And the winners are
Denise W and Kay D!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
*** 2- Book Giveaway ***
Enter below
How do you properly introduce someone who has a larger-than-life personality, someone who is a distinguished veteran of the Naval Security Group of the United States Navy, and an Arabic linguist, so they guy’s got a few smarts. He’s not afraid to speak his mind on tough subjects, which is something more of us need the guts to do. (Check out his blog, Commotion in the Pews.)
Besides writing, one of Joe’s passions is becoming Santa Claus every Christmas season, and he even prays for all the children he meets. Joe has an amazing heart for all God’s people, and is and active servant in his community where he lives that out in his daily walk.
I’ve been privileged to get to know Joe over the past couple of years, and I’m so excited to introduce him to my readers. Joe’s debut novel, Assault on Saint Agnes, released yesterday. I’ve read the book already, and let me tell you, it’s a page-turner! Come back on Thursday for the review.
For now, though, let me turn the blog over to my friend, the inimitable Joseph Courtemanche!
Somewhere, under the Mediterranean’s surface, in the 1980s there was a young Bobby Kurtz riding around in an attack submarine with a group of professionals you’d never imagine in your wildest dreams.
Maybe, just maybe, he’s in the house next door to you thirty years later.
Bobby Kurtz is the hero of my award-winning (you have to say that if you’ve won the Genesis award, it’s in the rules) debut novel Assault on Saint Agnes. He’s just a guy who served his country and picked up some special skills along the way.
People ask me if I’m Bobby Kurtz. No. For one thing, he’s way better looking. Secondly, I ask Bobby to … well, who am I kidding. I modeled him on my own experiences. Once upon a time, I was a “spook” and served with elite teams of intelligence professionals in strange places we won’t talk about. Sometimes we shared dinner (for a month-at-a-time) with people whom we loving referred to as “Our friends, the fur-bearing aquatic mammals.” Our way of saying Navy S.E.A.L. teams.
Mind you, I was never a SEAL. Nor do I claim to have even applied. I’d never make it past the application at the time I was in the military. The reasons were simple: I was as nearsighted as Mister Magoo without my glasses, and I hated running. SEALS have eyes like hawks, and they run all the time. Not my cup of tea.
However, Bobby Kurtz did more than I did, and he spent some quality time with the SEALS in the forthcoming prequel. In this book, he’s a man challenged with an atrocity unfolding in front of him. Terrorists attack Saint Agnes on a cold winter morning. Now he has to use the skills God gifted him with in order to save the lives of the congregation: including his own hide!
I try very hard in this story to provide a thriller capable of engrossing the reader with something Vince Flynn might have written. I write from a Christian perspective, so there’s no sex and no swearing. As another author once wrote on the topic, you really don’t want to read any sex scenes I might muddy the book with by accident. Consequently, it meets all the guidelines for the American Christian Fiction Writers and is sold within that genre.
It’s a book that provides a great story for Christians without the sex and cursing. It provides a great story for the average thriller reader who is curious about how a Christian hero might deal with some very ugly things. It also provides a story that was well reviewed by Jews, Wiccans, atheists, and my dog Stormy. The first three groups were beta readers. Stormy is my beloved rescue dog. Trust me, she’s heard it read out loud for the audio book and never once bit me. Very good for a sensitive Sheltie.
There’s an ebook version, an audio book (the link was not yet up on Sunday, 17 April. I expect it any minute), and paperback. If you want an autographed copy, you can go to https://www.assaultbook.com and take a gander. Hit the tab at the top for the flavor you desire.
It is my hope that this book opens the door for more action-oriented Christian fiction. My publisher, Athanatos Christian Ministries, has rolled the dice on a new author. I hope you’re one of the readers that make them glad they chose me.
About Joseph Courtemanche ~
Joseph Courtemanche is a former Police Officer and Middle East/North Africa analyst. He is a distinguished veteran of the Naval Security Group of the United States Navy, and an Arabic linguist with training at the University of Minnesota and the Defense Language Institute (Honors Graduate).
Joseph’s debut novel, Assault on Saint Agnes, won the American Christian Fiction Writers 2015 Genesis award for best novel in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category. He has been published in Splickety magazine as well.
Joseph holds several military awards, including two flag letters of commendation for his work in providing real-time intelligence support to commanders in the field. His experience provides the background that’s crucial to his writing in the thriller genre. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and holds degrees from two other colleges as well.
As a performer, he’s appeared on television in a variety of commercials, and does voice over work for both radio and television. He delights in doing his own audio books.
His greatest joy is working as a professional Santa for the last fifteen years, appearing in a number of television spots as the Jolly Old Elf.
He lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his wife and dog. Both of whom tolerate him fairly well.
Find Joe at ~
About Assault on Saint Agnes ~
When terrorists assault Saint Agnes Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, they expect to find a congregation of lambs: they get Bobby Kurtz instead. An unrepentant Cold Warrior, Kurtz destroys the terror cell with violent finality. Against his will, Kurtz is pulled back into the life he left behind decades before. He reluctantly picks up the burden of hunting the terrorists in our midst. He risks his life, and his marriage, in a single-minded pursuit of victory over evil. Working with a shadowy government agency, Kurtz uses all of his skills and experience to foil a plan that would plunge the Twin Cities back into the Stone Age. The final battle rages across the plains during a Christmas Eve blizzard in a story that will leave the reader pleading for more of Kurtz and his team of experts.
Purchase Assault on Saint Agnes ~
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Direct from Author
Comments 5
Yup, gotta have it. Right up my alley as you know, Bren. Thanks to you two for this intro.
I figured you’d be interested in this one, Nicole. It’s sort of a what if Mitch Rapp were a Christian type of book. Great story and scary in its realism.
I’m really interested in reading this book, as I used to lived in the Twin Cities. I did own a dog once. I was 19 or 20 and I brought home a sweet dachshund/cocker spaniel mix. My parents were not happy, but they soon accepted her. My dad named her Penny. It’s a good thing they liked her, because when I got married and left home, I wasn’t allowed to have her in my apartment.
Excellent Book, I grabbed it before Brenda and she was not happy. I thought of Vince Flynn all the way through. It is fast paced and scary accurate in what could happen anywhere in the world. Be prepared to lose sleep because at some point you won’t put it down. I finished it at 1:03 am.
Pingback: Assault on Saint Agnes Review + Giveaway! | BRENDA ANDERSON BOOKS