Friday news and views

I've been a pretty lax blogger, so I've got a bit of catching up to do today.

Today's Christian Fiction Blog Alliance tour is The Watchers, by Mark Andrew Olson, a tale of supernatural suspense.

Just below the surface among the family of God lives another family tree--one traced in spirit, invisible and ageless, known as the Watchers. For two thousand years they've seen beyond the veil separating this world from the next, passing on their gift through a lineage mostly overlooked. Throughout history they've scouted the borders of the supernatural frontier, but now their survival hangs by a thread. And their fate lies in the hands of a young woman, her would-be killer, and a mystery they must solve....

If that sounds intriguing, check it out.

One of the books I'm looking forward to this year is Tribulation House, by Chris Well. It's getting some good advance notices and it sounds like another hilarious entry in his series of stories set in Kansas City:

IT’S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD—WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM...

Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he’s missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192.

When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat–buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob.

Not that there’s any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him.

But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end–times theology...

The book releases April 1 and I'm hoping to have an author interview in a few weeks. Chris reports that he and his wife Erika are working on other projects, too, with more details to come.

I've been listening to some new music:
Sara Groves -- Add to the Beauty (my favorite track on this is "Just Showed Up for My Own Life," which is a very upbeat, catchy tune, with good lyrics).

Badly Drawn Boy -- About a Boy soundtrack. I've always loved the movie and the music in it, so I finally got the soundtrack. Very cool music.

The Black Keys -- Rubber Factory and thickfreakness. This duo from Akron, Ohio, rocks the blues with mostly just a drum and a guitar. Good stuff.

Oldies but goodies -- some Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Guess Who and Queen.

Spring is almost here!