right now because my children are conscious from 6am—8:30pm and I’m still waiting for those mute buttons to be installed on kids, but like my sister said, we’d probably never unmute them.

I do love my kids and fortunately for me, I get to read to them every single night. Now that my girls are a bit older (age 8 and 6) we’re reading some chapter books. Right now, we’re reading Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis and it’s so fun to see my kids laughing over the silly stuff in this book.

But back to the point–Why bother with reading if it’s so hard?

Well, besides the obvious reason for me—that in order to be a great writer you need to read A LOT—I read because I love it.

Reading is stress relief. Dave Wolverton said (I’m paraphrasing) that when we read our body often has similar physiological responses to a highly stressful situation as we follow the arc of the plotline through suspenseful twists and finally to the resolution. We actually release endorphins when we read. So we read because it feels good!

I love to learn, and how do we learn? By reading. And I would argue that you can learn all kinds of great things by reading all kinds of great books. While reading some of the Whitney Award Finalists, I learned how to make an Ultimate grilled cheese sandwich, enjoyed learning about a secret island in Hawaii, studied into what teenagers might do when left to their own devices with no adult supervision, and visited some great tourist spots across America. Bonus points if you can name the titles of the books I referred to. :)

There are many reasons why I love to read, and I’m sure you can think of several. What I wanted to convey is that reading is important enough to make it a priority. It’s important enough for me to take time, even in my hectic house, to read because it shows my kids that reading is important. My kids know I love books and they ask me about what I’m reading. Sometimes I’ll laugh out loud and they want to know why that book made me laugh.

So indulge. Reward yourself with reading. Make reading a priority because I’m guessing if you’re reading this post, you’re a book-lover. I can’t think of anything better than sharing a love of reading to help create new book-lovers.

During the writing of this post, I changed two diapers, did three batches of laundry, made lunch, gathered two eggs from my chickens and read for ten minutes. No, I don’t have ADHD, I’m a stay-at-home mom.

Why do you love to read?

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To celebrate the release of CALLER ID, Rachelle is hosting a contest for a new Ultra Flip Video Camcorder (4GB memory, Records 120 minutes Value $149.99) and other great prizes. You can enter to win between now and April 14, 2012. Winners will be announced and notified April 16, 2012.

For how to enter, click here. You can also check out the book reviews, other author interviews and get more chances to win by visiting the other stops on her blog tour here.

To learn more about Rachelle and her books, you can check out her website or friend her on Facebook. Her books are available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or many local bookstores.

Watch the CALLER ID trailer HERE. It’s intense!