Launch - Interview with the AuthorWhat was your motivation behind writing these books?
A number of years ago, I became fascinated by the real-life story of the Waldensians, a persecuted, pre-reformation Christian sect who were often martyred for holding to their doctrinal views against papal authority over the centuries of the second millennium. While church historians have written volumes on the religious group, I wanted to write a fictional, Christian suspense series that created a contemporary story around a people whose real-life story of valor and faith endured the test of time. In both Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, Jamie and Alessandro come face to face with unrelenting criminal forces that require the protagonists to find courage and hope by looking toward the preserving faith of their ancestors.
Description:
Published: April 2018
Light Out of Darkness ( #1)
A prestigious art exhibition turns into a horrific spectacle when a murder sends an art curator and a professor on a hunt for a highly coveted stolen painting.
Escaping a painful past in Cleveland, Ohio, Jamie Holbrooke flees to Milan, Italy as an art curator. But her past follows her during an evening stroll along Varenna’s shoreline walk when an assailant, who looks like her dead brother, presses a mysterious riddle into her hand. Still reeling from shock the next day, she discovers her long-time paragon, Dr. Alessandro Marianni, may have a link to the enigmatic riddle. Before she can discover the answers, their colleague falls prey to an assassin’s bullet. Convinced the riddle and murder are connected, Jamie and Alessandro risk their lives to uncover why an obscure painting has caught the attention of art critics and criminals alike. At stake is a two-thousand–year-old drama, unfolding in the contemporary world of the Northern Italian Alps.
Will Jamie and Alessandro stop powerful organized crime figures before the painting is lost forever and with it a secret more valuable than the prized artwork? Will Jamie find the answers to help her reclaim her life again? She will need the courage to face her fears and the persevering faith of Dr. Alessandro Marianni to heal her wounded heart.
Undaunted Valor ( #2)
For nature lovers, ski aficionados, travel enthusiasts and history scholars, the French Alps offer some of the most spectacular scenery and outdoor recreation in all Europe with its majestic mountain peaks, cascading waterfalls, unspoiled forests and quaint mountain villages. People come to get away from the daily grind and rejuvenate their spirits.
But when Alessandro Marianni’s grandmother Luciana is kidnapped during a church conference in Chamonix, the same landscape becomes an ominous height to scale, and Jamie Holbrooke and her fiancé Alessandro have difficulty distinguishing between friend and foe on the race to find her. They will have to weather a rainstorm on a mountain trail, negotiate a dangerous waterfall, outmaneuver a car chase, and defy an assassin’s gun in their search.
Will they find their beloved Luciana before it’s too late? Who will die on the way to the finish line? Who can they trust? And where will Jamie find the courage to confront her adversaries?
In this sequel to Light Out of Darkness, the answers will lie in unanticipated places and with unexpected allies and require Jamie to discover what it means to trust God with Undaunted Valor.
"A well-written story with so much research done to make it a great historical novel with a great romance." - Review of Light Out of Darkness
"As with the first story, this is a well-written story with so much research done to make it a great historical novel with sweet romances...
I recommend this book to other readers. It is a very good read." - Rockin' Book Reviews Review of Undaunted Valor
"If you like different-than-the-norm settings, high-tension suspense, art and antiquities intrigue and sweet romantic chemistry, then you definitely need to check out The Waldensian Series by Donna Wichelman. Layered characters and fascinating history in a modern & picturesque locale draw you in and keep you engaged with the story and its outcome. Pop some popcorn and settle in for a riveting journey through Italy and France!" - Reading Is My SuperPower -Review of the Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor
"Light Out of Darkness is the beginning to Donna Wichelman’s series. . . . It is full of hold on your seat action and adventure and nail biting suspense and mystery. Jamie and Alessandro were quite the duo and I enjoyed reading how it would end for them...
Undaunted Valor continues Jamie and Alessandro’s story . . . . I had a hard time putting it down and no problem turning the pages. I found their story to be fascinating, intriguing and exciting.
I give Undaunted Valor 5 stars and I highly recommend it. It is so so good."- Locks, Hooks and Books - Review
"I loved the fact that this story is set in Italy. (It’s on my bucket list of places to visit) The setting, the details, all of it, make this a lovely place to “visit”.
And then there’s the mystery...
She gets to know Alessandro. There’s a bit of romantic attraction between the two. And they are determined to solve the mystery...
The Italian Mafia also has a part in this story….and there are other elements as well that all tie together to make this an intriguing suspense novel." - All-of-a-kind Mom - Review of Light Out of Darkness
"Any story that takes place in Italy is going to grab my attention. Add to that numerous references back to Cleveland, which was one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Ohio, and the setting has completely grabbed my attention." - Andi's Book Reviews Review of Light Out of Darkness
"...the setting is a good one. I adore the area around the French Alps. It's just majestic and a place that everyone should aspire to visit at least once in their life...
And again, I adore Luciana. Plus my antique book geek side loved the secret Jamie finds in her grandmother's trunk." -Andi's Book Reviews Review of Undaunted Valor
We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops
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About the author:
Donna Wichelman was a communications professional before writing full-time. She has authored short stories, essays and articles in various inspirational publications and lives her dream writing novels and screenplays. She and her husband work with teens at their local church in Fort Collins, Colorado. They travel, bike and kayak whenever their schedules allows.
1st Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card, Copy of the LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS (signed print copy to US winner, ebook to international winner) + 4 oz. Tea of your choice from the Tea Source or 1 LB of Coffee from DazBog Coffee (will Add $10 to Gift Card for international gift in lieu of tea or coffee)
2nd Prize: $15 Amazon Gift Card + Copy of LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS (signed print copy to US winner, ebook to international winner)
3rd Prize: Copy of LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS (signed print copy to US winner, ebook to international winner)
1 comment:
Looks and sounds great! Thank you
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