Two Julie Lessman Books in One Year? Um...YES PLEASE!

It should come at absolutely NO surprise that I'm a HUGE Julie Lessman junkie. 

No offense to any of the other authors I adore, but give me a Julie Lessman title any day of the week and it's a promise, nay a guarantee that you'll not see hide nor hair of me until that finished (with a groan of despair that I'm finished. ;-)

Know what else I love? The O'Connor family. So not only do I get to read this very last family episode in a drama that wasn't nearly long enough...but...

This is the family that has made Julie famous (Julie, don't you dare dispute me on that fact) and when I learned there would be a PREQUEL to Marcie and Patrick's story I just about danced a jig. And...have you seen the cover reveal? 

Julie's own artist hubby put this together and her daughter is on the cover. A family affair? :-)

A Light in the Window: An Irish Christmas Love Story begins in 1895 following a decade of explosive industrial growth and immigration that Mark Twain called America’s “Gilded Age,” when the nation plummets into the worst economic depression at that time.

Marceline O’Connor and her best friend Julie O’Rourke have been selected to assist Sister Mary Frances with the Christmas play fundraiser for the St. Mary’s parish soup kitchen. The play is called A Light in the Window, based on the Irish custom of placing a candle in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome strangers as if welcoming the Holy Family.

Doesn't the thought of another Marcie and Patrick story (two in ONE YEAR) just make your heart sigh???

Please tell me I'm not the only one... :-)

In celebration I'm giving away another one of Julie's titles. I have a copy of A Heart Revealed (where yours truly appeared as a cameo character ;-) 

So tell me! Am I the only one this eager for two JL novels in 2012? And maybe if you're a new fan, then do you have another series you're eager to receive the coming novels for?

Also: please note the title I'm giving away is the fifth book in a series of six and it is best to read them all in order. US addresses only please. 

I'm eager to chat when I get home from work tonight!! :-D

Plenty of Twists! ~ To Write a Wrong by Robin Carroll ~ Review

Murder. Mystery. Deception. And the Deep South. You can up with a fairly intense plot with just these few elements.

            On a journey to right a wrong that has put a supposedly innocent man behind bars, Riley is taken into a world I don’t think she planned on entering. She is a determined reporter, intent on finding the truth and isn’t afraid to share it. Which gets her into trouble throughout the story.

            What captivated me the most in this novel and sets it apart from other mystery/thrillers, were the many subplots. Each character has their own story to tell and yet each part of their lives feeds into the main story. I don’t think there was probably a single scene without some form of character subtext filling the pages. Which is difficult to accomplish.

            The mystery takes on an unfamiliar twist, delving into the health care world of managed care. I thought the story line especially creative taking into consideration the research and imagination that was put into play to come up with a murder that didn’t just tackle one issue.

            As I mentioned, I think the different layers of this book, really set the story apart. I would definitely say this was a novel worth discovering for those who like a mystery with a romantic subplot, but also for the readers looking for something different. I was pleased with my latest novel find!

            This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers through Netgalley for my early release to review.

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More about the novel...

In Angola State Penitentiary, a man is serving time for a crime he didn’t commit. Riley Baxter is an eager reporter desperate for a story to make a name for herself. When she stumbles upon the daughter of the incarcerated man, Riley sees a little too much of herself in the teen, and vows to help prove her father’s innocence.

At the same time, Hayden Simpson has his hands full with keeping his little sister in line, worrying about his job as Police Commissioner, and dealing with his past emotional baggage. The last thing he needs is someone blowing the lid off his emotional bucket. But when Riley Baxter storms into his life, struggling to understand why God would let bad things happen to good people, Hayden has no choice but to follow his heart.

Now, Riley and Hayden must work together to uncover the truth of the past . . . before someone shuts Riley up for good.

Giveaway! The Circle of Fire by Justina Page!

Casey here...I have a quick introduction for you. I don't normally do non-fiction giveaways as I am primarily a fiction blogger and reader. But when I heard even just a little bit of Justina's story, I knew this was one my readers would want to hear. I hope you take just a few minutes and read this lady's story and see how ALL things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  

On March 7, 1999 at the crack of dawn something goes terribly wrong. I awake to explosions, smoke, darkness. Oh, dear God. The house is on fire. Our family is jolted from our peaceful bliss and thrown into chaos to a home totally engulfed with flames. My husband begins frantically jumping in and out of windows in complete darkness desperate to save his wife and young children. Like precious obedient lambs, the three oldest boys grab their younger autistic brother and wait at the designated point for their father. Their obedience to the fire escape plan is rewarded with life and merciful 1st and 2nd degree burns. I am thrown out first but I reenter the inferno hysterical—determined to reach my precious 22 month twin bundles. I am pinned by a large burning oak bookshelf that falls on me. I am trapped, burning, and unable to speak above a whisper. I shout from the edge of the street where a neighbor is steadying me by pressing her head to mine—“I have six sons, get my babies.” The count never reaches six. Despite our greatest efforts, everyone doesn’t make it. Tragically the house collapses before my

husband is able to get our twin son Amos out. I and the other twin are severely injured in the process. We lose every earthly possession in a matter of minutes.

In the garden of my heart the weeds of bitterness, fear, and most potent, unforgiveness had taken root. Friends counted on my faith. Many people leaned on me for support and encouragement. Even in my hospital bed at my weakest point people came to confide in me and draw strength. The dilemma was bewildering. Who could I talk to? Who would understand the intensity of the faith crisis I was in? Only God. God lost a son, his only begotten son to a tragic, unjust death on the cross. “Show me,” I said, “how you dealt with the loss of your Son.” The scriptures stir in my spirit. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. You gave your Son to me and all things work together for good to them that love God. “But God,” I say, “even this?” I cannot sit, stand, walk, or use my hands. I hurt physically, I hurt emotionally, my twin son is hurt—my other dead.” God answers me—he is not afraid of my true emotions. “My son died yet he rose and lives again—your son lives.” he says. I am challenged. I had accepted Christ many years ago and firmly believed in the hope of eternal life. Now my son has slipped into that eternal place where I had prayed for him to be one day since his birth. I choose to embrace my faith and not abandon it. God had saved Amos. God had loaned him to me for a season and now he had taken him back. This was God’s choice. Out of faith blossomed hope and purpose. Hope is the heartbeat of survival.

Readers, this is your chance to enter to win Justina's book, featured above.

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 September 7th.

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 

Making My List...And Checking It Twice.

Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I've got my list. Do you have yours?

I'm talking about the Prospective Husband List. The one we all keep tucked away in the back of our minds and whip out to compare our potential Prince Charming against our scribbled notes over the years. 

Peak at my list? Why not...

• Quick to laugh 
• Taller than me (won't be hard)
• Athletic
• Hard worker
• Handsome (well, that's a given)
• Coffee disliker
• Book lover
• Loves to smile
• Serious
• Funny
• Cowboy
• And then of course, should look good in a cowboy hat ;-)

Okay...so maybe that list isn't a serious list. ;-) Of course several of those things on the list are important to me. (I'll let you decide which ones, LOL!)

But if you were to ask me for my serious list? Well, it would probably look more like this...

• God-seeker
• Honest
• Loving
• Lover of life
• Cherisher of dreams
• Family man
• Caring
• Humble
• Respecter of people
• Protective
• Warrior for Christ
• Patient

As young women when we are making our "lists", we should not be swayed by world's or people's impressions of what we "need" or want. Our man should be held up to the Bible's mirror of what a godly man should be. And what does the Bible say...?

Husbands , love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself...For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh...However, each of you almost must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5: 25-29, 31, 33

When you read the section of Ephesians, you realize the great weight upon a husband's shoulders and our responsibility to honor him as the head of our households. So while we might have a "checklist" for our potential husbands, we as young women need to realize that more importantly, we should be realizing our husband's have a check list for us. 

Join me in praying we can worthy of their love just as much as we pray he will be worthy of our love.

Curious minds are wondering...what's three things on your check list?

Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney ~ Review

It’s a quirky, cozy mystery with a heroine that has just the funniest sense of dry humor she brings into her brand-new PI profession.

            From the first chapter I knew Cate would be a blast to spend the next three hundred pages with. She brings a personality to the page that kept me reading just for the sake of hearing some quip she would come up with next.

            I wish there had been more dialogue. Much of the novel was through the thought process of Cate, and her humor kept moving it forward, but a bit more dialogue I think would have given the book “pop” that it needed.

            “Quirky” is definitely a word to describe this novel! Quirky cast of characters, quirky plot, even a quirky pet. The novel isn’t one for the fans of Die Hard, who like their murders grisly and dark, but for me, this cozy mystery had enough mystery combined with “cozy” main characters to make the story worth the read.

            I loved the chemistry between Mark and Cate. Oo, wonder what is coming up next for these two. The ending certainly went out with a bang and I was given enough suspects, I actually didn’t figure out who “did it”.

            It’s cute, quirky weekend mystery read, with enough elements to keep you wondering what will come around next.

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

            **Available August 2012 from Revell, a division of Baker Publishers**

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More about the novel...

Cate Kinkaid is just dipping her toe into the world of private investigating until one of the many resumes she has floating around lands her a real job. All she has to do is determine that a particular woman lives at a particular address. Simple, right? 

When the big and brooding house happens to contain a dead body, this routine PI job turns out to be anything but simple. Is Cate in over her head? 

Readers will be hooked from the very first chapter of this fast-paced and witty romantic mystery from bestselling and award-winning author Lorena McCourtney.

SPECIAL POST!! Return to Mackinac Island (and special giveaway!)

Casey here!! I LOVED visiting Mackinac Island. Oh not in person, no, but within the pages of Cara's book and I'm eager to return within Melanie's novel as well. These ladies have teamed up for a fabulous prize and one I didn't think my readers would want to miss! Read the post carefully, check out the other tour dates and enter for the grand prize! Read ALL the way to the bottom for a chance to win one of their books from my blog AND be entered for the grand prize, just by commenting! Happy Tuesday. :-))

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Mackinac Island. It’s a magical place that allows you to step back in time from the moment you first step off the ferry. Authors Cara Putman and Melanie Dobson have teamed up for a tour of the island, now and then. Comment at each stop for a chance to win a copy of one of their books set on Mackinac Island. You’ll find the list of stops here. Share the tour on twitter, Facebook, pinterest and other places, and you’ll gain extra entries for the grand prize of a copy of each of their books and a 5 slice box of Murdick’s Fudge, straight from Mackinac Island. Just be sure to email Cara at cara@caraputman.com, so she can record your entries. The grand prize winner will be drawn August 27, 2012.

Today we're talking fudge. Who doesn't like the slightly gooey texture and sweetness of a slice of fudge. Mackinac Island is famous for its fudge. Here's more on this sweet delicacy.

Cara Putman:  A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island

One thing Mackinac Island is known for is its fudge.  As I evaluated what elements to add to the story, fudge had to be part of it. The island has many fudge shops. Lucky for us Murdick’s has donated a 5-slice package to the grand prize basket. Yummy!  One problem came as I incorporated fudge into my story…a key event in the mystery occurs there. My Facebook friends helped me come up with the perfect name for my fudge shop: I’m Not Sharing. And once you’ve walked into a shop, smelled the sweet scents and tasted a free sample, you’ll agree…the fudge is too good to share!

Melanie Dobson: Love Finds You on Mackinac Island

I’m with Cara—the fudge on Mackinac Island is amazing! The main island trade, locals like to say, has evolved over the years from fur (and fishing) to fudge. The tradition of making fudge on Mackinac began after the Civil War, and more than ten thousand pounds are now made on the island each year. I chose to feature Murdick’s Fudge in my novel because they’ve been making candy and fudge since 1887.  

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island:   Join attorney Alanna Stone as she returns home despite her determination to never set foot on Mackinac Island again. Once again in close proximity to Jonathan Covington, her first love, she vows to protect her privacy and her heart from the man who still makes her pulse race. But when her worst fears are realized and history repeats itself—landing her in the midst of a murder investigation—Jonathan may be her only hope. Will they be able to lay aside the past and let God heal their hearts, or will reconciliation come too late?  Read the first chapter here.

Love Finds You on Mackinac Island: As the Gilded Age comes to a close, Elena Bissette’s family has lost most of its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, and they spend summers there in hopes of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls at the Grand Hotel, she spends her days walking along the island’s rugged coastline. There she meets Chase, a handsome laborer who invites her to watch the ships from an abandoned lighthouse. The two begin to meet there in secret, hoping to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary. As Elena falls in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her to Chester Darrington, the island's most eligible bachelor. Marriage to the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes' financial woes, and Elena is torn between duty and love. Read the first chapter here.

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So! Want to know how to win?

First leave a comment.

Second (in the same comment) answer one teensy little question for me...what giveaways do you like best from my blog? (genre, author, ebook?)

Giveaway! The Good Fight by Matthew Horn!

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

Interesting Fact #1: I became a father on January 31st, 2012. Her name is Elizabeth and we call her Ella. She is the most amazing child and it is the greatest feeling in the world to get to experience just a bit of God’s love through my wife and new daughter.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write? 

I love adventure. The best part of adventure is you can find it in Fantasy, Thrillers, Sci-fi, etc. A solid hero winning the day comes in many different shapes and sizes and I love them all both to read and to write. As an author, I have many different book ideas in 3 or 4 different genres, but each one includes one really great hero!

5 things you love? 

The Lord, my wife and daughter, Pasta, Sport (of almost any kind), and reading/writing. I could spend the rest of my life doing just those things and be so happy. Actually, I probably will spend the rest of my life doing those things. I’m excited just thinking about it.

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

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, an amazingly classic story with adventure, intrigue, mystery, etc. I only read it for the first time this year, but I know I would have loved it as a child as well. His ability to create scenery that was so vivid and to portray his characters feelings right into the minds of the reader just confounds me!

Places for readers to learn more about you? 

www.matthewrhorn.com is the best place to find out more about me and my books. My second book Nothing Good is Free, the sequel to The Good Fight, is set to release this winter. All my books can be ordered from most book stores and can be found in Ebook and paperback at amazon.com and at Barnesandnoble.com.

Thank you for being with us today!

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Matthew'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 31st.

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 

Mama's Review~ The Haven by Suzanne Woods Fisher

**This review shared with you by my mom. :-))**

A novel of secrets, twists and hidden truths, “The Haven”, latest title in the “Stoney Ridge Seasons” series is an enjoyable and likeable read with characters that grabbed my attention as a reader.

            The plot’s twists definitely kept me on my toes, never quite knowing what to expect with each new chapter. The nice thing though is that none of the twists felt irrational or against the grain of “actually” happening.

            Moments of humor had me laughing at some funny bit of dialogue or character reactions. Being able to enjoy a warm laugh, helped balance out the moments of seriousness in the plot.

            While the plot was engaging, the story wasn’t really one that thoroughly captivated me. Yes, the characters were likeable, the story one that would make me wonder how everything would be resolved, but it’s a gentle read, one that doesn’t greatly inspire a strong pull of attention.

            However, I will say that as the second book in the series, returning to a familiar setting and characters, it was great to return to “their” story. The ending leaves just enough room for another book and I’d like to bring closure full circle to a warm cast.

            This review is my mom’s honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for her copy to review.

            **Available September 2012 from Revell, a division of Baker Publishers**

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Spring brings new life, young love, and second chances to Stoney Ridge.

On a warm spring day, Sadie Lapp returns home to her quiet, unassertive life in Stoney Ridge after spending the winter in Ohio.

Gideon Smucker, an awkward schoolteacher, has been in love with Sadie since childhood and eagerly awaits her return. But does Sadie feel the same about him?

Will Stoltz, a charming and impetuous college student, has been banished for a semester and sent to babysit endangered peregrine falcons nesting at the Lapp farm. He'd rather be anywhere else . . . until he befriends Sadie.

As the hopes and ambitions of these three young people converge, life in Stoney Ridge may never be the same.

Once again, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher intrigues and delights with a story that explores the bonds of friendship, family, and true love in this captivating series. 

**CONTEST INFO!!**

  Celebrate the newest book in the Stoney Ridge Seasons series with Suzanne by entering her 4 eReader Giveaway and Facebook Party and RSVPing for the Live Video Chat on 8/30! 

See what folks are saying about The Haven!

Four grand prize winners will receive:

• A Brand new Kindle Fire or Nook Color 
• $25 Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com Gift certificate 

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on August 29th. Winner will be announced at Suzanne's Live Author Chat Party on 8/ 30. Suzanne will be hosting an author chat (party will start on Facebook AND then be Live from her website) and giving away books, gift certificates and several Burt's Bees® Nourishing Radiance Kits!!

So grab your copy of The Haven and join Suzanne on the evening of the August 30th for a fun chat (both on Facebook and via Live Video), trivia contest and lots of giveaways. 

Don't miss a moment of the RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

SPECIAL Giveaway! Lakeside Family by Lisa Jordan!

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

Thanks for having me, Casey. I’m excited to be a guest at Writing for Christ. The average reader may not know that Hubby and I eloped twenty-three years ago. I always dreamed of having a church wedding, but our situation at the time didn’t allow it, so we went to the local Justice of Peace and got married—Hubby was in the Marine Corps at the time. We planned to have our church wedding in our hometown in May of the next year, but I got pregnant with our first child in February, and we decided to wait. We will renew our vows in our church in 2 years for our 25^th anniversary. I may not have had the wedding of my dreams, but I married my real-life hero.

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

My favorite genre to read and write is contemporary Christian romance, but I love to read romantic suspense too. I’m learning to love historical romance too—the rich history, the style of dress and the customs of those time periods are fascinating.

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

I have several nuggets of writing advice:

·         Susan May Warren, founder of My Book Therapy, taught me to ask “What is your character’s dark past moment, and what lie does she believe because of it?” That shapes the character’s black moment toward the end of the book.

·         Rachel Hauck, VP of My Book Therapy, taught me to always ask why to reach the characters’ core motivations. And she encouraged me to “tell the story between the quotes.” Basically put the “good stuff” in dialogue and not in the character’s internal monologue.

·         Rachelle Gardner, my agent with Books & Such, continually reminds me I won’t please everyone with my novels, but I simply have to stay focused and write the stories God has laid on my heart.

·         Melissa Endlich, my editor at Love Inspired, continually reminds me to create intersecting plots between my hero and heroine to keep them together on the page…essential for building a romantic relationship.

5 things you love?

·         My Jesus

·         My family—Hubby, 2 boys, extended family

·         My writing support team—my mentors, craft partners, prayer partners, agent, editor, readers

·         Apple products—love my MacBook & iPod for writing

·         Crafting—cardmaking, knitting

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

Recently I read Rachel Hauck’s The Wedding Dress. I love the beauty of Rachel’s words. She has a literary feel to her stories, but they move at a solid pace. Her characters are well-defined, and the spiritual truth always always, always touches my core.

Currently I’m reading Sibella Giorello’s newest novel, The Stars Shine Bright. I love her Raleigh Harmon series. Sibella writes in first person, but her descriptions and storyworld are so rich that I feel I’m reading in third person POV.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

Website: www.lisajordanbooks.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaJordan

Twitter: @lisajordan

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/lisajordan

Thank you for being with us today!

Thank you for having me!

**EXTRA, EXTRA!!**

Lisa is celebrating Lakeside Family with a month-long party of giveaways, including a Coffee Lovers and Tea Lovers baskets. For more details and to enter the gift basket giveaways, leave a comment here.

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Lisa'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 31st.

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 

Can't Wait to Return to Sweethaven! ~ A Sweethaven Homecoming by Courtney Walsh ~ Review

In the second “Sweethaven” novel, we’ve again picked up with these beloved new characters from “A Sweethaven Summer”.

            What I love so much about this novel (and it’s prequel) is while the story lines focuses primarily on one main character (in this case, Megan) there is much to be loved and deepened in the lives of the other members of “The Circle.” Each of these women bring something to the story that not only impacts their lives, but the lives of their friends and their community. It’s a tightly knit story fashioned upon past mistakes and the need for forgiveness. Both to accept and give.

            Megan is a difficult character to like, I won’t lie. But her longing to do the right thing by her children, while misguided, is the force to keep me reading when I did become frustrated with her poor decisions.

            

There is so much depth to this story! I see no reason to believe why there can’t be another 

Sweethaven novel because the characters all have their own story to tell. I would love to know more about Lila’s story and fall more in love with Campbell and Luke’s romance. I hope they both play a more prominent role in the coming novel.   

        

            From dialogue to writing style. Characters to setting. To the passion behind the writing voice for these four women, is a story that makes me eager to return to Sweethaven again and again.

            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 A Sweethaven Homecoming Guideposts (August 2012)
by Courtney Walsh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Courtney Walsh is a published author, scrapbooking expert, theatre director and playwright. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, was released in February, 2012 by Guideposts Books, and will be followed by two additional novels in the series. She has also written two papercrafting books, Scrapbooking Your Faith and The Busy Scrapper and is currently working on her third, The Scrapcrafter’s Idea Book (F&W Publications, February, 2013.)

Courtney has been a contributing editor for Memory Makers Magazine and Children’s Ministry Magazine and is a frequent contributor to Group Publishing curriculum, newsletters and other publications. She has also written several full-length musicals, including her most recent, The Great American Tall Tales and Hercules for Christian Youth Theatre, Chicago. Courtney is a member of ACFW and is the current PR Manager for Webster’s Pages, a scrapbooking manufacturer. She lives in Colorado with her ultra creative husband and three children.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Suzanne's daughter, Campbell, journeys there in search of answers to her questions about her mother's history.

Suzanne's three friends-Lila, Jane, and Meghan-were torn apart by long-buried secrets and heartbreak. Though they haven't spoken in years, each has pieces of a scrapbook they made together in Sweethaven.Suzanne's letters have lured them all back to the idyllic lakeside town, where they meet Campbell and begin to remember what was so special about their long Sweethaven summers.

As the scrapbook reveals secrets one by one, old wounds are mended, lives are changed, and friendships are restored-just as Suzanne intended.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Sweethaven Homecoming, go HERE.

Giveaway! A Sense of Mission by Ann Gaylia O'Barr!

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

Before I began my job as a U.S. Foreign Service officer for the State Department, I had never applied for a passport. My first assignment to Saudi Arabia was my first trip out of North America. My early stories often involved an American woman beginning her first overseas experience, I suppose because my first foreign experience was so memorable (and scary).

Do you have a favorite genre to read/write?

I like “upmarket” women’s fiction/romances, which means they are character-driven.

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

A quote by Madeleine L’Engle: “Writing is simply part of breathing and living. It’s also a way of trying to understand what my life is about and, indeed, everybody’s”

5 things you love?

Reading, writing, and rainy afternoons when I’m free to do both. Also, hiking with my husband and stimulating conversation with family/friends.

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

I recently enjoyed Meg Moseley’s When Sparrows Fall, a finalist this year in the ACFW Genesis contest, Women’s Fiction.  I liked the subtle characterization. Faith is a part of the natural deepening of their lives and of their growth.

Places for readers to learn more about you?

On my website www.AnnGayliaOBarr.com

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, here is your chance to enter to win Ann'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 24th.

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