Giveaway! Oregon Outback by Elizabeth Goddard!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Elizabeth Goddard, it is great to have you here!

Do you have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?

So glad to be here. I’ve shared a few interesting facts here and there, so not sure there’s anything left to know about me. But I’ll try this one: My grandfather taught me how to play his fiddle. We enjoyed “jam” sessions every time I went to see him. One of my favorite old songs to play was I’ll Fly Away.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I love reading and writing suspense and thriller novels and these can be either contemporary or historical.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing

Less is more. I recently read two separate articles on this topic, but heroes are more heroic when we see their humanity most of the time and only briefly see their moments of great heroism. One of the articles was specifically talking about superheroes (Spiderman, Superman) but the same applies for the regular guy. Readers need to see the flaws and the guts, the humanity, which makes for a deeper hero. I’m still internalizing that, but its good stuff for developing great characters.

5 things you love?

Putting aside the obvious love for God and family:

A great story, purses, pizza, soft pillows and antique furniture.

What novel have you recently read that has stood out to you that both teens and adults will find enjoyment in?

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is a wonderful fantasy novel for YA that I think adults will enjoy too. This novel won the Christy Award last year, as did the sequel this year. I need to read the next book, too.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

http://elizabethgoddard.com

http://facebook.com/elizabethgoddardauthor

http://twitter.com/bethgoddard

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Beth's book!

Please leave an email adddress! If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win.

For extra entries:
~Be a follower
~Be a subscriber

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on August 10th.

Attn Readers! If you're struggling to leave a comment on my blog, please email your comment entries (in ONE email) and I will submit it for you. But PLEASE only do this after you've failed to leave a comment. My email is: caseym.writer(@)gmail.com 

So Enchanting! ~ Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer ~ Review

With each turn of the page I fell more in love with these two characters. Both with heads harder than the land they work (I’m sure), but no two could be more fun to watch grow, change…and fall in love.

            

Know what I love? A good love story. Know what else I love? Characters that are witty and endearing. Stubborn and determined, but with a healthy dose to do what’s right.  Travis and Meredith both have that in spades.

          

  The plot is unique and just wait until you read the scene where the brothers “draw straws”. You might want to swoon. I wanted to… Humor provides perfect comedic timing and the dialogue quick and fast paced. This is one of those exceptional books that combines perfect amount of descriptions with dialogue and character action. No one word really slows the novel, instead constantly propelling the story forward.

           

I love characters that make me love them. Travis and Meredith make it so effortless, though I do think I might be a tad more partial to Travis…

         

   This novel is SUCH solid winner for the inspirational historical market in so many ways. Unique plot. Touch of suspense. Excellent, excellent story telling. Characters that simply demand the reader’s attention. Really, what gets better than that? Oh yes, a “forbidden romance”. I’ll throw that one out there just to tease you. I melt when I read such a romance as this. Really, who wouldn’t want to pick up this novel? A five-star, enchanting novel!

            

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the author and publishers for my copy to review.

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More about the novel...

Four brothers. Four straws. One bride.

No one steps on Archer land. Not if they value their life. But when Meredith Hayes overhears a plot to burn the Archer brothers off their ranch, a long-standing debt compels her to take the risk.

Years of constant vigilance hardens a man. Yet when Travis Archer comes across a female trespasser with the same vivid blue eyes as the courageous young girl he once aided, he can't bring himself to send her away. And when an act of sacrifice leaves her injured and her reputation in shreds, gratitude and guilt prompt him to attempt to rescue her once again.

Despite the fact that Travis is no longer the gallant youth Meredith once dreamed about, she vows to stand by his side. But will love ever be hers? Or will Travis always see her as merely a short-straw bride?

Wedded to War by Jocelyn Green ~ Review

I’m a bit of a Civil War junkie. I’ve studied that particular battle for several years in school and love learning more. So when this novel came up for review, nurses on the front lines of the war, I was immediately raising my hand in request.

            The research that went into this novel would have been extensive, and I could appreciate the time it must have taken. The novel covers the first two years of the war and its destruction, but also the very strong bias on the part of the needy doctors who weren’t willing to work with women nurses. Charlotte is not your weak heroine and her take-charge, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer made me want to send a “you go, girl!” her way. She did so in a simple, wanting to help way which makes her a very likeable character.

            I actually would have liked to see more of the actual nursing happening in the novel. I thought the opportunity for those scenes of character strength showcased in our heroine’s actions in the wards were missed. The many historical facts were great, but did detract from the main story. I liked seeing the varying aspects of society and people’s choices at their time, I just wished I had seen more of that and their individual stories and not so much historical documentation.

            It’s not a romance, but rather a love story and a novel of overcoming and hope for a new future. I’d be interested in knowing if the following novels are sequels which characters that carry over…

            This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review. 

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More info about the novel and author...

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wedded to War • River North; New Edition edition (July 1, 2012)
by Jocelyn Green


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.




ABOUT THE BOOK

When war erupted, she gave up a life of privilege for a life of significance.
Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?


Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Wedded to War, go HERE.


**Cover used by permission from Moody/River North Publishers**

Giveaway! Song of the Meadowlark by Sherri Johnson!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Sherri Johnson, it is great to have you here! Do you have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?

Thank you for hosting me!

One thing many do not know about me is: Recently, I have become hooked on the TV show Swamp People and secretly dream of going to the Louisiana swamps to catch a gator!

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I love to read Christian Romances and Thrillers. I write Romances and would love to write a thriller for my next novel.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing?

I have heard lately (more than once) how important it is to write “tight”. Tight writing sells. In the past, I thought word count was at the top of the list. I thought it took a lot of words to say what you needed to say. I could not imagine writing a short story or a novella. Recently, I wrote a 1,000 word romance for a contest. Talk about having to write tight! At the end of it, I saw a romance that was no less a romance than my 90,000 word novels. It was fun having to cut and compress—tighten things up a bit—to say what needed to be said in as few words as possible. My advice would be to write as tightly as you can, remembering that the average reader is smarter than we give her credit for and she can infer our meanings without us having to spell it all out for her.

5 things you love?

Jesus (of course)

Family (of course)

Writing (duh!)

My dogs

Ice cream

Roller coasters

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

I love connecting with readers and other authors. I love sharing what God has done in my life.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com
http://sherrijinga.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Author-Sherri-Wilson-Johnson/138396456193536
https://twitter.com/#!/swj_thewriter

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Sherri's ebook!

Please leave an email adddress! If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win.

For extra entries:

~Be a follower
~Be a subscriber

Contest is open internationally and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.
Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on August 3rd.

Attn Readers! If you're struggling to leave a comment on my blog, please email your comment entries (in ONE email) and I will submit it for you. But PLEASE only do this after you've failed to leave a comment. My email is: caseym.writer(@)gmail.com 

Chilling Start ~ Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins ~ Review

The novel has a chilling start. And a surprising finish. With an interesting mystery novel twist. Because the “eye-witness” didn’t witness the crime. She saw it through a God-given vision.

           

The premise was enough to give me chills and the opening of the novel quickly maintains that edgy quality. Chelsea is an incredibly likeable and sympathetic heroine. She doesn’t want these visions, but because of her faith is convicted to make sure the proper people know what she has seen.

            

 Now, I’m not usually the terribly bright reader that spots the villain before he/she is revealed and this book did leave me in the dark to who did it. But by the time the book closed, every doubt I might have had about this twist being pulled out at a desperate last minute, was completely erased.

            

Middle to end of the book slowed a bit for a murder mystery I thought and became more wordy. The ending didn’t hold that gripping suspense that I’ve become used too, but I will say one of the last scenes was especially well written. I was right there…but I dare not say more for spoilers.  

           

I did like the courtroom scene, though a bit wordy, the back and forth dialogue fling was like I was watching the lawyer shout, “objection!”

            

Often chilling word pictures, likeable main character and deep spiritual truths. “Eyes of Elisha” is a well-rounded suspense novel.

           

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publisher for my copy to review.

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More about the novel...

The murder was ugly.The killer was sure no one saw him.Someone did.In a horrifying vision, Chelsea Adams has relived the victim's last moments. But who will believe her? Certainly not the police, who must rely on hard evidence. Nor her husband, who barely tolerates Chelsea's newfound Christian faith. Besides, he's about to hire the man who Chelsea is certain is the killer to be a vice president in his company.Torn between what she knows and the burden of proof, Chelsea must follow God's leading and trust him for protection. Meanwhile, the murderer is at liberty. And he's not about to take Chelsea's involvement lying down.

Don't Steal God's Joy

Credit: Free Digital Photos

Dreams are precious gifts. 


We admire them. Pull them out to fog a bit of hot breath upon them before dusting them to a fine shine. 


We hold them tight. Waiting, counting the minutes, the hours, the days until our dreams come true. 


Oh the joy of a dream!


We can't forget about our dreams. We take them down from the shelf every day and have a harder and harder time returning them to the top-most hidden-away corner. But we can't see them back there! 

Front and center. 

That's better. 


Nope, better pull it a little bit closer. Fiddle with the edges, pull the fuzz--if such a thing dare even cling to our dream--shine the front and center. Our reflection is so clear!


We put the dream back on the shelf, this time at eye level, but there it always catches our eye, snagging our attention and soon it's back in our hands, and we're glancing around for a better place to display it. 


Before we know it, our dreams have become all-consuming. We are so focused on what our dreams need to succeed, we've forgotten about the Author of our dreams. We've neglected to realize that these dreams we've babied and clung to and worshiped could be taken away within the gulp of a breath. 


God gave us those dreams, He can just as easily take them away.


See a dream isn't for us to covet or hoard or worship. A dream is truly a pleasure, yes. It's meant to prompt motivation and excitement, but ultimately they always belong to God. They are never truly ours. He blesses us with our dreams. Inspires us in their beauty.


We can love these dreams. But we must be a good steward of them. Use the "waiting" time, not to covet our dream or what it would be like to take it down and try it on, but to fully practice and learn and grow in who God wants us to become. 


Don't steal God's joy. He loves blessing us with our dreams. When our dreams are one with His dreams for our lives, I know He must find joy in blessing us. 


God's word tell us He wants the best for His children. So often we forget that the dreams He has given us haven't been birthed in our own imaginations, but been gifted to us for a season. 


A glorious season. And someday, in God's timing, we'll be able to share our dream with the world. But until then, don't steal God's joy. 

Great Addition to My Cushman Library! ~ Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman ~ Review

The minute I read the back cover copy of this novel I loved it. A modern family enters a reality television show to become “almost Amish.”. Love that premise and the novel pretty much followed what I expected, in both story and quality.

            

I loved Julie’s heart. She is a woman every house wife in America can relate to. I immediately sympathized with her situation and hopeless driftlessness in it all. The only thing I wish was that the dynamic between her and her husband had been brought into the story in a stronger aspect.

           

I now own and have read all of the author’s novels to date and let me say this: I love her stories. Each word effortless slides into the next and the next, stringing a story that takes no energy to read. I simply have to turn the pages and join the world of the characters. Setting, emotions, character portrayal and situations are all great. 

I thought the middle sagged just a tiny bit. At times I was wondering what was going to happen, but thought the showing of the character growth (and sometimes not) was great through this entire part.

           

Character growth was genuine. So often in a novel, to find that tidy ending, events are rushed or feel fake. Nope. All good on that front here.

            

All in all, I really enjoyed the novel. And maybe…I really don’t want to become Amish like I thought. (wink)

            

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through CFBA for my copy to review.

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More about the novel and author...

            

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Almost Amish Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012) by Kathryn Cushman


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy, but all her life she knew that she wanted to write a novel “some day”. For her, “some day” came in 2003, when she started writing and never looked back.


Her first two manuscripts remain firmly ensconced in the back of her closet (the dust bunnies tell her they really are terrific!). Her third attempt became her first published novel.


A Promise to Remember and Leaving Yesterday were both finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award, and Waiting for Daybreak was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award.


On the homefront, she has been married to the wonderful and handsome Lee for nearly twenty-five years now, and their two daughters are currently braving the worlds of high school and college.


They’ve lived in Santa Barbara for over twenty years. It’s a beautiful place and Kathryn feel blessed to be there (although a seventy degree Christmas still leaves her dreaming of a white one—or at least a colder one!)


When she's not writing or reading or braving seventy degree holidays, you’ll find her trying her best to keep up with her daughters in their various theater, softball, dance, and filled-with-activity lives.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Proving the Simple Life Isn't So Simple After All


Overcommitted and overwhelmed, Julie Charlton is at the breaking point. She knows she should feel blessed as a mother and wife--but she just feels exhausted. And then, the miraculous happens. Her sister-in-law Susan, a Martha Stewart-in-training, lands the chance to participate in a reality TV series about trying to live like the Amish and needs another family to join her. It's just the break Julie needs.


But the summer adventure in simple living soon proves anything but simple. With the camera watching every move, Susan's drive for perfection feels a lot like what they left behind, while Julie suddenly finds herself needing to stand up for slowing down. Whether it's cooking, cleaning, or dressing differently, each new Amish challenge raises new complications...and soon each woman learns unexpected lessons about herself and her family.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Almost Amish, go HERE.

The Christy's Route 66...To the Winners!!

So...my favorites in Susan May Warren and Gina Holmes didn't win...but I can say a hearty congratulations to the awesome Ronie Kendig and Ginny Yttrup! Well done, ladies!! Check out the winning titles below and tell me what you thought in the comments!

Contemporary Romance

Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing)

Contemporary Series

The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers)

Contemporary Standalone

Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

First Novel

Words by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)

Historical

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Historical Romance

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Suspense

The Queen by Steven James (Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Visionary

Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl (Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)

Young Adult

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren (David C Cook)

Giveaway! Bees in the Butterfly Garden by Maureen Lang!

Welcome to Writing for Christ Maureen Lang, it is great to have you here! Do you have an interesting fact about yourself the average reader probably doesn’t know?

That word, interesting, always captures me. What makes something interesting other than trauma, angst, intrigue or drama? I come from a long line of interesting lives. My grandmother was raised in a school for girls because her mother and sister died suddenly, leaving only her father and older brother in the house with her—which was considered improper in those days, so off she went so the nuns could raise her. She eventually married—then divorced—but outlived three of her four children and one grandchild, so she knew her share of heartache. My father was a POW in the Second World War, for nearly three and a half years. He weighed around 100 lbs when he was liberated by the Russian army. Interesting? And my life . . . I didn’t know I was a carrier for a genetic disorder which I passed on to my middle child. He’s nearly 17 but functions like a two-year-old (but a very sweet two-year-old). So I have two full time jobs: writing and caregiver. Perhaps that’s an unnecessarily dark look at what makes something interesting. I suppose instead I might have said I once rescued a salamander in the hope of making up for the one I’d unknowingly slain several years before . . .

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

For fiction, I absolutely love historical romance, which is why I write it. If the characters are compelling, the era almost doesn’t matter, just so long as the setting is part of the escape. I’ve written some contemporary stories and they can be a great escape, too, but I prefer the total immersion into another story world that historical fiction allows.

Do you have a nugget of writing advice that has completely changed how you view writing?

Use what you have. What I mean is, when you’re building your story, strive to use the elements you’ve already introduced in or toward the beginning rather than continually dropping in new or unnecessary characters or subplots. Go back to drop in foreshadowing if you must introduce something new, but use the pieces of your foundation first rather than adding a lot of extraneous bricks along the way. The layers are better deeper than broader.

5 things you love?

God

My family

Writing

Learning

Music that inspires me

What do you enjoy most about being a published author?

I love those times when I’m writing a story and the characters do things I wasn’t expecting them to do. I truly cannot explain it, because until that point I almost feel as if I’m in control. Then I find I’m not, but I love it anyway. My husband always tells me to never presume I could teach anyone else to write, since I clearly don’t know how this sort of thing happens.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

I’m in the process of having my website and blog combined, so I’m hoping by the time this interview goes up that people will be able to read my blog on my website. My blog really is the place to get to know me, so it makes sense to direct people there; I update it once a week, and it’s a snippet not only of my writing life, but of the way I think. I have a lot of fun with it!

Find my blog on my website at:

www.maureenlang.com

Thank you for being with us today!

Thanks very much for having me!

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Maureen's latest book!

Please leave an email adddress! If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win.

For extra entries:

~Be a follower
~Be a subscriber

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on July 27th.

Attn Readers! If you're struggling to leave a comment on my blog, please email your comment entries (in ONE email) and I will submit it for you. But PLEASE only do this after you've failed to leave a comment. My email is: caseym.writer(@)gmail.com 

BIRTHDAY BASH WINNERS!!!

Photo credit Free Digital Photos.net

WOW!!!

Talk about a WILD party!!

Yesterday was insanely fun and I want to thank my authors really quick for letting me throw this party AND for giving their book away. :D

MaryLu Tyndall

Beth Vogt

Keli Gwyn

Katie Ganshert

Olivia Newport

and Dani Pettrey!

If you do not win a copy of their books today or have yet to read them, go check them out!! Great fiction, the whole collection. ;-)

We got so crazy around here (like a week's worth of hits in ONE DAY!) that Blogger couldn't keep all our comments on one page. If you're worried your comment didn't show up, it did! We just had to hit a "load" button at the bottom of the comment page. Phew! ;-)

So here are the BIRTHDAY BASH winners!!

For A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California by Keli Gwyn...

Katelyn Shear!

For The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport...

Elyssa!

For Submerged by Dani Pettrey...

Melanie!

For Veil of Pearls by Marylu Tyndall and  a bottle of bubble bath...

Nancee!

For Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert

Rachel! 

(Rachel, I have NO EMAIL for you, so please be sure and send me one within a week, okay? caseym.writer@gmail.com)

For Wish You Were Here by Beth Vogt...

Joanne Bischof!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for stopping by and making this party SUCH a smashing success!!! Now I'm ready for the rest of a peaceful week. Ha! ;-)

Congratulations ONE MORE TIME to our awesome authors on their releases. :D

**And HUGE thanks to Megan for helping me draw the winners and keeping me sane!! ;-)**