#SaturdaySpotlight is on Meryl Brown Tobin & Broome Enigma

So glad you could join us this wintry morning. 😊

Today's guest is brand new to our blog so please join me in giving Meryl Tobin a huge SW LA ...

W-E-L-C-O-M-E!

Hope you're staying warm over there in Australia today, Meryl. It's chilly here pretty much all over the US and definitely too cold for my blood here in Louisiana. Please tell us about your book and what makes it special to you.

Thank you, Pam. It's nice to visit your blog. Thank you for inviting me. My husband Hartley and I have travelled extensively throughout the Australian Outback and love Broome, the setting of my novel. On one of our trips a handsome, suntanned, but unsmiling young man dressed only in jeans and sandals, was the maintenance man in one of the caravan parks at which we stayed.  

Because he didn’t ‘fit’ and I wanted to make him fit, I played the  ‘What If?’ game until I came up with a plausible reason. Once I came up him as my hero, Joe, and my setting Broome, a heroine, a title and the outline of a plot soon followed.

What makes it special

1.  To me: Apart from it being my debut novel and so a big thrill to have it published, it’s the response of readers as I didn’t know what to expect. Readers who have been to Broome tell me they can picture all the places I describe and those who haven’t been there feel as though they are visiting it with my characters. Some have now put a visit to Broome on their bucket lists.

2.  To my readers: I’ll let them speak for themselves. Here are some of their comments....

Kathryn McKean: I liked the innocence of the main characters, the setting and the suspense and I always love a happy ending. I felt sad to finish the novel. I felt like I had lost some new friends that I had made and whose company I enjoyed. 

 

Felicia Di Stefano: Finished your book. Very much a page turner kept me up till 1.30 am one morning. 

Wow what a thriller. Would never have worked out the end!

Anonymous: Just as well...[for the ending] as the sexual tension had built up unbearably!!

Rose Chapple: I can imagine it as a movie or series, but I guess that's another thing altogether. I hope it's doing well, and that the American market is taking off. You might be personally responsible for an increase in tourism!

Valwyn Beggs: I was transported into another world, the Broome Underworld, in your novel. What a thriller! So many twists and turns! I was soon lost every time I tried to follow a car chase.

Janne Morrison: Just had to let you know I have just finished reading 'Broome Enigma' and absolutely loved it!!!  I could not stop reading it and was disappointed when it finished - I hope there is a sequel in the pipeline!! Such a great assortment of very relatable characters and plausible and fascinating storyline.  Totally unpredictable and so many twists and turns made it such very enjoyable reading - thank you!!!!

Andrea Francesconi: I thought it was interesting that you set the story back in the 80s - the pre mobile/internet world! I can't begin to imagine how daunting it would be to take off for parts unknown without the luxury of immediate communication options. I think that this provides an opportunity for tension to build and develop to a climax... Thanks once again for the book, it has now migrated to my bookshelf along with other treasured books.

Great feedback! Can you share your cover, blurb, an excerpt and where we can find Broome Enigma & your bio with us please...

I'd be happy to!

Blurb: On a working holiday in Australia's cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer and artist is open to romance and adventure.

 At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.

Is Joe the person she thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can Jodie and Joe stop their relationship from developing until they have answers and know if he is free to love her?

Excerpt:  A big gust of wind rocked the van and flung Jodie hard against Joe. He pushed her off.

“Joe, it’s me, Jodie! Wake up, wake up!”

“Jodie, is that you?” He threw his arms around her and buried his head in her chest.

She brushed his hair back from his sweating face.“Take it easy, Joe. Take deep breaths. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

He stopped shaking and pulled back from her. “What’s happening?”

“It’s the cyclone. Don’t you remember?” Another huge gust shook the van and sent Jodie sprawling on Joe’s bunk and into the wall. “Ow, that hurt!” 

She picked herself up and rubbed her head.

The van rocked violently again. Joe and Jodie grabbed for handholds.

“Quick, come into my bed with me, Joe. It will be safer there.” Tripping and feeling their way along the wall, the two made their way to the double bed and clambered in.

Her breathing coming in short spasms, she lay on her back and took deep breaths. The storm whined and screeched about her, and the roof creaked and scraped. “Oh, my god, the roof’s going to take off any minute!”

Joe’s arms enveloped her. “Hush, everything will be all right. But will you be okay if we have to make a run for it?”

“Yes.” She let out a sob. “But I like our chances better in here than out there.”

Joe kissed her forehead. He pulled her closer and they lay locked against each other while the storm raged around them.

Broome Enigma is on sale on at least 40 websites in at least 16 countries including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, The Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and USA AND at GoodReads.

MY BIO: A former secondary teacher, Australian writer, Meryl Brown Tobin has published 22 books, including a novel, travel book, educational puzzle books and poetry books, and hundreds of poems, puzzles, short stories, articles, cartoons and comic strips. A guest on Ch7’s children’s TV program The Book Place, she and a presenter read her children’s picture storybook LEFTY.

Apart from family and home, her interests include travel, bushwalking, conservation, current affairs and social justice issues. The Tasmanian Tiger fascinates her, and she’d love to prove it is not extinct. 

Connect with me at the following links...

https://sites.google.com/view/merylbrowntobin-author

https://www.facebook.com/meryl.tobin.18

https://amazon.com/author/meryl-brown-tobin23

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6422807.Meryl_Brown_Tobin

https://bsky.app/profile/merylbrowntobin.bsky.social

https://broomeenigma.allauthor.com/

Wonderful! Thanks SO much for sharing your book with us today, Meryl. We wish you the best of luck and God's blessings in all things.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight guest friends and that you'll check back weekly for another edition of Saturday Spotlight.

Oh, and be sure to check out our Featured Author and Featured Book (in the sidebar)!

Until next time, Happy Reading.

PamT

#SaturdaySpotlight is on Barbara Britton & Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee

Good Morning,

Welcome to our first Saturday Spotlight of 2026 that isn't a Christmas book. I love doing our All Christmas thru Christmas feature but, as with life, it's nice to get back to 'normal' after the holidays LOL!

Our guest today is no stranger to the blog but always brings us a great read and today is no exception. Take it away, Barbara...

Thank you for having me back on the blog, Pam.

My latest book project is different than any other book I have written. My setting is the New Testament instead of the Old Testament. My main character is Jesus which means I can’t expound on dialogue or inner thought. I managed to make one of the stories a romance, but the other stories highlight the love of family members, and the ultimate love of Jesus.

How does a writer add emotion to a story that includes Jesus? I used the disciples and the people Jesus healed to reflect the awesomeness of Jesus.

The shortest book I wrote to date was 50,000 words. This project is half the length, but I wrote six short stories. Another first.

After each story is a reflection from my time visiting the Sea of Galilee in March of 2023. I took copious notes, but if I had realized I was going to write this book, I would have taken more notes. A family emergency called us home after touring the Sea of Galilee. I’m so thankful I had four days in this area of Israel. I hope you enjoy how I shared its impact in “Across the Lake.”

OH Wow, Barb, this sounds amazing! Visiting Isreal is on my bucket list. Give us more please...

Sure. Here's the Blurb: Discover the life changing power of Jesus in six short stories from the Gospel of Mark. The miracles of Jesus will leap from the page in a Biblical Fiction story, author reflection, and relatable study.

Travel with Jesus as he calms a storm, heals a desperate woman, raises a dead daughter to life, sends His disciples on a minimalist mission, feeds thousands on a hillside, and shows compassion to a persistent mother.

A perfect study for your small group, personal or family devotions, or even a book club.

And an Excerpt: (After the woman bleeding for twelve years is healed by Jesus. Mark 5:21-34)

“Daughter, your faith has healed you.”

 Daughter. Her chest seized on the word her own father had forgotten.

 “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

 Gone. Her suffering was all gone. She was free to walk among her people and worship God without blame and banishment.

 Jesus eased away and carried on as a runner approached. The man sought the synagogue ruler accompanying Jesus.

 In this moment, she didn’t bother herself with the concerns of the synagogue. The Messiah was here in Capernaum, and she had touched Him and talked to Him.

 Suddenly, she was wrapped in an embrace. Phoebe wept into Lydia’s breast. Her friend clutched her tight.

 Lydia need not fear becoming faint from Phoebe’s embrace, for she was not the frail woman who had hobbled into the crowd. Her skin glowed with health, and she was able to move forthright.

 As she and Phoebe made their way toward their cart, Elon emerged from the shade of the terebinth tree. His cheeks were tear-stained, but his smile rivaled the grandeur of the sea.

 “You saw?” Lydia asked, elation bubbling inside her chest.

 “I saw.” His smile grew. “It was all I could do to keep myself from lifting you into Jesus’s arms.”

 “I’ve been in God’s arms every day since the bleeding started. Some days I forgot that truth, and other days it seemed like my prayers were swept far from God. He reminded me that I needed to hold firmly to my thread of belief. The wise counsel of my friend and my betrothed convinced me to seek Jesus.”

 Elon eased closer. He glanced around before caressing her cheek. “We need to plan a wedding feast.”

 Phoebe giggled. “And fast. The way you two are looking at one another, this tree is going to be set ablaze.”

OH, I LOVE it, Barbara! Thank You for sharing. Now please give us your bio and info on how to connect with you and where to find Across the Lake...

Thanks again, Pam. I am a multi-published author of Christian Fiction. My Tribes of Israel series brings little-known Bible characters to light. You can also travel to Whispering Creek, Tennessee with my sweet romance duology, Christmas at Whispering Creek.

I have a nutrition degree from Baylor University but love to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out more about me and mybooks on my website barbarambritton.com.

I am also active on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

Across the Lake: Traveling with Jesus Around the Sea of Galilee can be found at Amazon (FREE in KU), in Paperback and Hardcover.

WONDERFUL, Barbara. Wishing you the best of luck and God's blessings on this new release as well as your other works!

Friends, check out Barbara's other visits to our blog HERE.

Until next time, take care and God bless.

PamT