With nearly one hundred published books to her credit, Melody Carlson has enriched the lives of more than two million readers.

Today’s spotlight features two different Melody Carlson series, Notes from a Spinning Planet (WaterBrook), and The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor (Multnomah). Each series is releasing the third installment this month.

Melody Carlson is the winner of the RITA Award and the Gold Medallion and has published over ninety books for adults, children, and teens, including Finding Alice, Crystal Lies, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Carlson is the mother of two grown sons and lives in a "cabin in the words" near the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon with her husband and a chocolate lab retriever. A full-time writer and part-time gardener, biker, skier, and hiker, Carlson can be found on the Internet at MelodyCarlson.com.

The Notes from a Spinning Planet series follows the adventures of 19-year-old Maddie Chase as she travels around the world with her Aunt Sid, a reporter. Excitement and adventure abound as Maddie learns about the world, different cultures, and herself. In her latest trip to Mexico, Maddie is taken aback to encounter the poverty of the land—and of her own heart. The third book in the Notes from a Spinning Planet series invites young women to explore a love deeper than simple affection—and the beauty of true sacrifice.

The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor series focuses on 16-year-old Samantha—a girl with a unique spiritual gift. Samantha receives visions from God that help save her friends and family from tragedy. In Playing with Fire Samantha’s brother Zach is just returned from a drug rehab clinic, but Samantha is having violent visions of him in imminent danger and back on drugs. If she goes to her mentor, a police detective, Zach could be in serious trouble with the law. But is this situation too hot for Samantha to handle?

Bad Connection ..... Beyond Reach ..... Playing With Fire