Ready, Set . . . Contract!

CONTRACT~ If you've found me here, you've no doubt heard my news: I've accepted a 3-Book contract with Tyndale House publishers for a brand new series--and I'm still pinching myself. Not that there's time budgeted for pinching, mind you. The 15-page CONTRACT arrived yesterday, and I'm already busy writing toward deadlines. So quick pinch, careful reading, deep breath (or three) and . . . I . . . will . . . sign my name. Which, actually, is new, too. Sort of.

I'm now officially, CANDACE Calvert. Because 1) it is my real name and 2) Candy sounds a bit "chick lit" and 3) this name change will avoid confusion for readers of my mysteries, because:

My new contract is also for a NEW GENRE--one that I'm enormously excited about, and one that I've felt drawn to since my first essay was published in Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul.

That genre: Inspirational Fiction.

And my new publisher is one of the largest in the CBA (Christian) market, who lists mega-stars like Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury among their authors; goose-bumpy company, indeed.

So that's the Who, Where, How . . . now for the What and When.

My new books will be Tyndale's first Medical Drama series, tentatively called "The Shift in Faith" series, offering pulse-quickening medical scenarios with charismatic characters plucked from the ranks of nurses, doctors, firefighters and law enforcement. Added to the drama will be heart-tugging romance, humor, and--always-- an uplifting message of hope. Think . . . Grey's Anatomy finds its soul!

The series will be set in my native Northern California (Gold Country, the California coast, and San Francisco), and the debut book--THE HEALER'S HEART--is scheduled for release in June of 2009.

I'm thrilled with this new journey, and I'm hitting the ground running (writing), getting a new website, author photos (one included here), networking with new friends and fellow inspirational authors, and getting to know my new Tyndale publishing team. Plenty to do, trust me!

I'll be posting here as often as I can, and giving you a peek into the creation of a brand new book series. And I'll let you know when the new website, CandaceCalvert.com, is officially up and running. Meanwhile, just for fun, here's a blurb from my proposal, describing the Shift in Faith series:

Critical Incident: Any event that has significant emotional power to overwhelm usual coping mechanisms in rescue personnel who encounter human trauma on a routine basis.

Who heals the healers? What happens when the rescuer needs rescuing, when being skilled, empathetic and courageous finally takes its painful toll? It can and does happen, as a result of dramatic front-page disasters like Ground Zero New York, the Killer Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and quietly, too, when a nurse cradles yet another lifeless newborn in the heartbreaking aftermath of a failed “Code Blue.” Caregivers and rescuers are human; heroes hurt, and there is no flak jacket, no immunization to protect these brave and compassionate hearts from the injuries that come from giving.

When sudden or cumulative job stress pushes stoic individuals past the brink, their ability to cope, function, to experience joy—and even love—falters, and there is risk for professional burnout . . . and far worse. That’s when specially trained teams of volunteer co-workers— Peer Counselors—move in to assess caregivers at risk and to provide an empathetic lifeline of support. THE SHIFT IN FAITH SERIES offers readers pulse-pounding scenarios of critical incidents and then digs deep into the hearts of those men and women profoundly affected. Readers feel a part of the peer counseling team and share in the poignant drama of healing the healers, ultimately confirming that it is faith in God that makes them whole again. In addition, they discover, along with the characters, a soul satisfying romance that takes the healing process one step further--to the joy of happily ever after.

My publisher and I are excited to bring you this adventurous and heartwarming new series, and I'll be hard at work to make that happen--so please stop by and cheer me on!