Author Spotlight: Nicole Young

New author Nicole Young released her first mystery novel, Love Me If You Must, in April 2007. The ISBN: 978-0-8007-3157-1.
It was published by Revell and is the first book of a series called the Patricia Amble Mystery Series.

According to the author's website the main character of this novel is "savvy renovator Patricia Amble (who) checks into her latest project, a dilapidated Victorian in a Michigan town. Nosy neighbors, voices from the past, and a body in the basement set the stage for hilarious adventure, rollicking romance, and tragic truth".

Nicole Young makes this observation about the star of the Patricia Amble Mystery Series: (the star is) "a slightly off-kilter renovator chick with a new project - and dead body - in every adventure!".

I have just finished reading this new mystery novel and I am adding this author to my list of favorites. It is in the murder mystery genre and also has a touch of romance in the mix. One requirement for me is that any work of fiction not only have a great main plot, but also that it has a sub-plot that revolves around the relationships of the characters. The relationships can either be of the romantic nature or they can be other relationships that are common to life, but I feel that all good fiction should be about characters the reader can get to know and care about. Nicole Young accomplishes both requirements in her first mystery novel, Love Me If You Must. The main character, Tish, is a character that I immediately was able to be involved with. She has a "history" that makes her identifiable with all of us, in that she is struggling to deal with issues in her past that she is not proud of. Tish is a very likable character and the writer has been able to weave in truths that Tish learns in a way that makes the reader review their own personal truths. According to the press release on the website, Nicole Young won the Noble Award for the Best First Chapter from the American Christian Romance Writers in 2004 for the first chapter of Love Me If You Must. The entry also took the Best of Show award.

Like the main character in Love Me If You Must, Nicole Young is also a restorer of old homes and has restored a turn-of-the century home in Garden, Michigan and turned it into a Bed & Breakfast which she owns and where she lives with her family. In the "interview with the author" section of her website, Nicole Young says that she always wanted to be a published author, but felt that is wasn't something people in real life tried to do. She states that as she matured, she realized, "my thinking was fear-based, not faith-based". This section of her website lists the positive steps the author took to realize her dream. One of the closing statements in the interview section is one that is key for me when I choose a favorite author. Nicole Young states, "I love to entertain, but I also hope to challenge readers to examine their own lives" The author is also a musician and goes on to say that she will continue to stay "focused on improving my relationship with God and others, my writing, and my music".

The second suspense novel in the Patricia Amble Mystery Series will be called Kill Me If You Can. I spoke with the author by email and she told me that the edits for this book had just gone back to the publisher. She told me it is on schedule for an April 2008 release and that it is her favorite of the two. The website states that there will also be a third novel in this series, which will be called Kiss Me If You Dare. It will be released in April 2009.

The publisher of the book is Revell. A statement on the author's website state that Revell is a division of Baker Publishing Group and " offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life"

I am pleased to recommend Nicole Young as a "must read" mystery author and her book Love Me If You Must as one of the best mystery novels of 2007.