catching up

My, my, my. Time does fly when you’re having fun.

I’ve been busy with going over marketing info for RTM, something that’s hard to do when I haven’t finished the book yet. However, as I’ve read through the manuscript and been tweaking and editing like mad, I’ve fallen in love with this story all over again. That’s always a good way to feel about a w-i-p.

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Diamond Place is only a few weeks away from arriving on bookstore shelves. I got my first copy hot off the press last week. The cover is so pretty, a nice addition to the Hart’s Crossing series. Kudos to the designers at Revell for the "look" they gave this entire series.

The book received a nice review from RT Bookclub Magazine (with a "compelling – page turner" rating): "This is a simple, sweet romance penned with Hatcher’s customary knack for invoking emotions. It’s the type of book that makes the reader want to live in a place such as Hart’s Crossing, and they can do that with this endearing story."

Here’s the blurb:

Nobody loves baseball more than ten-year-old Lyssa
Sampson. Nobody. For as long as she can remember, she’s had only one
dream: to be a pitcher at the Little League World Series. But Coach Jenkins has other plans, and Lyssa has to do a little
innocent scheming to make her dream come true.

When Coach Jenkins appears to be interested in Lyssa’s
single mother, Terri, Lyssa sees an opportunity for a little
matchmaking. Maybe her efforts will help her mother find happiness
again — and give Lyssa a chance at her dream at the same time. But will
Terri and Coach Jenkins let a ten-year-old deal with matters of the
heart? Or will reason take over and spoil Lyssa’s plan?

Diamond Place, the third book in the Hart’s Crossing series, is a heartwarming tale of hope, healing, and the power of love. 

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Hey, I got some great news yesterday. I am getting money back from my taxes. Yea, yea, yea. Okay, I realize this just means I overpaid. It isn’t really "free" money, but for some reason it feels like it. Why is that? I have this insane desire to do a happy dance. My checking account will be delighted, too.

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Anyone who’s heard me speak or visited my web site knows that Francine Rivers’ book, Redeeming Love, had a huge impact on me personally and professionally. Reading that novel in 1991 (and then meeting Francine in 1992 and spending a day with her at Disneyland!) helped me get right in my walk with Jesus and eventually led me to turn my writing over to Him too.

I have heard so many people say something similar about how they were changed by Redeeming Love, a story that Francine refers to as her "statement of faith." It’s a book God has blessed in amazing ways. It was originally published by Bantam Books in the general mass market in 1991 and sold over 100,000 copies. Francine then began writing for the CBA, and in 1997, Multnomah Publishers released a trade-size version of Redeeming Love. Since then it’s sold nearly 800,000 copies and has been on the CBA Bestseller List for more than 68 months.

If you haven’t read this incredible book, you should do so soon. In an interview with Ted Koppel on ABC News, singer/songwriter Amy Grant had this to say about Redeeming Love: "The truth that ran through that story absolutely took me to my knees. I was a changed person when I finished reading that book."

I can tell you that there are no words sweeter to the writer of Christian fiction than those. When I hear from a reader who says something I wrote drew them closer to God, I am blessed and humbled and amazed.

In the grip of His grace,
Robin