secrets-and-lies — All the Buzz Reviews

See details below on how you can participate in the Healthy Heart Blog Tour with Rhonda McKnight.

10% of donation during this blog tour will go to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Rhonda McKnight is the owner of Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today, a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s the vice-president of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. When she’s not editing projects, teaching workshops about writing or penning her next novel, she spends time with her family. Originally from a small, coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for twelve years. For more information, visit http://www.RhondaMcKnight.net.

Rhonda, tell us about yourself.

I’m a working mom with two wonderful sons, ages 4 and 18. (Yes, I’m looking at pre-schools and colleges at the same time.) I’m the owner of www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com, an Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction and Legacy Editing, a free-lance service for fiction writers. I’m also a member of Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta.

Who are your favorite authors?

Sherri Lewis, Tiffany L. Warren, Victoria Christopher Murray, Stacy Hawkins Adams, Tia McCollors, Sharon Oliver, Claudia Mair Burney, Jacquelin Thomas, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, Linda Leigh Hargrove…for real, really are you asking me that? I could go on for an hour. I love to read. Pamela Samuels Young, late BeBe Moore Campbell, Deberry and Grant, Tracy Price Thompson, fade to black… LOL.

What are your favorite books?

Way too many to name, but Gather Together in My Name by Tracy Price-Thompson and Brothers and Sisters and Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine by BeBe Moore Campbell are on the top of the list. I can’t begin to name the Christian Fiction books, plus I not going to get myself in trouble with my author friends, but Passing by Samaria by Sharon Ewell Foster is one I could read over and over again.

When did you begin to realize you wanted to write?

I began writing at age six when I penciled my first story about a family of mice that lived under the boardwalk near the beach in my hometown. My high school teachers noticed a little something special about my writing and I was appointed to senior editor of the school paper. But honestly it wasn’t until I was out of college that I realized that everyone didn’t sit around and write like I did. I became serious about my writing in the nineties. After I read Waiting to Exhale and decided, I can write a book like that. Boy did I find out it wasn’t so easy.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

I became serious about finishing a manuscript in early 2003. I joined a great critique group, attended some writers’ conferences and read about 30 craft books. I had some interruptions along the way. I started and finished grad school and had a baby, but finally in 2007 I completed my first manuscript. I sold it in December of that year to the first publisher I sent it to.

Are you a full-time writer? If so, describe your day?

I am so not a full-time writer. I pray about it every day. Or should I call it begging because this is what it looks like: “Lord, please, please, please. I can’t do both.” I wipe my eyes and nose and say, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and then I go to my full-time job where I work as a training and policy specialist for a federal food and nutrition program.

Your characters in Secrets and Lies have some physical and spiritual heart issues. Can you leave some tips for our readers when it comes to issues of the heart?

I think one of the most overwhelming issues of the heart is un-forgiveness. It affects so much of what we do and how we live. Sometimes we don’t even know we’re dealing with it. I’ve even heard people deny that they haven’t forgiven someone with their mouths, but their actions say a completely different thing. I’m not saying when you forgive you still have to maintain a relationship with the person. Some offenses really destroy trust, but you have to let go of anger and pain and not seek revenge. It adds stress to your own life, like it does for my character, Jonah Morgan in Secrets and Lies. Jonah has been holding onto childhood pain and anger for thirty years. He’s disconnected from his family and he’s drinking; all because of this hurt. Another character in the novel is suffering from depression because someone hurt her. The resolution for her has devastating effects.

There’s the issue of what do depression, anxiety, and anger do to our physical hearts? These are all sources of stress. The American Heart Association documents that stress is a contributing factor in cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular or more commonly called heart disease kills more than 800,000 people in the U.S. every year. I’m certain stress it’s contributing more to the death rate than we actually think about.

Now that you see the number of heart disease related deaths, what can you do to reduce your risk of heart disease? The American Heart Association recommends like decreasing stress, increasing exercise, lowering our weight, decreasing alcohol use? If you’re already on a mission to preventing heart disease what are you doing? What tips can you share?

About the Book

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of poor communication and neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

Read an excerpt and check the tour schedule at http://bit.ly/HealthyHeartBlogTour

Enter to Win 3 Great Giveaways!

GRAND PRIZE (one winner possible)

A “Start” Fitness Pack she purchased from the American Heart Association’s Online store. The online store helps in the fight against heart disease by promoting heart-healthy lifestyles that include physical activities like walking. Net proceeds from the sale of these items support the Start! movement.

The Fitness Kit includes: Start BackPack, Start Water Bottle, Start Shoe Wallet, and the Power to End Stroke 46 Recipe Healthy Soul Food Cook Book.

SECOND PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

Autographed hardcover copy of Secrets and Lies will be given away to the 2nd person whose name is pulled in the drawing.

THIRD PLACE PRIZE (one winner possible)

In honor of Rhonda’s birthday on Feb. 6th – a $10 Barnes and Nobles, Borders or Starbucks Gift Card will be given to the 3rd person whose name is pulled in the drawing. (winner chooses).

HOW TO ENTER THE DRAWING:

All entrants with 10 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win the GRAND PRIZE – FITNESS PACK.

All entrants with 5 POINTS AND UP will be entered in a drawing to win PRIZES TWO AND THREE.

HOW TO Earn points:

+15 Point ENTRIES: Purchase a copy of Secrets and Lies from the online store during the tour through www.urbanchristianbooks.com.

+1 point ENTRY: join the discussion by commenting on one of the blog tour sites each day (must comment on the day of the toursite by 9 pm). Comment must include your thoughts on the subject. (can not just say – great point or I agree).

+1 point ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND WHEN YOU GO TO Rhonda’s WEBSITE or blog. LOOK AROUND AS THERE IS LOTS TO SEE. HERE are THE LINKs www.rhondamcknight.net and www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com

+1 point ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY. On Twitter Retweet @rhondamcknight or use the hashtagS #Health or #hearthealth

+2 point ENTRIES: Join Rhonda’s Facebook Reader Page or Sign up for her newsletter on her webpage.

THE RULES:

U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
EMAIL ADDRESS MUST BE INCLUDED IN COMMENT
ALL ENTRIES/COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY.
MAXIMUM OF 3 POINTS CAN BE EARNED ON ANY ONE TOUR DAY.
TOUR HOST BLOGGERS CAN NOT ENTER TO WIN.

DRAWING WILL BE HELD AT 9 PM EST on FEBRUARY 7th

GOOD LUCK!

About the Book

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

About the Author

Rhonda McKnight owns Legacy Editing, a free-lance editing service for fiction writers and Urban Christian Fiction Today (www.urbanchristianfictiontoday.com ), a popular Internet site that highlights African-American Christian fiction. She’s also the vice president of the Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, she’s called Atlanta, Georgia home for almost twelve years.

Rhonda, tell us how you came up with the idea for this story? I woke up one morning and these people were talking in my head, or rather arguing. (LOL). I thought this could be interesting, turned on the creativity, and came up with the “issues” in their marriage. I also did a lot of research about heart disease. Jonah is a pediatric cardiologist and that’s central to the story. I knew absolutely nothing about heart disease before I wrote this novel.

Who is your ideal reader? I think most people will think my ideal reader is women who are married. While I think the book will definitely appeal to married women, I’d love for single woman who are thinking about marriage or waiting on Mr. Right to read the book. There is a valuable lesson for single women in the story. Faith chose to overlook a very important issue prior to her marriage to Jonah. This issue becomes a huge source of pain for her. Ten years later her ideal black man has her pulling her hair out.

Name something about the book that will appeal to readers? I think readers will find it appealing, because more than half of it is written from Jonah’s point of view. My informal research amongst readers has taught me that women readers love stories that are written from a man’s perspective. Like most men, Jonah is complex. He’s a love to hate kind of guy. People will love him because he’s dedicated his life to physically healing children, but he’s emotionally and spiritually sick himself. What a burden for Faith. Faith’s pain will have some folks shaking their heads at Jonah.

When’s your next book being released? My second novel, An Inconvenient Friend comes out August 1, 2010. I have a nasty little character in Secrets and Lies who gets her own story, and what a story it is. She’s up to no good. Can she be redeemed?

How can readers find out more about you? Readers may contact me at my website at www.rhondamcknight.net. I love for people to sign my guestbook and share their thoughts about the story. I’m also a complete Facebook addict. You’ll definitely find me there more than you should at www.facebook.com/rhondamcknight