Anna Weaver Hurtt, Inspirational Author
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Jessica Snell and "Not Alone"

5/24/2016

1 Comment

 
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About the Book:

Our society understands how terrible the loss of a child is when that child is out of the womb, but what about when a child dies before birth? Or what about the emptiness that comes when a very-much-wanted child is never even conceived? These quiet, private losses are hard for those who have not experienced them to understand. And these losses leave those who have suffered them feeling alone in their grief.

Not Alone: A Literary and Spiritual Companion for Those Confronted with Infertility and Miscarriage is a resource both for those who have suffered through these experiences and for their friends and relatives, who want to understand what their loved ones are going through.

This collection contains true stories that are:
* sensitive, and yet honest
* angry and raw, but not despairing
* unique, and yet relatable

The contributors to this book are male and female, old and young, some who eventually had children and some who never did, and yet despite their differences, they share a common grief and a common faith.

No experience of miscarriage and infertility is like any other, yet by reading these painful and hope-filled stories, you'll be comforted by knowing there are others who understand the journey you're on, the loss you've suffered, and you will find that even though your loss is uniquely yours, you are not alone.

Author Mini-view:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

While I've published both non-fiction articles and short stories, both of my full-length books are actually books where I served as a contributing editor, rather than the sole author.

The great joy of being an editor is that I get to help other people tell their stories. It's an honor to be trusted with their words.


2. What is your favorite Bible verse?

I don't have a favorite Bible verse! But in my devotions this week, I found myself lingering in Psalm 4, where it says, "Many are saying, who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us."

In a time when it so often feels like all the news is bad news, this verse made me take heart. Goodness is still where it has always been: in the light of our Lord's presence.


3. What have you read lately that you would recommend?

I just finished "The Dean's Watch", by Elizabeth Goudge. It was my first time reading her, can you believe it? What a discovery! The beginning was a bit slow-going, but it completely won my heart only a few chapters in, and proceeded to delight me over and over. I can't wait to read more of her backlist!


4. What book are you featuring today?

The book I'm featuring today is "Not Alone: A Literary Companion For Those Confronted with Miscarriage and Infertility".

I know that's a mouthful of a subtitle! But we wanted readers to know what they were picking up.

"Literary" because it's a book of essays. So very many people have shared this kind of suffering and so we wanted to feature a multitude of perspectives.

"Companion" because the longing for a child -- either one you've lost or one you've never had -- can be a very lonely kind of suffering. We wanted people to know this book was full of people who had been there too, who want to walk beside you in your grief.

And "Confronted" because this isn't something you ask for. It's something that comes upon you when you never wanted it and weren't looking for it.

This is a book that doesn't pretend that these things are easy, but also confirms that God is good. And those two truths: that there is real sorrow and a good God who loves us ... those can be hard to reconcile. The contributors to "Not Alone" were really honest about *both*, and I think it's that honesty that makes the book so valuable.



5. If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?
​

Keep going. Probably there will be someone reading this today who is wondering if she should just give up. My message is: don't. Evil and suffering are real, but God is more real. In the dark & dry times, placing one foot in front of the other is an act of great courage. Ask for help: asking is also an act of great courage. It may take a while to feel like it's true, but you are loved and God is good. Trust what you saw in the light and keep going.

Author Bio:

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​Jessica Snell is the General Editor of Kalos Press and she loves blogging about books, faith, and family at jessicasnell.com. She is the contributing editor of “Let Us Keep the Feast”, a book about celebrating the Christian church year at home, and “Not Alone”, a book on infertility and miscarriage. Her work has appeared in Touchstone Magazine, Christ and Pop Culture, Daily Science Fiction, and more. She and her husband live in sunny Southern California with their four children.

Giveaway!

Jessica is generously giving away the winner's choice of a paperback or e-book copy of "Not Alone" to one of my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/31. Thanks for participating and God bless!
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Book Spotlight and Giveaway: A Desperate Escape by JC Morrows

5/17/2016

4 Comments

 
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About the Book:

A Secret . . . A Confession . . . A Decision that will change the lives of an entire country.

The palace is scrambling to recover from a brutal assault . . . the country is in disarray . . . and the royal security team is on edge like never before.

Kayden entered the palace under a lie . . . a lie that has now been exposed. 

And now . . .

Prince Dvarius has to decide what to do with his reluctant assassin.

Links:
AMAZON: http://amzn.to/1Sx0NBj
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1p08zLT
NOOK: http://bit.ly/1W3reRN
ITUNES: http://apple.co/1R0hSlo
KOBO: http://bit.ly/1Ynah6b
GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1n5J2Q

Excerpt:

Kayden sat on the cot Dvarius had led her toward after they'd rushed inside the bunker. The explosions were coming nearer and nearer.
She leaned back against the wall, going over their last conversation in her mind.
“I was sent here to kill you.”
No matter how she tried, there was simply no other way she could have gotten through to him in that moment. His own training had taken over — pushing him to where he knew he was supposed to go in a crisis.
Drey was counting on that.
She looked up and watched Dvarius pace across the room. There was so much on his shoulders — and now she had added to it.
I will never be able to undo that.
When he turned back to her, she opened her mouth to speak, but he immediately cut her off.
“Do not even try to explain yourself! There is nothing you could say right now that I want to hear!”
He moved away from her again, pacing back and forth, as far as the room would allow, while keeping his distance from her.
With every explosion, his shoulders jerked.
With every shower of plaster that rained down on them, he cringed — and she knew why. She knew he wasn't thinking about the damage or the repairs.
He was thinking about the people who were still out there in the palace — his people — who were still in danger.
She knew his thoughts were on the people who were wounded, with no one to help them, and the ones who had already died.
“You are fortunate the palace is under siege right now or I would send you packing this instant.” His voice was quiet . . . hard . . . cold.
And with it came an unexpected sensation from within her. A lump of emotion lodged itself in her throat, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to speak.
Dvarius turned away. Kayden stayed where she was, not moving anything except her eyes, as he moved back and forth across the length of the massive room — and she tried to figure out what was going on inside of her . . . what emotions had taken hold of her.
There were at least fifty guards in the room with them — and Kayden knew she should be thankful they were more intent on what was happening outside the bunker, but there was no room in her for thankfulness at the moment.
She was too consumed with emotion, fear she recognized . . . fear that the door wouldn't hold, fear that the palace would come down on their heads, fear for the people who did not have such a place to hide, and fear that the end would come without her ever having a chance to tell the Prince how she felt.
It didn't matter that she had not meant for her confession to come out this way.
It had.
And now that the worst was out, she could see what he thought of her.
It didn't matter that this had turned out to be a bad idea.
It didn't matter that she could have found a better way to tell him.
It was done now and there was no going back.
All she could do now was try and protect him, if he would let her.
She was still a little surprised that he'd led her into the bunker, his arm at her back, guiding her . . . protecting her.
He could have sent her away. He could have left her outside the doors, completely vulnerable in the castle, but he hadn't — and she knew why.
She had known for some time that he was not the man she had been led to believe — a man she had been sent to assassinate.
“Have you no loyalty?”
The question took her by surprise. It was not spoken in the same harsh tone, but in nearly a whisper.
“Do you really think so little of me?”
His words shocked her so much that her response was literally the first thing that came to mind.
“I didn't know you then.”
There was a hint of something in his expression — something that she could not identify.
“What am I supposed to think now? How am I supposed to believe anything you say . . . anything you have said?”
“I don't know.”
She had to force the words out through the pain that had filled her chest.
He nodded and walked away again. She breathed out a heavy sigh. As her breath hitched with unshed tears, a glint of light refracted off the edge of her ring.
Very slowly, she moved the fingers of her right hand up her left hand until they rested on the ring.
She knew she would always cherish every moment that had led her here . . . even sitting in this bunker while Prince Dvarius angrily paced.
Even when she had nearly killed him with an arrow, he had loved her. He had chosen her when no one had wanted him to — perhaps not even the Queen. Now he was protecting her, even though she had been sent to kill him.
He is a good man and he will be a good king.
All she had to figure out was how to get him on that throne.

About the author:

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​JC Morrows - Bestselling author of YA Christian speculative fiction, drinker of coffee and avid reader - is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she couldn't stop.

She finished her first speculative fiction novel purely for the enjoyment of her mother - also known as her biggest fan.

She gives God all of the glory for her talent and ability!


"And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." Habakkuk 2:2 KJV


Website: http://jcmorrows.com
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/jcmorrows
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7279550.J_C_Morrows
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jcmorrows
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JCMorrows
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jcmorrows/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JC.Morrows.Author

Giveaway!

JC is generously giving away a copy of any book in the Order of the Moonstone series: A Reluctant Assassin, A Treacherous Decision, or A Desperate Escape to one lucky winner! To enter, just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/24. Thanks for participating and God bless!
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Leeann  Betts and "UnBalanced"

5/10/2016

3 Comments

 
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About the Book:

​Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant, is in the middle of planning her son's wedding when she sees a bank robbery that nobody else will admit to. When the story hits the regional news, her credibility is called into question, which jeopardizes her upcoming testimony at a trial. When Mike's long-lost brother turns up but soon disappears, leaving his young son behind, Carly wonders if the two are connected in some way. Can Carly figure out what's going on before her career is ruined?

Author Mini-view:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

I started writing novels as a NaNoWriMo challenge in 2002. Before that, I wrote short stories, devotionals, poetry, greeting cards, magazine articles. But I love books the best! I've written more than 20 books, but recently started in the publishing journey with the release of the stories closest to my heart, the By the Numbers series, featuring Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant.

2. What is your favorite Bible verse?

My favorite Bible verse is Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God"

3. What have you read lately that you would recommend?

I recently read "In the Blink of an Eye" by Wendy Staub, which I would recommend if you like suspense. Spoiler alert: it contains elements of the spirit world.

4. What book are you featuring today?
​

Today I am featuring "Unbalanced", book 3 in the series. Carly Turnquist, forensic accountant, is in the middle of wedding plans for her son, when she sees a bank robbery everybody else denies happened. Then her husband's long-lost brother shows up but leaves soon after, abandoning his young son behind. And when the story about Carly spotting the non-existent bank robbery hits the national news, her credibility is called into question. Can she figure out what's going on, or is she really losing her mind?

Author Bio:

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​Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. No Accounting for Murder and There Was a Crooked Man, books 1 and 2 in her By the Numbers series, released in the fall of 2015 Book 3, Unbalanced, released in January. Book 4, Five and Twenty Blackbirds, is due in April, with more planned for later dates. If you like accountants or are an accountant, check out Counting the Days: a 21-day devotional for accountants, bookkeepers, and financial folk. Leeann and Donna have penned a book on writing, Nuggets of Writing Gold, and Donna has published a book of short stories, Second Chances and Second Cups. You can follow Leeann at www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com and Donna at www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com . All books are available at Amazon.com in digital and print, and at Smashwords.com in digital.

Giveaway!

Leeann is generously giving away the winner's choice of a paperback or e-book copy of "UnBalanced" to one of my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/17. Thanks for participating and God bless!
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Jo Huddleston and "Promise Me"

5/10/2016

5 Comments

 
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About the Book:

In 1960, civil discord in Vietnam fills the news. After his college graduation, Patrick Fitzgerald plans to join his daddy’s South Carolina accounting firm. But Uncle Sam may have another position in mind for Patrick—in the U.S. Army. His family’s affluence would be no match for the persuasion of the military draft 

Adriana Montagna’s Papá ekes out a living as a coal miner in the mountains of West Virginia. Can a lasting relationship form with Patrick, or will his wealth become a barrier between them? 

Meanwhile, the fiber of America’s unity stands on the precipice, while its youth fight a no-win battle on foreign soil. What good can a young couple hope for at such a time as this?

Author Mini-view:

#1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

I like to laugh with people but not at people. The beach is my favorite vacation spot. I don’t like to see or hear about people or animals being abused. I’m a spectator fan of several sports, my favorite being tennis. I dislike being in the dark and I’m fearful of snakes!

I write sweet Southern historical romance novels, and have published two series: the West Virginia Mountains series and the Caney Creek series. I have four nonfiction books published and have coauthored with Vickie Phelps two nonfiction published books.


After publishing more than 200 articles and short stories, which appeared in over 50 well-known Christian and secular publications including Guideposts, Decision and The Upper Room, I had a health problem that interrupted my writing career for seven years. You can read details of that part of my writing journey at http://bit.ly/1QKgRP5.

I’ve been a high school teacher and guidance counselor, a state political campaign secretary, two-time small business owner, and a real estate agent. I hold a B.A. degree from Lincoln Memorial University (TN) and am a member of their Literary Hall of Fame. I earned an M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University and belong to American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW).

Please visit me at www.johuddleston.com where you can sign up for my mailing list and newsletter, connect with me on social media, and read my two blogs.


#2. What is your favorite Bible verse?

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8, NIV

#3. What have you read lately that you would recommend?

Hearts That Survive by Yvonne Lehman. If you think the movie Titanic told you everything about that great ship’s short ocean voyage, well think again and read this book!

#4. What book are you featuring today? (Share a blurb if desired.)

Promise Me, Book 3 in the West Virginia Mountains series. Here’s the back cover blurb:
In 1960, civil discord in Vietnam fills the news. After his college graduation, Patrick Fitzgerald plans to join his daddy’s South Carolina accounting firm. But Uncle Sam may have another position in mind for Patrick—in the U.S. Army. His family’s affluence would be no match for the persuasion of the military draft.

Adriana Montagna’s papá ekes out a living as a coal miner in the mountains of West Virginia. Can a lasting relationship form with Patrick, or will his wealth become a barrier between them?
Meanwhile, the fiber of America’s unity stands on the precipice, while its youth fight a no-win battle on foreign soil. What good can a young couple hope for at such a time as this?
Buy Link for Promise Me: http://amzn.to/1MWyAl1

#5. If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?

If you enjoy my books, please tell your family and friends about them and leave a short review of one or two sentences on Amazon to help others find Christian fiction to read.

Author Bio:

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Jo Huddleston is an Amazon Bestselling author of books, articles, and short stories. Novels in her West Virginia Mountains series and her Caney Creek series are sweet Southern historical romances. Her novels are endorsed by Amanda Cabot, Cara Lynn James, Sharlene MacLaren, and Ann Tatlock. The redeeming story of God’s pursuing love is the foundation of her novels, and in them you will find inspiration, hope, and gentle stories that are intriguing and entertaining. Jo is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN).

Giveaway!

Jo is generously giving away an E-BOOK copy of "Promise Me" to one of my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/17. Thanks for participating and God bless! 
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Join Becky Wade for a Facebook Party May 5

5/4/2016

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wade event promo - fb 

A female bodyguard plus her star NFL client plus danger equals a great recipe for romance! Her One and Only, book four in Becky Wade's Porter Family novels, releases May 3. To celebrate, Becky is hosting an author chat party on her Facebook page on May 5 at 5 PM PDT/8 PM EDT. Join Becky for an evening of book chat with other bookworms and prizes.

Plus a portion of all pre-sales and sales the release week of Her One and Only will be donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. For more details on how to purchase a copy, click here.

wade 400 - fallen heroes

About the Book

After ten years in the NFL, super star Gray Fowler is accustomed to obsessive fans. But when Gray starts receiving death threats from a stalker, his team hires an executive protection agency to guard him until the culprit is caught. Dealing with bodyguards 24/7 is a headache, especially when one of them is a young, beautiful woman. How can a female half his size possibly protect him better than he can protect himself?

Dru Porter is a former Marine, an expert markswoman, and a black belt–none of which saved her from disaster on her last assignment. In order to rebuild her tarnished reputation, she’s determined to find Gray’s stalker and, since relationships between agents and clients are forbidden, avoid a romantic attachment between herself and the rugged football player with the mysterious past.

Yet every secret that leads Dru closer to the stalker also draws her closer to Gray. As the danger escalates, they’ll survive only if they can learn to trust their lives — and their hearts — to one another.

Learn more and purchase a copy.
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Christine Lindsay and "Sofi's Bridge"

5/3/2016

2 Comments

 
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Book Blurb:

Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.

Author Mini-view:

Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

Just after the reunion with my birthdaughter Sarah in 1999 I started writing. Meeting Sarah whom I had relinquished to adoption in 1979 when she was 3 days old, and finding her again when she was 20 was the most emotional experience of my life.

My husband caught me crying one day about the original loss of my child, and he gave me a brand new journal and pen, and said, "Here honey, write it."

That was the start. A few years later I felt the Lord encourage me to put the emotional and spiritual healing I had received into Christian fiction to encourage others. It's been a long journey, but I this year I am seeing my 7th book published.


What is your favorite Bible verse?

My life verse is Isaiah 49:15, 16a, "Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See...I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

The whole aspect of God taking our broken hearts and healing them, giving us joy that is centered on Him, is the theme of all my novels. I believe in happy endings. It's also the theme of the non-fiction book of mine that is coming out this August 2016, Finding Sarah--Finding Me: A Birthmother's Story. More to come on that book in August.


 What have you read lately that you would recommend?

I recently read and loved the Language of Sparrows by Rachel Phifer, and highly recommend it.

What book are you featuring today?
​

But today I am featuring my latest historical romance Sofi's Bridge. In this book too, my readers will find complex characters, wounded by life, but finding joy and healing in Christ. You can read the first chapters of all my books on my website (www.ChristineLindsay.org) but here is a snippet from Sofi's Bridge:

“Sometimes I think it would be easier,” she said, “if I didn’t feel the urge to use these natural abilities—I think God-given abilities—but to do the more expected tasks of a woman in my social position. Strangely, my father considered it more socially acceptable for my sister to enter yacht races than for me to consider a career.”

Sofi raised her gaze. “But what about you, Neil? With all this talk about life’s purposes and the toil of one’s brow, what are you doing with your life?” The sun nestled between two peaks as she tensed her weight against the sun-warmed granite.

Her natural perfume intoxicated him—not the overpowering colognes of society, but the scent of soap, apples she been paring earlier—stirring the desire to touch her cheek, her hands, her arms. What if he closed the gap between them? How would the softness of her cheek feel against the roughness of his? What would her lips taste like?

His breath quickened.

Sofi’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t tear his gaze from her softly parting mouth. A muscle tapped at the base of her throat.

Had one of them moved closer?

He pulled in a breath. When a man and a woman cared for each other, they should speak the truth. He wanted to tell her about the thrift clinic he’d partnered in for the poor back home. Tell her of the work he’d done in the hospital. If he shared his pride in those accomplishments, he knew her eyes would shine in understanding.

Aye, right, ye fool. Then tell her you left the clinic and your position in Belfast City Hospital, as well as all your patients, to run to Washington State to be a gardener. How could he possibly tell her about the night that stole his life from him, and all with one slash of a knife? He rubbed the pressure between his brows.

“Time we were getting back to the cabin.”

“Right. Of course.” In a fluster, she smoothed her shirtwaist. Her eyes that moments ago were shining turned a dull slate. She set her profile to him. “Foolish for the two of us to stand here any longer.”

About the Author:

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Christine Lindsay is the author of multi-award-winning Christian fiction. Tales of her Irish ancestors who served in the British Cavalry in Colonial India inspired her multi-award-winning series Twilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.

Christine’s Irish wit and her use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge also features a dashing Irish hero.

Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine and her husband live on the west coast of Canada. Coming August 2016 is the release of Christine’s non-fiction book Finding Sarah—Finding Me: A Birthmother’s Story.

Giveaway:

Christine is generously giving away an E-BOOK copy of "Sofi's Bridge" to one of my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 5/10. Thanks for participating and God bless! 
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Jan Cline and "Emancipated Heart"

4/19/2016

10 Comments

 
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About the Book:

Hana Kato and her family are nearing the end of their confinement in a WWII Japanese American internment camp. Her beloved Papa has been taken to prison, and Hana works hard to keep the family together until he can join them in preparation for their release. Surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor, and years of enduring difficult living conditions has tested Hana’s faith and trust. Although she stays strong through trials and tragedy, her resolve is weakened as she fights her affections for two men. Will she choose the rebel Japanese young man? Or will the bright Caucasian doctor she works with win her love? Emancipated Heart will hold your attention with a setting of an interesting era in American history, and a lesson in true loyalty, love and forgiveness, told through a Christian worldview.

Author Mini-view:

Hello, blog friends! I'm so happy you're visiting today! The lovely Jan Cline is joining us to tell us about herself and give away a copy of her book, "Emancipated Heart." Isn't the cover lovely? I can't wait to find out more about it... Let's get this interview started!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

Like so many authors, I've been writing since childhood. I guess you could say it's a God given talent and I regard it as a gift. I was first published in 3rd grade in a scholastic magazine. From then on, I was hooked. As an adult I always wrote non-fiction in the form of articles, essays, and mostly devotionals. But about 6 years ago I wrote a novel on a dare from a friend and found my love for writing fiction. Since I grew up with a father who loved history and took us to every museum we passed by, historical fiction has been my passion. I am currently working on a story about sisters trying to survive the depression in the drought stricken mid-west. I hope to make that my first series.


What is your favorite Bible verse?

My favorite Bible verse is Galatians 2:20. Someone wrote it in my Bible when I was a teenager and It's stuck in my heart.

​
What have you read lately that you would recommend?

I recently finished Kate Breslin's For Such a Time. It's a great WW2 read and very well written. I also highly recommend James L. Rubart's The Five Times I Met Myself.


What book are you featuring today?

Emancipated Heart. Here is the opening few paragraphs:

"May 1945, Grand Peak Internment Camp, Wyoming

Today Papa was going to prison. Never mind that he was already in a prison of sorts, confined to a 46,000 acre camp surrounded by a barbed wire fence. And never mind that he was an innocent man.
The howling wind grated against Hana Kato’s frayed nerves. All night it had persisted, sifting dirt through the small cracks in the family’s barrack cubicle. Any other day her mother would scold her brother, Martin, directing him where to stuff mud in the holes in the floor and walls to keep out the dust. Today it didn’t seem important. Today none of them could even fill the holes in their hearts."


If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?

I would like my readers to know that the characters in my books are survivors, and through them we can capture a glimpse of the perseverance and endurance that God gives all of us who struggle. Whether it's in man's inhumanity to man, "acts of God" upon the earth, war, or our own mistakes, we can know God provides, and changes us in the process.

About the Author:

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​Jan Cline is an author and speaker from Spokane, Washington. She has been a writing conference director, workshop teacher, critique group leader, and blogger. She has 2 devotional books published by Barbour and has had numerous devotionals, articles, anthology essays and short stories published, as well as a self-published self-help book for women titled A Heart Out of Hiding. Jan is now concentrating her writing efforts on historical fiction. When she’s not writing she enjoys her grandchildren, her craft addiction, golfing, and baking, known by family and friends as the cheesecake queen!

Giveaway!

Jan is generously giving away a copy of "Emancipated Heart" to one your my blog subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 4/26. Thanks for participating and God bless! 
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Review: Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist

4/19/2016

1 Comment

 
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About the Book:

From the bestselling author of It Happened at the Fair and Fair Play comes a compelling historical novel about a progressive “New Woman”—the girl behind Tiffany’s chapel—and the love that threatens it all.

As preparations for the 1893 World’s Fair set Chicago and the nation on fire, Louis Tiffany—heir to the exclusive Fifth Avenue jewelry empire—seizes the opportunity to unveil his state-of-the-art, stained glass, mosaic chapel, the likes of which the world has never seen.

But when Louis’s dream is threatened by a glassworkers’ strike months before the Fair opens, he turns to an unforeseen source for help: the female students at the Art Students League of New York. Eager for adventure, the young women pick up their skirts, move to boarding houses, take up steel cutters, and assume new identities as the “Tiffany Girls.”

Tiffany Girl is the heartwarming story of the impetuous Flossie Jayne, a beautiful, budding artist who is handpicked by Louis to help complete the Tiffany chapel. Though excited to live in a boarding house when most women stayed home, she quickly finds the world is less welcoming than anticipated. From a Casanova male, to an unconventional married couple, and a condescending singing master, she takes on a colorful cast of characters to transform the boarding house into a home while racing to complete the Tiffany chapel and make a name for herself in the art world.

As challenges mount, her ambitions become threatened from an unexpected quarter: her own heart. Who will claim victory? Her dreams or the captivating boarder next door?

My Review:

I really enjoyed Deanne’s latest historical romance novel. It has been far too long since I picked one of hers up and I’m really glad that I carved out the time to read this one.

This book tells the story of Flossie Jayne, a talented, naïve artist and Reeve Wilder, a journalist, who live in the same boardinghouse.  Both of them are lovable, flawed individuals that are so very different that I really didn’t know how they were going to end up together. They both had a ton of growing to do before it would ever work out, but I enjoyed watching them take that journey as their paths intertwined again and again.

The historical aspect of the Tiffany Girls and what they had to go through was fascinating to me. I also really liked how Reeve was able to grow and turn into the perfect man for Flossie.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what Ms. Gist has for us next.
​
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amazon Link:

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Book Spotlight: Allyson Carter and "Buried Secrets"

4/11/2016

1 Comment

 
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About the Book:

A message from her dead husband turns Mary Cox’s life upside down. Someone wants to kill her and her daughter, Faith. They’ll stop at nothing to track her down. The only man she trusts is her best friend’s brother Jace, except, he lied to her before. Will secrets from her past destroy the life she’s made for herself or bring them closer together and to God?
​
Just as Jace Smith begins to adjust to civilian life, a cry of help from the only woman he’s ever cared for sends him back into the heat of battle. The type where someone—may not come out alive in the end. Secrets are revealed and nothing will ever be the same again. He’d do anything to keep Mary and her daughter safe from the danger after them. But a secret from his past threatens everything. Can they ever get back what they once had or die trying?

Excerpt:

The chime of the door bell propelled Mary Cox down the hall. If the person on the other side woke her daughter, she’d pound them. Another long night up with a teething one-year old. She reached for the door knob and jerked it open harder than she wanted to. With her right hand, she grabbed the doorframe to keep herself from falling into the man’s arms on the other side.

Her gaze settled on a tall man in black shorts and a purple shirt. Delivery. She didn’t remember ordering anything. He raised a brow at her as she placed a finger to her lips. He shrugged his broad shoulders and smiled at her as he thrust a clipboard at her. She signed and he handed her the package. Sweat beaded against her forehead as her stomach rolled. Bad sign. Mary made her way into the living room in a daze. Her legs shook and she eyed the blue couch for a moment.

She sat on the couch, and opened it. A DVD fell out. Who would send something like this? She rose, walked over and placed it inside the player. The disk started moments later. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Bruce. Her now dead husband starred back at her on the screen.
Mary’s legs began to shake as did the rest of her body. She sank to the floor and wrapped her arms around her chest. It felt like her heart might break all over again into a million pieces. Her body ached as tears sprung to life in her eyes. Bruce sat in a room in his uniform. She always loved him in it. He looked so sexy. His blue eyes stared back at her. Like he was standing in the room with her. The rich baritone in his voice wrapped around her. She couldn’t focus on his words. The sight of him again after a year muted all other sensory perception. She’d give anything to touch him once again.

She reached a hand to the screen and stroked his face. Mary closed her eyes to put his face in the imprint of her mind… not that she needed to. The taut skin would be warm against her palm. His whiskers would brush her cheeks as he kissed her. She’d inhale the wonderful masculine scent of Old Spice and Bruce.

The cessation of his voice brought her out of her memories. Startled, she got up and skipped back to the scene once again. This time she concentrated on his words. The stern look on his face had her back ramrod straight.

“If anything happens to me or I die, it’s not an accident. They’ve found me and took me out for what I know.” His voice cracked. Bruce stood and started to pace, his eyes cast down. He ran a hand through his hair before he looked back at the screen. The black hair slipped through her fingers like fluffy clouds. “I love you so much, Mary and still it wasn’t enough. Don’t you know I’d do anything to keep you safe? Anything.” He let out a nervous laugh. The sight of his teeth made a frog catch in her throat. He’d always had the greatest smile. “You and the baby mean more to me than I’d ever be able to tell you. Now, honey, I don’t want to scare you, but they’ll come after you once they take me out. I just pray they go down before it comes to that.”

Faith? Faith’s in danger? Her hands shook. What had he gotten himself involved in? A part of her knew he’d never do anything to bring harm to her and the baby if he could help it. The other part wanted to beat him. How could she keep Faith safe now with Bruce gone? None of this made any sense. She batted the tears away with the back of her hand.

“I can’t give out much information in case the DVD is taken by them. Just look into the name Robert Wesley. But be careful. Ask Jace to help you. I love you and the baby. Be brave.”
​
Buy link: Kindle

About the Author:

Allyson writes in the Edgy Christian market in the suspense and romance genres. In her books, you’ll find emotionally stirring story lines, as well as suspense with faith mixed in. She resides in Missouri with her loving husband and four wonderful children, and three cats. When not spending time with her family, you can find her knitting, and watching way too many suspense shows and reality TV.
​
She can be found around the internet at these places her website, Facebook and Twitter.
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Author Mini-view and Giveaway: Julie Arduini and "Entrusted"

4/11/2016

11 Comments

 
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Author Mini-view:

Hello, blog friends! I'm so happy you're visiting today! The lovely Julie Arduini is joining us to tell us about herself and give away a copy of her book, "Entrusted." Let's get this interview started!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your writing. (How did you get started? How many books have you written? Where are you on your writing journey?)

I write about surrender issues and include a chocolate mention, too. I have a 3 book series based in the Adirondack Mountains. Entrusted is available now, Entangled is the new release, and Engaged is coming soon. I also co wrote The Heart Seekers series through Write Integrity Press and A Walk in the Valley, a workbook to journey through healing through infertility, through Chalfont Publishing. My plan is to continue to write stories that encourage readers to find freedom through surrender.

What is your favorite Bible verse?

I have so many favorite verses. My life verse is Proverbs 3:5-6.
 
What have you read lately that you would recommend?

I finished the Armor of God Bible study by Priscilla Shirer and it's a life changer. I highly recommend it. I also read Colleen Coble's Mermaid Moon and really enjoyed it.

What book are you featuring today?

Here is the blurb of my book, Entrusted:

Jenna Anderson, sassy city-girl, plows—literally—into Speculator Falls with a busted GPS, arriving in town as the new senior center director. She has only one goal—that of belonging no matter how out of place she appears and how angry she makes town councilman and grocer Ben Regan. Her new life is so rural there are no traffic lights, and when she learns her car isn’t equipped to handle the mountain terrain, Ben’s grandmother offers her late husband’s vehicle, further alienating the local businessman. As she endears herself to the seniors at the center and creates a vision full of ideas, programs, and equipment, she ruffles Ben’s plans to keep Speculator Falls void of change, including the store his grandfather built. The two work through community events and shared heartbreak only to face off in a town council meeting where Ben publicly rejects her proposal for the senior center, causing Jenna to react out of her fears about belonging. She returns to Ohio where she realizes she needs to surrender her plans for the center and fears about belonging and trust her Heavenly Father when facing fear, change, loss, and love.

If you could tell people who are going to read/have read your books one thing, what would it be?

I'd love for readers to know no matter what they have done, the forgiveness Christ give is real and everlasting. Walk in that freedom. He has abundantly given that to you!

About the Author:

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Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to surrender the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the Amazon bestseller, ENTRUSTED, and co-author of THE LOVE BOAT BACHELOR and UNLIKELY MERGER. She also shared her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities at JULIE ARDUINI: SURRENDER ISSUES AND CHOCOLATE.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/JulieArduini
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JulieArduini
G+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JulieArduini/posts
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/JulieArduini
Instagram: http://instagram.com/JulieArduini
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/JulieArduini
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Julie-Arduini/e/B00PBKDRSQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427852247&sr=8-1


Giveaway:

Julie is generously giving away the winner's choice of a print or e-book copy of "Entrusted" to one of you subscribers! Just fill out the Giveaway Tools form below to enter. (If it doesn't show up in the email, click here and go to http://www.annaweaverbooks.com/giveaways to enter from the website.) Giveaway ends 4/19. Thanks for participating and God bless! 
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